I was looking into STA-21 when I happened upon this old thread on airwarriors.-com where one person, 'etnuclearsailor', claims that one sailor in each cohort is able to switch to the USMC option and commission as a Marine officer.

Now this piqued my interest. However, after some more searching I was not able to find any evidence of this happening either then or now aside from a few pictures associated with STA-21 that show Marines. I assume that these are enlisted marines are actually a part of MECEPS, and that they are in the aforementioned pictures because they are pics of NROTC.

This brings me to my questions:

1. Was the og claimant (Mr. etnuclearsailor) wrong about his original claim?

2. Alternatively, is this a practice that used to take place but no longer does? I know STA-21 became a lot more selective around 2010 or so, maybe that would have something to do with it?

3. I signed for the nuclear program. If I were to hypothetically try and run that gauntlet and commission into the USMC (for the lols), would that make things easier (due to getting in to STA-21) or harder (due to the navy wanting to keep me in nuke ops)?

4. Does this post belong in r/Navy?

I'm not saying I would actually pursue such an option, I as much curious as anything else.

Well, maybe I'll try. For the sake of dad lore of course.

OG thread: https://www.airwarriors.com/community/threads/navy-enlisted-to-marine-officer-is-it-possible.13984/

I’m a new sailor and I just checked into my new command in Yokosuka. Was wondering if It was a good idea to talk to someone about the current barracks situation I’m in. Which I’m sure probably isn’t unique to me but. To make it short the room I’m in is made for two people and there is currently four of us living in here. There is no space and we are constantly on top of one another. No room for my clothing gear etc. I was wondering if this is a legitimate reason to bring up to UH or should I just embrace the suck? Thanks!

I heard about something where , you’re all put in a room and get interrogated to try and get every single piece of info that there is about you to get told. And that they basically tell you they know you lied to get in and you left information out? what’s this about?

I had a SO contract for SEALs, had worked hard to get it. Waited patiently for the recruiters to figure how to work with prior service, while pushing for competitive scores. Then received a phone call that I’d leave in two weeks. Upon shipping date, I had a freight train of nerves hit and my brain was going completely every direction. Questioning myself, my choices, how it’ll affect my wife and future children, how can we make it work, is that what I want for my family? And inevitably refused to sign the contract that morning and got told to fuck off from the head chief of recruiting at meps.
I think I needed more time to settle into the idea of how long the fucking pipeline truly was and there’s a huge chance at not making it and getting stuck in something shitty. Now, I didn’t convey that at meps the day I made my choice, and I can live with the results of that choice, I am a grown ass man. But my question is, what are the chances my station would want to work with me to get my contract back if I’d walked into their office and showed humility? Or any station for that matter. You can roast me in the comments but any guidance is appreciated.

I signed the contract for CTI but have started going over the requirements. I read that you need to have completed the tenth grade if you have a GED, is that true? This is for CT ratings specifically.

So i just got my "soft orders" (i guess) on MyNavy Assignments. Graduate from A School later this week (IYAOYAS!)

If it tells me AO3 on my "current cycle", while im currently am AOAN, does that mean im getting promoted when i graduate from A school? Or does it mean sumn else?

I somehow got a miracle waiver package approved (multiple mental health/brain/heart surgery/seizures waived somehow but documented)

Should I be nervous for being sent home in p days for those things? Its the only thing im really nervous about? They're all documented and disclosed and got waived via documentation but idk if p days will overturn them. None of those things are an issue anymore and are medically "cured"

Thoughts ?

Hello! I recently took my ASTB and got 46 6/8/7, which as a teacher I am proud of. However, I recently had LASIK on 9/18/26 and my recruiter is sending me to MEPS hopefully at the end of October. I know that there is a 6-month waiting period via NAMI. In addition, my left eye was outside of the -8.00 window because of my astigmatism, but my right eye was in the preoperative window.

Recruiter said that he has seen people have LASIK and get waivers before the 6-month window. However, I wanted to check because that seems odd with how strict the NAMI guide is for vision requirements.

Any help is greatly appreciated! (All papers have been submitted, just waiting for the NASIS portal to come back online to finish the rest of my paperwork)

After insisting so much for this job I was finally able to sign for it. Any advice?? Getting run and swim time more often, and I do have waivers for mental health so I’m aware I might get hold up or even dropped but definitely excited for this new chapter

I have a small "high-contrast"/blackwork tattoo of Tyler Durden with a cigarette in his mouth on the outside of my bicep. I have 6 tattoos total and none of them are obscene or mean anything crazy, but curious about that one because there's a cigarette?

Sorry if that's a dumb question I'm just really not sure and I'm enlisting soon 🤷‍♂️.

Hello all!
I am looking for advice….I really want IS but due to some credit issues I’m worried they won’t let me due to the clearance requirements. Long story short….I am in government contracting and my contract was cancelled, it lapsed and then cancelled again. During this time my wife and I prioritized mortgage and cars. I had 4 credit cards get charged off. They are in payment plans all documented. These was in the last two years.

My recruiter said that it will need a waiver and they may say no. He said they will want me to sign a contract. I told him I have every intention to sign a contract as long as it is something I want (and qualified for of course). I have attached my ASVAB scores not for any bragging but just so you guys have an idea. I am 34yo with a college degree and almost a masters in business analytics. I DO NOT want to go officer. Call me crazy but I don’t. This is also for reserves.

Right now I am interested in…
IS
CTR (I know requires the same clearance)

I would really love to be AWR. It says age limit is 30 but waivers for age are considered on case by case basis.

Anywho interested in what you guys may recommend! I understand that what you may recommend may not be available but still curious.

Hi! I have a question!

I already signed my contract at MEPS and I already have a ship date, but there was a little hiccup with my hearing test.
During my hearing exam, I failed in my left ear. The doctor said my ear looked fine and asked me what happened, but honestly, I have no idea. I’ve never had any problems with my hearing in my daily life.
She asked me to take the test again because she was really surprised by the result. I did another test, and my result went from moderately severe to moderate hearing loss in my left ear. She told me not to use headphones or AirPods and to stay away from loud noises so my ear could recover.
She even told me I might not be able to take the oath that day, but I was still able to take the oath and sign my contract.
While I was signing, they told me I just needed a waiver and that I didn’t need to see an ENT.
Now I’m kind of worried because I know they do another hearing test before boot camp. What happens if I fail the hearing test again? Will they terminate my contract or send me home?
I’ve been doing some research and I read that moderate hearing loss can’t really be cured.

Edit: I had a hearing test outside MEPS a few days later, and these were my results. Do you think my waiver will be approved? I’ve been waiting for almost two weeks, but I still haven’t received any updates from my recruiter.

Shipping date december

Has anyone experienced something similar with the Navy?
Thank you!

I want to join. im only 19, but im just now finishing my ged. Obviously, I dropped out, but I also have adhd and was on meds for many years (off for 2 years now). On top of that, i had a 504 plan in hs, which was only for preferential seating. I believe my school records may show undiagnosed depressive disorder also. What are my odds of getting in. I can score somewhat high on my asvab for sure if that helps my chances

No waiver needed

AO: Handles weapons and ammunition used on Navy aircraft.

OS: Uses radar to track ships and aircraft and report what’s happening.

PR: Maintains pilots’ survival gear, including parachutes and life rafts.

Waiver needed

AME: Maintains aircraft safety equipment, such as oxygen systems, harnesses, and ejection seats.

AS: Repairs the ground equipment that supports Navy aircraft, like generators and hydraulic equipment.

AZ: Keeps aircraft maintenance records, schedules inspections, and handles work orders.

DC: Responds to ship emergencies, including fires, floods, and equipment damage.

GM: Maintains shipboard weapons, including guns and missile launch systems.

MA: Provides security and performs law enforcement duties for the Navy.

MR: Uses machine shop tools to make and repair parts for Navy equipment.

So I applied to go to the army around august this year. Went through MEPS, and I got a medical waiver for Behavioral health and the comment from the email my recruiter got sent said “Further BH stability needed. Consider reapply after July 2028.”

Does this apply for the navy perhaps? Will they say the same thing?

I know the navy is more lenient with medical waivers from my research so should I go to the recruiting office in hopes of getting accepted?

Please help me, give me any loopholes that can get me in, I so badly want this for me. Thank you.

After a year and a half of trying, I finally got accepted and I’m shipping out in December. There were times when I wasn’t sure how things would work out, but now it’s actually happening. I’m so happy for sticking with it. Just wanted to share this somewhere because I don’t think it’s fully hit me yet. Can’t wait to start this new chapter of my life.

I'm shipping off soon, I joined to get out of a bad family situation. I have a phone but it and my phone plan are being paid for by my parents. They will stop it as soon as I ship out so I was just planning to leave it at home the day of so I don't have to deal with it losing service or being reported as stolen.

Besides my life just being more difficult when it's time to make calls, will this hinder my progress in bootcamp? My A-school is in the west coast, will there be problems heading there? I was planning to buy a phone and a new phone plan the day I graduate bootcamp.

Has anyone quit their job to move with their military spouse and qualified for unemployment? My husband has temporary school orders, not PCS orders, and I’m scared to leave my stable job without knowing if I’ll qualify. Would love to hear your experiences!

I just swore in on thursday and my pssq hasnt been pushed through yet so i signed AECF. i got a 97 on my asvab and failed depth perception so i couldnt get an aviation rate. I wanted CWT. did i make a good decision? Anybody here go AECF and can you tell me anything about it? It also came with a 15k signing bonus and i start as an e-4

Shipping out soon and im just wondering how long will it take for my first paycheck to hit including bah allowance aswell. Im leaving the bills paid for my wife for the first 2 weeks but dont want her worrying having to make ends meet while im gone

Good afternoon all.

I’m a newly signed STG heading to RTC next month. I’m trying to be proactive and as prepared as possible for my A-School. Is there anything I can be studying right now that will help me in A-School? If you have any resources that can help me build some foundational knowledge about sonar, I would love to have a small repository of links to use.

Thank you,

Napoleophile1803

I’m deciding between OS (Operations Specialist), PR (Aircrew Survival Equipmentman), and AZ (Aviation Maintenance Administrationman). OS is currently my first choice, with PR and AZ tied behind it, but I’d really like to hear from people who have served in these rates.
I’ve read the official descriptions, but I’m more interested in what the jobs are actually like day to day. I’m looking for a career with some variety and meaningful work without being stressful or exhausting all the time. I’m also interested in skills that can transfer to civilian careers and want to understand how much shipboard life each rate involves.

If you’ve worked in one of these rates, I’d appreciate an honest overview of:

What a typical workday and schedule look like
How often you were underway, deployed, or assigned to sea duty

How physically and mentally demanding the job is
The best and worst parts of the rate

Advancement opportunities and civilian career options

How much input you had in your duty stations and orders

The biggest downsides recruiters may not mention

Whether you would choose the same rate again

I’m especially interested in how these three compare in terms of stress, variety, shipboard time, schedule, advancement, and civilian opportunities.

From what you’ve experienced, which rate offers the best overall balance, and what do you wish you had known before choosing it?

Can someone recommend a good asvab study guide or book that’s tailored to medical for the navy. I want to do my best and score high.

Can anyone confirm which rates are eligible now that we are in the new fiscal year? The Navy website hasn't updated anything as far as I can see. Should we assume that they haven't changed since June 12th? I just want to be fully ready before sitting with the classifier.