Take Ten with an Fleet Quality Assurance inspector

1. BULLETIN: What is your hometown and what were you doing prior to joining the Navy and why did you enlist?

BENNETT: “I’m from San Antonio, Texas and I was doing automotive detailing and a stockman at Hobby Lobby.”

2. BULLETIN: Why did you join the Navy and when did you graduate boot camp?

BENNETT: “I joined the Navy to see the world and to get some college benefits. I already knew I was going to join the military when I was in JROTC. I chose my rate because I wanted to work on computers, and I knew that it would transfer over to the civilian world so I would have something after the Navy. I graduated from boot camp in 2006.”

3. BULLETIN: Why did you choose to come to RTC?

BENNETT: “I volunteered to come to RTC in 2013 because I wanted to make a difference. What other job can you really go to that you can basically change the lives of over 1,000 people? Factor in 88 recruits per division – and we push eight to 10 divisions – Blue Rope phase, RDC phase, and being in FQA and you get to change the lives of that many people and watch them develop into what you’re going to have in the Fleet.”

4. BULLETIN: What exactly is FQA responsible for?

BENNETT: “Fleet Quality Assurance is making sure the RDCs are doing their jobs. We do inspections on the recruits to make sure they know all the check points that were taught by the RDCs, and we’re making sure the recruits are receiving quality training so when they get to the Fleet they can take that quality training that they received here and apply it to things throughout the Fleet.”

5. BULLETIN: Do you ever get the feeling that staff and recruits roll their eyes and groan when they see you approaching them and if so, what’s going through your mind at that point?

BENNETT: “It’s actually kind of funny in that the recruits are more scared of FQA than master chiefs. It’s not really the role we want to portray. We’re not trying to put that image out there but it is kind of the image that the RDCs put on the recruits trying to scare them into, ‘You better do the right thing!’ and when they do that, they actually do the opposite – they make them mess up. We’ve had recruits try to run from us and I had a division do a U-turn and try to ignore me. It’s an interesting role watching the RDCs get really nervous when you start looking at their deck log or inspecting their division. They’re far more scared and timid of us than they should be. The people who have been around for a while are a lot more comfortable with us as they should be. They should be comfortable to come with us with questions but there’s definitely a very scared look the recruits give us whenever they see us.”

6. BULLETIN: What would you like to say to the staff and recruits to help them better understand what you’re doing what you are doing? Be nice.

BENNETT: “We’re doing what we’re doing to keep people honest because if we didn’t keep people honest, then either the recruits wouldn’t receive the quality training or the RDCs would try to take advantage too much of trying to take time off instead of doing what they came here for. You came here to train recruits, you came to train your replacements for the Fleet and we need to uphold that standard. If we were to back off and let them do what they want to do, then we may not reach the quality of Sailor that we want to put into the Fleet. They shouldn’t be scared of us; they should know we have a job to do just like they do. Their job is to train the recruits; our job is to make sure the training is done. It’s nothing personal, there are no grudges. It’s just like a policeman who the decision as to whether or not to give you a ticket. They’re just out there doing their job and keeping us safe, so our role is kind of along the same lines except we’re not keeping you safe, we’re keeping you honest.”

7. BULLETIN: Can someone talk or beg their way out of an infraction or hit?

BENNETT: “Infractions go against the RDCs, a hit goes against a recruit. The RDCs always try to talk their way out of receiving an infraction. The inspector is either going to give it to them or not give to them and it comes down to a number of factors as we are human just like they are. We’ve been on the front end, we’ve done the pushing, we know what it’s like, we know how stressful it is, so realistically, it comes down to whether or not that inspector is going to assess the infraction. The RDCs can explain the situation and sometimes the situation can be explained in a fashion that they’re not going to receive the infraction based off what the scenario is. With the recruits, they also try talking their way out of it and it’s usually funny. If they make me laugh I’ll give it back to them. If they have a solid reason to why they did it, I’ll give it back to them. They sometimes can talk their way out of it just like someone can talk their way out of ticket.”

8. BULLETIN: How is this position making you a better Sailor?

BENNETT: “It has taught me a lot about accountability and leadership. No matter what you are doing, someone is always watching you and that’s the biggest thing. We send out e-mails all the time and people are always judging us by the way we send our e-mails. It forces us to proofread our e-mail and all of our work that we’re putting out because the entire base is watching us. When we do Redbook changes, everyone is using that to train their recruits so if we don’t make the change properly, then it affects a lot of people so this has taught me a lot about quality assurance, checking of my work, being solid about my work, not being afraid, and being humble enough to ask for help.”

9. BULLETIN: What advice do you give to someone who’s about to be a part of FQA?

BENNETT: “Just to be successful enough to get FQA is already a huge milestone in general. To be successful in FQA is to remember what it was like on the front end for you. Remember what it was like to be an RDC and try to take that into account when you are giving assessments during inspections because everyone is human. Just because you know everything doesn’t mean everyone else is going to, so humble yourself and remember that not everyone is going to train to the same standard as to what you train to, so keep that in mind. When you’re going to run into a situation when you’re going to give an infraction, just think back to what it was like. Take into account all the things that are in the scenario and listen to what they have to say because sometimes you start to block people out. You need to really understand what they are trying to tell you.”

10. BULLETIN: What are you going to take away from your experience here at RTC?

BENNETT: “I’m going to take care of my junior Sailors whether I’m a first class or I leave here as a chief. Coming here to RTC is one of the greatest things you could possibly do for yourself and for the Sailors you are going to be training. Don’t get lost in the fact that you’re going to be leaving, don’t get overwhelmed and keep in mind this is a great place to be. I know it’s stressful and gets tough at times, but really put forth the effort while you’re here because you’re going to be paid to be here, and you get extra monthly pay for this job. A lot of people want this job but some people don’t qualify for the job, so keep that in mind. When you’re on hold, take care of yourself and when you’re on push, you need to take care of your recruits because that’s what you are here for.”

For more news from Recruit Training Command, visit

This week we sat down with Cryptologic Technician (Maintenance) 1st Class Cody Bennett, an inspector with Fleet Quality Assurance (FQA), Recruit Training Command (RTC).1. BULLETIN: What is your hometown and what were you doing prior to joining the Navy and why did you enlist?BENNETT: “I’m from San Antonio, Texas and I was doing automotive detailing and a stockman at Hobby Lobby.”2. BULLETIN: Why did you join the Navy and when did you graduate boot camp?BENNETT: “I joined the Navy to see the world and to get some college benefits. I already knew I was going to join the military when I was in JROTC. I chose my rate because I wanted to work on computers, and I knew that it would transfer over to the civilian world so I would have something after the Navy. I graduated from boot camp in 2006.”3. BULLETIN: Why did you choose to come to RTC?BENNETT: “I volunteered to come to RTC in 2013 because I wanted to make a difference. What other job can you really go to that you can basically change the lives of over 1,000 people? Factor in 88 recruits per division – and we push eight to 10 divisions – Blue Rope phase, RDC phase, and being in FQA and you get to change the lives of that many people and watch them develop into what you’re going to have in the Fleet.”4. BULLETIN: What exactly is FQA responsible for?BENNETT: “Fleet Quality Assurance is making sure the RDCs are doing their jobs. We do inspections on the recruits to make sure they know all the check points that were taught by the RDCs, and we’re making sure the recruits are receiving quality training so when they get to the Fleet they can take that quality training that they received here and apply it to things throughout the Fleet.”5. BULLETIN: Do you ever get the feeling that staff and recruits roll their eyes and groan when they see you approaching them and if so, what’s going through your mind at that point?BENNETT: “It’s actually kind of funny in that the recruits are more scared of FQA than master chiefs. It’s not really the role we want to portray. We’re not trying to put that image out there but it is kind of the image that the RDCs put on the recruits trying to scare them into, ‘You better do the right thing!’ and when they do that, they actually do the opposite – they make them mess up. We’ve had recruits try to run from us and I had a division do a U-turn and try to ignore me. It’s an interesting role watching the RDCs get really nervous when you start looking at their deck log or inspecting their division. They’re far more scared and timid of us than they should be. The people who have been around for a while are a lot more comfortable with us as they should be. They should be comfortable to come with us with questions but there’s definitely a very scared look the recruits give us whenever they see us.”6. BULLETIN: What would you like to say to the staff and recruits to help them better understand what you’re doing what you are doing? Be nice.BENNETT: “We’re doing what we’re doing to keep people honest because if we didn’t keep people honest, then either the recruits wouldn’t receive the quality training or the RDCs would try to take advantage too much of trying to take time off instead of doing what they came here for. You came here to train recruits, you came to train your replacements for the Fleet and we need to uphold that standard. If we were to back off and let them do what they want to do, then we may not reach the quality of Sailor that we want to put into the Fleet. They shouldn’t be scared of us; they should know we have a job to do just like they do. Their job is to train the recruits; our job is to make sure the training is done. It’s nothing personal, there are no grudges. It’s just like a policeman who the decision as to whether or not to give you a ticket. They’re just out there doing their job and keeping us safe, so our role is kind of along the same lines except we’re not keeping you safe, we’re keeping you honest.”7. BULLETIN: Can someone talk or beg their way out of an infraction or hit?BENNETT: “Infractions go against the RDCs, a hit goes against a recruit. The RDCs always try to talk their way out of receiving an infraction. The inspector is either going to give it to them or not give to them and it comes down to a number of factors as we are human just like they are. We’ve been on the front end, we’ve done the pushing, we know what it’s like, we know how stressful it is, so realistically, it comes down to whether or not that inspector is going to assess the infraction. The RDCs can explain the situation and sometimes the situation can be explained in a fashion that they’re not going to receive the infraction based off what the scenario is. With the recruits, they also try talking their way out of it and it’s usually funny. If they make me laugh I’ll give it back to them. If they have a solid reason to why they did it, I’ll give it back to them. They sometimes can talk their way out of it just like someone can talk their way out of ticket.”8. BULLETIN: How is this position making you a better Sailor?BENNETT: “It has taught me a lot about accountability and leadership. No matter what you are doing, someone is always watching you and that’s the biggest thing. We send out e-mails all the time and people are always judging us by the way we send our e-mails. It forces us to proofread our e-mail and all of our work that we’re putting out because the entire base is watching us. When we do Redbook changes, everyone is using that to train their recruits so if we don’t make the change properly, then it affects a lot of people so this has taught me a lot about quality assurance, checking of my work, being solid about my work, not being afraid, and being humble enough to ask for help.”9. BULLETIN: What advice do you give to someone who’s about to be a part of FQA?BENNETT: “Just to be successful enough to get FQA is already a huge milestone in general. To be successful in FQA is to remember what it was like on the front end for you. Remember what it was like to be an RDC and try to take that into account when you are giving assessments during inspections because everyone is human. Just because you know everything doesn’t mean everyone else is going to, so humble yourself and remember that not everyone is going to train to the same standard as to what you train to, so keep that in mind. When you’re going to run into a situation when you’re going to give an infraction, just think back to what it was like. Take into account all the things that are in the scenario and listen to what they have to say because sometimes you start to block people out. You need to really understand what they are trying to tell you.”10. BULLETIN: What are you going to take away from your experience here at RTC?BENNETT: “I’m going to take care of my junior Sailors whether I’m a first class or I leave here as a chief. Coming here to RTC is one of the greatest things you could possibly do for yourself and for the Sailors you are going to be training. Don’t get lost in the fact that you’re going to be leaving, don’t get overwhelmed and keep in mind this is a great place to be. I know it’s stressful and gets tough at times, but really put forth the effort while you’re here because you’re going to be paid to be here, and you get extra monthly pay for this job. A lot of people want this job but some people don’t qualify for the job, so keep that in mind. When you’re on hold, take care of yourself and when you’re on push, you need to take care of your recruits because that’s what you are here for.”For more news from Recruit Training Command, visit www.navy.mil/