Promotions

[Gatordev]

To be fair, promotion to CAPT or CDR is still pretty competitive, and maybe arguably LCDR depending on your community. Agreed about the O-3/O-2 realm though......I can't imagine that was every very competitive, even if there was a more formal process. I'll ask my old man, he pinned O-3 in 1962 so that would probably be a good estimation of the history of competitiveness....

He did say 20 years ago. 14-16 years ago, making O-4 was less complicated than going through a TSA line. Making O-5 required getting the right boxes checked and some career inertia. All I'm saying is that 20 years ago, I don't think it was nearly as competitive as today and not as "intense" as perhaps was conveyed.

Obviously CO/XO (for any URL) can be a different matter.

 

[Gatordev]

The last one sounds like a good story.

She was even aided.

 

[VMO4]

My father was an ensign through flight school, got winged and JG at the same time, was a JG for eleven days, then pinned Lt. It was 1943, he was being sent to be an IP, and "there was a war on"

He already had a college degree, about 2000 hours and was a civilian CFI, he went in under a program where they was a heavy need for IP's . As he used to say, it beat bing a platoon commander in North Africa.

 

[ea6bflyr]

My father was an ensign through flight school, got winged and JG at the same time, was a JG for eleven days, then pinned Lt. It was 1943, he was being sent to be an IP, and "there was a war on"

Old school wartime was a whole different animal when it came to promotions. President Nixon Naval career:
15 JUN 1942 Appointed Lieutenant (junior grade) in U.S. Naval Reserve
1 OCT 1943 Lieutenant
3 OCT 1945 Lieutenant Commander
10 MAR 1946 Relieved of active duty
1 JUN 1953 Commander in Naval Reserve

whereas President Bush's Naval career was different:
13 June 1942 Enlisted in US Naval Reserve
5 August 1942 Reported for Active Duty
8 June 1943 Honorably Discharged
9 June 1943 Ensign, US Naval Reserve and continued on Active Duty
1 August 1944 Lieutenant (junior grade)
18 September 1945 Released from Active Duty under honorable conditions
16 November 1948 Lieutenant

(on a side note, read the book Flyboys: A True Story of Courage by James Bradley for a small snippet into Bush's shoot down and rescue near Chi Chi Jima.)

 

[LET73]

By the regs, redoing your oath of office when you're being promoted is optional. It's just kinda cool. All that's really required is that you sign the paperwork accepting the promotion.

Nope. The only thing that's required is that you not send in paperwork turning it down. At least, despite some admin glitches when I got promoted, the Navy is indeed paying me as an LT.

 

[Beans]

Anyone know of someone turning down a promotion?

 

[PenguinGal]

Anyone know of someone turning down a promotion?

I've never heard of anyone turning down O3, but I do know people who have turned down other ones. In particular, an IP I know turned down O4 because he wanted to retire (he was prior E) and didn't want to put off retirement for the several years he would need in order to accept the promotion.

 

[Gatordev]

Anyone know of someone turning down a promotion?

I floated the idea and put it to a senior trying to help. It was an option, but in my case, it probably would have blown up in my face for what I wanted to do and I didn't seriously consider it, especially upon recommendation of the senior.

 

[HooverPilot]

I have a buddy who turned down O-5 recently. He too is prior service and is retiring in April. It happens, but not very often.

 

[Gatordev]

AUTEC golf cart. That brought back some memories. That should be my retirement gig.

You could join the swinger crowd there.

 

[zipmartin]

Promotion rates, time to train.......these have varied through the years from seemingly excessive to extremely quick, all based on the needs of the Navy and individual timing. Just posting my experience as a reference point. Commissioned out of AOCS in May '76, winged July '77, finished the A-7 RAG in March '78, must-pumped to a deployed fleet squadron and promoted to LTJG June '78 with 66 hours and 31 traps logged since joining the squadron in the Med in late March. And those traps and flight time were acquired even while spending 5 days in Naples and 7 days in Haifa. My timing was good. Luck of the draw. A good buddy who winged the same day as me went F-4's. I came back from that short first cruise in July and he was just starting the F-4 RAG in NTU, after being in a pool awaiting the F-4 pipeline to open up.

 

[Brett327]

Nope. The only thing that's required is that you not send in paperwork turning it down. At least, despite some admin glitches when I got promoted, the Navy is indeed paying me as an LT.

Good for you. The point remains, oath not required.

 

[squorch2]

One good way to hold up your O-2/O-3 promotion is to fail a PRT/BCA. You get to try again in 6 months or so, so there's that.

 

[Uncle Fester]

One good way to hold up your O-2/O-3 promotion is to fail a PRT/BCA. You get to try again in 6 months or so, so there's that.

Really? Hadn't heard that. Is that an automatic thing, or does it require admin action by your command?

 

[squorch2]

Requires admin action in the form of correspondence to PERS-834. Also, failure to promote to O-2 on time may result in separation. (See SECNAVINST 1412.6L, para 3.b and SECNAVINST 1920.6C para 3.a)

I almost had to go through the process when one of my advisees in HTs was in danger of failing the BCA just before promotion season.