Questions about duty stations/ Living arrangements.

[xeverex21]

I am an IT3 with 2 yrs left on the ship. I want to go to Chicago for shore duty and buy a house there using BAH before i get out. There is nothing there except for Great Lakes Boot Camp and Recruiting Stations. It is too bad i cannot find anything else at all.
My questions are
1. There are no barracks around Recruiting Station, so where would I temporary settle and how long do i get to look around before i get a place?
2. I do not have my drivers liscense. What happens if you cannot find another way to work? Do you need to take leave and get your liscense and car ASAP or are there other alternatives?
3. Is there a public list of navy working offices (not duty stations/bases since there is only 1). I know i may have to talk to a detailer and maybe get lucky with some type of special work. I just wanted to have something in my mind to think about now for choosing my next station.

[fenway]

can't be a recruiter without a license. Why do you need leave to get a license?. get one on whatever state you are in.

[CVal]

You are extremely misinformed about Naval Station Great Lakes. It's more than the boot camp. There are further schools there. See this link for more info. https://www.cnic.navy.mil/greatlakes/index.htm

And there ARE barracks there.

[xeverex21]

can't be a recruiter without a license. Why do you need leave to get a license?. get one on whatever state you are in.

Im in Japan now so the license won't be good back in the states.

I know there are more than just boot camp there. It is just that the whole environment over there is dark or that is what everyone who has been there tells me.

[Realityczech]

My advice?

Stay away from Great Lakes. The whole place is poisoned.

I went there as an E5. I HAD to go there for school, cross rating from ET, and I have never been treated so much like a child in my life. In all seriousness, I was longing to go back to Guam, where I wasn't a "Seaman with 2 chevrons." Combine 1 part poor climate (though you're looking for orders there to begin with), 2 parts Intrusive leadership (there's a poster of an RDC Sneering in a recruit's face, with the subtitle of "Intrusive Leadership Saves Lives," that is up everywhere on base), a dash of criminal underbelly (I lived out in town, and could here gunshots every other week), and a whole lot of everything bad about the Navy, along with a healthy dose of Boot Camp culture, and you have NTC Great Lakes. I've been an EP/MP sailor my whole career, and NTC did it's damnedest to make me hate the Navy.

Just to be clear, I love my job now, and I harbor no ill will against the Navy as a whole. I just think that entire complex needs to be razed and burned to the ground, and it's training functions relocated to some other place. 100 years of subsidizing the economies of Gurnee, Waukegan, and North Chicago is enough.

I've been told it's not as bad if you're staff. I don't care. Given a choice between getting out and returning to Great Lakes, I'd get out.

[xeverex21]

My advice?

Stay away from Great Lakes. The whole place is poisoned.

I went there as an E5. I HAD to go there for school, cross rating from ET, and I have never been treated so much like a child in my life. In all seriousness, I was longing to go back to Guam, where I wasn't a "Seaman with 2 chevrons." Combine 1 part poor climate (though you're looking for orders there to begin with), 2 parts Intrusive leadership (there's a poster of an RDC Sneering in a recruit's face, with the subtitle of "Intrusive Leadership Saves Lives," that is up everywhere on base), a dash of criminal underbelly (I lived out in town, and could here gunshots every other week), and a whole lot of everything bad about the Navy, along with a healthy dose of Boot Camp culture, and you have NTC Great Lakes. I've been an EP/MP sailor my whole career, and NTC did it's damnedest to make me hate the Navy.

Just to be clear, I love my job now, and I harbor no ill will against the Navy as a whole. I just think that entire complex needs to be razed and burned to the ground, and it's training functions relocated to some other place. 100 years of subsidizing the economies of Gurnee, Waukegan, and North Chicago is enough.

I've been told it's not as bad if you're staff. I don't care. Given a choice between getting out and returning to Great Lakes, I'd get out.

Yes i already knew all that, seen it happen. Didnt want to get into detail but thanks for the clarity. I guess i can do some special job like Drug Abuse Counsiling or something. There is a website that shows the special billets. Thank god for yahoo.

[YomanDenver]

Honestly, even if you do receive BAH, I would really shop around the idea of buying a house right now. Take your time and look for one that can hold up for a long time.

Shop around on locations. Do you just want to go to Chicago because it's home, or would you settle for something that's close but still a drive home?

[forcedj]

You're an IT...are there billets in the comm center, or network operations center there?

Dan

[CorpsmanChief]

I'm a Chief Hospital Corpsman stationed at Naval Health Clinic Great Lakes for the past 3 years. The clinic has IT billets, so you might talk to your detailer and see if any are open.

I've been in 17 years and I've learned that you have to take everything you're told with a grain of salt. That person who said that Great Lakes is 'poisoned' must have some issues. As a young Sailor, my advice to you is that every place you go is what you make of it. This base has an infinite amount of opportunities available to you and Chicago is a great city. The person who mentioned 'poisoned' must have some issues, like he didn't advance or didn't take advantage of what the base has to offer, or he had some leadership at his command that he didn't get along with. Some people aren't happy unless they have something to complain about.

Never knock a place till you try it and never let a certain place or person affect your whole outlook on the Navy.

[CorpsmanChief]

To get out of the Navy early, with the way the economy is and the cost of literally everything...housing, insurance, medical/dental, etc...........you'd be crazy to get out now. Look at everything you'd be giving up...job security, steady pay, housing/food allowance, free insurance/medical/dental, 30 days PAID vacation a year (the ONLY place on earth you can get that)....don't get pissed......REENLIST!

[CVal]

Hi CorpsmanChief, welcome to the forum.