I transitioned at the end of my HSL JO tour.. Due to going from first T-34 flight to wings in 9 months, I had been a LT just over a year when I left.
I non-selected for LCDR.
I was a 02 YG guy, got picked up for the transition in November 06, left in January 07 (I already had previously been extended 6 months to make a 3rd deployment).
Went to Corpus for a FW refresher. This is where shit got weird. Since I didn't count towards production, I was extremely low priority. It took me longer to get 16 flights in the Turboweenie than it took me to do Primary AND Helo Intermediate (when we still had that).
Then they PCSd me to Kingsville to be one of the first for the "new" Tailhook syllabus. I was to do every block of training, but to move on when I was proficient enough.. Say if there were 19 FAMs and I was safe for solo at 10, 11 is all I did.
I was in Krock for two months.. And then BAM! Tailhook not ready. PCS back to Corpus.
Took about 4 months to do T-44 intermediates.. I did less flights, but they paced me with a "normal" E-2/C130 class until the last month. Basically just skipped cross countries and VNAVs.
Then I went to Krock again, and classed up for T-45s and went pretty quick through BI/RI/Fam, until an instructor thought I was "Too big" and called the flight doc on my FAM check and told the doc I was "Too Big".. Said doc called NOMI WITH MY NAME without ever seeing me, and hilarity did not ensue.
6 months med down, standing RDO every day and building the King CAT.
(For those keeping track, my "year in TX, then off to the RAG" is now at 18+ months before I even start flying again)
By the time I finished Krock and went to VT-120, I was 2 years out of a 42 month sea tour.
For those who have been to VT-120 recently, you realize it's 3 months of training stretched into about a year. I was "lucky" and went through in 10 months. Even though I was a CAT-2, they tracked me with a CAT-1 class. I could have easily done it on the CAT-3/4 timeline and just done the full FCLP thing with the next CAT-1 group that was ready (I did need that.. 42+ days off between events with a CAT-1 class, not so much)
So right now, I was almost 18 months "off timeline" by the time I got back to the fleet for a SuperJO tour compared to what BUPERS thought I would have.
Then I got pulled up a year group due to zone reshuffles. I went into my LCDR screen with one 4 month "competitive" Midpack MP in 3 years. I left my HSL tour with #17 of 28. Midpack MP.. I think (as did my peers) that if not an EP, I was a solid #1MP. (5 or 6 of 28). My CO said "You will get hooked up by your new community, this won't matter" at my FITREP debrief.
Things that hurt that were in my control:
Transitioning off of sea tour.. A VP/HS/HM/Anything But HSL VT CO would probably not have hammered my balls for transitioning, and even if he did, I'd have had better paper off of sea duty.
Not making myself "bulletproof" (EP) on my sea tour. I had to come home from a deployment early due to Manatee problems. I took a hit for that in both JO Jobs and ranking boards. Words to the effect "You are a solid officer and great stick but your family life is a fucking trainwreck" was told to me by the XO (CO when I left). I think he takes your life outside of work into the FITREP process, right or wrong.
Things that were beyond my control:
Moving up a year group. If I had not been moved up, I'd be going into my LCDR board with "rightward progression" and probably an EP or solid #1 MP vice the "you've only been here 4 months, be lucky you are not the anchorman" MP.
Delays in TRACOM.. CNATRA getting schizophrenic about me doing "Tailhook" vice "Legacy E2" was beyond my control. Shit happens.
Would I do it again?
In a fucking heartbeat.
