Food For Freedom returns

[Wirebiter]

For those of you out of the Navy now, they have reinstituted body-fat/height wieght standards, well, enforced them is a better way to put it.  The current instruction went into effect last July (2005).  The first nukes to have 3 failures under this new instruction will be this fall.  Now a commanding officer can allow any person within a "critical" rate to stay in the Navy after three failures.  Its his/her option.  I have a few petty officers who are looking down the barrel of their third body-fat failure, and are worried if their possible early discharge due to this new instruction may adversly affect their future employment opportunities.  I believe the will recieve an administrative discharge if the commanding officer doesn't keep them. 

I thought I would ask around here to see if anyone has some info I could pass on to these potential early outs.  My guys aren't slobs and do their jobs within standards, sometimes better.  They are just up against a new sailor image that they cannot conform too.

Thanks for your help.

[Roll Tide]

I was discharged similarly. There will be no impact whatsoever on their commercial careers. Just don't mention it over the phone (the interviewers will then expect someone that was unable to fit through a submarine hatch!)

Their service is appreciated, though they deserve more respect than the Navy is giving them. The severance pay should outweigh the forfeited SRB.

[Wirebiter]

I was discharged similarly. There will be no impact whatsoever on their commercial careers. Just don't mention it over the phone (the interviewers will then expect someone that was unable to fit through a submarine hatch!)

Their service is appreciated, though they deserve more respect than the Navy is giving them. The severance pay should outweigh the forfeited SRB.

Thanks for the input.  I need to re-read that instruction, but I think they took the severance pay away from anyone discharged in this fashion.  I'll double check.

[Roll Tide]

I haven't looked at the instruction in years, but I can tell you they did their best to deny it in 1995. It might even take a letter or two from a Congressman / Senator to get them to read it correctly.

[flamatrix99]

I was discharged similarly. There will be no impact whatsoever on their commercial careers. Just don't mention it over the phone (the interviewers will then expect someone that was unable to fit through a submarine hatch!)

Their service is appreciated, though they deserve more respect than the Navy is giving them. The severance pay should outweigh the forfeited SRB.

I got out he same way also. I received an honorable discharge and severance pay. Like Roll Tide said the severance pay was more then the SRB I had to repay. 

I worked for 6 years in a non nuclear job, presently I am an NLO and I just accepted an instant SRO position. Body fat had NOTHING to do with any employment opportunities.  There are several folks here in the same situation.  We even have operators here that failed out of Navy Nuc Power School.

[Wirebiter]

Thanks for the info.  I'll pass it on to my guys that no being able to meet the Navy's mold is not the be-all-end-all.  Happy Thanksgiving!

[Fermi2]

Again so long as you kept your nose reasonably clean and didn't commit a felony the real reactor world doesn't care under what circumstances under which a person left kindergarten.

Mike

[JsonD13]

I've looked at the new instruction and I wouldn't personally worry about it.  NAVSEA 08 has the final cut on whether any nuke gets out due to this, and I am pretty sure that they are going to say no to getting out.  Otherwise, how many people do you think would get fat just to get out?  I know alot of my division would.

[JustinHEMI05]

You're right. At least up here at the NY prototypes, very few are getting booted for being fat. Most are all getting waivers. The few that are getting booted for being fat were complete douche bags to begin with. They have been or are getting in trouble for other reasons that didn't warrant separation and now the command has a way. Another nukes need not apply program.

Justin

[Wirebiter]

Most of the questions, I come to find out, are coming from the family members who are worried that their sons will be screwed for leaving the Navy without a Good Conduct discharge.  I think it has more to do with missunderstanding and heresay than anything else. 

[kevndale]

Speaking from personal experience at Kings Bay they did boot roughly 5-7 people out due to weight/PRT issues. It was a long strenous process that involved NAVSEA even rejecting there request to discharge them but due to the command already telling the personnel that they were going to be discharged at so and so date and personnel finding jobs and setting up to relocate they were told that they werent discharged but they werent going to be mustered. Most of these personnel were within 90-120 days of their eventual EAOS so this meant 90-120 days of free leave and dual incomes. Poor overweight people...

[JustinHEMI05]

Well the one girl who just got out yesterday on this was hired at vermont yankee and she got a 16000 check for separation plus an honorable discharge. That showed her! When I finish my time in 210 days I don't get anything but a boot in the ass.

Justin

[M1Ark]

Well the one girl who just got out yesterday on this was hired at vermont yankee and she got a 16000 check for separation plus an honorable discharge. That showed her! When I finish my time in 210 days I don't get anything but a boot in the ass.

Justin

You did what you said you would do.  You should take some comfort in that. 

M1Ark

[JustinHEMI05]

Thanks for the Karma point! I agree my cynicism was mostly levered to the unjust rewarding of people that cannot full fill their contracts for nothing more than not being able to put down the fork and move around a little (and I am not talking about the legit medically incapable people... I am speaking of the inept and lazy people).

Justin

[Wirebiter]

Well the one girl who just got out yesterday on this was hired at vermont yankee and she got a 16000 check for separation plus an honorable discharge. That showed her! When I finish my time in 210 days I don't get anything but a boot in the ass.

Justin

$16000 huh?  Pass the Ho-Ho's....

[visserjr]

I am no small fellow, so I can sympathize with the big boys. I can say whole heartly, body fat means diddly, at least where I work. Hell, the NLO Annex mays as well be heaven for food destroyers like myself.

PS. My medical severance was $61,000 and by the way I didn't have to pay any SRB back. Downfall, my knees are shot. Oh well C'est le vie. And thanks to all who served, and who are at this moment protecting the waters of the deep.

[Wirebiter]

You're right. At least up here at the NY prototypes, very few are getting booted for being fat. Most are all getting waivers. The few that are getting booted for being fat were complete douche bags to begin with. They have been or are getting in trouble for other reasons that didn't warrant separation and now the command has a way. Another nukes need not apply program.

Justin

Well, apparently this new instruction does apply to Nukes.  I know of 3 confirmed discharges from the Kings Bay area in the last month.  All three had waiver requests forwarded from their command.  The decision to drop them came from higher up (NAVSEA?).  One individual was a previous SOQ and command advancee.  Go figure..

[JustinHEMI05]

Well, apparently this new instruction does apply to Nukes.  I know of 3 confirmed discharges from the Kings Bay area in the last month.  All three had waiver requests forwarded from their command.  The decision to drop them came from higher up (NAVSEA?).  One individual was a previous SOQ and command advancee.  Go figure..

Ya I think its going to be pick and choose no matter where you go. 90% of them got waivers up here. Ah whatever. 196

Justin

[baronbrady]

Our Atlantic CVN had several PRT-related discharges (they were separated right before the holiday, in fact).  Question:  If they had re-enlisted, but were separated with a general discharge (under honorable conditions), do they still get their GI Bill benefits?  A friend in the back office said they would because they'd already served one period of honorable service, culminating in their "honorable discharge" at their re-enlistment.
Thanks for the help!

[Roll Tide]

You presented the statement that they received "general under honorable" instead of "honorable" discharges. The discharge you receive is the one used to determine your eligibility for GI Bill. I don't see how they could have previously had one period of honorable service without receiving an honorable discharge. Perhaps a chat with the JAG could enlighten the Personnel Support Activity on how these things are calculated.

[rlbinc]

This has been around for years. I remember back in 1979 or 1980, the Navy weighed and measured everybody. Those who didn't pass the height and weight requirement had an adverse statement included in their evals. One guy was 5'6" and 235 lbs rock solid, failed it every year and insisted that they include the derogatory statement in his evaluations.

I would have thought that in the day of Tolerance and Diversity - where it is reasonable to expect that people have some differences - that physical differences would become acceptable.

Anyone who gets a discharge for weight should consider it a blessing.

[Marlin]

This has been around for years. I remember back in 1979 or 1980, the Navy weighed and measured everybody. Those who didn't pass the height and weight requirement had an adverse statement included in their evals. One guy was 5'6" and 235 lbs rock solid, failed it every year and insisted that they include the derogatory statement in his evaluations.

I would have thought that in the day of Tolerance and Diversity - where it is reasonable to expect that people have some differences - that physical differences would become acceptable.

Same thing happened on my boat, official response was that the heart had to pump the blood though it whether it is muscle or fat. I still don't buy it, but I'm not a doctor. The guy had a standing heart rate of 44 bpm.

[Roll Tide]

I would have thought that in the day of Tolerance and Diversity - where it is reasonable to expect that people have some differences - that physical differences would become acceptable.

Fat is always fair game for discrimination. Won't change anytime soon, and the Navy will re-authorize pony tails for men before they authorize fat.

[rlbinc]

I never thought the Navy would pay >100k for a re-enlistment bonus.
Times change.