Ultimately, I just want the USN and the USNR to take the best of the best. This affects us all whether directly or indirectly. As a veteran, I want nothing more than a solid military filled with outstanding enlisted/officer personnel. If that includes me, great. If my time has come and gone - I can only hope my replacement is better than me.
RickD, that is the right mindset to adopt. I have adopted it myself, to an extent. This is my 3rd application to the IDC Reserve, and I am not sure I want to go a 4th time if I'm not selected in March.
I am not trying to force my foot in the door; I genuinely believe (as you seem to) that Millington should only take the top candidates, and if I'm not in that group, then there is a reason why it's what's best for the IDC, and I am okay with it. I can only put my best foot forward and see.
A friend of mine in the CIA went through all 5 months of the case officer training course at the farm, only to not certify. She was disheartened - but I reminded her that they non-cert'd her for a reason, and it's probably what's best for her and the organization. All the SDR work made her high-strung and anxious. She would have been genuinely unhappy if they glossed over concerns, cert'd her anyway, and then she spent the rest of her professional career in some sandbox running SDRs. They kinda saved her a decade of heartache.
So RickD, have you considered becoming a Navy civilian in the IDC? With all your experience and prior AF service, you could probably make GS-14/15, and step into a role where you are supervising LCDRs and Senior Chiefs in a branch/division. And, don't forget you can still deploy downrange (and do weapons training and so forth) as a civilian.
