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BAR[_2_]

wrote:
On Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:39:48 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote:

Needs of the Army, needs of the Navy.
Same thing. Just as I passed the E-5 exam the Navy bumped subsequent
service needed to attain that rank to 12 months, so since I had only 9
months left I would need to do a 3 month extension to make E-5.
I left 9 months later as an E-4.

In "critical rates" like FT the Coasties had a 6 month time in grade
deal if your CO goes along. It was possible to be a Chief in 4 years
but you had to ship over to get the E7.
I had a few article 15 problems that had me holding the E5 card when I
was making the stay/go decision. I chose IBM and did the reserves for
a while. It was OK for a while but when they discovered an FT was
hanging out with the deck apes ORTAUG unit they moved me to an ORTEL
and I bailed the first chance I got. Imagine sitting in a warehouse
for 2 days a month with absolutely nothing to do. The ORTAUG had a 40
footer and two 22 footers they took out both days each month. I liked
that and would have retired in the CGR if they had just let me stay
there.
I was dual rated gunner's mate. I took all the correspondence courses
up to E6. (you can get bored on a WAVP bouncing around the north
atlantic for 5 weeks at a time). FTs are cannon cockers in the CG
anyway.

A guy I worked with was a plank owner on and a aegis curiser and a
destroyer before he had 7 years in and was an FT1. At 9 years they were
going to bump him to Chief but, his freaking nut job of a wife wanted
him to get out. They had no kids. I told him he should have divorced the
wife instead of the Navy. He could have been The Navy Chief if he had
stayed in, he was that good.