Goose,
I pm'd you.
Here's some things that I am stating as in generalization to lurkers and other cadets, not necessarily about goose's issue.
1. OP wants to defer a yr to finish his education.
~~~ Problem: If he is a nav select he is a sr., and was expected to graduate this May. Rated boards occur spring JR yr. AFROTC just released last week the AFSC's for 2013. He was disenrolled in Dec., that means he according to the AF was expected to graduate before Oct 1, 2012.
This will be an issue. The reason is simple. At this point, 1 semester prior to when the AF had him commissioning he disenrolls, and now is saying I won't graduate any earlier than a yr from now. In his post he is stating the disenrollment is due to a missed PFT, not academic issues.
There will have to be a strong case to explain why since every cadre does semester reviews and the CoC knows their projected graduation date how all of the sudden he needs another yr.
2. For clarification purposes only.
Navs do not owe 12 yrs, heck pilots do not owe that much time. If I am correct it is 8 yrs, starting from winging. UNT takes about 1 yr, so it would be 9 yrs.
3. The fallacy that they won't force enlistment due to the drawdown.
The AF has already cut a lot and will have the smallest cut in personnel out of the sister services. Even as they cut, it is not as if they are not enlisting people at the same time. They just happen to be enlisting at a lower rate than previous yrs. This is a business. They have a choice between an 18 yo enlistment and a 22 with a college degree. Who would you select from a business perspective? Betting not the 18 yo.
4. We see this all the time when candidates and posters say:
I don't care what I do in the military, I just want to serve.
An old adage, but true. Be careful for what you wish for! You can't now say, I meant to say as long as I am an officer, in a career I want, and not committed to a term longer than I want.
5. When they say JUMP you say HOW HIGH?
The OP in his post said some illuminating facts. He knew he missed the PFT. As a C400 he knew there would be repercussions, but elected not to attend anyway.
No offense to the OP, but again, he was a C400, and I am sure in 4 yrs he saw that when cadets show up ill or tired, they at least showed up. His heart and motivation to be in the AF was already gone. However, he forgot about that tiny little form he signed at the beginning of his C300 yr where in black and white he agreed to serve if he was booted.
This is important to understand. Just because you know someone who walked, doesn't mean everyone walks. Maybe their major was something that they were trimming back to begin with, while your major is a highly demanded field. The people you know that were released or forgiven were before you, and under a different fiscal budget. Do not assume anything.
For many ROTC branches, the problem is many of these cadets/mids get wrapped up in selecting a career they never wanted, but because it was highly competitive, they went for it. They lost their compass and got caught up in wearing a flight suit or being in that golden child career field.
It is best for those accepting the scholarships right now to read his story. It is best to ask are you truly willing to serve in any branch, at any rank as long as you serve. Remember every yr there are those goose and gojira stories. If you can say, yes, I am willing to not be able to complete my degree and serve 2 yrs as enlisted on the flight line in FL on 100 degree days or AK in -30 degree days, sign. However, if the idea that you will spend yrs looking at them as an enlisted member, and saying to yourself as you salute them prior to take off, CRAP! The answer is clear. You don't want to truly serve in any manner, you have specific desires.
There is nothing wrong about being honest and stating it upfront. There is something wrong if you are lieing to yourself.
