Navy Nuke Prototype School

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After it has been decided where you're going for Prototype School, your master chief will hold a briefing and you will be given information on available housing.
My son went to Ballston Spa, New York for Prototype School. It is a Department of Energy site with only a small Navy base, so there are only a few barracks and mostly married people get those.

The guys were given a list of apartments that worked with the navy. They started calling and rented the first one they looked at.

My son and his friends rented a four bedroom apartment in a duplex. It is in Middle Grove, which is about 8 minutes away from school. They drove up there after graduation from Power School and found their apartment the first day they were there.

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Prototype School at Ballston Spa, NY

There is a restaurant on site but you will be doing both day shifts and night shifts and the restaurant isn't open at night. There are a lot of vending machines or you can take your lunch. They take something that is easily microwaved such as Cup 'O Noodles, Easy Mac, or soup.

At Prototype School the work week is 7 days and a lot of those days are 12 hour shifts. You will be working on your qualifications and standing watches. You need to do so many per day and get so many points per day to avoid having to go in on your day off. After the school day they don't have much time or inclination for cooking, so at home they pretty much subsist on the same microwave fare. The Nukes in the other side of the duplex bequeathed the guys their large stash of microwave food when they graduated and moved on.

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When I shop for "care packages" I try to find items that can be microwaved or eaten as is and aren't too junky. There's not that much convenience food out there that could really be considered healthy. I've sent them beef jerky, bacon that doesn't have to be refrigerated, Hormel "Compleat" microwave meals, microwave soups, and granola bars. Nick likes Kasseri cheese, which is not always easy to find. I bought a couple of wedges of Kasseri, froze it overnight, packed it in a priority box and mailed it from the post office early in the week and early in the morning. It had to go from coast to coast but it arrived in great shape. Favorite hard to find items such as this are appreciated because they bring a little reminder of home. It is comfort food and that is a good thing when you are far from home.
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On their days off the guys go in to Saratoga Springs to watch a movie or two, maybe go to a concert, go to Wal-Mart or the Mall, or have a nice meal. Check Livenation.com to see what concerts are upcoming.

They guys don't get good cell phone reception where they live in Middle Grove so our son calls us when he goes into Saratoga Springs.
An update: They heard that there is a cell tower going up nearby so perhaps there will be better cell phone reception in the future.

If you are in the Ballston Spa area in the winter time you can go snowboarding.

On a recent weekend the guys went to a paintball place and had a great time. There is a "fort" in the woods and one team defends it while the other team tries to capture it. He said it was really fun and they want to go again. There seems to be plenty of things to do on your time off.

The nearest airport is Albany, New York.

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Our son has made two trips in to New York City to see the sights. You can take a bus or a train so you don't have to drive in the city. Drive into Poughkeepsie and take a train from there into NYC for about $20. His two younger brothers flew out there to visit him and they all went in to New York City. They saw a lot of the usual sights such as the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, and the NBC Building. They also saw two Broadway Plays, Wicked and Chicago. One of the highlights of the trip for them was a Brazilian restaurant where they bring a big assortment of roasted meats to your table.

In New York City scalping tickets seems to be a legitimate business.. The guys bought "Wicked" tickets from a scalper because the show was sold out. They got a pretty good price too. At the Marriott you can buy cheaper tickets at the ground level ticket booth. You can find scalpers near ATMs. Cops greet them in a friendly manner, so apparently it is OK.

It is recommended that while you are in school at Ballston Spa you should go to New York City at least once. It is worth the trip.

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After Prototype School there are 3 options.

1) Selected Machinist's Mates receive extensive training in Nuclear and Steam plant water chemistry control, laboratory procedures, radiological chemistry and controls and radiological monitoring instruments. Engineering Laboratory Technician Training will add three additional months to the time spent at the prototype.

2) Upon completion of operator qualifications, selected Machinist's Mates receive extensive welding training in Groton, CT. This training starts with student qualification in ordinary mild steel welding and proceeds to the highly specialized stainless steel welding process. Welding school is an additional school with an additional two months of training.

From what I understand the welding training is open only to those who have chosen service on a submarine.

3) Go out into the fleet on an aircraft carrier or submarine

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Are you wondering what your son or daughter is in for now that they have joined the navy? Do you have questions about where they'll be going next, what you can send them, or what they can take with them? Maybe you are a long term Navy Mom and can answer these questions. Check out Navy for Moms for information and support.

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