Worst day of my life.
 

Well, as many of you know I was in the NROTC here in Texas.

I have wanted to be a pilot since I was 3 years old. My father was an F-18 pilot, and the second I was put into the seat of that fighter it was THE ONLY thing for me. While kids were dreaming of being an astronaught I was learning flight controls. While other kids were idolizing athletes I was memorizing aircraft names and roles (living on an airbase I learned to tell the type of plane just from the sound of the engines).

I say I was in the NROTC, because I've just been kicked out due to medical reasons. I have 2 semesters left to graduate, 3 years of busting my ass in the program to end suddenly. Grades were in the C range, but I was one of the best leaders in the Unit, leading my Platoon to sweeping all but one event on the Captains Cup (for those non-military, Captains Cup is a competition which tests platoons from everything between Drilling, to Inspection, to physical endurance tests, to written knowledge tests).

About a year and a half ago I injured my back doing squats, and herniated a disk. It was so bad I couldnt walk because of the pain (the cartilage was pressing my nerves against the bone), I had surgery on it and now it hasnt given me any trouble for almost a year now. Six months before that I tore my hamstring when running with the Platoon, and just 4 months ago I blew out my knee (no surgery required though). Well they're cutting back the Navy and because of my back and string of injuries, I was on the list.

So suddenly, a year to graduate, I'm finding myself in a race to find a future in which everyone else has already crossed the finish line. I've never faced anything so uncertain, never felt the sting of defeat so strongly, and while surrounded by friends never have felt so alone. I'm staring into the void of a dream and a future that no longer exists. As I'm typing this I'm taking off the uniform I'll never wear again, and I'm going to stop typing this because I desperately need to get out of this house.

I know things are dark right now, but you will get past this. You obviously have a lot of self-confidence and courage to achieve what you already have. There is a future for someone with your abilities. And you will find it.

Wow, that really stinks for you, and I'm so sorry to hear it.

There's no appeals process that you can go thru?

It would be nice if you could find a career that would allow you to apply all that you have learned and keep your passion alive. Does the Navy have any kind of outplacement service?

Good luck to you... May your days get better very soon.

Im sorry to hear dude.. I hope you find something that makes you happy, and that you can do with as much passion as you've shown for the Navy. Hopefully you've made good contacts and can get some help with finding a new direction from your friends and colleuges.

That really sucks man.. After school I am going to join the military to fly, and if I lost my medical I'd be devastated. I don't really know what to say. Hopefully you find something you love just as well as flying.

Boy that sucks. I'm sorry to hear that.

Don't forget, you can still fly. You can still fly for a living, though you won't be carrying sidewinder missiles on your wings. You can still lead. You can still think, fight, organize and delegate. You still have a future. And like most everybody I know, yours is not the future you predicted.

Stay tough.

That seriously sucks man. I don't know what else to say. That sucks.

Be a fighter. If you're going down, kick, scream and don't give up. The society (and the military!) loves fighters. You might end up not getting what you want, but then you'll be sure you did everything you could, and this will take the weight of your mind. Or you might win!

It could be there's something different & wonderful out there for you to do & now there is nothing to hold you back. All the best in your new ventures.
Don't worry, things will work out fine.

Yeah that's a good idea. I would give it all you've got, and in the end if you don't win, at least you can tell yourself there was no possible way to achieve it.

Well, presuposing your profile is correct, you're about 22, and you have a positive discharge from the military. The bright side of things is that you really have an advantage in the job market. Sorry to hear the news man, but you shouldnt have too much trouble finding something that may suit you even better.

Well hardcharger, keep your shoulders back and your chin up.

Well I made it through tonight. All my friends threw a BBQ to help cheer me up, and tried to get me to drink.

Glad I didn't to be honest. Part of me knew I'd either get in a fight, go to the hospital, or both if I did start to drink.

Thanks for all the positive responses, just for the first time in my life I have no idea what the hell I'm going to do, and quite frankly it sucks.

A former girlfriend told me once said that it's a downfall to expect life to be fair. Cause it's not, and you gotta take what you get. Even if it sucks.

It worked. I started to look at what I had, rather than what I didn't and it turns out I've got a lot. At least I can type well, and something... right?

Good news is that you can start on a new life project. May I suggest something that involves meeting girls? I mean seriously.. there are other things in life.

They can honestly just chuck you out due to a few injuries? As Mal said, is there no appeals process?

Do you want to fly or do you want to stay in the military? Because if the latter, surely you could seek administrative duties or something. If the latter, then you should be able to find work in the civilian world.

I can't understand why they won't just let you graduate. Another year isn't going to kill them.


Mr Mephisto

Yeah they can kick me out. Admiral Clark has put through changes that he wanted the bottom 20% out of the service. I was no where near that, but because of my injuries, stacked with my uninspiring gpa I got the boot.

I want to fly. I'm going to go see about the Army, either go OCS officer corps or enlist with them to become a warrant officer (warrant officers do most of the flying in the Army anyways). I know myself and admin duties would just leave me pissed off.

Anyways, I'm going to finish school before I decide on anything.

Actually I've never had a problem with getting girls. I'm a great dancer, and the women always loved my passion for flying, unlike most guys and things like guitars they knew it was legit.

Unfortunately the military can and will do almost anything it wants. The appeals process is terribly skewed and hard to reverse any decisions once they are made. The Navy especially is PICKY about grades.. my younger bro wasnt accepted to NROTC because his GPA wasnt where they felt he should be though he blew everyone out of the water on the ASVAB. So his grades and multiple "injuries" were definately stacked against him :(

I was going to suggest switching branches but I thought if you got medical discharge they wouldnt accept you in any branch. Especially because you have multiple(though not extreme) injuries. If you can switch branches that would be great. It may not be exactly what you want but it could allow you to be a military pilot, or at least allow you to be in the military.

Are they still going to pay for your education through GI bill since you technically didnt get a dishonerable or OTH discharge? If not.. definately fight for that, even though your GPA is less than stellar, they shouldnt take it away from you when it was their decision to give you the boot.

Im glad that you're chinning up and know that you wanna finish school :)

That's the truest thing I've read all week.

The only certainty in life is, it's not certain. Where you think you're headed is rarely where you end up. The measure of your power in life is this one thing: how well you roll with the unpredictable.

Sorry to hear about your unfortunate news - feeling like you are lost after you had so much direction is not fun...

You've got one really great asset - a demonstrated abilty to kick ass at things you are passionate about. This leads me to believe that even though you aren't 100% sure of your direction in life, you've certainly got the tools to get somewhere good.

Dreams are necessary to life and you have been actively pursuing yours for your entire life. You should be very proud of how far you have come; your tenacity and spirit will serve you well in your future life. Experience teaches us that life has it's disappointments, and while you are devastated right now, you must allow yourself to overcome this event. Your will and determination to succeed will only grow stronger. I wish you much success.

Have you tried to talk to Admiral Clark? Scheadule a meeting with him let him know that this is your passion. Perhaps he can let you go another semester or 2 on a probationary status where you can raise your grades and show what your made of.

What Schwan said: You may not feel like reading, but if you get the chance, read "Captain Hook" by Winn Foster. He's a local resident. It describes his struggle to stay in the Navy after having his hand shot off while flying back to his carrier during Vietnam.

It's hard to believe they're kicking out anyone who wants to be in, considering that they're activating some of the IRR and retirees.

Good thinking to stay in school. That will also give you time to explore your options.

If it helps, try to envision how someone you admire would handle this setback.

Good luck, and I hope this wasn't sappy.

Well Admiral Clark is downsizing the Navy personell, while increasing the number of ships. The Navy only has about 1/3 of it's people at sea at the moment, with something like 90+% of the ships away. He determined to cut costs the easiest thing to do is cut personel. Besides, during the Vietnam war pilots were constantly being lost (not too many currently), and he already had been in for a number of years and went through flight school (couple million per pilot). I dont have those, they only have about $20k invested in me at the moment, and that's about the cost of a really cheap missile (negligable).