ROTC Shoreduty and Warfare transition

[MasterBates]

Guys,

I was going to go to NAS Fallon for Station SAR (HUEYS ROCK!) but got canned because of some EFM program SNAFU.

XO asked if any JO's were "interested in possibly being ROTC instructors". After exhausting my flying order options (which are slim, if you make LT 3 weeks before your last competitive fitrep), I said I was "interested, but not sure".

Usual deal, here is where you can go between EFM and timing. Rank em. If you make board, you can go if you wish. Not verbatim, but that was what I understood. (perhaps being in at 0730 for AOM after landing at 0230 disabled my abilty to comprehend XO-ese)

Anyways, they slate me for orders to the ROTC unit that was on the bottom of ye-old-list.

Other iron in the fire is I was "approved" for a warfare transition to VFA or VAW/VRC. No order slots at this time due to S-3 sundown.

Anyways, what are the career options left after this. I was told it is 3 years of unobserved fitreps. All the guys I know that went were prior enlisted using it to hit 20.

My deal is, HSL pilot. Checked into fleet squadron as an ENS, made HAC/FCP/NVGI as a LTJG. Barring unforseen difficutlties, I will be an ATO L4. (AWTI) before I leave. Wanted VT's or C-12. Station SAR was cool too. 5 months from original PRD, but told I am being extended until after next fitrep.

 

[HooverPilot]

Do you know how you will rank on the next fitrep? When can you expect to get the transition orders?

 

[BigIron]

How much is the EFM issue restricting your geographic choices?

 

[MasterBates]

Probably a ranked MP. My timing is not allowing an aircraft commander cruise, which hurts a bit. JO ranking order usually is QAO, NATOPS, Det MO's, Det Ops, then everyone else. Having every qual a JO can get except ANI (which usually only super JO tour guys get) helps a bit, but time in grade is hurting. I have H2P's that just left on their first cruise that are senior to me as far as time in grade.

 

[MasterBates]

BI,

That is the weird thing, EFM. My wife has Juvenille Arthritis, which is not that big of a thing. Needs to see a specialist once every 3-4 months. Other than that she sees her PCM once a month for med refills and bloodwork.

Right now, from my duty station (NRB) to NAS Jax where the hospital is is 30 miles, in heavy traffic. That is OK as far as EFM is concerned. The specialist she needs in Jax is not taking any new patients, so we drive to Cocoa Beach, which is 175 miles one way. It is not bad, since it is once every three months, and we swing by Cape Canaveral on the way home.

Docs at Fallon were in Reno, 55 miles away, which I said was OK, the EFM people think is too far to drive every 3 months. Never mind that we would probably be there once a week anyways.

The current place I have verbals to is 35 miles from said specailist (OK with EFM ). Not taking new patients at this time. (Still OK with EFM). So it looks like we will have to drive to an AFB ~100 miles away.

EFM is kind of a pain in the rear. It can be good, say if you have a child with special needs, and want to stay where there are services for them. But for me, it has cut off any orders that are not in Corpus/Kingsville, P-Cola, JAX, NoVA, DC or SanDog. The orders they gave me is in an area with a lot of small Army posts, so there a a lot of docs who take Tricare there.

I couldn't go to Univ of Michigan, which was #1 On my list. WTF? Large city, huge medical center, next to a very large city.

 

[Schnugg]

If you go ROTC...you can get an inexpensive MS or MBA on the Navy.

That can work out to be a good deal in the future when job searching.

 

[UMichfly]

I couldn't go to Univ of Michigan, which was #1 On my list. WTF? Large city, huge medical center, next to a very large city.

I'm not 100% sure about the intricacies of billeting for NROTC but I do know that here at UM we have 2 LTs who checked in last year who will probably be here for a while and another who came 2 years ago who has 1 more year left. It may just be a case of unfortunate timing

 

[MasterBates]

UofM was open. I would have probably been replacing the guy who has been there 2 years.

 

[UMichfly]

Wow...that's a surprise to me. I'm sorry to hear you didn't get it.

 

[MasterBates]

I went to school at GMI up the road in Flint, and I have a ton of Fraternity Brothers, and Friends in the Detroiot-Lansing-Flint-Chicago area.

Not to mention, a lot of job opportunites if I get out at the end of my shore tour. Not a lot of work for a Mechanical Engineer who specialized in BioFuels and Automotive Powertrain here in Jax.

 

[MasterBates]

UMF, like you said, big suprise to me as well. I thought some of the schools in smaller towns would be a No-Go, but they were. But no orders to Michi-Gun

 

[Gatordev]

FWIW, your FITREPS won't be NOB while at a NROTC unit, as long as you are an instructor. If you were just attached to the unit and going to school full time, then yes, NOB. But you're competitive w/ the other LTs there who are teaching, as long as you're filling one of those billets (which it sounds like you are).

 

[MasterBates]

Yep, I am supposed to be some sort of instructor.

I am an OCS guy, who has zero experience/ideas with ROTC. Any pointers?

 

[Gatordev]

Don't screw the midshipmen.

NROTC is a good deal, for non-flying orders. Usually the summers are pretty lax. I was attached for 20 months (long story, but was in medical limbo), and for us, summers were 4 days a week. School years can be busy, but still, it's only teaching a couple days a week and then doing whatever "ground job" they need you to do (recruiting, etc). There's plenty of time to get a Masters if that's your thing.

 

[PropStop]

...doing whatever "ground job" they need you to do (recruiting, fending off hippy hordes, etc).

you missed ground job, but I put it in there for you.