<p>asw, I used to think that Bancroft Hall was the largest rumor mill in the world. Now, I am coming to believe that it is probably the parents of those living in Mother B.</p>
<p>Here is my “first-hand” account. In the fall of 2007, my cousin calls me in a panic that his son was being forced to go subs. This was a kid who lived on aviation. Walls covered with F-14 pictures. Models hanging from the ceiling. Hundreds of hours of computer flight simulator. The next time I saw him I mentioned that I thought subs was an all-volunteer force. Receiving a blank look, I mentioned that his dad had called me. After a pregnant pause, he told me that he originally really wanted to fly and that his dad thought he still wanted to fly but that , after 2nd class summer, he really wasn’t sure if he would like flying that much, and that, since he was getting married right after graduation, the bonus was a big factor. He is now a submariner and loves it.</p>
<p>My other “first-hand” experiences is that last fall I was in a position to interact informally over an extended period with a group of eight or so 1st class who had selected subs. Casually, individually, I asked them about the rumor that mids were being drafted into subs. To a person, they told me that there was absolutely no truth in it. Of course, it could be the polar opposite of my above example in that no one wants to be a part of a group that no one wants (a corollary of WC Fields statement). Or it could be the opposite, the need to feel wanted. Or a host of other reasons, one of which has got to be that the nuclear power training, combined with only a five year total commitment, for those who do not intend to make the Navy a career, has got to be a huge draw. There is of course the surface nuclear option but, for junior SWOs, carriers suck (and are not good career paths).</p>
<p>So, yes, it could be a matter of semantics. I am sure that a 1st class midshipman and a Captain will define a casual informal conversation between the two of them quite differently. I am sure the midshipmen themselves know that submarines is an “all-volunteer” force as do those who are asking them to “volunteer” and also those who will be providing evaluation inputs for the short time until graduation. My sole purpose was to point out to candidates and parents and others on the periphery that it was in fact a “volunteer” force.</p>
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asw, just a bit of advice here. A hazard of making detailed advice such as the Air Force couple on the other forum is that there are those on this forum who might want to disagree with you even though they are unable to support their opinions with anything other than numerous lengthy posts about how much idle wasted time one must have on their hands in order to make such a detailed response. Unable to provide constructive dialogue, they simply attempt to “police” the posters. See Bill’s Catch 22 analogy.</p>