Navy special ops corpsmen and navy shenanigans...

[Chuckman]

I was at Ft. Bragg for work on Wednesday, at the Special Warfare Medical Group, and hanging with my Navy homies. I was waiting for one guy to get off the phone, and when he did he told me this story, the call he was on. Bear in mind the military recruitment and retention issue, and how hard it is to recruit into anything special operations.

There was a CS (Culinary Specialist, a mess crank) in the Navy reserve, who wanted to crossdeck to HM (corpsman) to go Special Operations Independent Duty Corpsman (recon and MARSOC). His PT scores: 1.5 mile run, 6 minutes, his 500m swim, 6 minutes, 80 push-ups/2 min, 90 sit-ups/2 min, 18 dead-hand pull-ups. Neither the reserve nor his detailer wanted to release him to crossrate into HM. Typical Navy. You have a guy extraordinarily qualified and motivated, and you tell him, "nah, man, you're good, and you're going to stay a CS...." This kid reaches the Navy contingent at the school house, so the Senior Chief I was hanging out with called and chewed some ass, got the kid released from the reserve, active duty orders, and a spot at corps school.

It is crap like this I do not miss about the military.

 

[Cape Fear]

"Liked" for the positive outcome. At least this leg of it, the rest is on the kid. Best wishes to him!

 

[smm72]

Liked working there

 

[Climberman]

Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

 

[Chuckman]

Liked working there

I have had a great time working with them.

 

[Crazy Carl]

I worked at SWCS for a while, riding herd on language school students. Loved working there.

 

[Catfish]

Maybe if he was a bad cook he wouldn't have to deal with crap like this.

 

[Chuckman]

Maybe if he was a bad cook he wouldn't have to deal with crap like this.

When old guys like me get out and reminisce about the good ol' days in the Navy and military, we're really looking at such a small percentage of times and people accented by overstating the emotions of the experience, we sometimes forget the 95% of the time we bitch about its bloated, bureaucratic, organizationally-cumbersome mass effect that at the end of the day it steals joy and sucks life. I hate, always hated, seeing good sailors get the navy's middle finger when they want to do better simply because the navy likes to say 'no.'

 

[Catfish]

the 95% of the time we bitch about its bloated, bureaucratic, organizationally-cumbersome mass effect that at the end of the day it steals joy and sucks life.

this must be a universal property of bureaucracy.

 

[GoWolfpack]

When old guys like me get out and reminisce about the good ol' days in the Navy and military, we're really looking at such a small percentage of times and people accented by overstating the emotions of the experience, we sometimes forget the 95% of the time we bitch about its bloated, bureaucratic, organizationally-cumbersome mass effect that at the end of the day it steals joy and sucks life. I hate, always hated, seeing good sailors get the navy's middle finger when they want to do better simply because the navy likes to say 'no.'

The only thing the navy cares about is getting a 98.6 with the right qualifications to fill a billet. I don't really believe they like to say no, they just don't want to give up a person who is doing a job.

His PT scores: 1.5 mile run, 6 minutes, his 500m swim, 6 minutes, 80 push-ups/2 min, 90 sit-ups/2 min, 18 dead-hand pull-ups.

That man's a beast.

 

[Ferrisfan]

this must be a universal property of bureaucracy.

This was my thought. It sounds similar to being a state employee.

 

[Ferrisfan]

The only thing the navy cares about is getting a 98.6 with the right qualifications to fill a billet. I don't really believe they like to say no, they just don't want to give up a person who is doing a job.




That man's a beast.

Not a military guy, so sorry for my ignorance. I assume that is a 6 min/mile pace (ie 9 min), not 6 minutes total? Because 6 min total is Olympic level speed.

 

[Chuckman]

Not a military guy, so sorry for my ignorance. I assume that is a 6 min/mile pace (ie 9 min), not 6 minutes total? Because 6 min total is Olympic level speed.

A 1.5 mile run in 6 minutes ain't unheard of in the screening tests. Unusual, yes, but they happen. In comparison, mine was around 8:20+/-.

That fella was hauling, which is why he is such a get for that community.

 

[GoWolfpack]

Not a military guy, so sorry for my ignorance. I assume that is a 6 min/mile pace (ie 9 min), not 6 minutes total? Because 6 min total is Olympic level speed.

6 minutes total is a 4 minute mile. Last year a college runner from Oregon set a new NCAA record at 3:50.

I agree that it's unlikely some random mess crank is a nearly Division 1 college athlete level runner. Your suggestion seems much more likely.

However even averaging a 6 minute mile is far in excess of what most average schlubs off the street can do. At my very best about 7 years ago I could run a 7:30 average and I was pretty fast.

 

[Chuckman]

The only thing the navy cares about is getting a 98.6 with the right qualifications to fill a billet. I don't really believe they like to say no, they just don't want to give up a person who is doing a job.




That man's a beast.

Yes (and yes).

I have asked for the backstory, find out why this guy went CS to begin with if he wanted to do something like this instead.

Absolutely right, the Navy is loathe to allow people to cross deck unless it's into ratings that are woeefully undermanned, and this just happens to be one of them which makes it more the spectacular. The detailers like to keep bodies in their spots because they don't have to do as much work.

 

[GoWolfpack]

Absolutely right, the Navy is loathe to allow people to cross deck unless it's into ratings that are woeefully undermanned, and this just happens to be one of them which makes it more the spectacular. The detailers like to keep bodies in their spots because they don't have to do as much work.

One of my coworkers was a Nuclear ET on a submarine. Time for re-enlistment came and they offered a $90K bonus to keep him in. He told them keep their money and transfer him to a carrier. Answer: no, take the money or get out. I don't feel much sympathy for big Navy.

 

[Dale Gribble]

Not a military guy, so sorry for my ignorance. I assume that is a 6 min/mile pace (ie 9 min), not 6 minutes total? Because 6 min total is Olympic level speed.

Thing to remember, though, is there are folks out there, who choose to not pursue a spot in any competitive sports, even though they’d likely be near/at the top.

 

[Ferrisfan]

Thing to remember, though, is there are folks out there, who choose to not pursue a spot in any competitive sports, even though they’d likely be near/at the top.

Oh I have nothing but respect for the kind of shape that some people get in! But that is the kind of speed that the academy would want for their track team 🤣

 

[Car0linab0y]

It's not just the navy...

My 1st duty station in the AF I worked on IBM equipment. Then I got voluntold to be an instructor. After 3 1/2 years of instructor duty, master instructor, course development and technical writing schools and experience...

The AF was setting up a new school on IBM gear... the same stuff I used to work on. I called the unit and the course supervisor was a guy who I used to work with so he knew I was good to go on the gear.

I volunteered for the job. His unit did a by-name request for me, citing my experience both on the gear and with writing new courses.

I got turned down; I had 6 months left on a 4-year tour as instructor at one base. If they gave me the job in Colorado they would have to move someone else to Mississippi to finish my 6 months out. 2 moves cost more than 1 move so they assigned a guy with no IBM experience and no instructor experience to the slot...

Yup... bureaucracy at its finest.