USN Officer?

Question

My fiance was talking to me about possibly becoming an officer in the Navy. We've talked about it briefly before, but just as in idea. Now he wants to seriously consider this as an option. He really wants to do this because he believes that it would truly benefit us in the long run. He wants to make sure I am okay with it before he commits to this idea. The thing is I am not sure about it because before he was saying that he was going to get out of the Navy (in 2011). I was happy with the idea about him being here with me all of the time but I want to make sure rather this is our best option or not before saying anything.

What are the benefits of him becoming an officer in the Navy?
What would be some cons (if any) about it?
Do any USN wives (or their spouses) have any experiences or stories they can share?

I just want to have the facts before I make any type of judgment. It's all about what will be better for our future family.

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Since you mention he is already in, then I assume he wants to be a "mustang". That's an enlisted member who gets a commission. The benefits are numerous, including gaining an instant degree of respect from his enlisted subordinates because he has "been there and done that". The cons are that he will have a greater degree of responsibility, with a lot more hours dedicated to his duties and his development.
Since you contemplate marriage, you will also face changes in your life. You will be expected to contribute time and effort in various functions involved with family support and the like while he is deployed aboard ship or on foreign duty assignments without you, because his shipmates will be in the same fix and you will become part of that waiting spouse group.
Since I'm a "mustang" myself, I wish him well in his pursuit of a commission. Give him the following message for me. He should understand it: "Bravo Zulu!".

Answer 2

Navy is like a large extended family. The housing is usually in a nice area close to the beach.
The pay is good and there is no co-pay for health and dental care for he or the family. It's a 20 year retirement at age 55 I believe for officers.
You get many discounts such as a warehouse store to buy whatever you may need.
You don't have to worry about crime, the base is guarded vigorously by armed guards.
The wives generally get together for socials and weekends there are planned family events.
My brother just retired after a great career. He is a full commander and gets a good retirement.
I'm not a recruiter (lol). I should have put in my 20 instead of getting out.

Answer 3

well, first, what kind of Officer? does he want to go LDO, URL, RL, Warrant or Staff? or does he qualify to go Nuke/Engineering? does he already have a 4 year degree? what's his degree in and what was his GPA? what is his current rating and would he want to stay in that community? is he looking to do STA-21 if he doesn't have the degree in hand, or go LDO/Warrant? does he meet the criteria to go LDO/Warrant?

Mine went RL after 4 years enlisted(too old for URL and didn't qualify for any of the others). the $800 a month pay raise from E5 to O1e was a nice chunk. he still gets to utilize his GI Bill, and as an Officer, if he's good enough, he could go to NPS on the Navy's dime and get a Master's degree.

One Con, for us at least, has been the number of PCSs we have had. average length of stay has been slightly over 2 years since his commissioning 8 years ago. That can be tough on families with kids.

O's have different responsibilities than Es do. More paperwork, less free time. Lots of extra crap like meetings that drag on forever and HobNobbing with VIPs.

does he want to Manage men, or continue to be hands on?

Mine went for the Commissioning because he wanted the challenge. he's very good at his job,and loves it(most days).