Does the Navy still have the Delayed Entry program?

PO3 Sandra Gomke — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 15:20:55 -0500

Response by PO1 Brian Austin made Feb 15 at 2016 3:33 PM

PO1 Brian Austin — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 15:33:45 -0500

I was in DEP for 7 months before leaving for boot camp.

Response by PO3 Sandra Gomke made Feb 15 at 2016 4:01 PM

PO3 Sandra Gomke — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 16:01:53 -0500

I was wondering if they still do DEP. Or the "Buddy Program". I tried to do that but my "buddy" had her appendix out 1 week before we were supposed to go to Boot Camp. I think she ended up in cryptography.

Response by PO1 Tony Holland made Feb 15 at 2016 4:05 PM

PO1 Tony Holland — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 16:05:47 -0500

I loost my deferment in May '66 - walked five miles from the San Jose State campus to the Navy Recruiter's office in Santa Clara to sign up. The mailman delivered my Army draft notice the following morning. Although I had been in Army ROTC, the Navy decision was a no-brainer. My dad was a mustang LDO at NAS Moffet Field. In addition, I completed high school at a USAF school in Japan so I was familiar with the pluses and minuses of three branches. Four months later I was at boot camp in San Diego. If you peruse my profile you will see that I had exceptional options during my nearly eight years of Naval service.

Did I fail to mention that San Jose State was the number one ranked party school the two years I was there, unfortunately for me.

Response by SN Greg Wright made Feb 15 at 2016 4:41 PM

SN Greg Wright — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 16:41:34 -0500

The did when I went in in 88. I signed up in 87. This prevented me from playing NCAA football, because I signed up my junior year, and got interest in my senior year ><. Ah, well. Bells not rung.

Response by PFC Tuan Trang made Feb 15 at 2016 4:50 PM

PFC Tuan Trang — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 16:50:27 -0500

I think they still do.

Response by SCPO Charles Thomas "Tom" Canterbury made Feb 15 at 2016 11:12 PM

SCPO Charles Thomas "Tom" Canterbury — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 23:12:32 -0500

PO3 Sandra Gomke - I was in DEP for 363 days...originally signed on as a Disbursing Clerk and woke up one morning realizing what a mistake that was (for me). Somehow my recruiter requested a change to HM for me and I was approved. Would have went to Orlando as a DK Candidate but chose to head to Great Lakes, IL in December... Mind you - 1993-1994 was the winter that Lake Michigan froze over (or so we were told)...

Response by PO1 Cameron Rhyne made Feb 15 at 2016 11:44 PM

PO1 Cameron Rhyne — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 23:44:01 -0500

I was a Navy Recruiter a year ago and I can assure you DEP still exists. Part of our job was to mentor the DEPers. One monthly meeting, one face to face contact(at least) beyond that, one phone call a week(usally monday). More if they had issues. It felt like babysitting at times.

Response by CAPT John McCandless made Feb 16 at 2016 5:01 AM

CAPT John McCandless — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 05:01:07 -0500

Yes. Any Navy Recruiter can explain the process.

Response by PO1 Thomas Durbin made Feb 16 at 2016 7:17 AM

PO1 Thomas Durbin — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 07:17:44 -0500

Don't know but they did in 1969

Response by PO3 Temathy Bolden made Feb 16 at 2016 8:25 AM

PO3 Temathy Bolden — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 08:25:32 -0500

Yes

Response by PO3 Temathy Bolden made Feb 16 at 2016 8:25 AM

PO3 Temathy Bolden — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 08:25:51 -0500

Yes they do

Response by PO2 Mike Asbell made Feb 16 at 2016 9:52 AM

PO2 Mike Asbell — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 09:52:31 -0500

Yes, My Son is in it now and has been for about 6 months. He leaves in April for Bootcamp. Then he's off to Pensacola, Fl for for his "A" school in the Advanced Technical Field of IT. He really surprised me because he loves aviation and he took a blackshoe position, but that will give him great opportunities for many various ship assignments and shore duties world wide.

Response by PO3 Sandra Gomke made Feb 16 at 2016 11:49 AM

PO3 Sandra Gomke — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 11:49:25 -0500

The main reason I asked this question is that I'm seeing the next generation of high schoolers coming along and I wondered if it was an option for them. Thank you all for your information!! I will pass it along! :)

Response by AN Rebecca (Becky) Bradford made Feb 16 at 2016 12:26 PM

AN Rebecca (Becky) Bradford — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 12:26:55 -0500

As far as i know they do, but it is much harder to get in now. Big cuts in the military.

Response by MCPO Thomas Goering made Feb 16 at 2016 3:30 PM

MCPO Thomas Goering — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 15:30:42 -0500

Yes, the DEP will always exist because it is what Navy Recruiting Command uses to level load boot-camp and A school seats. The time a person is in the DEP is used to train and maintain one's motivation for Navy. The meetings and face to face contacts recruiters have with Future Sailors (previously known as DEPpers) also ensures the Future Sailor (FS) maintains eligibility, and if problems arise to the point the FS cannot ship as contracted, it is the hope that the issue is found soon enough to allow for the finding of a replacement -- when a person does not ship to RTC, and a replacement is not found, the boot-camp and A school seat goes unfilled. Literally, there will be an empty seat in the classroom.

Response by PO1 Richard Flaherty made Feb 16 at 2016 4:52 PM

PO1 Richard Flaherty — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 16:52:31 -0500

My son joined USMC at 17 and under the DEP went off to bootcamp 3 days after graduating High School. He and I discussed his future after his enlistment and after explaining that not too many civilian companies are hiring infantry or tank drivers, convinced him to go aviation. I was an AE1 (Aviation Electrician) for almost six years active and always wished I had gone Air Traffic Control. I explained to him that since I am old now (68) that I want to live vicariously through him. He responded, "But Dad, isn't that a BAD thing to do? Are you supposed to tell me to follow my bliss and do my own thang; finding my own road in Life?" I explained that since his DI is NOT going to tell him to do his own thing neither am I. "Son, that is why you have a father to tell you how to get through the swamp of Life - you future DI will TELL you how earn the title of Marine; after your enlistment - then you can do whatever." He smiled and signed the contract for MOS 7200 and is currently serving at Futenma, Japan. He will come home after his two year tour next month. NOW he can do his own thang.

Response by CMDCM Ronald Byrd made Feb 16 at 2016 6:14 PM

CMDCM Ronald Byrd — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 18:14:46 -0500

Hello Petty Officer Gromke (Sandra);
I retired in 1990 so there has been a lot of water under the keel since I was in touch with recruiting programs. Delayed Entry was a very successful program for the Navy so I suspect there is still a derivative of the Delayed Entry Program but it may go by another name.
Thanks for asking and for serving.

Ron

Response by PO2 Christopher Taggart made Feb 16 at 2016 7:24 PM

PO2 Christopher Taggart — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 19:24:47 -0500

I was in it but felt I should have never done that back then. I changed my entire military occupation at the end of boot camp and happy I did! I never knew once you are about to graduate they haul you all back to barracks and ask you; where do you want to go and what school would you like. -GOD; if I knew that long before doing BOOT CAMP in the coldest freezing winter of "GREAT MISTAKES". Well I could have even picked Hawaii as a duty station? San Diego would have been perfect back in 80s.. anywhere warm so I did and got stationed there for 3 years NAS Pensacola, FL. DEP program is just to make sure you don't skate off or possibly to over psych yourself for hell of boot camp; that's all! My opinion ,not worth it so just go in with no job upon enlistment see what you decide to do later? Never know good friend ended up wanting to fly F-14s after movie TOP GUN and actually became instructor at Miramar, Calif TOP GUN School!

Response by PO3 Michael Peterson made Feb 16 at 2016 8:40 PM

PO3 Michael Peterson — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 20:40:24 -0500

Myself, I regret not taking advantage of it in 1975. I was part of the "OJ" speciality as it was referred to as. Had I waited out a year and a half, I would have been a CE in the Seabees.

Response by PO2 Arthur Delsing made Feb 17 at 2016 1:32 PM

PO2 Arthur Delsing — Wed, 17 Feb 2016 13:32:37 -0500

Yes

Response by PO2 Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 21 at 2016 3:09 PM

PO2 Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 21 Feb 2016 15:09:40 -0500

The entry pipeline is almost all DEP. in my experience in the Navy or as a high school teacher in my civilian job, I don't know of anyone who hasn't spent at least some time in DEP.