U.S. Navy

WH1_T-Type

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2009
So as some of you know I'm in the USN. I'm an ET1 (E6/Petty Officer First Class) on submarines. I've been in 11 years. I've got a wife and two kids and I've been in the military my entire life. My dad did a 31 year career in the USAF and after I moved out I joined the Navy at 20...I'm 31 now.

Why is this important?

In 2009 I was diagnosed with asthma while on shore duty in Norfolk VA. I was told at that time that it was NOT an issue with me being on submarines.

In June I transferred to Bangor WA to complete a year long training period (I'm in a technical job) and in October I received orders to report to the USS Ohio (blue crew) in March 2013. Part of the requirement to transfer to the submarine was to finish what is called a submarine physical...which is a standard physical plus a complete medical review to make sure it was safe to send you onto a sub that has zero access to a doctor.

End result of mine was that I was disqualified to be on submarines due to the asthma. :(

Being on subs pays me an extra $400 a month (due to rank and years I've been in). So that is gone. The surface fleet is ACTIVELY kicking people OUT of the Navy due to trying to fit the slimmer and slimmer budget we have been getting from Congress. So now I have to deal with that.

I'm hoping to be able to cross rate to a job called Navy Career Counselor because they are critically manned (they don't have enough people) so there is a LOT less of a chance that I would get booted due to overmanning from that rate.

However, they might not even take me due to the disqual in the first place.

So basically I might be screwed. Crap.
 
Oh yeah...in case I didn't make it clear. There is a VERY good chance that I can get let go and sent home. I've planned on doing a career this whole time. Crap.
 
Well think of this in a different light Matt. You've got a great op to do something else. If I'd been able to spend more time in I'd be "retired" now but someone upstairs has decided otherwise. It's not a loss but this give you a better chance to spend more time with the wife and kids.;)
 
that sucks that the military was your career plan but realize in life things change and often they are beyond your control and there isnt much you can do but make a plan !!!! i went to technical high school for machining and i was on apprenticeship and have all kinds of experience running all kinds of machines and using diffrent measuring tools.

now you ask what the hell does this got to do with me ? well i got laid off 5 diffrent times from 5 diffrent places and been lied to by some many diffrent places about so many diffrent things that i got fed up with all of it!!!! i now took a diffrent path than machining and im much happier than being trapped in a loud shop being bitched at and lied to. so look at this as a new opportunity to do something diffrent. we can all focus on the negative if we wanted to but that wont help.

im not trying to bring you down i'm trying to inspire you a little bit
 
take the skillset you developed in the military and get a job that pays 10X as much in the private sector.
 
Hope you get to cross rate to a job you like. No matter if you stay in or get out. I give everyone this advice. Make sure you have any and all medical issues documented. And make sure you follow up multiple times. When you get our and file for disability, they will look to see that you had the issue addressed and you went back and followed up on it. If you have asthma, I suggest you try to get a sleep study done. Many people have sleep apnea and don't get diagnosed cause a sleep study is pretty expensive on the outside. Does not matter if you get out now or retire. Start documenting your issues. Just my 2 cents.
 
I sure hope you can something to cross into!! I can't imagine the surface force kicking out ET's!! IMHO you should do whatever is needed to finish out your career!! The loss of post retirement medical benefits would be a huge loss, along with your post retirement pension, two things that have allowed my wife and I to survive comfortably in this insane economy! Sure, you'll still have to work after retirement, but you wont have to worry about paying a huge chunck of your regular job pay to pay for civilian medical benefits! I couldn't believe the rediculous money that was being withheld from co-workers paychecks to pay for their medical coverage!!!!
Post retirement medical benifits alone is worth fighting to say in!!! Then stack your retirement pension on top of a regular job paycheck, well, you see what I mean.

Dont' give up!!! Do your research, find out how surface ET's are doing. Or any other crytical surface rate that would be easy to cross into.

Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Keep your chin up! there is alot of need for ETs in the civilian world if you get into the right area. but it has to be defense industry to really beable to recoup benifits and time in service. I was a former sailor myself, AT2 in whidbey island WA, got out after they took my dungarees away. Now im here in New Mexico with the desert navy working with the SM6 for the Port Hueneme Division. get to wear civilian clothes all the time, go home, no duty and yet i still get to feel like the sailor I am! and wear my dress uniform on special occasions. Its not soo bad being a civilian puke.... kinda.

wish you the best of luck, always here if you need anything.
 
By ET are you meaning electronic technician? If so lots of oil field services companies employ a bunch of them. Hit some websites you'll be employed in no time.

Good luck
 
can you crosstrain to a different career field/another sister service? I know of people i work with (air force) that have asthma and they just go through a MEB and a returned to duty.
 
You will get a lot of advice here and from everyone in your life. If you get to stay in, you will retire around 40ish. Eventually you will be a civilian again and still young. So ask your self the same question your parents/grand parents/teachers asked you when you were a kid. "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Your experience in the Navy will be very valuable. Your Security clearance if very valuable. If you love being an ET, fight for it. Also keep an eye out for civilian jobs you are interested in. I won't go in to government contracting jobs in this thread but if you have any questions in the future, drop me a line. Don't know the how the Sub ETs work now a days. Lots of rates were merged in past 15yrs.
 
Well, not to get too political but that was one of the things obama said during his recent campaigning. He said he wanted to shrink the navy, something about not using bayonets anymore. lol. The military has been shrinking for a while now, i guess the people up top think that the threat is over since we got bin laden. I did 3 years in the navy, i was a bm3 on board the uss missouri (88-91). Even back then, i was supposed to do 3 years active reserve. They got rid of me after about a year due to budget cuts. This was back in 1992. See if you can get into another rate. My opinion is get into something law enforcement related or the medical field. I have a feeling that those two fields will be very much needed now and into the future. I am in the law enforcement field now and just today took a course regarding terrorism(both home grown and international). Its very well here and whatever happens in the middle east will find its way here one way or another. Fact is that there are silent cells here just waiting for the right time. Just my .02 cents.
 
Matt, hope everything goes well for you. If you end up leaving the enlisted service, keep your head up. Recently, we were looking for former enlisted folks to filll some support positions (through the Wounded Warrior program and other programs). While it's tough in the job market now, having a good military background is absolutely a good thing.

Also, to emphasize what Ryan said above, your clearance is *very* valuable as is all your experience. If things don't go as-planned you can always become a Navy civilian or go into the contractor world and make great money.

Good luck, BZ.
 
Good luck matt, in my dealings with you i can tell you are an above average person if you cant manage to hold on in the navy maybe it means there are bigger and better things waiting for you!!!
 
Sorry to hear it brother. First thank you for your service. I cannot understand how our government treats our military and veterans. Best of luck to you.

Peter
 
It's no wonder Homeland Security thinks our returning veterans are apt to become terrorists. Look at the way they're treated. Just look at the top of the chain of command at how many generals are turning liberal just to maintain their positions. Don't they realize they hold the ultimate power. Obama can't be King without their help.
 
If you don't cross to NC, can you stick with ET-Surface? Surely there is a similar NEC or even 0000 lateral from sub to surf? Good luck brother.
 
I know how you feel. My wife was released from the Marines after her foot surgery and I was released from the Army for poor eyesight.

But I work for the University of Florida (UF) and right now in this country ET's are the hottest ticket out there with 75% being hired before the summer is over after graduation at $55K-65K/yr.
Many graduate in May and are hired by UF in June.

Remember this if you get out of the navy and get a job at a university most let you can attend there for free. With your DD-214 you will get preferential hiring status and UF has many IT jobs on their job posting board right now.

I'm sorry you will not get to further your military career but you are still in the drivers seat for your life and you are young enough to build a great career.

Mikey
 
I feel for you not being able to possibly keep your military career, keep your head up and remember that you can spend more time with your family and still be able to do something you like in military or government. Wish you luck, and hope that everything works out for you.
 
I don't know if this will make you feel any better but it might.


In 2005 I got out on the Navy as a EN1 with 9 years in and now I make $100k a year. I also work with several other former Navy guys. Most of the other guys are nuke electricians. Granted in 2005 the economy was better but trust me on this, the civilian world loves former Navy with technical backgrounds.

The NC world isn't that great either. I did three years recruiting in Terre Haute, Indiana. My last year in was the Recruiter of the year and I still worked 12+ hours a day. It sucked balls. As a NC you will have to go on recruiting duty at some point especially if you want to make chief as a NC.

If they do force you out make sure you work with the headhunters at TAPS class. As a ET you could go work for Raytheon. That's good money!!!!

Keep your head up and remember you don't shift colors in the civilian world. I don't regret getting out but I do miss the friends I made.
 
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