Prior USAFR to USN

[Kchsload]

I suppose I ought to start off with the standard expression of appreciation for all the help this board has provided me in answering my questions about the possibility of serving as a naval officer and aviator.

About myself and current aspirations:

I am 25 years old and served 4 years in the USAFR as a C-17A loadmaster while attending university. I graduated from uni in 2010 and was let out of my 6 year contract early in order to move to Beijing for grad-school (in the summer of 2010 my unit was told they had to reduce their manning by 1/3, the timing was good for me so I volunteered to leave). I am now about to finish up a year of Mandarin language classes in Taipei.

In August, after three years of Asia, I am returning to the US and looking to start a career. I’m not particularly looking at the AF for a myriad of reasons, both personal and professional, and have alternatively been looking hard at the Navy for the past year or so; in particular the SNA slots. I miss the sense of purpose and camaraderie the military provided me with in addition to the flying, but I do have a few questions regarding the possibility of joining the USN:

I have already completed AF SERE school, both land and water. Do I need to repeat this for the Navy? Please god, say “no.”

Standing watch both on shore and at sea: As a naval aviator what does this entail? The USAF does not do this so it’s a completely new concept to me. How often is this duty assigned, what are you responsible for? Is it just a 4 hour period where you sit at a desk by a phone once a month, or is there more to it? Is this something that is done only as a JO, or can I look forward to it for 20 years?

Having lived in Asia for the past three years and studied Chinese foreign policy and military modernization, I am keenly interested in the Foreign Area Officer career field. Is this a possibility for a pilot after X amount of years and after having a fulfilled a flying contract? The director of a prominent think tank I interned for is a retired Army FAO. The Army sent him to post-grad at Harvard followed by a stint in the White House; it seems like a killer deal and something I want to keep an eye on.

Regarding letters of recommendation for applying. I have always thought letters from officers were held in higher regard that from those of an enlisted. Would it be worth asking the Chief (E-9) of my old unit to write a letter for me? The instructions ask for letters from supervisors, Chief knew me a lot better than most of the officers in the unit did.

A trivial question, having already used my reserve GI Bill, would I be eligible for the active duty Post 9/11 GI Bill?

I also have a medial question regarding a skin condition that I would like to PM someone about.

Thanks in advance. Again, this site had been of incalculable use for me.

 

[BusyBee604]

Standing watch both on shore and at sea: As a naval aviator what does this entail? The USAF does not do this so it’s a completely new concept to me. How often is this duty assigned, what are you responsible for? Is it just a 4 hour period where you sit at a desk by a phone once a month, or is there more to it? Is this something that is done only as a JO, or can I look forward to it for 20 years?

For an NA JO, Ashore:
Squadron Duty Officer (SDO): 24-hour watch. Desk/Telephone (if equipped, monitors UHF squadron tactical/guard freqs), represents CO. During flight ops; runs & coordinates flight schedule w/ Maint. Control, tracks A/C locations/flight status/ETAs. Non flight/work hours; monitors phone, random checks to ensure security of squadron spaces, aircraft, equipment & crews berthing/messing facilities, hopes for a few hrs sleep!
Rnnway Duty Officer (RDO): 4-hour watch. Occasional, when required by Base Ops, shared by tenant squadrons. Supervises wheels watch safety crew at runway LSO area.

For an NA JO Afloat:
SDO: As described above.
Aircraft Integrity watch officer (IWO): 4-hourwatch. 1/flight deck & 1/ hangar deck, ensures physical aircraft integrity (proper tie downs.. leaks, etc.,and conflag station readiness. Rotated among CVW squadrons.
Boat Officer (BO?): On call. When at anchor, rides Officer & Crew liberty boats, monitors weather/sea state, responsible for safe boat operation & passenger conduct. Rotated among CVW units.
Shore Patrol Officer (SPO): Variable 8-24 hr. assignments during foreign port calls, supplements local based SP Hdqrtrs, supervising SP teams on roving patrols through areas patronized by the military, maintaining order. Shared by CVW units with CVN.

*The frequency of all watches varies by squadron size/JO watch pool #s!

Regarding

letters of recommendation for applying. I have always thought letters from officers were held in higher regard that from those of an enlisted. Would it be worth asking the Chief (E-9) of my old unit to write a letter for me? The instructions ask for letters from supervisors, Chief knew me a lot better than most of the officers in the unit did.

A lot depends on how familiar the LOR writer is with the applicant's qualities, and how the letter is worded. Most board members are not over-awed by just military rank, but are quite impressed by Supervisors, Managers, Coaches, Professors, Teacherswho are thoroughly familiar with, and write favorably of your leadership potential, work ethic, morals, etc.

And yes, that "walks on water" LOR from your supervising Chief; would trump a ho hum standard 'clone' LOR from no matter how high ranking the Officer, who obviously hardly even knows, or has ever met you.
BzB

 

[Kchsload]

For an NA JO, Ashore:
Squadron Duty Officer (SDO): 24-hour watch. Desk/Telephone (if equipped, monitors UHF squadron tactical/guard freqs), represents CO. During flight ops; runs & coordinates flight schedule w/ Maint. Control, tracks A/C locations/flight status/ETAs. Non flight/work hours; monitors phone, random checks to ensure security of squadron spaces, aircraft, equipment & crews berthing/messing facilities, hopes for a few hrs sleep!
Rnnway Duty Officer (RDO): 4-hour watch. Occasional, when required by Base Ops, shared by tenant squadrons. Supervises wheels watch safety crew at runway LSO area.

For an NA JO Afloat:
SDO: As described above.
Aircraft Integrity watch officer (IWO): 4-hourwatch. 1/flight deck & 1/ hangar deck, ensures physical aircraft integrity (proper tie downs.. leaks, etc.,and conflag station readiness. Rotated among CVW squadrons.
Boat Officer (BO?): On call. When at anchor, rides Officer & Crew liberty boats, monitors weather/sea state, responsible for safe boat operation & passenger conduct. Rotated among CVW units.
Shore Patrol Officer (SPO): Variable 8-24 hr. assignments during foreign port calls, supplements local based SP Hdqrtrs, supervising SP teams on roving patrols through areas patronized by the military, maintaining order. Shared by CVW units with CVN.

*The frequency of all watches varies by squadron size/JO watch pool #s!


A lot depends on how familiar the LOR writer is with the applicant's qualities, and how the letter is worded. Most board members are not over-awed by just military rank, but are quite impressed by Supervisors, Managers, Coaches, Professors, Teacherswho are thoroughly familiar with, and write favorably of your leadership potential, work ethic, morals, etc.

And yes, that "walks on water" LOR from your supervising Chief; would trump a ho hum standard 'clone' LOR from no matter how high ranking the Officer, who obviously hardly even knows, or has ever met you.
BzB

Great info, thanks a lot!

Is there a reason the Navy tasks their guys with these watches instead of utilizing dedicated personnel? I can understand the need for extra hands on cruise, but from my perspective, not having a dedicated equivalent to a SDO while on shore seems odd. Maybe I'm just "thinking too Air Force" on this.

 

[BusyBee604]

Great info, thanks a lot!

Is there a reason the Navy tasks their guys with these watches instead of utilizing dedicated personnel? I can understand the need for extra hands on cruise, but from my perspective, not having a dedicated equivalent to a SDO while on shore seems odd. Maybe I'm just "thinking too Air Force" on this.

Yes, that's USAF type organization. Most AF flight squadrons being only 'shore-based', depend on other locally-based specialized squadrons/units for their support, i.e. maint, supply, admin, crew survival, security etc. Navy operational squadrons are by nature mobile, thus must be self-supporting & readily deployable in total, or in smaller detachments. Squadron departments... Ops/Maint/Admin/Supply provide self support including security (watches/patrols). Services exceeding squadron capability (heavy maint, ordnance storage/ass'y, fueling, messing etc.) are provided by the home base, temp. host base or deployment carrier.
BzB

 

[eas7888]

Regarding letters of recommendation for applying. I have always thought letters from officers were held in higher regard that from those of an enlisted. Would it be worth asking the Chief (E-9) of my old unit to write a letter for me? The instructions ask for letters from supervisors, Chief knew me a lot better than most of the officers in the unit did.

A trivial question, having already used my reserve GI Bill, would I be eligible for the active duty Post 9/11 GI Bill?

Regarding your letter of recommendation, it should come from someone who knows you well, and that can vouch for what kind of a person or a leader you have the potential to be. A senior enlisted member who supervised you in your previous unit would be a great example. As a platoon sergeant in the Army Reserve, I requested, and received a LOR from both my First Sergeant, and my Company Commander as I worked directly under both of them for a number of years.

As far as your GI Bill question goes, no. You would not be eligible for the Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits. I used the entirety of my 1607 benefits prior to going active duty, and I was informed by the VA rep that I couldn't use the Active Duty benefits. There may be someone who has more insight on the subject, but that is the information I was given.