Introduction & Issues

[ErrantVenture11]

Hello all, my name is Charlie and I'm a current NUPOC candidate who has received a recommendation from NR, set to graduate in June from Kettering University with a BSME & 3.89 GPA (3.9 if I get straight A's this last term), but currently sitting in medical limbo due to a very mild case of psoriasis.  I had my MEPS paperwork in by the end of February, it has since been batted back and forth several times, and is now sitting at N3M apparently collecting dust for the last three weeks or more.  I have yet to be scheduled for a physical, N3M is supposed to decide if I'm even eligible for that.  I really hope they approve the physical so a doctor can see just how mild the case is, if I hadn't put it on my paperwork they never would have noticed.  I already saw a dermatologist (this had never been professionally diagnosed until now, but it was in my pediatric records) and his professional opinion is with my paperwork at N3M.  

Being a Navy submariner has been my dream since childhood, I'm not some 6-and-outer who just wants Uncle Sam to throw money at me for a few years, pay for my Masters, and go running for the hills as soon as I can.  Not that there is anything wrong with that, but I fully intend to make this my career.  My grandfather served in WWII commanding the S-41 and the Barb, and his inspiration has driven me to chase this dream.  I'm studying my @$$ off, getting in shape, and all the while sitting here wondering if it is all for naught.  I've got companies throwing job offers at me left and right, but I want to do something more meaningful with my life.  I want this badly, and to have it crushed by a centimeter of dry skin would be heartbreaking.

Anyways, glad to be here absorbing all that NukeWorker has to offer.  I'm also on the forums over at usnavyocs.com.

[ErrantVenture11]

Just heard from my recruiter today, N3M says psoriasis is going to be a DQ, but they really do want me so the admiral over there is asking me to get a 2nd opinion before they toss me out of the running.  I'm scheduled to see someone on Monday.

[Loffy Muffin]

Ok charlie, Couple things: chasing some ridiculous fantasy about what you envision military/sub service to be formed by Hollywood and ghosts of granddaddy swabbies past is absurd.  Get a new dream.

Your vision of the military is naive.  This isn't run silent, run deep, crap out doing "good" for the world you have been watching on TV.  The military is nothing more than an inefficient, money transfer scam from the workers to lobbyist / insiders under the Orwellian guise of "defense".  Lately, and more dangerous, the military is nothing but an out of control rouge dept that works for "united nations" and does not answer to the people (congress). 

If you want to do "good for your country" staying off the already over crowded gov feed trough would be step one.  The last thing tax payers need is yet another mouth to feed.  Take a look at the nations balance sheet.  Try staying on the asset side rather than the liability side.  If you have legitimate job offers, take them.

The last thing the country really needs is another mouth to feed.

Ok back to work, putting in a new 1260MW  HP Rotor in yet another record setting extended power uprate..under budget..and ahead of sched-u-le.  Something most nukes don't understand.  TVA Watts bar anyone? LOL..Think I need to double my rate with this competition...

[NukeNTO]

That was a little harsh....Anyways, good luck with N3M those medical waivers can be a pain in the ass. 

[DDMurray]

Ok charlie, Couple things: chasing some ridiculous fantasy about what you envision military/sub service to be formed by Hollywood and ghosts of granddaddy swabbies past is absurd.  Get a new dream.

Your vision of the military is naive.  This isn't run silent, run deep, crap out doing "good" for the world you have been watching on TV.  The military is nothing more than an inefficient, money transfer scam from the workers to lobbyist / insiders under the Orwellian guise of "defense".  Lately, and more dangerous, the military is nothing but an out of control rouge dept that works for "united nations" and does not answer to the people (congress). 

If you want to do "good for your country" staying off the already over crowded gov feed trough would be step one.  The last thing tax payers need is yet another mouth to feed.  Take a look at the nations balance sheet.  Try staying on the asset side rather than the liability side.  If you have legitimate job offers, take them.

The last thing the country really needs is another mouth to feed.

Ok back to work, putting in a new 1260MW  HP Rotor in yet another record setting extended power uprate..under budget..and ahead of sched-u-le.  Something most nukes don't understand.  TVA Watts bar anyone? LOL..Think I need to double my rate with this competition...

Don't hold back.  Tell him what you really think.  The fact that you used your Navy experience to land the awesome gig you have now is immaterial.

[Fermi2]

Ok charlie, Couple things: chasing some ridiculous fantasy about what you envision military/sub service to be formed by Hollywood and ghosts of granddaddy swabbies past is absurd.  Get a new dream.

Your vision of the military is naive.  This isn't run silent, run deep, crap out doing "good" for the world you have been watching on TV.  The military is nothing more than an inefficient, money transfer scam from the workers to lobbyist / insiders under the Orwellian guise of "defense".  Lately, and more dangerous, the military is nothing but an out of control rouge dept that works for "united nations" and does not answer to the people (congress). 

If you want to do "good for your country" staying off the already over crowded gov feed trough would be step one.  The last thing tax payers need is yet another mouth to feed.  Take a look at the nations balance sheet.  Try staying on the asset side rather than the liability side.  If you have legitimate job offers, take them.

The last thing the country really needs is another mouth to feed.

Ok back to work, putting in a new 1260MW  HP Rotor in yet another record setting extended power uprate..under budget..and ahead of sched-u-le.  Something most nukes don't understand.  TVA Watts bar anyone? LOL..Think I need to double my rate with this competition...

You're an idiot.

[HydroDave63]

Ok charlie, Couple things: chasing some ridiculous fantasy about what you envision military/sub service to be formed by Hollywood and ghosts of granddaddy swabbies past is absurd.  Get a new dream.

Nothing like a little French whine...... 

[Higgs]

Just heard from my recruiter today, N3M says psoriasis is going to be a DQ, but they really do want me so the admiral over there is asking me to get a 2nd opinion before they toss me out of the running.  I'm scheduled to see someone on Monday.

Good luck and keep us posted. I wish we could offer advice but it sounds like you're informed and handling things on your own.

Ignore the troll.

Justin

[GLW]

Nothing like a little French whine...... 

You mean "Ole' Frog Dick In a Drum", vintage 1984 ?!?!?!?

yeah whatever,....not worth imbibing,...

[ErrantVenture11]

I get the impression that all Loffy wanted to do as a child was sing and dance, but daddy made him go into engineering...hard to appreciate the dreams of others when yours are crushed so early.  I'm very sorry, I hope it is some comfort to know that the job market for First Chair Violin is somewhat sketchy at the moment...

To the people who replied without first putting on their trollface, thanks for the encouragement and I hope to have an answer for you soon.  My 2nd opinion was the same (shocking!) so I wrote the NRC East Region commander explaining my situation.  If this had been picked up at MEPS and not in my documented history, or if I was already in the service, I am confident this would be waived because it is ridiculously minor.  The letter should have arrived by now, so I should have a reply within 3-5 standard business years 

In the meantime I'm still studying and getting in shape.  No use breaking a good habit.

[Starkist]

I get the impression that all Loffy wanted to do as a child was sing and dance, but daddy made him go into engineering...hard to appreciate the dreams of others when yours are crushed so early.  I'm very sorry, I hope it is some comfort to know that the job market for First Chair Violin is somewhat sketchy at the moment...

Was this really necessary?

Psoriasis is not so minor due to the fact treatment is steroid based or immunosuppressants ("biologics"). Steroid based treatments lower your immune system as well. So does ionizing radiation (to some degree). Add in the increased risk of cancer (to some degree) to your steroid based/biologics treatment and voila. You're now potentially a negative statistic on the navy nuclear power program shining medical standards.

Why don't you go ask your doctors why you would be disqualified instead of assuming stuff. Your severity will determine your level of ability to "Stay Navy", and if 2 doctors are saying "Nay", it may be time to search for other careers while you wait (for a potentially long period of time). BUMED works on it's own pace, it took me 9 months to get an "interim waiver", and over a year to get a full waiver, and this was AFTER I already went through the pipeline.

I have mild rosacea (similar treatment paths to psoriasis), but it is extremely mild and requires no treatment to keep "under control", so a waiver was granted for me.

[Already Gone]

Ok back to work, putting in a new 1260MW  HP Rotor in yet another record setting extended power uprate..under budget..and ahead of sched-u-le.  Something most nukes don't understand.  TVA Watts bar anyone? LOL..Think I need to double my rate with this competition...

Double your rate?  Hell! you can charge triple or quadruple what you are worth, and still get the same number.

[ErrantVenture11]

Was this really necessary?

Psoriasis is not so minor due to the fact treatment is steroid based or immunosuppressants ("biologics"). Steroid based treatments lower your immune system as well. So does ionizing radiation (to some degree). Add in the increased risk of cancer (to some degree) to your steroid based/biologics treatment and voila. You're now potentially a negative statistic on the navy nuclear power program shining medical standards.

Why don't you go ask your doctors why you would be disqualified instead of assuming stuff. Your severity will determine your level of ability to "Stay Navy", and if 2 doctors are saying "Nay", it may be time to search for other careers while you wait (for a potentially long period of time). BUMED works on it's own pace, it took me 9 months to get an "interim waiver", and over a year to get a full waiver, and this was AFTER I already went through the pipeline.

I have mild rosacea (similar treatment paths to psoriasis), but it is extremely mild and requires no treatment to keep "under control", so a waiver was granted for me.

First of all, both of my doctors have given the opinion of very mild psoriasis that will not impede my ability to perform my duties and is a very low risk for spreading based on my medical history, they haven't said "Nay."  The doctor who diagnosed me originally has a brother serving in special operations who is able to perform just fine, despite having psoriasis worse than I do, and he has seen many patients with skin disorders in the process of applying to the military in some fashion.  He isn't afraid to recommend a different course of action if that is his true opinion, and he isn't sugarcoating my condition just so I can get into the Navy.  He has experience in this area, and I trust him on his honest assessment.  I specifically asked for an honest opinion, and I got one. 

Second, I am quite aware of the fact that psoriasis is autoimmune.  Like your rosacea, I've left mine virtually untreated for about a decade and it hasn't spread.  I have assumed nothing, I've researched this very thoroughly.   

[Starkist]

Oops, I apologize; I read that as the two doctors saying its disqualifying, not that its "mild".  Unfortunately, at the end of the day, the bureaucratic red tape will decide.  Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. As I said earlier, medical is a slow process in the navy, sorry.

[ErrantVenture11]

No worries, your advice regarding alternate career paths is still valid, and I am doing just that.  My current co-op employer wants to keep me on when I graduate, but I plan on moving back to my home state of Maryland when I graduate.  I had one interview this last weekend in Columbia, and I'll likely have another interview lined up in the next week or so in Baltimore.  Neither job is something I'm 100% interested in, but I said that about my current co-op employer when I applied four years ago and I enjoy what I do there.

[HydroDave63]

My current co-op employer wants to keep me on when I graduate, but I plan on moving back to my home state of Maryland when I graduate. 

Why not stick with the sure thing? It is why your co-op employer made the investment!

[ErrantVenture11]

Why not stick with the sure thing? It is why your co-op employer made the investment!

That's a good question, and one that really is making me torn.  I moved out here to Michigan in 2007 with my wife and newborn to go to college, with the stipulation that when I graduated I would try to move us back home to Maryland if the job opportunities made that possible.  I really like my company, I like Michigan, and they want me to hire in full time, but I need to keep my word as a husband and father first and foremost.  I now have three kids, and my wife is very family-oriented.  If she wants our kids to grow up around their grandparents, cousins, etc. and have that support structure, I'm happy to oblige.  The only exception she made was if I got into the Navy, in which case she would happily go along with that because she knows it has been a goal of mine for a very long time, and going into the military is like joining a whole new family anyhow.  And if worse came to worse and she absolutely could not cope with the military life, I could leave after 6-10 years and go into civilian employment and be no worse for the experience.  I want to make it a career, but not at the expense of my family's happiness.

We're certainly open to staying in Michigan and my current company if things don't pan out in Maryland or with the Navy, but it is not a first-tier option at the moment.

[GLW]

.....but I need to keep my word as a husband and father first and foremost......

Needs of the Navy will be first and foremost until your EAOS,......end of story,....

....And if worse came to worse and she absolutely could not cope with the military life, I could leave after 6-10 years....

that's a gawddam long 6 - 10 years brother,....

....and go into civilian employment and be no worse for the experience.....

that's a 50-50 proposition at best looking at this qualifier;

.....she wants our kids to grow up around their grandparents, cousins, etc. and have that support structure,....

every man knows his own house best,...

I'm just saying,....

regardless,.... best of luck to ya,...

[ErrantVenture11]

GLW, I understand all of your comments except for the one in response to where I mentioned keeping my word as a husband and father.  That was in the context of staying in Michigan versus going elsewhere, and has nothing to do with the Navy.  I told my wife five years ago that if she made the sacrifice of moving away from her family in order for me to pursue my education, I would make every effort to get us back to Maryland when I graduated.  The needs of the Navy don't come into play unless I'm actually commissioned into the service, which is something we've also discussed as a separate issue.

The long and short of it is that my wife wants a support structure, whether that takes the form of living close to family or within the extended family of the military community, she isn't terribly picky.  

Besides all that, I wouldn't consider the needs of the Navy and my duties as a husband and father to be mutually exclusive, though certainly they can be at odds to some extent, and often are.  If somehow it came down to a choice, I'd pick my family 100% of the time, and I don't think that is wrong or selfish.  The Navy can always find someone to replace me when I'm gone, no matter how much I like my job or love my country.  My kids only get one dad.  So if I felt like my family was going to crumble if I continued to serve, as much as it might pain my heart to leave I would certainly resign my commission when my obligation was complete.

All this of course is kind of a moot point, considering I'm not even in the Navy yet...just wanted to let you know I've given this a lot of thought.

[Starkist]

At the absolute least get out michigan... haha it sucks up here 

[ErrantVenture11]

I've actually grown to like this state.  Certainly more stuff to do here than in Maryland, what with the varying geography in such a large state.  I also like their relaxed restrictions on firearms, and I've become rather proficient in the short time I've been here.  I do miss the seafood in Maryland though...what I wouldn't do for a good crab cake up here!

One thing I never knew living in Maryland was my relatively close proximity to several of the Iowa-class battleships.  I didn't realize how close the USS New Jersey was (about a 3-hour drive) until I moved away.  When we move back, one of my first orders of duty is to take my son and his younger uncles out to see her.

[samakb]

Whichever route you go, looks like you and your family will be in great shape.  Hope all goes well with your medical issue/waiver.

[GLW]

GLW, I understand all of your comments,....

Classy reply, you just may be good officer material,...

I'll elaborate a little bit,...

....I told my wife five years ago that if she made the sacrifice of moving away from her family in order for me to pursue my education, I would make every effort to get us back to Maryland when I graduated.  The needs of the Navy don't come into play unless I'm actually commissioned into the service, which is something we've also discussed as a separate issue...

Sounds like a classy lady as well, the short of it is you are getting in deeper and deeper to this fine woman (then again, all of us that snag one of the fine ones are always indebted to them and their capacity to adapt and support their loved ones). IMNSHO (from over 20 years ago now) the Navy does seem to provide more support to the officer community, then again, the investment in officers is much greater and the expectations for officers even higher (i.e. I'm good with it as I understand the paradigm).

........Besides all that, I wouldn't consider the needs of the Navy and my duties as a husband and father to be mutually exclusive, though certainly they can be at odds to some extent, and often are.......

Your commitments and obligations will not be at odds, being there for broken arms, hockey stitches, 6th grade graduations, assorted feminine maladies and close loved ones dying will be,.......often.

....The long and short of it is that my wife wants a support structure, whether that takes the form of living close to family or within the extended family of the military community, she isn't terribly picky......

Well, that attribute will be challenged,...

......If somehow it came down to a choice, I'd pick my family 100% of the time, and I don't think that is wrong or selfish.....

While you are Regular Navy you cannot make that choice, your oath to your country, for the terms of your oath, will be honored first and foremost as best serves the needs of the Navy,...

....The Navy can always find someone to replace me when I'm gone, no matter how much I like my job or love my country.....

Yup, it's their job to be able to survive your departure,...

.....My kids only get one dad.  So if I felt like my family was going to crumble if I continued to serve, as much as it might pain my heart to leave I would certainly resign my commission when my obligation was complete.....

I empathize with the sentiment, but it can be a long obligation to endure, particularly once you have made your decision it is time to go,...

check your PM's, there is at least one user on these forums who can enlighten you much better than I can as to the contemporary NUPOC, married with children, experience,....

...just wanted to let you know I've given this a lot of thought.

Thanks for the consideration, as before, best of luck and best regards,....

GLW