Making it Happen

Finally something to report. It's been a long time since I've made any movement on this but I'm finally starting to fall back into the groove. After visiting the army recruiter in back in May, I found out that I really needed to focus on my physical fitness. At the time I was feeling energized, but with some Coast Guard related housing issues during that time I got caught up and lost that drive. Shame on me, right? Well it really came around and smacked me hard in the head about a month and a half ago when a co-worker shared a video with me, "How bad do you want it?" on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsSC2vx7zFQ It is a motivational video that challenges the viewer via a very symbolic scenario to consider how much each and every one of us desires to simply. . . Breath air! It goes a little like this, young man asks old man how to be successful. Old man sets up a training session at the beach, the next morning young man shows up and the old man tells him to wade out into the water. He keeps the young man going until the young man is up to his neck. Young man stops and claims the old man is crazy so the older man comes out to meet him. The old man grabs the young man and shoves his head underwater. The young man fights against it, struggling to simply break the surface so he could breath! Finally, just before the young man passes out, the old man lets his head up. He gasps for air. The old man laments; when you want to be successful as much as you want to breath, then and only then will you be successful. When you're worried about breathing, about your next breath of air, nothing else matters -  not your sports team, not some dance or your night life, nothing. Nothing else matters but getting that next breath. It was very powerful. And it couldn't be more on point. I saw that video and I considered my own attitude on the subject. It struck me deep down and I realized that I had been letting myself get distracted yet again. After coming home from some leave I set out on working on my physical fitness. In fact, as I write this my stomach is sore and tight! It's a good feeling. I grabbed my memorandum and asked one of the Ensigns, all Coast Guard Academy graduates, to help me work on it. He happily accepted citing that all he ever did in the Academy was write papers! A few days later we met up and discussed his suggestions. Tonight, while I'm standing watch from 4-8 I'll be working the suggestions into my memorandum.

I have a lot to update about. I am a little annoyed with myself for not updating this earlier!

About two months ago I found out through the HS2 that my flight physical will not transfer over. She wished me luck and sent me on my way; no matter, I am glad I know that I can pass a first class flight physical.

I have secured a position volunteering 3 hours a week at Seattle Children's Hospital, for which I am extremely excited!!! I need to complete a minimum of 80 hours in 6 months. Depending on how that goes I may volunteer more with them, I have a foot in the door though. Which is great considering how difficult it is to apply!

Got all my E4 sign-off's completed. Now I just need to take the test. For some reason I felt like a fire got lit under me and I had a burning urge to move forward sooner rather than later. I approached my Command Master Chief with what I had completed in my conditional release package and let him go over it. He suggested some structure changes within the memorandum. I also showed it to my department head, Bosun. He agreed with Master Chief and just about smacked me over the head for waiting as long as I did to tell him, "Sir, I am going to see a recruiter."

He has been so supportive of my decision that he gave me time during the work day to schedule my appointment with a recruiter. I had created a list of all near-by recruiting stations so I was ready to make calls right away. I started near Ft. Lewis-McChord and found a recruiter whom had done WOFT packets before. I made the appointment for the 24th of May (today, at the time of this writing).

I did not get to talk to the recruiter whom had done the WOFT packets as he was at a Dental Appointment. I had sensed during the two phone calls I had placed to him that he seemed un-interested which was worrisome. And when I found out he was out of the office for our appointment I fought the urge to shake my head. It was as if all the things I had heard about recruiters was coming true before my eyes. While waiting in the office I observed all the other enlistees, high schoolers,  talk to the recruiters like they were pals. Their shaggy hair cuts were very amusing and brought me back to when I was processing for the Coast Guard. Of course, I was extremely respectful and addressed the recruiters, all E6 and above with the proper respect that is expected of military members. They definitely showed me respect and I noticed there was no buddy-buddy theme to our conversations, which I was pleased with.

After waiting for 45 minutes I finally was directed to talk to another member whom had put people through WOFT. He basically confirmed everything I already knew but emphasized the PT test, something I had not really given much thought too. So I made a mental note to start training in earnest to score well above the standard on the PT test. That was perhaps, the biggest thing I took away today. That, and of course a signed conditional release form (DD-368)! As I was walking out the recruiter I was originally supposed to see walked in. We introduced ourselves and I quickly found out his tour was ending in 2 months which gave reason as to my initial concern about his lack of interest. So I will be working with the one I had talked too today, whom still has two years left in his tour. 

Once I get the form signed by my commanding officer I will be able to start scheduling tests and physicals etc. I need to pass my E4 test first however... Which will take at least another few weeks. In all honesty, it should already be done. Either way, soon I will have a signed conditional release in hand!

I apologize for summarizing as much as I did, usually my posts are much more detailed but I had a lot to write about.

Over the course of the last month I have been in touch with the HS2. She contacted me not long after I last updated about my BM1's suggestions (of which, I have taken steps to volunteer with organizations other than the Red Cross, like at a Children's Hospital - I'm just waiting for my interview. I have started getting sign offs for my EPME, and soon my studying will be in full swing).

She asked me to get a hold of the Army and find out what forms they use. She said that the Coast Guard uses a modified version of the Army's medical reporting/record keeping software. Though the software is similar, when she enters information into her computer it just goes straight to Coast Guard Head Quarters. She wasn't quite sure how to get it over to the Army. So, she surmised that if they use the same forms, which is where the information that goes to electronic storage originates, that she could just forward that paperwork to the Army and they could input my information without any special interpretation of the configuration on their part. However, if they didn't then I would have to receive a flight physical from the Army itself.

A busy week later I looked up the nearest Army base which is Ft. Louis-McChord down by Tacoma. I found their medical center web page, I used their directory services and got a hold of the proper number. But on that day I was past their office hours. Again the next day, I tried but to no avail. Finally on the third day I reached someone and that person confirmed that they did indeed use the same forms that HS2 had referred too.

I sent off an email to her with the good news, and the phone number to their Aviation Medicine department. I tried calling but found she would be gone until the following Wednesday and it was Friday.

Today is Wednesday, and I got a hold of her. She was very busy trying to catch up on all the work that had accumulated while she was away. I told her I could call back but she kindly explained that she would call and talk to their Health Services before Friday, and that she would call if anything arose. I asked if I could call her on Monday if I hadn't heard from her and laughing, she exclaimed that my calling was really helping push this process along.

She doesn't have to tell me twice.

So, I give it a few more days before I hear more. Good news is, it's starting to sound like I'll have a completed flight physical done by the Coast Guard when I talk to the recruiter. I've made actual contact with the Army now, though not a recruiter. I've started steps toward beefing up my Conditional Release Packet for Captain...

Today while on duty my supervisor, a BM1, was on duty. I approached him with the memorandum I have prepared for the Commanding Officer looking for suggestions regarding how I should approach the situation: presenting my case to the command.

He gave me some great ideas on how to make myself really stand out. They are all things that aren't necessarily geared toward my future career but what they will do is show motivation and dedication.

He suggested that I complete not only my E-4 Enlisted Professional Military Education (EPME), which is generally expected of personnel at my level, but also my E-5 and E-6 EPME's. It's material that has to be signed off, and also an evaluation test has to be rendered before one is eligible for advancement. What I did not know is that I can get all my evaluations and sign offs all the way up to E-9. Doing this will show motivation toward advancement and dedication to the service. More geared toward showing my Commanding Officer that I am a motivated individual. It will also show the Warrant Officer Candidate selection board that I have gone above and beyond what is required or expected of me as an E-3. It reflects well on the service I represent, and myself which in turn will display to them how I could potentially reflect against the Army and benefit their service. And of course, if I don't get selected, having this done will only help my Coast Guard career. He suggested taking any kind of course or test that results in certification. He suggested the Deck Watch Officer test which is known Coast Guard wide as a very VERY difficult test to pass. Passing this test will show my Commanding Officer and the command that I am again, motivated in regards to my personal and professional growth. Of course, it will naturally sit well with a selection panel on the premise that I can articulate to the panel the significance of this accomplishment.

My BM1 also suggested I take a Search and Rescue fundamentals course which is in my opinion universally recognized by aviators without the need for special articulation to explain its significance. Aviators know the significance of SAR. And if I have attended a course taught by the undisputed authority on Search and Rescue, the Coast Guard, it will look excellent in a packet. One more thing I can use to set myself apart from other candidates.

One thing I have failed to mention throughout this blog is that on my off time I have been volunteering at the Red Cross. My BM1 suggested community service. I informed him that I was already currently a volunteer with the Red Cross. While he was happy to hear that, he suggested that I don't get caught up in just one organization. He said I should mix up my volunteer work. I live close to the greater Seattle area. There are at LEAST four different shelters and soup kitchens I know of that I can go volunteer at, which I'll be looking into here in the upcoming weeks. I've always known volunteer work is almost as important as my professional experience or education and I have taken that notion seriously.

There are some things around the ship or things I have already obtained that I can include to augment my packet to the C.O.

I already have Basic Damage Control Personal Qualification Standards (DCPQS) which is a requirement for qualification. But I can also obtain advanced DCPQS which is not required but helps to bolster ship readiness and support.

I already have a certification for shipboard fire fighting training, I have documentation of OC Pepper Spray training, my qualification standards (DCPQS and Gangway Petty Officer of the Watch), my Pistol Marksmanship letter and my Basic Training Graduation Certificate.

I will be obtaining letters of recommendation from my BM1 for sure, as he said he would gladly write one for me for my packet to the Commanding Officer. And I'm pretty sure my Bosun and Command Master Chief will also write letters of recommendation.

Many of the things I can do now to prepare for my conditional release, will also help bolster my WOFT packet. Talking to my BM1 was a good move, he had some very worthwhile suggestions. many of which I am going to follow up on.

Called the HS2 at base today. It's been a little bit longer than I had planned to go without calling but no big deal. As I told her today when she thanked me for my patience, I said; I got nothing but time (although, sooner rather than later would be nice!!). She said that she did not know how to enter in my packet since there is no option in their program for articulating my case so she was waiting on her Captain's advice.

I was surprised when she said she also was looking over the packet to see if there was anything else the army required. This whole time I was thinking to myself that she or anyone this side of the military wouldn't have time to look over the details of my packet. I am extremely pleased with her cooperation! She is definitely looking out for me.

After the work day I went down to my locker and grabbed all the stuff I had printed a few months previous. Several packets worth of information in regards to the application process including some medical stuff that I came across. "Medical Fitness Standards for Flying Duty" (Chapter 4 in AR 40-501) and "Instructions for Reporting Medical Examination" (Page 16, USAREC Reg 601-91). I scanned these and sent them to her via email since my ship doesn't have a fax machine!

I have already informed my Command Master Chief of my intentions, my division officer already knows. Soon my IDP (Individual Development Plan) is due for an update and I will be filling out my intentions there which is just one more, yet small assertion that I am moving in the right direction.

Next I am going to approach the Command Master Chief and explain that I want a Captains Mass, that is a face to face forum with the Captain. I am going to need not only a letter of recommendation but his stamp of approval before I can obtain a conditional release. I plan to explain to him what WOFT is, why I am seeking it out,  and why the command should support me. I am putting together a packet with a cover page stating everything I plan to say in person, a resume, my marks (a write up of my performance every 6 months) and any qualifications in chronological order that I have received.

The idea is to show officer level responsibility and attitude in hopes that it conveys how serious I am about the goal I am trying to achieve. In being open and honest about why I am trying to "jump ship" and not secretively attempting to secure the proper items for this transition the command can give me its full support instead of approving my requests begrudgingly for fear of breaking some kind of regulation which in turn, would likely burn bridges. I love the Coast Guard, I am comfortable with my chain of command. I respect my chain of command and will absolutely not go behind their backs in trying to secure this goal. I know full heartedly that my command will give me their full support and backing so long as I keep them in the loop about my progress. They want nothing but the best for their members, in or out of the Coast Guard. Again, with the human element. Treat others as you wish to be treated and you will be treated as such.

For some reason, as of late I've been thinking a LOT about WOFT. The thoughts normally come and go, but it's not at the forefront of my mind. This last week I've been literally dreaming about it in my sleep, waking up to thoughts of it and just all around excitement.

A little history!

For the longest time I wanted to be an Army helo pilot. Some time in middle school I told my father I wanted to fly, he suggested military aviation as a great means to achieve that end. Originally it was fixed wing but my fascination turned to rotary wing sometime in this time period. He did some research on my behalf and introduced me to the concept of "high school to flight school" brought to aviation hopefuls by none other than the United States Army & their Warrant Officer Flight Training program. It seemed so far off and unreal. I was in 6th grade or thereabouts. I wasn't so serious about it but I did day dream about flying a whole lot...

7th grade is when the light clicked on. I remember it distinctly, I was sitting in a math class. I was absolutely horrible at math up to that point - in fact I was in a remedial math class. A level below where I should have been at that point. I was day dreaming, not paying attention... Dreaming about flying actually, as a pilot in the Army. It was relatively early in the school year and we were just pulling out of review in that math class. Mrs. Beretta was my teachers name. She struck everyone as a real mean bird. That's why she ran the remedial class. She didn't take crap from anyone. Her class was actually one of the more well behaved one's now that I look back... It's obvious why.

Well it was funny, I was sitting there thinking to myself about strapping into a Black Hawk. I then started thinking about the training. I started thinking about Warrant Officer Flight Training. At that point I had no inkling of what a warrant officer was I just knew I didn't need a degree... My mind played around with that idea, no college! How awesome was that! (how unfortunate I was excited that I wouldn't need to obtain higher education). Then my mind eventually landed on high school graduation and preparing to leave for the Army. Then I was like, whoa - I'm in 7th grade... After next year I'll be in High School... I realized in a split second that this wasn't as far off as I had imagined it in my head. I mean, it was literally like a light went off in my head. In all seriousness, I had an actual epiphany! To this day, nearly 10 years later I still remember that moment when the light came on. 

The teacher was going over some kind of algebra but it involved long division which I still didn't know how to do. I raised my hand, focused on learning and admitted that I didn't know how to do it and if she could explain it again for me. I got out a notebook and pencil and took notes... The next day, I stayed focused.. Took notes, asked every time I didn't understand something... By the end of the school year I was pulling awesome grades, better than I had ever had. I even got her to sign a waiver to let me bump up to the level of math I was actually supposed to be attending. I remember how proud she was, and I remember how proud I was for that matter!

I got accepted into the "Space and Engineering Academy" at my high school which was a limited entry program focused on four years of college preparation. I am still proud to this day that though the requirement was 2 years of math class, I took four and attended after school math reviews since I struggled with it the whole way through. I struggled, but I made it. I passed my classes. Not always with flying colors but I did something I never had thought I would do. Now math is one of my favorite subjects. 

My focus got taken away from WOFT some time during junior year and geared more toward Coast Guard aviation... But perhaps it was for the better. Here and now, I feel more competitive than I would ever have been had I not joined the Coast Guard. It feels so close, so real. There is literally nothing stopping me from obtaining this. The same excitement and focus that gripped me that fateful day in a 7th grade math class has once again, wrapped itself around me.

Today I got a list of 8 Army recruiting stations within driving distance that I will soon be calling to discover if there are any recruiters in the area whom have submitted applicants into WOFT. Hoping for the best! But if it comes down to it, I'll constantly be pushing my recruiter in the right direction. In fact, it'll be easy for him or her because I'm doing all the ground work now!

Called on my blood work today. HS2 said she didn't have any results back.

I found out she is going to get me a hard copy of my flight physical with signatures which is way out of the normal for them she said. She's never really done it before but said it should take two weeks... Which means more waiting. Good thing the age cut-off on this whole shebang is 32 or I'd be screweeeed.

So I got my preliminaries done a few weeks ago. The HS1 said she would get back to me when they got word from the flight surgeon up in Port Angeles about my paperwork. 

. . . One week gone by..

           . . . Two weeks gone by..

Impatient, I send an email - it goes unanswered. Two days later I send another, she responds this time. She says that I should be hearing back shortly from an HS2 who is now handling my case. Fortunately, she gives me a direct extension to the HS2 and says that if I haven't heard from her by Friday, to call her on Monday. Friday rolls around and I've got nothing, I wait out the weekend and call first thing Monday morning.

HS2 has helped me before and her husband is my BM3 on the boat so she recognizes my voice, claiming to remember me from a past visit that was unrelated. That's good! So then she goes on to say that she gets a LOT of emails and notes on things to do and follow up on. She says its overwhelming - blah blah blah, I'm standing around in my coveralls using a ships phone. I don't want my supervisor to walk by and see me yapping on the phone so I cut her off and say "HS2, it's not your responsibility to stay on top of this - it's mine and that's why I'm calling." She laughs and says, "I APPRECIATE THAT! You know what!? I'm going to drop what I'm doing and finish your case today mister!"

I freaking love the human element to this. Contrary to popular belief, this isn't a machine. Nothing broken can't be fixed - when all else fails just be human. . . Extend kindness, not frustration! And the kindness will often be returned.

Sure enough she had me set up with an appointment for the next day to come in and re-do my blood work and take some measurements on my proportions. She even worked some magic with the flight surgeon and saved me the 3 hour trip up to Port A by concluding my file at Seattle Base Medical. Freaking SCORE!

In two days I'll be following up on the blood work with a phone call to HS2 to see how my packet is doing and if anything else is required of me. If not, I'm going to turn around and start looking at who my Army recruiter is going to be!

In any case, this was the first time I've had to really push something. It wasn't difficult, but had I just sat idle, I wouldn't be updating this blog right now. I'd still be wondering what was happening to my medical record. I know in the future there are going to be other things that need pushing. Things that will inevitably be much more difficult to pursue and push. I have a sneaking feeling that so long as I keep the human element close to heart I may come out the other side of this thing relatively unscathed.

My father suggested that I look into the Seattle area as a whole, North and South along the Cascades for a recruiter who has done this process before instead of simply going to the closest recruiter who happens to be right down the street. I may save myself some major hassle if I opt in for a one hour drive to a recruiter whom has handled cases like this before. Excellent suggestion. I've got duty this Friday, and I suspect that when I'm standing watch for four hours I'll be doing just that.

About two weeks ago I went in to get my eyes dilated as part of my flight physical preliminaries. The optometrist was happy to report that my eyes were perfectly healthy and working as they should for someone my age. I forwarded the results to the HS1 (health services 1st class) who was working my file for the flight physical hoping she would contact me right away with instructions on how to proceed. I waited a week before contacting her asking what was up. She said that they are waiting for the flight surgeon up in Port Angeles to contact them with approval for my visit. It's only been two weeks and already I'm super impatient. As soon as I get the pass on my flight physical I can proceed with contacting an Army recruiter and get this process rolling in earnest. It'll be nice having my flight physical already out of the way.

Recently returned from some leave I took to see my girl friend, my friends, and my family during the holiday routine - or what other might call Christmas break. I got back to my unit on the 5th and I immediately checked my email, anxious to see if I had received any word regarding the conditional release.

NOTHING! ARRRRRGHHH!

I shot off an email to my YN2 briefly asking if she had any news regarding the release.

The following day came her response;

SN Bartlett, Unfortunately the Coast Guard will not give you a Conditional release form. You are allowed to talk too any recruiter, but will not be able to do any paperwork with them, so I am pretty sure they will not even want to talk too you until you are released from active duty from the Coast Guard. So until you are accepted to the Army Warrant Officer Commission Program, you are still a member of the Coast Guard and will not be able to do any paperwork with any other service until you get that DD214 paperwork from the Coast Guard stating that you have been released from active duty. R/ YN2 [name ommited]

Wait.. That can't be right? I was numbed for a moment. I needed to report to watch, this would have to wait until later.

During my morning watch which is extremely busy I somehow managed to find a conditional release form DD-0368 online and print it out. The hard part wasn't finding it (thank you google) it was just difficult between all the incoming calls I had to redirect and the pipes I had to make while on watch. Fortunately, my Command Master Chief (CMC) called the quarterdeck to request a pipe. Before he hung up I asked if he would give me a moment of his time after my watch to see me regarding the conditional release. Something didn't feel right about my YN2's response and it was about time I brought my intentions to the command. The CMC's job is acting as a direct line of communication between a unit's enlisted work force, and the top of the immediate command - in my case that is my Executive Officer (XO) and the Commanding Officer (CO). You can approach the CMC about anything you feel your immediate supervisor can't handle, is above their level of responsibility or for any reason you feel is valid. If it's something that needs command approval CMC's are supposed to maintain a neutral position regardless of the situation. Which I felt important because I didn't know how my 1st Lieutenant (Bosun) would react if I told him I was trying to apply for the Army. Master Chief set up a time with me shortly after my watch would conclude so we could talk about the matter privately.

I printed out the page I had found in the Coast Guard Personnel Manual so I could fight for my cause if need be. I got that, and the conditional release from the printer before heading down to put on my good boots and a nice uniform. Not taking any chances I brushed my hair since it was longer than I usually let it get. I had not gone to the barber on base to have it cut before I left for my leave so it was a mess from my hard helmet

I arrived and my Bosun was in the room with the CMC. He made a hasty exit when I arrived,

"Good morning Bosun."

"He's all yours" he said slapping me on the shoulder as he walked out.

Master Chief invited me in and asked me to take a seat and explain.

"Well Master Chief, my ultimate goal is to fly, and I joined the Coast Guard for that reason. But, now that I'm in the service I have a much better situational awareness regarding my career. . . The age cut-off is 26 in the Coast Guard to fly. I need to make E5 and have at least an Associates degree which I'm working on right now in order to even be eligible for OCS. I'm 23 years old so that's only 3 years away for me. At the rate my A-school list is moving - " He stopped me and asked what A school list I was on, he nodded his head in understanding when I answered. I continued; 

". . . combined with the pre-requisits, the next two years it will take before I even make grade, and THEN the two years in grade I need to even be eligible to advance - I just can't make the cut-off. It's impossible. The Warrant Officer Flight Training program offered by the Army has an age cut-off of 32. That's a lot more breathing room for me, that's why I need a conditional release."

I went on to explain what a conditional release is, showing him the form. Then giving him the paper from the Personnel Manual I showed him that I can be discharged if I am accepted into a program that will lead to an appointment or commission in any other branch of the armed services.

He patiently listened as filled him in with all the details and what I new about the process. I was elated when he said,

"Well, you've certainly done your homework. I'm glad it's not something bad about the Coast Guard that's causing you to request a conditional release, this is definitely about pursuing professional growth. You have my approval. I can support this. You're argument for the release is valid. . . Yeah. You can get this routed up the immediate chain of command and when it gets to me I'll approve it. I'll go rattle some cages with it and see if we can't get you what you need."

I asked how it might affect my chances to obtain additional training and he said that I wouldn't lose any of my entitlements like government leased housing or money for school, but that I would probably have a hard time convincing my command to let me attend any kind of special training. For example in a few months we are bringing brand new cranes on-line and that will require training at a special school in order to operate them, I was really looking forward to getting crane qualified. Probably wont happen if I start this process. He also threw a curve ball at me that I wasn't expecting but makes perfect sense. He said that while I would still advance on the A-school list, if I start this process for conditional release, I will probably be put on an administrative hold which would essentially keep me from receiving orders to my A-school until this process is resolved by either my acceptance into the program, or denial. The Coast Guard isn't going to spend money on my training if I could potentially be leaving in short order. Something that I should have considered. Though he didn't point it out, I got the vibe that if I was denied from WOFT that I would probably have a much harder time securing another conditional release since the Coast Guard will have then put me through A-school, not to mention any kind of special training I may receive prior to me re-applying for WOFT in the future. It was food for thought. Master Chief did express that he thought it was a good thing I was looking for this release before the Coast Guard had invested to much in me. I shared the sentiment. He suggested that I take my flight physical in order to see if I even qualify medically. If I don't, it would be a shame for me to start the process before I know and get put on hold for any opportunities that would other wise be mine. Good suggestion. Luckily I had already scheduled a my preliminaries for the flight physical two weeks prior. He was impressed when I shared that with him.

Bosun later called me up to his stateroom to talk to me about it. Turns out Master Chief talked to him about my decision and Bosun, though disappointed he would be losing one of his own if this worked out, was happy to hear I was taking steps toward a higher goal. He asked me about it and I briefly explained everything I had explained to Master Chief. He said I had his support which made me feel so much relief - it had been one reason I hadn't approached my command sooner.

Armed with the backing of my two highest immediate supervisors I felt that despite what my YN2 said, I could still make this work. I felt like perhaps she was a little confused as to what a conditional release is. And she's always super busy with other things that it very possible that she didn't have enough time to dedicate to thoroughly researching the conditional release. Which is but a reminder that I can't rely on anyone else to give me the information I need, only myself.

Well, I was looking into interservice transfers. I wasn't having any luck finding anything that was available for enlisted personnel. All documentation regarding interservice transfers seems to be geared toward officers, not enlisted. Which was lending itself to what I had read earlier on the USAREC website about WOFT only being available to civilians. . . Which implicated that I would have to wait until I had separated from the Coast Guard before I could apply and get accepted. But that just didn't make sense to me! However, after nearly an hour of dedicated searching I finally found one thing in the Coast Guard Personnel Manual that will be of assistance to me, in fact, it will be my ticket. In section 12.B.12. "Convenience of the Government" under subsection (a) "Reasons for Discharge" number 2 states: "Acceptance of a commission or appointment or acceptance into a program leading to a commission or appointment in any Armed Forces branch, for active duty only." I will be applying for, and if all goes well, receiving an "appointment" as a WO1 (AD) in the Army after completing the WOFT "program."

YES! That also implies that there are no command related issues that should arise if I am taking steps in earnest to put the packet together. Little bit of a scare there and I'll be talking to a recruiter about what I saw on the USAREC page. What I found above is a complete relief and I feel that I can apply sooner rather than later - as I originally thought!

Good step in the right direction today. I realize there are going to be weeks where there seems to be no movement on this in the future, perhaps even months. But right now I've been spending a lot of time looking into all this and hitting it from all the different angles.

Sent my Yeoman an email today with my find. Hopefully it will better direct her search for me. I'm thankful for their expertise regarding the myriad of forms and things of the like that must be navigated before something like this can be pulled off. My head feels like it's spinning when I see all the different forms involved so covers off to them.

Did a lot of research on watch a few night back when I was on duty. I probably should have been scanning the cameras we have set up in our various main spaces for signs of trouble... For us trouble is fire. Fire on a ship is death. That or watching the brow to actually identify the people who come aboard. But in all honesty our ship is a mess, it's moored up at a shipyard being repaired, there are no weapons on it and I'm making it sound like my job as a non-rate in the Coast Guard is actually more important than it is. I mean. It IS important. Sometimes. But not at 3 in the morning on a Thursday night when all the shipyard workers have knocked off their hot-work and gone home to their families... or booze.

What's good about mid-watch is it gives me lots of time to think. Or in this case, research. I did a lot of delving that night. Came across a lot of stuff like; "Ensure all applicants are processed in accordance with AR 601-210," "AR 135-100," "AR 351-5," or "and this regulation." I mean, I came across a lot of cross reference material. And I spent nearly four hours doing just that. Cross referencing. I had the security watch stander coming up to bring me printouts every 30 minutes, at least that's how it felt. You see, I would have retrieved them from the printer myself but I can't leave my post! He was a good sport and it was keeping me awake. Him too for that matter. 

I made a lot of sense out of a huge portion of stuff that looked like technical mumbo-jumbo at a glance. It took a huge chunk of time, err, made the time fly by! Felt pretty good. Had all my printouts read through and through. Highlighted for key points... Just felt pretty good about the whole damn mess of papers I had made sense of. It was late and I think I went straight to bed.

The next day on my own time, I saw something that threw me for a loop. But at the same time, fit with things I had seen earlier. I kept seeing the acronym, "PS" meaning "Prior-Service." Hey! That's me! Okay, I saw that acronym several times. What it meant was that whatever it was attached too would be applying to me. Well on a USAREC HQ (United States Army Recruiting Head Quarters.. I think) page pulled up by google when I was trying to figure out just how many times I can apply for WOFT before I can't apply anymore I stumbled across some red lettering that said, "WOFT is for civilian applicants only!"

Wait?! WHAT!

There's no way. I mean, the Army pulls Warrant Officers up from its own ranks ALL the time. But that's the thing. They're in the same branch. How does it work when you're coming over from another branch? I know that I need whats called a "conditional release" so I can simply even speak to a recruiter from another branch. Otherwise they won't talk to me when they find out I'm in another branch already. It's considered stepping on toes. So I've contacted my Yeomen in regards to that and she said she was going to research it for me before she sends any paperwork my way. Should be next week some time, though next week is holiday routine, yay for Christmas stand down! So I don't know how she's going to relay the information to me. Perhaps it will end up happening after the new year. That's fine. Time is on my side right now and I don't need to rush into anything.

Once I get this conditional release, I can go talk to an Army recruiter and see what has to happen for my WOFT packet since I'm in a different branch of the Armed Services. Based of what I saw on the USAREC HQ web page, I'm going to be out of luck for at least the next four years. If that's the case, it will be a lot of time to build a good resume/packet for WOFT. All about attitude, patience and persistence. It doesn't matter how slow you go, as long as you don't stop!

In the mean time, I scheduled a first class flight physical with a Coast Guard flight physician. This will tell me if I even qualify medically to fly as a Warrant Officer in the Army. I don't know if I'll be able to forward the results to the Aeromedical center for the US Army without some direction from an Army recruiter... But that's of no concern right now. As it stands, I'm medically qualified to be air-crew (non-pilot), that was my 3rd class flight physical I took in order to put myself on the AMT A-school list. The first class its a bit of a step up from the third class and it determines if you are healthy enough to fly the aircraft as a military pilot. They may tell me, 'No, you need to correct your vision!' in which case my glasses obviously wouldn't be enough and I could apply for PRK surgery (for free baby!) and correct the vision issue. Or whatever it may be. Taking the physical now, will give me plenty of time to correct any issues that may be brought to light before I try and get a flight physical approved through Fort Rucker. Preparation is key to anything in aviation, even when you're not actually flying.