Nana Bonsu - Turnover Files

1. Decisions................................................................ 8

   Boot Camp............................................................. 9

   Learning Curve....................................................... 9

   Choose Your Rate, Choose Your Fate....................... 10

   A-School................................................................. 11

   School Work........................................................... 12

   The Might HUE CITY............................................. 13

   JAX....................................................................... 14

   Mess Cranking........................................................ 15

   Work...................................................................... 16

   JB........................................................................... 17

   Leadership.............................................................. 17

   Leadership II.......................................................... 18

   P-Cola.................................................................... 20

   Individual Augmentee............................................ 21

   Combat Training.................................................... 22

   Al Asad.................................................................. 23

   Nancy..................................................................... 23

   Good People........................................................... 24

   Time to Rotate....................................................... 26

   T-AKE 5................................................................. 27

   Board..................................................................... 28

   Drama.................................................................... 28

   Trust the Process..................................................... 30

   Chief...................................................................... 31

   HAWES.................................................................. 33

   S-3 & S-4................................................................. 33

   Getting Started....................................................... 34

   Grind...................................................................... 35

   S-1........................................................................... 36

   Disbursing............................................................... 37

   Frigate Life.............................................................. 37

   STA-21..................................................................... 38

   NSI.......................................................................... 39

   PVAMU................................................................... 39

   ROTC..................................................................... 40

   Navy Supply Corps School........................................ 41

   KEARSARGE.......................................................... 41

   HAZMAT................................................................ 43

   Turnover.................................................................. 44

   Cruising.................................................................. 44

   Study Your Friends.................................................. 45

   Morning After......................................................... 46

   Changes................................................................... 47

   New Beginnings....................................................... 48

   Reflections.............................................................. 49

Copyright 2020 by Nana Bonsu

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Disclaimer

The views presented are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent the views of the Navy or DoD.

Decisions

"My detailer lied to me," is usually what service members say about how they joined the military. In my case, my detailer didn't lie to me, he just didn't give me the right information to succeed in the United States Navy.

My journey began while contemplating how to travel the world and earn money to attend college. I still remember sitting outside on a bench at my high school weeks before graduation, trying to figure things out. Whatever the plan, I did not want to burden my parents, who were already stressed paying for my older brother's college tuition.

While thinking, a Navy recruiter approached me and asked about my intentions after high school. Since I had no real answer, he offered the Navy as an option. It seemed like a win-win at the time. Travel the world and receive the Montgomery G.I. Bill to use as funding for college. One important message he shared was for me to focus on my career and not on distractions, such as parties and girls. Rather, he encouraged me to join the Navy to learn a skill set and get an education. He said everything else I wanted would fall in place on its own.

At the time, I was still considered a minor when I made up my mind to join the Navy, which meant I had to get approval from my parents to sign my life away. I knew my mother would not agree, coming from a traditional West

African family. And I was unsure about what my father's response would be. But I hoped it would make him proud to know his son was making a choice to serve the country.

Of course, my mother cried and pleaded with me not to join the military, but I stood firm behind my decision. My father turned out to be more supportive than I thought. I could tell it gave him a sense of pride that I was becoming a man of my own.

If I could encourage anyone reading this, my first advice would be to stand by your decisions.

Boot Camp

Leaving for boot camp was exciting for me because it was my first time traveling to another state. I left with a group of guys from the Great State of Texas and we were all under the impression that we would stay together throughout the boot camp process. We were wrong. The initial excitement turned into anxiety, confusion, and fear of the unknown.

I remember arriving in the Chicago O'Hare Airport late at night. We were then met by a uniformed Recruit Division Commander, who escorted us into a bus full of other boot camp recruits. All I could think about was, "What the heck did I sign up for?" My stomach was in knots. I wasn't prepared for all the screaming and yelling from all sides.

After a couple of days getting processed through the system, I was surprised to learn I could have arrived at boot camp with the rank of E-3 rank instead of E-1. I also could have received an enlistment bonus, which was never mentioned by my recruiter. Nonetheless, this gave me the motivation to do my best to advance in rank and set myself up for success.