Military Jobs

heesfan5

5-Year Member
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Jun 25, 2010
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I recently recieved a nomination to the USMMA:biggrin: and my dad is wanting to find out more about the school. I want to go into the military after graduation and I would like to compete for a Navy pilot slot when I commision. I understand that the USMMA is a maritime school and focuses on that industry.

I am just wondering if there are any restrictions to going into the military after graduation from the USMMA branch wise and in choosing a job?
 
Creers after KP

Hi Heesfan,
I sent you a PM about what my son wants after graduation.
 
... I am just wondering if there are any restrictions to going into the military after graduation from the USMMA branch wise and in choosing a job?

I'm fairly positive you will get all sorts of answers about the various options and opportunities you will have following graduation but the shortest, direct answer to your question, I believe is as follows.

No, for all intents and purposes, other than any limitations and restrictions your physical condition at the time of your pre-commissioning physical might create, for all intents and purposes, there are pathways into any military service for USMMA graduates.

Further, at least currently, one option that you might want to explore is going into the Air National Guard, if while you are at the USMMA, you decide you want to go some other direction besides direct commission into Active Military and you still want to pursue an option that gives you access to pilot training.
 
heesfan5,

USMMA is a great place to go to school if you want to fly for the Navy... You'd be joining thousands of Kings Pointer Naval Aviators and Naval Flight Officers who've gone before you.

KP has several (the actual number changes from year to year) slots set aside for both Naval Aviators and NFOs. Beyond those numbers, you can also compete against all other Navy assesson programs (USNA, NROTC and OCS) for additional slots when you approach graduation.

Statistically, you have a much better chance becoming a Naval Aviator from USMMA than you do from USNA! Here's the why... USNA grads HAVE to go into the Navy/Marine Corps - and they can't all be pilots. So, they get asked once what community they want to go into... some get what they want, many do not.

At KP you get to volunteer and if they say yes - great, you're in. If they say no - you can't be forced to go into some other community. In fact, you can simply volunteer again, and again, and again until you get picked up. - I knew two football players who wanted to be pilots but went to work on oil rigs for the money. Two years later they both had had enough and volunteered as LTJGs. Both are pilots in the navy right now.

Don't get me wrong - it is NOT 100% sure fire deal. Grades, performance at KP, your score on the AQTFAR (or what ever test they give now for flight), and most of all... your physical condition at the time of the flight physical all factor in.

Go for it. KP is a great path to flying and guess what???? Flying isn't that different from driving a ship. You'll be leaps and bounds ahead of your peers in flight school with weather, navigation, simulators, etc. And don't forget, all naval aviators are naval officers and ultimetly - have to learn how to drive ships (even the pilots) if they want to command an aircraft carrier. So, it isn't like you have anything to lose in the education at KP. Typically, we have unused pilot slots becuase candidates get better job offers (more money) from industry.

Good luck!

USMMECOM
 
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heesfan5,

USMMA is a great place to go to school if you want to fly for the Navy... You'd be joining thousands of Kings Pointer Naval Aviators and Naval Flight Officers who've gone before you.

No arguments with the other items in your post USMMECOM but the supporting math for the statement "joining thousands of Kings Pointer Naval Aviators ... who've gone before you." just doesn't work.

In it's entire history the total number of Kings Point graduates, including the Merchant Marine Cadets pushed out during WWII - the large classes of so-called 90 day wonders - is on the order of slightly over 15,000. The situation with billets, etc. that you cite has been the norm for on the order of the past 10 years. Further up through around the late 1980's/early 1990's the average number of graduates who went directly into active duty upon graduation was ~15% +/- and while over the last decade/decade and a half the average number of the graduating class going directly to active duty has risen to on the order of 25%+/- (last year it was ~33%). Of that number only a portion go become aviators (either USN, USCG, USAF, or USA).

So while the USMMA has been and remains a solid path to Naval Aviation and at least one graduate who became a Naval Aviator has risen to Flag Rank, the number preceding the PC would likely be on the order of between 50 and 250. No need for us to exaggerate that in to thousands is there? After all KP is the best deal with the most post graduate options and opportunities of any SA and we're all a great group of alums whose achievements can stand on their own without embellishment, wouldn't you say?
 
heesfan5,

Jasperdog clearly has a lot of time on his hands... I amend my previous statement to read... "USMMA is a great place to go to school if you want to fly for the Navy... You'd be joining 'tens of hundreds' of Kings Pointer Naval Aviators and Naval Flight Officers who've gone before you."

V/r
USMMECOM
 
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Jasperdog I sent you a pm on an unrelated topic, thanks
 
heesfan5,

Jasperdog clearly has a lot of time on his hands... I amend my previous statement to read... "USMMA is a great place to go to school if you want to fly for the Navy... You'd be joining 'tens of hundreds' of Kings Pointer Naval Aviators and Naval Flight Officers who've gone before you."

V/r
USMMECOM

USMMECOM:

Actually I really don't have "a lot of time on my hands" - I just have a couple of things I'm passionate about, my Alma Mater and supporting it are one of those things - most specifically I'm really passionate about seeing it accurately and adequately portrayed, represented and supported. Those that follow or read my relatively frequent posts here as you obviously do know, I'm also passionate in my personal conviction that first and foremost it is a Maritime Academy and that is a very necessary thing the nation needs and service it provides. As such here's my math: An average graduating class is 250 giver or take (actually that's probably a high number).

So it really didn't take long for me to estimate things and I'm relatively sure get pretty accurate as to the estimate number of our relatively small (~15,000) alumni community of the number of military aviators. I didn't do it to take issue with you, merely to provide a more realistic number that was grounded in the reality that our entire Alumni base numbers less than 20,000 and the majority of those did not pursue aviation. Here's the quick, and most would say relatively dirty math. From the 1950's through the mid 1980's an average of 15% or less went active duty, the vast majority (virtually all) who did so went Navy, though clearly no more than 25% of those went aviation. So that's 35 years of classes number 250 *0.15*0.25 or basically 328 Naval Aviators - plus (+) - 25 years of Classes where being generous 25% of the Class went active duty and call it 20% of those became aviators (in any branch of service) or: (25 years)*(250 - even though that's a high number per class it should more than compensate for the times like last year when 33% vice 25% went active duty - *25% going active duty *20% got aviator billets = 313 for an estimated total of 640 - 1,000 Military Aviators out of the USMMA since it's inception. That includes two astronauts and to my understanding one Two Star Admiral USN, (Retired).

Given the number on post-WWII era alumni is only on the order of ~12,000 the fact that between 5 and 8% joined the Military Aviation community, I'd say that would show that as you note the USMMA is as good a path to such a career as any - a point you made and I never disputed.

So finally I have two questions for you - given that there is now an easy to use, well stocked option to obtaining virtually any sort of USMMA apparel as well as other USMMA related items on-line, with the notable exception of the highly sought after Kings Point G-String available on your site; and that option provides a large portion of it's proceeds to the USMMA Alumni Association which annually donates literally millions of dollars in support of the Regiment of Midshipmen and activities for the same that are not funded by the current Federal Government appropriations and budgets -
1) Why do you still feel the need and where do you find the time to continue to operate your site - the one linked to in your signature here on these types of sites?
and
2) Do purchases we make on that site result in similar donations being made to the USMMA Alumni Foundation or some similar legally chartered (the USMMA Alumni Foundation is a fully chartered 501-3(c)) entity such that at least a portion of those proceeds benefit the Midshipmen in short order and if so, what's the basic formula or history of those contributions been?

For the rest of the readers here looking for USMMA Apparel and/or items if you haven't checked out the "Official Site" for such items and the one that remits a meaningful portion of its proceeds in a way that will definitely result in donations to support the current regiment I recommend you check it out. Lots of nice stuff and a lot of choices/variety - though to be fair I can't find an item with the class and or comedic value of the G-String on the site USMMECOM's signature links to. The Official Site's URL is:

[link removed per forum policy per moderator's direction by post originator]

or you can link to it from the Foundation's home page if you want to make sure you are getting to the right one:

[link removed per forum policies per Moderator's direction by originator by post originator]

Also V/R
Jasperdog
 
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Not to get too far off topic here but you do realize USMMECOM is a fellow alum, right?
 
Jasperdog,

Yikes!!!! Didn't mean to stir up a hornet’s nest. I already said I was sorry for poorly estimating my numbers for alumni Naval Aviators... I was a Deckie so - I didn't really put the vigor required into making a realistic estimate. I was simply making a point that many - many - Kings Pointers have gone on to fly for the Navy.

As far as the answers to the questions you asked about the KPStore...

1. I'll continue to operate the KPStore as long as Kings Pointers like what they buy there. Many seem to enjoy the products...

2. Every December I submit a check directly to the USMMA Alumni Foundation (unrestricted fund) for 10% of the gross profits from all sales - In addition to my own annual contribution.

Peace Brother!!!!

V/r
USMMECOM
 
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