It’s time to start diving into the ethics and values you’ll be expected to embody when entering the US Navy. This is a topic that will be HEAVILY drilled into your mind before and during RTC, so it’s in your best interest to start working on it as soon as you decide you’re joining. There are many lists, symbols, and statements you’ll be expected to memorize, so turning some of the basics into second nature early on will give you an advantage and some peace of mind. RTC, or Recruit Training Command, is more commonly known as Boot Camp. For the Navy, it takes place at RTC Great Lakes, about 35 miles from Chicago, Illinois. I’ll likely go more into RTC in other posts, but for now the most important thing to take away from this is that you should get used to officially referring to it as “RTC” instead of “Boot Camp”. The first thing you’ll need to memorize is the RTC Maxim: “I will not lie, cheat or steal, nor tolerate those among us who do.” The lack of an Oxford comma may annoy you, but otherwise this is a pretty straightforward moral to follow. Remember that while serving, violating this rule can have consequences that go beyond just your career. Additionally, know that you are setting an example including when not on duty, so try to live ethically even when you think no one’s watching. If you have trouble recalling the RTC Maxim easily, think of it as two simple parts: the “I won’t” and “we won’t”. “I will not lie, cheat or steal” and after that there’s still the “we”, your team, so remember not to “tolerate those among us who do”. The RTC Maxim may be pushed on you while you’re a recruit, but throughout your military career you’ll be dealing with more all-encompassing ideals like the Navy’s Mission Statement. Now, the DEP (Delayed Entry Program) and RTC will be teaching you this specific statement: The mission of the Navy is to maintain, train and equip combat-ready naval forces capable of winning wars, deterring aggression and maintaining freedom of the seas. But be careful, because this precise mission statement isn’t set across the board with the Navy. At this time, if you’re in DEP or otherwise preparing for RTC, they should be using this specific version in your START guide. If you need to look it up again to study, do not just Google it, as even the official US Navy site usually has a different version of the mission statement; you don’t want to be stuck doing pushups because you memorized the wrong one. If asked directly “What is the mission of the Navy?”, you can usually leave out “The mission of the Navy is-“ from the beginning of your response, but go with the preferred method of whoever is teaching you. The body of the mission statement can be broken down into two parts as well, based on “what is it” and “what does it do”. What is the mission statement? “To maintain, train and equip combat-ready naval forces.” And what do those naval forces do? They’re “capable of winning wars, deterring aggression and maintaining freedom of the seas.” Each half also happens to be a list of three items, so divide and conquer until you’ve memorized is so easily that you can recite it on command without hesitation. Attached below is a cheat sheet for your phone. Set it as your phone’s lock screen if you’re having trouble making this second nature, and don’t unlock your phone until you read the statements out loud, fully, every time.
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Just Call Me Kilo
Although I'm a navy brat from a military family, I'm quite anxious and reserved. Therefore I'm not one to show my face and be overly social, but I like to help where I can! Ask me a question nicely if there's a topic you need help learning about and I'll see if I can address it. Archives
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