Well that didn't take long...
For the sake of time this entry will be in a cut. I'm going to do my best to give you guys as much information on the subject as I can, as well as my motives.
I was trying to think of a way to tell people, and after trying to call the guys and getting voicemails, I decided to just wait a bit longer. Well shortly after that I got a few screaming phones in a panic, I figure since the cat seems to be out of the bag I'll just set the record straight.
So here it is.
I'm
This whole thing started with my last trip to the Keys. I spent some quality time with my godparents and their friends. My godfather Jack is a retired Air Force pilot, and his friend Don is a retired Navy pilot. They both understand that my dream is to be a pilot, and I don't really care how I get there. Well, up until then, I had only really understood the Air Force path. I knew what it would take to make it as an officer, and the hoops I'd have to jump through in order to make it. It was going to be tough, but I knew I could do it.
Well, Don enlightened me to a Navy program designed specifically for people like me. Enlist as an E1 then immediately enter flight training. If you wash out, you're a fucking Cadet, and it's tough luck for you. If you make it, upon completion of your training, you're issued a BS from a university in connection with the Navy for Aviation Science, and you become a Commissioned Officer. Only requirement is a 2 year degree. Of course, this sounded like the best thing I'd ever heard of, so I did everything I could to learn more about it.
After searching everything I could find on the internet, and couldn't find a damn thing on the program. So I contacted the Navy directly, informed them of my intentions, and asked them to send me a packet with the information I needed via Navy.com. Two days later, there was a knock at my door and I met Petty Officer 1st Class,(PO1) Barker. He informed me that the program was perfect for people like me, but that it no longer exists. Last year they had 200 applicants, and only 32 are now flying. This caused the Navy to dismantle the program.
I thought about showing the guy the door right there, but since I had only really concentrated on the Air Force, I didn't know anything about the Navy and I figured this guy could give me some answers. Now before you say it, I KNOW! He's a recruiter. His job is to tell me what I want to hear, and get me to sign.
With all of the information I gathered from both PO1 Barker and his CO Cabral, I now know that the Navy route would supply me with FAR less hoops to jump through in order to fill a pilot spot. Now, I made a mistake on my part. I told them I was interested. They of course tried to get me to sign ASAP and threw every recruiting tactic they had at me. PO1 Barker eventually gave up and realized I was going to be a nightmare for him. His CO, however, decided to play hardball. I didn't bite for any of his enlistment ploys, so I told him I'd see him in two weeks and we'd go from there. That's when I was labeled high asset/high risk. I took their practice ASVAB and blew it out of the water. This meant that as an enlisted sailor, I'd most likely take a very technical field and later get picked up for officer training. This would make the eval of the office go up. Well, after I received such a label, I got a call from Chief Pullen. Apparently Cabral didn't know what to do, so he called a Chief Petty Officer to intervene.
With the information I was able to gather from the two Chiefs I was now dealing with, it was a lot easier to come up with a decision. Chief Pullen and Chief Krevda are not recruiters. The information I was given was not candy coated, and was very straightforward.
It breaks down like this guys. If I finished my 4 year degree and tried to enlist as an Officer, I'd most likely get accepted, but it would be pretty difficult to get picked up for a pilot spot. As a civilian, I'd be about average as far as applications go. Now, if I joined as an E3 with my AA from BCC, and did well on the ASVAB I'd get to pick from a long list of technical careers. Careers that if things did go 'worst case scenario' and I didn't get picked up for Officer Training School, I'd still be very, VERY happy with. But if I enlisted and took a good technical career, I'd most likely get accepted for OTS upon arrival at my first duty post. It's sad to say, but it's true in all branches of the military. ONLY. OFFICERS. FLY.
Because of that, I have to take the best path that will make me look like a great candidate for OTS. Being a diamond in the rough on the E side of the fence benefits me more than being an average civilian that wants to climb inside a billion dollar jet.
I'll be entered to the DEP program. My ship date will be sometime in January after my graduation from BCC. This is only if the few remaining variables do not change. The first one being BCC's class schedule. If they do not offer the classes I need to take in order to graduate, I'm going to have to delay the enlistment. If I don't pass the CLAST, I'll have to delay enlistment, AND fucking kill myself. Seriously, that test is easy, but it's something I have to take into account.
There is also the chance that I go to Jacksonville, get my career list, and they say 'oh no, we dont have a spot for you in that training session, now youre going to be a chef on a submarine'. If this happens, I can still walk out and will do so.
I did my best to explain my thought process and my course of action. You can agree with my decision and support it, or you can disagree and respect it. Either way, this is what's happening.
I was trying to think of a way to tell people, and after trying to call the guys and getting voicemails, I decided to just wait a bit longer. Well shortly after that I got a few screaming phones in a panic, I figure since the cat seems to be out of the bag I'll just set the record straight.
So here it is.
I'm
This whole thing started with my last trip to the Keys. I spent some quality time with my godparents and their friends. My godfather Jack is a retired Air Force pilot, and his friend Don is a retired Navy pilot. They both understand that my dream is to be a pilot, and I don't really care how I get there. Well, up until then, I had only really understood the Air Force path. I knew what it would take to make it as an officer, and the hoops I'd have to jump through in order to make it. It was going to be tough, but I knew I could do it.
Well, Don enlightened me to a Navy program designed specifically for people like me. Enlist as an E1 then immediately enter flight training. If you wash out, you're a fucking Cadet, and it's tough luck for you. If you make it, upon completion of your training, you're issued a BS from a university in connection with the Navy for Aviation Science, and you become a Commissioned Officer. Only requirement is a 2 year degree. Of course, this sounded like the best thing I'd ever heard of, so I did everything I could to learn more about it.
After searching everything I could find on the internet, and couldn't find a damn thing on the program. So I contacted the Navy directly, informed them of my intentions, and asked them to send me a packet with the information I needed via Navy.com. Two days later, there was a knock at my door and I met Petty Officer 1st Class,(PO1) Barker. He informed me that the program was perfect for people like me, but that it no longer exists. Last year they had 200 applicants, and only 32 are now flying. This caused the Navy to dismantle the program.
I thought about showing the guy the door right there, but since I had only really concentrated on the Air Force, I didn't know anything about the Navy and I figured this guy could give me some answers. Now before you say it, I KNOW! He's a recruiter. His job is to tell me what I want to hear, and get me to sign.
With all of the information I gathered from both PO1 Barker and his CO Cabral, I now know that the Navy route would supply me with FAR less hoops to jump through in order to fill a pilot spot. Now, I made a mistake on my part. I told them I was interested. They of course tried to get me to sign ASAP and threw every recruiting tactic they had at me. PO1 Barker eventually gave up and realized I was going to be a nightmare for him. His CO, however, decided to play hardball. I didn't bite for any of his enlistment ploys, so I told him I'd see him in two weeks and we'd go from there. That's when I was labeled high asset/high risk. I took their practice ASVAB and blew it out of the water. This meant that as an enlisted sailor, I'd most likely take a very technical field and later get picked up for officer training. This would make the eval of the office go up. Well, after I received such a label, I got a call from Chief Pullen. Apparently Cabral didn't know what to do, so he called a Chief Petty Officer to intervene.
With the information I was able to gather from the two Chiefs I was now dealing with, it was a lot easier to come up with a decision. Chief Pullen and Chief Krevda are not recruiters. The information I was given was not candy coated, and was very straightforward.
It breaks down like this guys. If I finished my 4 year degree and tried to enlist as an Officer, I'd most likely get accepted, but it would be pretty difficult to get picked up for a pilot spot. As a civilian, I'd be about average as far as applications go. Now, if I joined as an E3 with my AA from BCC, and did well on the ASVAB I'd get to pick from a long list of technical careers. Careers that if things did go 'worst case scenario' and I didn't get picked up for Officer Training School, I'd still be very, VERY happy with. But if I enlisted and took a good technical career, I'd most likely get accepted for OTS upon arrival at my first duty post. It's sad to say, but it's true in all branches of the military. ONLY. OFFICERS. FLY.
Because of that, I have to take the best path that will make me look like a great candidate for OTS. Being a diamond in the rough on the E side of the fence benefits me more than being an average civilian that wants to climb inside a billion dollar jet.
I'll be entered to the DEP program. My ship date will be sometime in January after my graduation from BCC. This is only if the few remaining variables do not change. The first one being BCC's class schedule. If they do not offer the classes I need to take in order to graduate, I'm going to have to delay the enlistment. If I don't pass the CLAST, I'll have to delay enlistment, AND fucking kill myself. Seriously, that test is easy, but it's something I have to take into account.
There is also the chance that I go to Jacksonville, get my career list, and they say 'oh no, we dont have a spot for you in that training session, now youre going to be a chef on a submarine'. If this happens, I can still walk out and will do so.
I did my best to explain my thought process and my course of action. You can agree with my decision and support it, or you can disagree and respect it. Either way, this is what's happening.