~Hail Stan~
I gave up on my Lent resolution three weeks before Easter. I was moonlighting too much on Facebook's absurdly buggy chat system. I decided to scrap the whole thing and get back on AIM. YOU WIN SATAN!
I had quite the adventure this morning. Today was my scheduled appointment with the Navy recruiter. The office is located somewhere in Irving. As per usual, I entered the address into MapQuest and drove on my merry way...
...only to find myself standing in front of Ladies Auxiliary VFV 249 thirty minutes later. A Navy recruiting office that doubled as a Strip Bar?
DAMN YOU GOOGLEMAPS!!!
Bonus Anecdote:
I called the Master Chief who I was going to meet with after asking one of the gentlemen who happened to work at the bar.
"Chief, I can't find the office."
"Where are you?"
"... Let's not talk about that now. How do I get to your office?"
When I finally did get there, the Chief and I had a good talk and I got a lot of questions answered. Here's how all of the programs stand that I'm considering:
Aviation
While I can't be a Navy pilot (eyesight sucks way too badly), I can become a Navy Flight Officer. This translates to me essentially being Goose from Top Gun. I don't fly the plane (although I learn to do so in case the pilot... I dunno, has in-flight sickness or something), but I navigate, launch missiles, etc. That sounds like a lot of fun and I would get to fly. I'm definitely thinking about this one.
Special Operations
I can't do this. My eyesight sucks. No Navy SEAL/BEAR for me! Even if I did, Chief said that if they sent even ONE officer off to the SEAL program per year, they would be 200% over quota for that year.
How does the math work on that?
Intelligence
This is almost as bad as Special Operations. Only 3% of applicants make it. Intel took a girl from North Texas recently who had a 3.9 GPA in International Relations and a minor in Russian: she was completely fluent in reading, writing, and speaking Russian. However, the Chief did hold out some hope for me since my last name is Li and I speak and understand Chinese. However, I warned him that I can't read it or write much. I don't know about this posting anymore.
Nuclear Propulsion
This one sounds really cool. They do require a year of Calculus and Calculus-Based Physics, which I'm about two to four years removed from. The process is extremely involved because of how important the posting is to the operation of Carriers and Submarines. I think I've got the mind for it, but unfortunately, I may be exceptionally rusty with my Calculus and Physics trick bag. Still, it can't hurt to try.
Surface Warfare
This also a really cool posting. Chief described this as the meat of the Navy. Surface Warfare is in charge of various departments on the ship, everything from engineering to fire control to navigation. I'd rotate everyone once in a while to ensure that the work stays fresh and alternate between sea and shore duties. Eventually, if I stay in long enough, I could advance to the point where I command my own ship. Whoa. That's wild.
i asked the Chief why he joined the Navy. He told me basically the same reasons that I wanted to join: He wanted to get out of Tulsa, Oklahoma and see the world. As Surface Warfare on the enlisted side, he had quite a few stories, everything from drug-blockades in the Carribbean, staring down Iranian warships in the Gulf, launching missiles, near Iraq, Thailand, Guam, Japan, he saw everything he wanted to see and so much more.
I think I'm going to go through with it. I'm going to talk to my parents about my decision and then start the paperwork for it soon, starting with the Nuclear Propulsion path.
I'm so excited. I can't wait to go.
I had quite the adventure this morning. Today was my scheduled appointment with the Navy recruiter. The office is located somewhere in Irving. As per usual, I entered the address into MapQuest and drove on my merry way...
...only to find myself standing in front of Ladies Auxiliary VFV 249 thirty minutes later. A Navy recruiting office that doubled as a Strip Bar?
DAMN YOU GOOGLEMAPS!!!
Bonus Anecdote:
I called the Master Chief who I was going to meet with after asking one of the gentlemen who happened to work at the bar.
"Chief, I can't find the office."
"Where are you?"
"... Let's not talk about that now. How do I get to your office?"
When I finally did get there, the Chief and I had a good talk and I got a lot of questions answered. Here's how all of the programs stand that I'm considering:
Aviation
While I can't be a Navy pilot (eyesight sucks way too badly), I can become a Navy Flight Officer. This translates to me essentially being Goose from Top Gun. I don't fly the plane (although I learn to do so in case the pilot... I dunno, has in-flight sickness or something), but I navigate, launch missiles, etc. That sounds like a lot of fun and I would get to fly. I'm definitely thinking about this one.
Special Operations
I can't do this. My eyesight sucks. No Navy SEAL/BEAR for me! Even if I did, Chief said that if they sent even ONE officer off to the SEAL program per year, they would be 200% over quota for that year.
How does the math work on that?
Intelligence
This is almost as bad as Special Operations. Only 3% of applicants make it. Intel took a girl from North Texas recently who had a 3.9 GPA in International Relations and a minor in Russian: she was completely fluent in reading, writing, and speaking Russian. However, the Chief did hold out some hope for me since my last name is Li and I speak and understand Chinese. However, I warned him that I can't read it or write much. I don't know about this posting anymore.
Nuclear Propulsion
This one sounds really cool. They do require a year of Calculus and Calculus-Based Physics, which I'm about two to four years removed from. The process is extremely involved because of how important the posting is to the operation of Carriers and Submarines. I think I've got the mind for it, but unfortunately, I may be exceptionally rusty with my Calculus and Physics trick bag. Still, it can't hurt to try.
Surface Warfare
This also a really cool posting. Chief described this as the meat of the Navy. Surface Warfare is in charge of various departments on the ship, everything from engineering to fire control to navigation. I'd rotate everyone once in a while to ensure that the work stays fresh and alternate between sea and shore duties. Eventually, if I stay in long enough, I could advance to the point where I command my own ship. Whoa. That's wild.
i asked the Chief why he joined the Navy. He told me basically the same reasons that I wanted to join: He wanted to get out of Tulsa, Oklahoma and see the world. As Surface Warfare on the enlisted side, he had quite a few stories, everything from drug-blockades in the Carribbean, staring down Iranian warships in the Gulf, launching missiles, near Iraq, Thailand, Guam, Japan, he saw everything he wanted to see and so much more.
I think I'm going to go through with it. I'm going to talk to my parents about my decision and then start the paperwork for it soon, starting with the Nuclear Propulsion path.
I'm so excited. I can't wait to go.