Practical Pre-Enlistment Gifts

[einherjarvalk]

My younger brother decided to swear in a couple weeks ago for a Navy enlistment. My family, being almost entirely ex-military (myself and one uncle being the notable exceptions), is very proud of him. Since his birthday is in mid-December and he ships out the first week of the month, my parents are planning a going-away/birthday/Christmas all-in-one party for him.

I'm not as close to my brother as I'd like to be, but I still want to get him something before he ships out, with "useful" being a priority over "nice." However, not having served myself, and given that he's the only family member in decades to enlist in a branch other than the Air Force, I'm not especially sure what he'd find useful during his enlistment, and I'm not sure how much of my family's Air Force experiences will translate over to the Navy experience.

For those of you who are/were military, especially Navy, what are some good, practical gifts I can give that'll make his life suck a bit less during basic? A Navy friend of mine suggested a quality G-Shock watch of some sort (I've got one from my late grandfather, which I've abused for nearly 20 years now without issue, so it certainly seems like a good suggestion), but I'm sure there's more options than that.

[WobblyPossum]

A G-Shock watch would be very useful. I think that’s a pretty good idea. Without knowing what specific job your brother would be doing in the Navy it’s hard to come up with a useful gift. A good watch, multi-tool, or pocket knife would likely be useful and appreciated.

[txdpd]

Post boot camp an external cell phone battery pack is a great thing for those hurry up and wait moments. Helps avoid those moments where two guys tying there nuts together with 550 cord and running in opposite directions, doesn't seem like such a terrible idea.

[einherjarvalk]

A G-Shock watch would be very useful. I think that’s a pretty good idea. Without knowing what specific job your brother would be doing in the Navy it’s hard to come up with a useful gift. A good watch, multi-tool, or pocket knife would likely be useful and appreciated.

I knew I was forgetting something in my story. He'll be an aerographer's mate - pretty far removed from a high speed job, to my understanding.

I bought him a good Leatherman a few years ago for Christmas, but I've got no idea if he returned it or not since it turned out he wanted a letterman and not a Leatherman.

[SeriousStudent]

I was going to say the most useful things on a first enlistment are a good divorce lawyer and a savings account he can't touch.

I might be joking, I might not.

Can he even wear a watch during boot camp? We were never allowed to, but that was Marines, not Navy.

My personal recommendation as a gift would be writing him a lot of letters of encouragement while he's in boot camp. Where is he going for boot camp - San Diego or Great Mistakes?

Mail is a nice present.

[S Jenks]

I sent my brother a G-Shock when he was in CG boot camp. He said they were authorized so I sent it as an early birthday present, he turned 18 a week before graduation.

Maybe a large fruit basket to his DIs/CCs/whatever the Navy calls them? That’s a gift and a half right there.

[Drang]

A Navy friend of mine suggested a quality G-Shock watch of some sort...

Always a good choice.

I bought him a good Leatherman a few years ago for Christmas ....

They took away all our pocket knives when I left for Basic, Gerber Folding Sportsman, Swiss Army Executive, didn't matter... :-(

...Maybe a large fruit basket to his DIs/CCs/whatever the Navy calls them? That’s a gift and a half right there.

Case of scotch... :-)

[Stephanie B]

Earplugs.

Also, set up a savings account, give him the routing and account #s , and tell to set up an allotment.

[einherjarvalk]

Earplugs.

This was actually the other thing my Navy buddy recommended. He'll be getting a set of Surefire EP4s for sure.

[JRB]

Good polarized Z87 sunglasses are also very nice to have (Ray Ban, Oakley, etc) Also, nice work gloves that meet uniform standards. Obviously there's some personal preference and sizing involved in both of those so I'd ask him for his help in selecting a good option first.
For a simple basic training care-package gift, nice Dr Scholl's insoles of the right configuration can be a godsend if they're permitted.

I'd also 100% seriously agree on the untouchable savings account, allotment, and divorce lawyer. Better yet, make him sign a blood pact or something that he won't get married at all until he's at least an E5. The money made on BAH/BAS and getting to live off post will never outweigh the lifetime costs of a divorce. To that end, a reversible vasectomy isn't nearly as dumb of an idea for jr. enlisted as some might think.