@liamc2:

All enlistment contracts—at least initial ones, which are all I know about so far—are for eight years total. Most require four years active service; the field I've entered, Nuclear Power, will also need a twenty-four month extension (two more years) for schooling.

Then, whatever is left of the eight years is served in the Navy Reserves. Basically, at any point during that time, if we enter a time of war, the President can recall anyone in the Reserves to active duty, or extend the enlistment period of those still active.

As a Nuke, after I finish BT and the additional training I'll be assigned to either an aircraft carrier or a submarine, working on their engines. After that, I'm not entirely certain. I figure I'll have a bit better idea after I've been active for a year or two.

If you want any additional information, check the two posts previous to the Inception comic; I posted a lot of stuff there. If it ain't in either one, I'll see what I can answer.

Well, kudos on being in the Navy! That's really exciting! Course we're all concerned with your well-being, but that comes with the territory. In college, my roommate dated a Navy guy (Newport News, VA, wut) who was on the USS Enterprise...they seemed to love shore leave, at least. Sorry I haven't really been in touch with you recently, but I sorta picked up on your tone a bit about what's going on with you in this post. So I'll just give you a pat on the back for moving forward with your life, doing something worthwhile, and feeling good about yourself.