(Part 2) Best products from r/navy

I'd suggest going for a Security+ certification. Are you planning on continuing your enlistment? If not, a Security+ opens lots of DoD contract jobs as a civilian employee. It's what's called an IAT 8570 Level 2 certification. Most, if not all, DoD contract jobs require an IAT 8570 Level 2. If you hold a DoD SECRET clearance you can pick and chose what job you want.

Of course, when/if you go back to civilian life you can always apply for full-time federal employment (look at Department of Veterans Affairs IT in particular). You'll get preferential placement as a veteran. I'm suggesting contracting at first as it's easier to get in. Plus it gives you experience working in federal/DoD IT.

How to study? I used Darril Gibson's study guide (https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_62?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=comptia+security%2B+get+certified+get+ahead+sy0-501+study+guide&sprefix=CompTIA+Security%2B+Get+Certified+Get+Ahead%3A+SY0-501+Study+Guide%2Caps%2C339&crid=34GIT0RDZMVW9), Mike Meyer's COMP TIA Security+ Passport (https://www.amazon.com/CompTIA-Security-Certification-Passport-SY0-501/dp/1260026566/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1550737392&sr=8-2&keywords=Mike+Meyer%27s+%22CompTIA+Security%2B%22+%22Passport%22) along with googling some free online tests. You'll probably need more as I have industry experience and studied for other security related certs. The test is $350 I think. You should have your cert in 90 days of studying 30-60 minutes a day. Longer if you have the time.

I'm not current/former Navy, just peruse this sub from time to time. Good luck!

https://thearmoury.com/products/brift-h-cotton-polishing-cloth?variant=5427405553679

Saphir Polish in a range of colors is about $18 USD and the cotton rag looks to be about $20 but I think you get a bunch of them.

The stuff he is using in the video looks to actually be the shoe polish, (the wax listed on the website is in a glass jar, not a tin cup), but the high shine wax (glass jar) looks to be $30.

Disclaimer: I am not a sponsor of this, I was polishing my shoes today and was sitting at computer and was watching youtube vids and found this guy. ..if he's world champion of shoe shining, I figure he knows a thing or two about it lmao

EDIT: Video youtube comments confirm its the Saphir brand wax (polish in the tin can, just like the kiwi brand)

and that bottle is called a water spritzer, ..edit: nevermind- found it.. it's called a one touch pump dispenser ($7.99) https://www.amazon.com/Touch-Pump-Dispenser-Bottle-Flip/dp/B00GOI6MAE

Wally world/Walmart has spray bottles (small travel bottles) for like $1-2 that can do the same thing though)

Great suggestions so far.

The only things I can add to this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00KNCAZF0/ref=mp_s_a_1_7

These boots are incredible underway in coveralls. I have one pair that are 12 years old and another pair that are 6 years old. They're​ still in great shape.

I can not convey just how comfortable they are. Getting dressed takes less than 30 seconds with no laces.

It's kind of a grey area under the uniform regs. I was able to pull it off on nearly a dozen ships I was TAD to. They meet all the important criteria (electrically safe, steel toes, etc)

I had a department head ask me about them, and he was wearing pair the next underway.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00C9F81OQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_a_it

For the times when you are working 20 hour days and skipping meals in exchange for sleep is worth it. They're yummy as well as decent nutrition. Not a lot of meal replacement shakes​ contain a complete protein. You can start running an amino acid deficiency of you skip too many real meals with a lot of other meal replacements. Probably 30% of my meals underway were these shakes and I always felt fine (other than the constant cortisol overdose and lack of sleep).

Just saying, the nukes were the saltiest, angriest people on the ship. Not that being an IS couldn't be maddening (especially if the systems went down) or shockingly boring, but it was a pretty good life compared to the other people I saw and I was lucky enough not to have stupid officers running our shop.
If you want a good idea of what being a nuke is like, try reading "Rig Ship for Ultra Quiet" - https://www.amazon.com/Ship-Ultra-Quiet-Andrew-Karam/dp/0957870973/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484672340&sr=8-1.

Pitch and Rudder has a bag of coffee called Sailor Tears. I think the markup is ridiculous for a 12 oz bag of coffee beans but you’re paying for the label I guess, which is hilarious. Mr BGW said it was “like $25 I think,” and that had better be great coffee. It’s only $15, so ~the same as a bag from Starbucks? Anyway: I’d get the bag of coffee and a coffee mug. If you want to really up the game, a bag of coffee and a coffee mug or coffee canister that everyone signs in fine tip paint marker. Assuming he drinks coffee, but, what First doesn’t drink coffee?

Also, Book Rooks (shop is on Etsy) has some beautifully crafted hollowed out books. Depending on time, send them a copy of the blue jackets manual or similar navy history book... And have them hollow the book out. You could fill with cards (go to a craft store and get the “archival quality” paper so they don’t fade or bleed the ink over time) everyone in the division wrote notes on, you could do the “flask cut” and have them put a flask inside (or bottle and shot glasses).

We always give REPO a (new, from Home Depot) toilet seat we all signed and then shellacked to preserve the signatures. I don’t know if they actually put it in their home bathroom, but that is our intent anyway.

The workbook, "Japanese for Busy People" (get the romanji version) is good for when you're, well, busy.

I used it to study Japanese when I thought I was going to be teaching English there through the JET program before deciding to enlist instead. It's pretty good for basic stuff, it'll be helpful if you learn your katakana and hiragana on top of that as well. Just learn a few a day and you'll be golden.

I tell all my guys to "pack your happiness", whatever that entails. For one guy it was 10 cans of smoked oysters, another needed 5 lbs of dark chocolate, I personally need my travel espresso maker and fresh coffee (handpresso) Since it's his first deployment, he might want to come up with a budget for each port. I've seen guys come back with way less money saved up than they could have had if they had made a plan before going out. Anywho, cheers, happy deployment~

I liked James Hornfischer's Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailor and Neptune's Inferno. Ian W. Toll's Pacific Crucible was also good. These all focus on the Pacific Theater of WWII.

U.S. Submarine Operations in WWII, despite the boring name, is pretty much the submariner's Bible, with wide renown in the Fleet.

Likewise, I was a subordinate of his back in the day. This also surprises me not at all. I have no idea what he is like now: it would be very hard not to let the perqs of being a 4 star go to your head, but this seems to argue that he hasn't completely gone to the dark side.

He is a pretty smart guy, btw. If you haven't read his book, it is an excellent grounding in special operations planning (on the unit level). He originally wrote it as a War College thesis: he expanded it and published it as a book, which was reissued after he became famous.

http://www.amazon.com/Spec-Ops-Operations-Practice-ebook/dp/B0024NP5FG/

https://www.amazon.com/Left-Handed-Monkey-Wrench-Stories-Essays/dp/0870213458

If you read this, when you are done, you will want to paypal me $10 for the recommendation. I don't brag much, but this book is 900% more badass than everything recommended here. Its short stories by the guy who wrote Sand Pebbles (book and movie are 100% legit). Its rather engineer-centric, but its Level 100 badass.

Your son will be issued what he needs.

If you mean a civilian jacket, I own this which is pretty great and packs into it's own pocket.

> My Chief was HEATED and told me afterward that I’m setting myself up for a rough season saying shit like that.

I hope you keep saying shit like that. People need to hear the truth. The hike sounds like a mess and I'm so disappointed to read about that.

>prepping your junior sailors for success should literally be the every-day goal of any leader in the navy and especially those with anchors....but so far my interactions with every structured program like POSLCes, Sailor 360, CPO 365, Phase 1-3, Initiation, etc have been embarrassing.

I am in complete agreement with you on the first point. I'm in general agreement in the second. I think the reason for our (Navy) failure on the second point is we lose sight of the first one.

I am a big fan of the book Common Sense Training. We ought to make this required reading for everyone at the PO1 level and up.

She is awesome, started with the podcast a few years ago and got the book. Have you read Eats, Shoots & Leaves as well?

The Unix book is good, the first one has it's own merits but think more like this ...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/159327047X/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1412784854&sr=1-2.

Sorry for the whole url, I'm using my phone and heading into work.

I've used a G-Shock Military for the past 3 and half years. link


It's been through desert exercises, wet RHIB rides, oil and fuel splashes, and gets banged up every day on a metal ship. I replaced the batteries a few months ago, and it's still working great. I only wish that it had multiple time zones and multiple alarms.

For wear with civilian clothes during overseas liberty ports I had a Weatherproof (brand) microfiber jacket like this one. I still have it. It is very light but sturdy and well made, machine washable and folds small for storage in a coffin locker.