i hav sign up for five yrs, i'll be a DC, shipping out in febuary

Sinker I have been out a few days what in heck is a DC

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Damage Control, pretty much just firefighting, equipment maintnance, and stuff like that, i have a paper that has i little more details.

Sinker I know what a Damage Controlman is but is that what they promised you a DC Class A school

yea,....why, am i getting f@#@3?

Sinker what was the answer to my question

yes, im going to a class a"A" school at the great lakes for five weeks, i believe, ill hav to double check to be for sure.

Sinker if it hasn't changed it is a good rate and easy to advance in I was a Snipe for 17.5 years an EN

Pardon my ignorance sir, but whats a snipe and an EN?

Sinker a Snipe is Engeneering Rates and an EN is Engineman.

oh ok, thnx

GOOD LUCK Sinker

Good luck Sinker

A little clairificaion.... a snipe (i.e. Pitsnipe) is one of those sailors (typically MM) that work down in the 'pit'- the machinery rooms that have the boiler, shaft(s), and all the other stuff required to make the ship actually _move_. I'm a Pitsnipe, myself.
DC isn't a bad rate- you'll understand what I mean later on when I say they're the topsiders of Engineering (any rate with the red stripes, btw). Lots of PMS, tho. You'll be going to BECC (Basic Engineering Common Core) for your 'A' School with every other engineering rate, and you got the privilege of being gassed not once, but twice! (Everyone's gassed in Boot Camp, and BECC students do it again, except the second time REALLY sucks).
Any more questions about your school (I went to it just under a year ago), just ask. It's actually pretty fun, and the fleet's about 10 times better.

What Wil i learn in "A" school that i won't learn in boot,(as far as fire fighting is concerned) of course ill find in a couple weeks of course, but id figure id ask ne way. And GUnny, if u read this, i think i might hav figured out what a sea bat is,and i don't think ill ask a cheif what that is real soon.

Sinker welcome back glad you made it are you on your way to Boot.I guess according to the Machinst Mate above it has changed a lot since I went to (A) School back in my days it depended on what rate you intended on going for and then it prepared you in general for that job if you get( A )school out of Boot camp you are very lucky.(B) was not available for anyone under E-5 because it was a specility school but there was always waviers for all schools.By the way you won't have to worry about jokes such as Sea Bat ,Golden Riviett being played on you by a CPO you might if your E-4 shipmates think you are easy pickings.You will have a problem with CPO's if you don't knock before opening the door to CPO mess and don't I mean ever Salute a CPO they assume you are putting them in the same catagory as a Officer and they don't like it worth a crap.By the way in all my time I never heard of pitsnipe might be but what I was told a long time ago was the ultiment Snipe was a Machinest Mate or BT but I was also told the word Snipe came from a person not being able to stand open sunlight or someone always staying below the waterline or pertains to anyone who is involved in the Propulsion of the Ship in my time anyone in Engeering was called a Snipe by there shipmates ,Deck Apes were BMs and deck Div then usually Radiomen were called Sparky,Gunersmates called Gunner the Sigalman are called Skivey wavers,the Cook is generaly called Cookie most Div have their own way of Communication I will say if you are on a Ship you usually bond with your own rate but you always will have friends in other rates but when you go on Liberty all of your Shipmates are your buddies it will come natural.

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darn....well can't say I didn't try!


Congrats on your new assignment. Listen to the advice the others are giving you and you can't go wrong. These guys have been there and they KNOW.

Myself...I wuz just yanking yer chain, but thats something you can expect from us Jarheads for your entire career as a squid.

We don't accomplish anything in this world alone ... and whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one's life and all the weavings of individual threads from one to another that creates something.

-sandra day O'conner

thanx for the advice everyone, you've helped alot.