Preparing..

[bg_nc]

Sorry for another post but I need some answers and you guys are really good at answering questions for me.

The truth is that I'm in horrid shape. Let's say I have 6 months to prepare before enlisting. My biggest problem will be running. I can barely run a mile, heck I can't do that without stopping to walk for a few minutes. How can I start easy? Plus, how can I build my strength for the pushups and stuff?

This may sound dumb or cocky, but I'm not worried about the swimming aspect, because I'm naturally an above average swimmer. What I am afraid of is being kept out due to my run times. Is it normal for people to do better on the swims rather than the runs?

Any tips on not being disqualified for reasons other than physical fitness such as the explosive training?

Thanks guys.. Sorry to bother you. I'll try not to post anymore.

[saro]

Couple things which worked for me after recovering from a long illness.

Use a heart monitor
Work out on a treadmill until you learn how to pace yourself
Start with a walking program (35-40 minutes) to build up your endurance 3x a week
1-2 days a week do a harder cardio workout (walk on incline or alternate run / walk every five min) for 30 min
As your heartrate improves move to a running program (35-40 minutes) at a slow pace
Once you can run comfortably for that length of time, start to increase the pace & intensity
Do sit ups / crunches every day
Overall weight strengthening 3x a week

Start slow to avoid injuries. See if your local gym has a personal trainer and set up an introductory session to check your form or put together a program, especially if you haven't run or lifted weights before.

Good luck!

[Doc]

Right on Saro! Good advice!

DOC 1/7
DOL

[bg_nc]

Thanks for the reply everyone.

BTW, I was wondering if it is true if the Navy is now opening EOD to HM's? I read that on the web somewhere. I thought it might be possible because the Navy is changing. I thought each EOD MU had a corpsman that was with them anyway??

[bmf]

Saro offers sound advice on the PT aspect.
The only thing I could offer is that you will have to completely committ yourself to any PT program. That means running when you don't feel like it, sticking to good form on pull-ups, and eating the foods you need (not the ones you want).

As far as HM goes: There has always been talk of opening HM up to EOD. Here's the problem- If you had a corpsman on your team would you send him down to work on a bomb? Probably not because you'd want him in the safe area in case of an accidental detonation (to administer first aid). SO- HM doesn't make such a good choice for a source rate. But my personal feeling is that every Det needs an HM on it. I belive he could train the rest of the guys so much it would prove invaluable. Each Mobile Unit has a few DMT's (or Diving Medical Technician) assigned. They are basically Corpsman that are trained as diving medicine ninja's. These guys make sure all the EOD techs are fit for diving and jumping as well as occasionally deploy with us to give us medical support.

Here's the latest on source ratings for EOD. We will take ANY RATE IN THE NAVY. After successful completion of EOD school they will have to cross-rate into an approved source rating. I have seen about 4 HM's come through school (that ended up GM's, BM's and QM's)
Don't worry about posting questions as long as there intelligent - we'll answer them.

[The_Dirty_Name]

As far as HM goes: There has always been talk of opening HM up to EOD. Here's the problem- If you had a corpsman on your team would you send him down to work on a bomb? Probably not because you'd want him in the safe area in case of an accidental detonation (to administer first aid). SO- HM doesn't make such a good choice for a source rate. But my personal feeling is that every Det needs an HM on it. I belive he could train the rest of the guys so much it would prove invaluable. Each Mobile Unit has a few DMT's (or Diving Medical Technician) assigned. They are basically Corpsman that are trained as diving medicine ninja's. These guys make sure all the EOD techs are fit for diving and jumping as well as occasionally deploy with us to give us medical support.



Greetings. Potential Hospital Corpsman here. I start my hitch later this month.

Has there been any change on this? I hunted around on the eod website and found nothing about Corpsman.

EOD is doing a lot of good work (IED) with the two major Operations in Southwest Asia. Seems to me they would have a Corpsman around. Marines have Corpsman with their EOD Team, but Navy EOD is apparently different.

I have also searched the web and found little.

Like you typed, a Navy Diving Medical Technician (DMT) that does the work of a HM in the Dive and Salvaging unit goes on to be the medical support for the EOD team later.

If HM can go into Navy EOD, I am curious about a pipeline.

RTC
Naval Hospital Corp School (Meet Dive Motivator here)
??? HM 8484 FMTB (Field Medical Training Battalion) ????
EOD Prep Course of Instruction
Diver Training
Basic EOD School.
And so forth.

Hopefully somewhere along the line Amphibious Recon Corpsman Dive Medicine Course (USN) is offered.

__
I reckon, at the end of the day someone could cross rate (to EOD) after becoming a Corpsman and take the DMT path.

I'll do some more research later and post what I find.

Edit:

Here is some intel from NavyDiver.org: http://www.navydiver.org/NDSTC/default.html

Diving Medical Technician (DMT) is a 119-day course designed to provide qualified Hospital Corpsman (HM) with the training necessary to perform surface-supplied diving as a team member/diver and to understand the responsibilities and duties of a diving supervisor. Instruction includes advanced diving physics, medicine and underwater physiology to enable the hospital corpsman to understand the effects of pressure on the human body and the treatment of diving related injuries such as the bends (DCS) and gas embolisms (AGE). There is particular emphasis on the use of Navy standard decompression tables. The prerequisite is qualification as Hospital Corpsman and since all US Navy Diving Medical Technicians (DMTs) are trained in all aspects of diving, the first 20-weeks is the same as the Diver Second Class training.

___
I still do not have all the answers...

[gator28]

There were no HM's in our class. All of the new guys that just came from boot had an EOD contract with no source rate. You can go DMT and I'm sure you would get a chance to try our for SARC at some time if you go the FMF route. I think that they're both great choices...but I've never had any HM training. Good luck.

[The_Dirty_Name]

Thank you for the feedback.

Good Luck to you and yours.

[NightLandNav]

The Dirty Name. A name unto itself.

Know thine own fulcrum point...or thou shalt not pass thy namesake.

[JOTS]

Best way to start running is to start running. When you can't run anymore, stop and recover (walk) then run more. The key is consistency. Do the screening test in its entirety as a workout/warm-up and keep a training log. This will help you gauge your progress. I currently subscribe to the Crossfit mentality that for any distance under 5K you can do short duration / high intensity work that will improve your times. Try 4 X 400's with 50 full squats after each.
I've heard plenty of guys not worry about the swim, or the run, or the push ups, etc and for the most part don't pass the screening test. It is not the individual event but the cumulative of all events that does them in, if you are weak in one event it will bring the rest down so train for the whole thing.
My $.02 worth.

[aka]

just to throw out on the table.

you can also do little things.

like, if you're going to a nearby friends house, walk or ride a bike.

one of my personal favorite is, if i'm going to eat fast food (i try to limit myself to once or twice a week) i'm going to run atleast a 1 1/2 to 2 miles there, eat it, and walk back.

randomly do push-ups thoughout the day, when you wake up in the morning, and before bed. that really help me out in boot (push-ups are not my strongpoint).

for the obvious ones, don't smoke, drink excessive, etc.

and as everyone else said, once you get on a excersice plan, STICK TO IT.

otherwise once to get to boot, and you are struggling to do the exercises (much less do them properly) you'll be hearing alot of "you're only cheating yourself, RECRUIT!" or my favorite "YOU LOOK LIKE A BAG OF ASS, RECRUIT"

keep at it man, it really does get easier after the first or second week of staying on it.

[EODDVR]

Simple things make a big difference if you are out of shape.

- Park in the parking spot furthest from you destination and walk.

- Do not use elevators, use the stairs.

- Count calories. Drink lots of water.

- PT at least twice a day. Get up early and walk, then do something, even if it is also walking during lunch hour or in the evening.

- Once you get in shape, start giving yourself the diver PT test every week. I liked doing it on Friday. Repetition, including it in my workout regiment, removed any and all stress associated with taking the test....except that it snowed the night before and I had to do my pushups and situps in the snow.

- Being a good swimmer helps. The guys who have the most gas left getting out of the pool tend to do well overall.

[Arrih]

Those three (GM, BM, QM) still the more common cross-rates (Cantrac lists: (A-431-0083: EO, ET, HT, IC, IT, MM, MN, OS, PH, PR) ... (A-431-0011: MR, SK, STS, TM)? It must be quite beneficial for a unit to have a corpsman cross-rated like this, because the deployed units here (not DC) do not even have a DMT or DMO. Would you say that one of those rates (former HM then) would be more likely to deploy or be more well-rounded? I'm a corpsman looking for something that goes BOOM! Originally I looked at DMT but there's a difference in what they do of course because DMTs do not get as much active ops time as an EOD. An 8404, or FMF HM, ultimately may go recon, but there's no reason why they would not also consider cross-rating if that's what they want to do.

[The_Dirty_Name]

I'm here at Naval Hospital Corp School (NHCS) on hold and we had our SPECWAR brief.

HM8493 DMT
&
HM8427 SARC

are the two pipelines students can start out on. No SEAL, EOD, SWCC. These three require one to swithc their rating after serving as a Corpsman.

At NHCS there is a Dive Motivator program. Pass the PFT for the respected two specifications and you get out early and train with other students at 1500-1700 Monday-Friday. When you put in your orders, one would put down Dive Motivator and from there it gets kicked back to your Chief. He would then put down the respected location for your classification.

HM8427 would get Field Medical Service School (FMSS). There they would try out for Recon.


Not too sure about the DMTs. I'll need to research this and post.

If anyone is at NHCS or fixing to go to Navy Boot Camp, drop me a PM if you have any questions.

[Arrih]

Thanks, it's been a while since I wrote that and decided just to plunge in. I'm training for EOD tech, without a back up plan because it would be simple enough to continue my present rate and NECs, currently CREO group 1. One of the questions I want them to ask is "Why do you want this over that?" Because the 8432 is pretty much the shit. It's just less operational than I'd like, and less challenging.

A Recon HMCMC (IDC) was a huge inspiration in the beginning of my corpsman career because even though I could beat him to the gym every morning at 0415, he'd jump on the treadmill and run like a beast. At the time I could barely run 30 minutes before I got bored, but athletes who remain in the game throughout life and people who have the character to act accordingly alive are who we want to be when we grow up. Not some desk jockey who makes excuses to gain a few pounds every year. Master Chief, who was then probably around 42 or 45 years old, was very supportive of all his people, especially ones who got orders for FMSS. He once warned, "Once you go (FMF) you never want to go back." It is true. Once you know what you want to do, there's no excuse for coming in second.


I'm here at Naval Hospital Corp School (NHCS) on hold and we had our SPECWAR brief.

HM8493 DMT
&
HM8427 SARC

are the two pipelines students can start out on. No SEAL, EOD, SWCC. These three require one to swithc their rating after serving as a Corpsman.


Thanks TDN, you out yet of A-school and gone on to something else? Actually I found the answer that works for me. Basically HM and EOD are rates, so there's no need to pick another rate to go EOD you just submit to take the rate-specific screening. I think I overanalyzed it and/or the CANTRAC is old. Fortunately there is such thing as a recruiter, who may know more than you about the process. In this case, yes. :-)

[Arrih]

Navy Creates New Ratings
In October 2006, the Navy created four new ratings that the Navy categorizes as naval special operations: special warfare operator (SO), special warfare boat operator (SB), Navy diver (ND) and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD). The new ratings replaced previous source ratings, that had been used to distinguish SEALS (Sea, Air, Land) and special warfare combatant-craft crewmen (SWCC), Navy divers and Sailors in EOD detachments by job classifications. Before the new ratings were formed, all naval special warfare (SEALs and SWCC) and special operations (ND and EOD) Sailors maintained a source rating, although their training and focus was to maintain special warfare qualifications.

cf. "Recruiting Specops First Mission at RTC, Becoming a Sailor" by Scott A Thornbloom in December 2007 AllHands. pp. 24-29