FromMidshipmantoEnsignAGuideforNewly.docVIP

From Midshipman to Ensign: A Guide for Newly Commissioned Officers This document is intended to help newly commissioned Ensigns from NROTC UC Berkeley acclimate themselves to their new lives as active-duty officers, focusing especially on the administrative and personnel issues that past commissionees have encountered. In addition to this document, you may want to consult the Uniformed Services Almanac, which you should receive prior to commissioning; it contains detailed notes on especially pay and benefits. Another useful reference is LT Ian MacDiarmid’s page at /nrotc/idm/ensigns.html. Navy Directives can be found at while BUPERS information (such as the MILPERSMAN and uniform regulations) is available at . The unofficial Navy Enlisted Study website at / is mostly a reference for enlisted personnel (share it with your division!) but also has a lot of useful forms and other info. Note: While this document focuses on the Navy, much of the information will also be useful to new Second Lieutenants in the Marine Corps. Before we begin, some words of advice from ENS Mike Bailey (class of 2003): “I stand here at the end of one of the most hectic weeks of my young naval career. I was commissioned, scheduled a Household Goods shipment, dealt with the repairs of two cars and the sale of one, created paperwork for both travel and regular leave, bought my first mobile phone, moved, made reservations at my temporary BOQ, received my new ID card, and am preparing to drive across the country in two days. My point is this: Don’t waste the time that you have now. There is more to do than you think. Get started.” 1.0 Before You Go 2 1.1 Orders and Detailers 2 1.2 Other Paperwork 3 1.3 About PSDs 3 1.4 Service Records 4 1.5 ID Cards 5 1.6 Car Decals 6 2.0 Getting There 6 2.1 Travel and Leave 6 2.2 Travel and Shipping Household Goods 10 2.3 Learning About Your Duty Station 12 3.0 Money Matters 13 3.1 Pay and Benefits 13 3.2 Getting Access to myPay/Leave Earnings Statemen