Hi all,
Let me preface this with "Yes, I am a jackass and I should have thought about this sooner" and "I'm sorry RUFiO181, I should have asked my recruiter the first day I talked to him".
My current situation is that I've just been given the N3M approval to have my MEPS physical, the details of the waivered items can be found here. I am thrilled that I've finally been given the green light for this physical as I've been in limbo concerning it for about four weeks now. Unfortunately, my OR says that I won't make the July boards with the waiting times so I'll be looking towards Fall, assuming everything goes well, to finally submit my packet.
Now that I've had some time to think (never a good thing) I've come to the realization that, while I knew I wanted to be in aviation, I also had no idea what the hell I wanted to do in aviation. My first and foremost concern was serving my country in the military. That's nothing unique around here. My second concern was to fly because being a pilot has been my dream since I was a kid. That's not uncommon around here either. So with those two concerns in mind, and after talking to a friend who went through this same process a few years back and went Navy and to a former Navy recruiter, I set up the meeting with the nearest Navy OR. Getting to the point I'm at now in that process has been the work of my OR since April 27th while I juggled the closing weeks college and submitting the requisite forms.
But, I came to realize a third concern: I want to directly support troops on the ground. This is crucial to me. According to my research, most Naval Aviators in the Navy that ever do this do it via the strike pipeline in an F/A-18 variant. I'm pragmatic and I know that the percentages of getting that role are low. It seems that a Naval Aviator in the Marines has a much greater chance of being in a ground support role, whether that is transporting marines or supporting them from the air in rotary craft or strike planes. It would mean a great deal to me to become a Naval Aviator, but it would be a tremendous privilege to also be air support.
Naval Aviators of both branches are admirable people and I would feel deeply honored and proud to be part of their ranks. I understand from reading various threads that you should focus first on being an officer of your respective branch and then a pilot. I also understand that your choice of branch should be your preference of branch culture with the knowledge of the conditions that you will be subjected to. When I was younger I wanted to be a Marine because of a role model in my life and I almost enlisted after high school but decided with some parental advice that college was a better choice; in this instance, this is more a matter of preference of the most likely expected mission.
So, with all that in mind, I'm looking for some advice from members who have experience or knowledge related to this situation. My main question is: Given the time that I now have should I also look into USMC Officer Recruitment for Naval Aviation? At the very least, I think it would be beneficial to have two options.
I don't want to betray my Navy OR and the good will and intentions of everyone who has helped me get to this point, nor do I intend this to be denigrating to the Navy or anyone that has chosen to become a USN Naval Aviator. I'm mainly trying to decipher not only what I want to do but also the best way to do it, and I could use some insight on this matter from somebody who has some to spare.
Thanks.
P.S. This is not a Marines vs Navy thread!
Let me preface this with "Yes, I am a jackass and I should have thought about this sooner" and "I'm sorry RUFiO181, I should have asked my recruiter the first day I talked to him".
My current situation is that I've just been given the N3M approval to have my MEPS physical, the details of the waivered items can be found here. I am thrilled that I've finally been given the green light for this physical as I've been in limbo concerning it for about four weeks now. Unfortunately, my OR says that I won't make the July boards with the waiting times so I'll be looking towards Fall, assuming everything goes well, to finally submit my packet.
Now that I've had some time to think (never a good thing) I've come to the realization that, while I knew I wanted to be in aviation, I also had no idea what the hell I wanted to do in aviation. My first and foremost concern was serving my country in the military. That's nothing unique around here. My second concern was to fly because being a pilot has been my dream since I was a kid. That's not uncommon around here either. So with those two concerns in mind, and after talking to a friend who went through this same process a few years back and went Navy and to a former Navy recruiter, I set up the meeting with the nearest Navy OR. Getting to the point I'm at now in that process has been the work of my OR since April 27th while I juggled the closing weeks college and submitting the requisite forms.
But, I came to realize a third concern: I want to directly support troops on the ground. This is crucial to me. According to my research, most Naval Aviators in the Navy that ever do this do it via the strike pipeline in an F/A-18 variant. I'm pragmatic and I know that the percentages of getting that role are low. It seems that a Naval Aviator in the Marines has a much greater chance of being in a ground support role, whether that is transporting marines or supporting them from the air in rotary craft or strike planes. It would mean a great deal to me to become a Naval Aviator, but it would be a tremendous privilege to also be air support.
Naval Aviators of both branches are admirable people and I would feel deeply honored and proud to be part of their ranks. I understand from reading various threads that you should focus first on being an officer of your respective branch and then a pilot. I also understand that your choice of branch should be your preference of branch culture with the knowledge of the conditions that you will be subjected to. When I was younger I wanted to be a Marine because of a role model in my life and I almost enlisted after high school but decided with some parental advice that college was a better choice; in this instance, this is more a matter of preference of the most likely expected mission.
So, with all that in mind, I'm looking for some advice from members who have experience or knowledge related to this situation. My main question is: Given the time that I now have should I also look into USMC Officer Recruitment for Naval Aviation? At the very least, I think it would be beneficial to have two options.
I don't want to betray my Navy OR and the good will and intentions of everyone who has helped me get to this point, nor do I intend this to be denigrating to the Navy or anyone that has chosen to become a USN Naval Aviator. I'm mainly trying to decipher not only what I want to do but also the best way to do it, and I could use some insight on this matter from somebody who has some to spare.
Thanks.
P.S. This is not a Marines vs Navy thread!