I wanted to share my personal story with everyone on here, partly because I'm thrilled about it, but more to highlight the importance of perseverance in the pursuit of a commission.
On 26 DEC 2006, about a week after I graduated from college, I contacted the Navy recruiter in my area to discuss the steps to becoming a pilot. I had made up my mind during my last semester that this was the career I wanted, but at that point didn't know much else. Everyone here is fairly familiar with that part of the process. I was fortunate enough to have studied mechanical engineering in college, so my test scores and numbers were thankfully good enough to earn me a pilot slot the first time around with the boards. I underwent PRK on both eyes on 27 JAN 2007, submitting my application to the selection boards shortly afterwards. On 20 APR 2007, I received a ProRec for SNA. By the time I was med-up from PRK and had everything straightened out from MEPS, it was late July when I received orders to class 02-08 in Newport. Note that I had passed every physical, including MEPS, leading up to this. I reported 9 SEP 2007 to Newport and began training. On the second day, during the physical, I failed the distant visual acuity (DVA) test with flying colors. Ironically, the PRK had improved my DVA to 20/25 uncorrected, but had induced so much cylinder (aka astigmatism) that I was outside of the limits for correction to achieve 20/20 DVA. Determined not to accept this prognosis, I continued with OCS for 4 weeks - up through the first inspection - while undergoing 2 more complete eye exams and dealing with findings of the flight surgeons. At this point, there was no more fighting it - my class officer had basically told me that I would have to pick another designator to continue training. I subsequently transferred to H-class, then student pool, to be discharged from OCS. At this point, some might call my decision selfish, as the flight doctors had offered me a waiver for NFO - although I didn't even (technically) meet those requirements. However, I had committed to myself long before OCS to go after what I had wanted, come hell or high water. The command wished me the best of luck and I left active duty on 10 NOV 2007.
I began a civilian job on 01 JAN 2008. Obviously, this was somewhat of a disheartening experience. I had planned the entire time to have PRK done, again, at my own expense, again, to correct my deficiencies. However, after talking to several surgeons, most of them agreed that another surface ablation (PRK, LASEK, epi-LASIK) would simply run the risk of regression that I had encountered the first go-round. I even went so far as to fly down to Pensacola and visit one of the Captains at NAMI for another full exam in MAR 2008. Same results - no go for pilot, but this time, I actually met the requirements for NFO. Barely. The doctor (captain), although as polite and honest as possible, literally told me "I just don't see any way that any further surgery will ever get you to the point that you will be physically qualified to be a pilot in the Navy." Imagine those words, from the utmost accurate of sources, shattering your dreams. This was frustrating to hear, but it wasn't the end of the road. Not for this guy. "No" just simply sounded too much like "not yet".
Returning home, I learned that in 2005 the Navy had begun studying the Intralase (blade-free LASIK) procedure for use on Naval aviators. The same man that spearheaded the PRK program for the Navy (Dr. (CAPT) Steven Schallhorn) had begun the clinical study, but had left the Navy shortly thereafter to begin private practice (he is also a former F-14 pilot, NFWS instructor, and the basis for the movie "Top Gun", but I digress...). Long story short, I was determined to get the best advice possible. Through a stroke of luck, I found his cell phone number and decided to give him a call. Turns out that he is an incredibly nice guy, and he graciously agreed to look over my records and offer his assessment of my chances for ever making it back to the Navy as a pilot. He said there were no guarantees, but that he didn't see any glaring issues. He then referred me to someone in my area (he's in CA, i'm in TN) and wished me the best of luck.
So I decided to try it. Although the program wasn't even in existence with the Navy at that time, I spoke with the current director of the Naval Refractive Surgery Center in San Diego, who replaced Dr. Schallhorn upon his retirement. He explained to me that the program was a couple of months from commencement, but assured me that it would become a reality soon enough. With that, I scheduled Intralase the following week and dropped another $4000 on the procedure, which took place 27 JUN 2008.
Fast forward another couple of months to late August 2008. I'm 60 days post-op, and eligible for an exam. I arranged through my recruiter to be examined by the commander (opthalmologist) at the nearest base to me. After another eye exam, I had the first piece of paper in my life with both my name on it and the words "meets all visual requirements for SNA". But this wasn't enough.
The Intralase program had it's own requirements. In order to assure that I'd make it though the flight physical, I wanted to check those requirements too. Another dozen phone calls and favors from extremely helpful people in San Diego, and I headed down to NAS JAX on 10 DEC 2008 for the "INtralase screening exam". After 4 hours of extensive testing, the doctors there agreed that I (barely) met all of the requirements for vision. My application to the boards was, meanwhile, pending back at home.
After the delays from the overwhelming numbers of applicants in Nov-Dec 2008, my package finally made it in front of the boards this month (JAN 2009). 23 months (or, 761 days to be exact) after I contacted a recruiter for the first time, I received word that I was selected, again, for a pilot slot with the United States Navy. FINALLY!
In short, don't be discouraged because your recruiter tells you that you need to do this or that, because you've had to wait a couple of months, or because you need to reapply due to low test scores, etc. I've applied twice to the boards, been at OCS for 9 weeks, and waited a loooong time to get where I am......and there are probably guys out there that had it way worse that I did. It's part of what the Navy is about - commitment - and sometimes, you just have to keep after what you want until they get sick of telling you no. (Obviously, I'm not advocating that anyone with bad vision have surgery twice, especially on their own dime, but in my particular case, that course of action was neccesary.) Everytime a flight surgeon told me "NO", all I heard was "not yet". I got kicked over, again and again (as you will at OCS, trust me), and with enough effort, it's (hopefully) all going to work out the way I planned it. Best of luck to anyone out there struggling with the B.S. that comes along with the application program...but stay after it - it's worth it!
On 26 DEC 2006, about a week after I graduated from college, I contacted the Navy recruiter in my area to discuss the steps to becoming a pilot. I had made up my mind during my last semester that this was the career I wanted, but at that point didn't know much else. Everyone here is fairly familiar with that part of the process. I was fortunate enough to have studied mechanical engineering in college, so my test scores and numbers were thankfully good enough to earn me a pilot slot the first time around with the boards. I underwent PRK on both eyes on 27 JAN 2007, submitting my application to the selection boards shortly afterwards. On 20 APR 2007, I received a ProRec for SNA. By the time I was med-up from PRK and had everything straightened out from MEPS, it was late July when I received orders to class 02-08 in Newport. Note that I had passed every physical, including MEPS, leading up to this. I reported 9 SEP 2007 to Newport and began training. On the second day, during the physical, I failed the distant visual acuity (DVA) test with flying colors. Ironically, the PRK had improved my DVA to 20/25 uncorrected, but had induced so much cylinder (aka astigmatism) that I was outside of the limits for correction to achieve 20/20 DVA. Determined not to accept this prognosis, I continued with OCS for 4 weeks - up through the first inspection - while undergoing 2 more complete eye exams and dealing with findings of the flight surgeons. At this point, there was no more fighting it - my class officer had basically told me that I would have to pick another designator to continue training. I subsequently transferred to H-class, then student pool, to be discharged from OCS. At this point, some might call my decision selfish, as the flight doctors had offered me a waiver for NFO - although I didn't even (technically) meet those requirements. However, I had committed to myself long before OCS to go after what I had wanted, come hell or high water. The command wished me the best of luck and I left active duty on 10 NOV 2007.
I began a civilian job on 01 JAN 2008. Obviously, this was somewhat of a disheartening experience. I had planned the entire time to have PRK done, again, at my own expense, again, to correct my deficiencies. However, after talking to several surgeons, most of them agreed that another surface ablation (PRK, LASEK, epi-LASIK) would simply run the risk of regression that I had encountered the first go-round. I even went so far as to fly down to Pensacola and visit one of the Captains at NAMI for another full exam in MAR 2008. Same results - no go for pilot, but this time, I actually met the requirements for NFO. Barely. The doctor (captain), although as polite and honest as possible, literally told me "I just don't see any way that any further surgery will ever get you to the point that you will be physically qualified to be a pilot in the Navy." Imagine those words, from the utmost accurate of sources, shattering your dreams. This was frustrating to hear, but it wasn't the end of the road. Not for this guy. "No" just simply sounded too much like "not yet".
Returning home, I learned that in 2005 the Navy had begun studying the Intralase (blade-free LASIK) procedure for use on Naval aviators. The same man that spearheaded the PRK program for the Navy (Dr. (CAPT) Steven Schallhorn) had begun the clinical study, but had left the Navy shortly thereafter to begin private practice (he is also a former F-14 pilot, NFWS instructor, and the basis for the movie "Top Gun", but I digress...). Long story short, I was determined to get the best advice possible. Through a stroke of luck, I found his cell phone number and decided to give him a call. Turns out that he is an incredibly nice guy, and he graciously agreed to look over my records and offer his assessment of my chances for ever making it back to the Navy as a pilot. He said there were no guarantees, but that he didn't see any glaring issues. He then referred me to someone in my area (he's in CA, i'm in TN) and wished me the best of luck.
So I decided to try it. Although the program wasn't even in existence with the Navy at that time, I spoke with the current director of the Naval Refractive Surgery Center in San Diego, who replaced Dr. Schallhorn upon his retirement. He explained to me that the program was a couple of months from commencement, but assured me that it would become a reality soon enough. With that, I scheduled Intralase the following week and dropped another $4000 on the procedure, which took place 27 JUN 2008.
Fast forward another couple of months to late August 2008. I'm 60 days post-op, and eligible for an exam. I arranged through my recruiter to be examined by the commander (opthalmologist) at the nearest base to me. After another eye exam, I had the first piece of paper in my life with both my name on it and the words "meets all visual requirements for SNA". But this wasn't enough.
The Intralase program had it's own requirements. In order to assure that I'd make it though the flight physical, I wanted to check those requirements too. Another dozen phone calls and favors from extremely helpful people in San Diego, and I headed down to NAS JAX on 10 DEC 2008 for the "INtralase screening exam". After 4 hours of extensive testing, the doctors there agreed that I (barely) met all of the requirements for vision. My application to the boards was, meanwhile, pending back at home.
After the delays from the overwhelming numbers of applicants in Nov-Dec 2008, my package finally made it in front of the boards this month (JAN 2009). 23 months (or, 761 days to be exact) after I contacted a recruiter for the first time, I received word that I was selected, again, for a pilot slot with the United States Navy. FINALLY!
In short, don't be discouraged because your recruiter tells you that you need to do this or that, because you've had to wait a couple of months, or because you need to reapply due to low test scores, etc. I've applied twice to the boards, been at OCS for 9 weeks, and waited a loooong time to get where I am......and there are probably guys out there that had it way worse that I did. It's part of what the Navy is about - commitment - and sometimes, you just have to keep after what you want until they get sick of telling you no. (Obviously, I'm not advocating that anyone with bad vision have surgery twice, especially on their own dime, but in my particular case, that course of action was neccesary.) Everytime a flight surgeon told me "NO", all I heard was "not yet". I got kicked over, again and again (as you will at OCS, trust me), and with enough effort, it's (hopefully) all going to work out the way I planned it. Best of luck to anyone out there struggling with the B.S. that comes along with the application program...but stay after it - it's worth it!
