How much does a Navy recruiter lie about, and the other things the Navy won't tell you to get you to join?

Question

I was strictly applying for an IT job in the Navy on a career site. A Navy recruiter contacted me and set up an appointment at a library where we talked and interviewed and I took a preliminary ASVAB test. I qualified in this first round. However, after talking to a former Army recruit (my supervisor of my current job as data entry clerk) who complained about all the withheld and exaggerated info and how screwed he was when he joined the army b/c his recruiter lied/sweet-talked him into it....and a few other Navy recruits about how they were deployed and stationed against all their will at the most dangerous sites and to battle on the field.....I'm growing skeptical and worrisome. I hear both stories, good and bad. A Navy recruit whom I know well says it's the best thing that's ever happened to him and he's living an awesome life. Another co-worker says her friend has benefits that outweigh the cons. I don't know. Can anyone give me advice or more info?

Answer 1

You are doing the best thing you can do; asking questions. Ask people in and formerly in the branch of service you're interested in. The facts are easy to check, rate of pay, term of enlistment, etc. etc. It is commonly agreed that the Air Force and the Navy are the best choices to recieve an education on the job. They also have the best/quickest rate of advancement in rank. (Not much call for someone who can fire a cannon in civilian life, but pilots, air traffic controllers, etc. etc. will be able to find employment as civilians... Also formal education benefits are easlily checked and verified. The one thing I know for sure as a former Air Force wife, if the recruiter tells you something you are willing to base the next X years of your life on: GET IT IN WRITING. If it's true, they will have no problem with that. If it's a lie, and the recruiter is smart, he will have a problem putting it in writing. If he's so stupid as to lie in writing, well then, you can hold the Service to it; legally. Or gain your freedom from it; honorably.Good Luck. (The one thing no one can/will guarantee is where and when you will be assigned, and if there will be armed conflict there, at that time.) Common sense will tell you some of that, obviously. One last thing: as any TI will tell you on your first day of basic training, you are now the property of the United States - -. You have no civil rights. And that's a fact. Is it worth it? Everyone gets to decide that for him/herself.

Answer 2

Here is the Answer: All recruiters or for the most part will try and get you to join, there are many out there that will be helpful and beneficial to you. Here is where it counts, IF IT IS NOT GUARANTEED IN YOUR CONTRACT YOU UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO ENLIST. That is the most powerful thing you have going for you. Who is the only branch of service that can guarantee you your job? The Army. This is a fact, I am not making this up, ask the other branches recruiters if they can then ask them to prove it, then go ask an Army recruiter to do the same..................they will.

Answer 3

What you have to understand is this, recruiters are doing a job that can ruin their entire military career if they lie to you and mislead you to get you to enlist. Most recruiters have decided to stay in the military as a career, so they won't do anything to destroy that. They can and will get into serious trouble if they lie to a recruit. With that said, recruiters do not lie.

Most of what you hear about as far as a recruiters lying comes from people that either didn't take the time to really talk to their recruiters or didn't take the time to read their contracts. Also, their are people who did time in the service and hated every minute of it. So, they spread lies to keep others from joining. You have to keep all of that in mind as you make your own decision what you are want to do.

Here's the deal...ask a lot of questions, everything you can think of. If you don't like what you hear, don't enlist. Read your contract and ask more questions. If you want something and it isn't in your, ask your recruiter to add it. Keep in mind that somethings just can't be guaranteed. Think about, if everyone got to pick what they wanted, there would be jobs left open all the time. Again, if you don't like what you read, don't enlist.

Truth be told, there is a lot to serving in any branch that you get aside from your job. It is an awesome experience. It might not be what you want to do for 20 years, but you probably won't regret the time you did serve.

Good luck.

One more things, there are some bad recruiters out there. You do have the option to talk to a different one if you don't like the one you have been dealing with. You just have to tell him or her that you would like to talk to somebody else.

Answer 4

if it isn't on your orders, it isn't guaranteed. Just make sure they put whatever they promise on your orders. I had some religious obligations and they weren't on my orders but my recruiter said there would be no problem. Later I was told that I should have requested that they go on my orders and then there would have been no problem. Obviously, not everything that was promised will be given. If it is within the realm of reality they might allow it. Generally they will say 'tough luck'. In general, expect that if you sign up for the military, what they tell you won't be how it is. I was in communications and it wasn't that exciting, and frankly, a little disappointing. Expecting to join the military and be safe from war zones is unreasonable.

Answer 5

In 1960 I was a straight A student in high school just starting my junior year ,17 years old mixed up and gullable.
I didn't like my step dad and had a miserable home life.
At a scholastic awards dinner I met the Navy recruiter. He ask me what I wanted to be. I told him I wanted to win a scholarship to college and become a Civil Engineer.
He told me if I quit school and went into the Navy I could go to the Naval drafting school and that it was equal to 2years of college level drafting. That way I could get a jump start on college and get away from my step dad.
I took him up on it and all 9 weeks of boot camp I looked forward to going to that school. On graduation day at boot camp after the ceremonies we all went to the wall in the barracks to see where our orders were sending us.
Mine said USS Jason AR-8 San Diego which is a ship of course. I immediately ran to Chief Ballentine( yes, I still remember his name) and told him I was supposed to be going to Drafting School, He said, " you are a high school dropout and you can't go to a Navy school without a high school diploma". Now mind you all through boot camp I was writing letters for these high school grads because they didn't know how to end a sentence or spell. They were going to Radar, Electrician, Aircraft mechanic and other schools and they sent me to a ship to chip paint.
That recruiter's lies changed my whole life. I haven't ended up with a bad one but sure wonder at times what it could have been. Had I become a Civil Engineer.
Do not make a decision till you check everything twice.

Answer 6

Forewarned is forarmed.

Know what you want when you get to the recruiter and know how the system works before you talk to him. The site I linked below is a very good source for info.

Answer 7

Don't believe them, even if you see it in print on a signed contract! They still have the option to change anything on a government contract and they do so frequently that the enlistment contracts are no longer worth the ink or paper they're made from! It could say US Navy and you could find yourself in Marine boot camp from day one! It could have a specific training position and permanent duty assignment after wards and they can make you 11B Grunt infantry from that point onward. They could give lessons about lying to the master himself george w bush!

Answer 8

One of the biggest things they lie is about is your actual contractual obligation. I had a buddy shoot off his pinky toe after he signed his contract because he wantd to get out of it later. You do not owe them ANYTHING until you get money or get on that plane. Once you sign the contract your in the DEP (Delayed Entry Program) and they will give you hooplah about "Dessertion" and "AWOL" but the truth is they just sign it off as a DEP loss. I had to do that in order to switch jobs in the Army.

Answer 9

First of all, recuiters can get kicked out of the Navy for lying. Trust me, I would never lose my job for a teenager. I will tell you what we do do. We are honest with the facts, not our opinions. All unknowing people looking to enlist want the total answer on every single aspect of Navy life. Well, to be honest we are not going to tell you about everything, because the things you do in boot camp are better learned if you don't have a minute by minute itinerary. We know it sucks going into something totally blind, but it is for your best if you trust us or not. You will understand this point more if you enlist and when you finish boot camp. You should be able to understand that everyone's experience with the Navy or with the military in general is going to be different. Your Army buddy hated it, your Navy buddy loves it. This is true with any job with two opinions. As far as enlisting, you will need to learn that the needs of the Navy do come first. That means if you want to be stationed in Hawaii and the Navy only has jobs in San Diego, you will go to San Diego. Your thing about being stationed against your will is dumb. No matter where you go you will have a fine quality of life and the NAVY doesn't have fields in the middle of dangerous combat zones. That's the Army. The Navy, especially for the job you are talking about, has nice shore commands or ships to be stationed on with air conditioning, heat and your own bed to come home to every night. The Army has the suck a** jobs where you fired at and sleep in the hot nasty desert. The Navy if you are deployed you get state of the art gyms to work out in and your own private space to sleep in or hang out. You get a desk and a chair. No M-16's to haul around all day with heavy helmets. I enlisted into the Navy with three college degrees from Notre Dame and yes as your Navy friend said it was the best decision of my life. It is what you make of it like anything else. If you are smart enough to test well on the ASVAB you will have an open door to lots of great jobs. You can get stationed anywhere, but out of "A" school the higher up in your class rank you are the better you choice will be. If you are number 1 you can say where you want to go more or less. If you stay in you will get to call your detailer the next time you are supposed to transfer and get new orders and you pick from about 100 choices all around the world. Doesn't that sound pretty fair? It is the military, not your stagnant deaf end job at Wal-mart or the mall that is always the same hours and locations, but with those jobs you wil lnever have awesome medical and dental coverage, and outstanding port visits around the world. Sure, join the Army and see Iraq. Think about things clearly and really listen to what the recruiter has to say. He will not tell you his opinion, because you think of something may be different. Different people like and dislike different things. That's what recruiters are all about. They will give you the information to make your own decision, not lie and scam or whatever. It is all up to you, but you are going to need to read the job cards for the jobs you can have and decide on your own if it sounds good or not. The Navy is a great life and the longer you stay in the better everything gets. Good luck.

Answer 10

All recruiters have a quota. They all work for the Government and everyone knows how the Government lies about everything. Been there, done that.All the promises about free medical and food. It's all lies. During Vietnam we ate rations packed for World War 2. Look at how the Veterans are being treated. That should tell you something.