How to Be a Navy Girlfriend
Ask about how to contact him., Learn the language., Write often., Follow the rules., Respect that he may not be able to tell you everything., Know that your communications may not be private or reliable., Address any conflicts that arise.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Ask about how to contact him.
Your sailor may have many ways in which you can contact him or he may only have a few.
Know the different methods to talk with your boyfriend and which one you should use for what situation.
He probably has more than one email address, a civilian one and a military one.
He may also have a mailing address and a phone number you could use.
Talk with him about the best way to keep in contact.Some potential things to keep in mind include:
If there is a phone number, it may be something you should only use for true emergencies, or something he can call out from but you cannot call in to.
He may only have access to their military email, especially if he is on a ship, and his connection may be unreliable.
Getting mail such as handwritten letters and care packages may take significantly longer to get to him then you might think. -
Step 2: Learn the language.
You may begin to notice your sailor using words, phrases, or abbreviations you don't understand.
Being in the military comes with its own culture and a language shift, with different branches of the military having different dialects to some extent.
If he says something you don't understand, ask him what it means or do your own research.Learning the military language will help you and your sailor communicate more easily.
You may run into the following categories:
Military Terminology and Acronyms such as, "base plan," "NATOPS," or "weaponeering." Naval Terminology such as "fathom," "radar," or "yaw."Nautical Terminology such as "capsize," "quarter," or "squall." Different types of vessels, such as boat (a waterborne vehicle smaller than a ship), ship (a larger vessel used for ocean travel), freighter (a ship designed to carry cargo), and submarine (a warship designed to operate completely submerged for long periods of time)., Staying in contact is an important part to maintaining your emotional connection and coping with the time apart.Write your sailor often and mix it up between letters, emails, and care packages.
Each contact does not have to be lengthy, but the more regularly you are in contact the easier it will be to stay up to date with each other's lives.
The more distance you put in between communications, the less you will know about each other’s day to day experiences and feelings of not being connected to each other may increase.
The frequent communication that is required to maintain a long distance relationship may result in a stronger bond than a traditional face-to-face relationship.You may have different abilities and opportunities to communicate frequently due to the demands of each of your schedules.
Try not to get discouraged.
Your boyfriend’s schedule may be busy and he may be exhausted, but he will likely enjoy hearing about what is going on in your life and at home., There are rules about what your sailor can talk about or even post on social media, and some of those rules apply to you too.
Figure out what the rules are for your sailor and his posts by asking him for guidelines.You can also research through the Naval Operations Security Support Team (NOST) for Operations Security brochures and training.When communicating through social media, email, and even on the phone, make sure to keep important information as secure as possible for safety.
In general, avoid posting any information about your boyfriend’s:
Location and movement.
Fellow sailors (such as names and ranks of the individuals).
Flight dates or time. , Just like following the rules for what you tell everyone else, there may be some rules your sailor has to follow about what he can or cannot share with family.
There is a large security component to what service members do in every branch of the military.
If there is something that he cannot tell you, trust that he is not doing it to hide something from you, but that he is just doing his job. , It is hard to deal with methods of communication that are unreliable and schedules that may get in the way.
Additionally, talk with your sailor about the processing your communications go through before reaching him.
Find out if the communications are subject to search or screening, and consider who might see what you are sending.
This will help you decide what pictures to send if you want to include pictures, or what should go into a care package.
Ask your sailor:
Will packages be opened before they make it to you and searched for anything? Will letters be opened before you receive them? Does anyone screen the emails? Is there anything I shouldn't do or shouldn't send you? , Even though you do not see your significant other every day, you might still have problems now and then that you will need to resolve.
The best way to resolve a conflict over a distance is to talk about it openly and try to come to a collaborative resolution.For example, if you are upset with your significant other because he or she did not call you at an agreed upon time, then you would need to tell your significant other how you feel in a direct way.
You might say, “I feel hurt because you did not call me when you said you would.” Then, you would need to listen to your significant other’s reason for not calling.
Your significant other might have had a valid reason or he might have simply forgotten.
To resolve the conflict, you might suggest a solution, such as deciding on a more convenient time for your significant other to call you.
Be sure to pay attention to cues on the phone that your significant other might be upset about something, such as staying silent or being less talkative than usual.
You might address this by saying something like, "You're being more quiet than usual, are you upset or mad at me?" -
Step 3: Write often.
-
Step 4: Follow the rules.
-
Step 5: Respect that he may not be able to tell you everything.
-
Step 6: Know that your communications may not be private or reliable.
-
Step 7: Address any conflicts that arise.
Detailed Guide
Your sailor may have many ways in which you can contact him or he may only have a few.
Know the different methods to talk with your boyfriend and which one you should use for what situation.
He probably has more than one email address, a civilian one and a military one.
He may also have a mailing address and a phone number you could use.
Talk with him about the best way to keep in contact.Some potential things to keep in mind include:
If there is a phone number, it may be something you should only use for true emergencies, or something he can call out from but you cannot call in to.
He may only have access to their military email, especially if he is on a ship, and his connection may be unreliable.
Getting mail such as handwritten letters and care packages may take significantly longer to get to him then you might think.
You may begin to notice your sailor using words, phrases, or abbreviations you don't understand.
Being in the military comes with its own culture and a language shift, with different branches of the military having different dialects to some extent.
If he says something you don't understand, ask him what it means or do your own research.Learning the military language will help you and your sailor communicate more easily.
You may run into the following categories:
Military Terminology and Acronyms such as, "base plan," "NATOPS," or "weaponeering." Naval Terminology such as "fathom," "radar," or "yaw."Nautical Terminology such as "capsize," "quarter," or "squall." Different types of vessels, such as boat (a waterborne vehicle smaller than a ship), ship (a larger vessel used for ocean travel), freighter (a ship designed to carry cargo), and submarine (a warship designed to operate completely submerged for long periods of time)., Staying in contact is an important part to maintaining your emotional connection and coping with the time apart.Write your sailor often and mix it up between letters, emails, and care packages.
Each contact does not have to be lengthy, but the more regularly you are in contact the easier it will be to stay up to date with each other's lives.
The more distance you put in between communications, the less you will know about each other’s day to day experiences and feelings of not being connected to each other may increase.
The frequent communication that is required to maintain a long distance relationship may result in a stronger bond than a traditional face-to-face relationship.You may have different abilities and opportunities to communicate frequently due to the demands of each of your schedules.
Try not to get discouraged.
Your boyfriend’s schedule may be busy and he may be exhausted, but he will likely enjoy hearing about what is going on in your life and at home., There are rules about what your sailor can talk about or even post on social media, and some of those rules apply to you too.
Figure out what the rules are for your sailor and his posts by asking him for guidelines.You can also research through the Naval Operations Security Support Team (NOST) for Operations Security brochures and training.When communicating through social media, email, and even on the phone, make sure to keep important information as secure as possible for safety.
In general, avoid posting any information about your boyfriend’s:
Location and movement.
Fellow sailors (such as names and ranks of the individuals).
Flight dates or time. , Just like following the rules for what you tell everyone else, there may be some rules your sailor has to follow about what he can or cannot share with family.
There is a large security component to what service members do in every branch of the military.
If there is something that he cannot tell you, trust that he is not doing it to hide something from you, but that he is just doing his job. , It is hard to deal with methods of communication that are unreliable and schedules that may get in the way.
Additionally, talk with your sailor about the processing your communications go through before reaching him.
Find out if the communications are subject to search or screening, and consider who might see what you are sending.
This will help you decide what pictures to send if you want to include pictures, or what should go into a care package.
Ask your sailor:
Will packages be opened before they make it to you and searched for anything? Will letters be opened before you receive them? Does anyone screen the emails? Is there anything I shouldn't do or shouldn't send you? , Even though you do not see your significant other every day, you might still have problems now and then that you will need to resolve.
The best way to resolve a conflict over a distance is to talk about it openly and try to come to a collaborative resolution.For example, if you are upset with your significant other because he or she did not call you at an agreed upon time, then you would need to tell your significant other how you feel in a direct way.
You might say, “I feel hurt because you did not call me when you said you would.” Then, you would need to listen to your significant other’s reason for not calling.
Your significant other might have had a valid reason or he might have simply forgotten.
To resolve the conflict, you might suggest a solution, such as deciding on a more convenient time for your significant other to call you.
Be sure to pay attention to cues on the phone that your significant other might be upset about something, such as staying silent or being less talkative than usual.
You might address this by saying something like, "You're being more quiet than usual, are you upset or mad at me?"
About the Author
Isabella Thompson
Committed to making organization accessible and understandable for everyone.
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