I was unfortunate enough to be one of the 400 "IRAD" LT's, yes O-3. I went through Primary NFO training, DOR'd because I had enough sense to know I wasn't hacking it, volunteered for SWO, was denied, did four years of sea duty on an LPD as MINI, earned OOD letter, CICWO , completed all PQS for SWO and TAO, was 1of 10 in my FITREP group, earned the Navy Comm. then found myself on the IRAD list after repeated attempts to redesignate were denied. I guess the Navy had to cut the fat, and if so, it makes sense to drop guys with less than admirable records. Still, I feel like I proved myself to be competent in another valuable line community and should have at the very least been allowed to stand the board for my SWO pin. Leaving the Navy after four years of the Academy, and almost five years of active duty with good marks was very difficult. Not to sound like the Waaambulance, but I ended up losing my career, my fiance, my self respect, and found that the civilian sector felt much the smae way as the Navy. I think if the Navy had asked for volunteers to leave a year or two earlier, they would have found more than enough in the ranks. I heard once that Nimitz ran a ship aground...I guess he wasn't any good either.
With Respects,
Dizzy