Congressional nomination interview

OldRetSWO said:
This is just not true. I've watched Service Selection/Assignment for many years and I can't remember a time which Aviation was this limited.
I get that you're a parent and getting information from your child but it is just not correct. For 2019, between the Navy and Marine Corps, there
were 345 pilots which all by itself at 32% is more than a quarter of the class. If you add in the other aviation component of NFO, the number is 396 or 37%. The submarine community usually gets a pretty good proportion of the top of the class academically and there are always people throughout the academic "ladder" who are strongly motivated to the Marine Corps and Surface Warfare as well. Over the years I have certainly seen limited numbers of NFOs with the number known beforehand but generally, there is not a "max" number for pilots just as there is not a "max" for SWOs. I don't think they've ever had to worry about hitting a "max" on subs but they'd probably take as many as can qualify. If there is a big number accessed through USNA then they will lower the number accessed through OCS. Thats how the system works.
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OK...I acknowledge that. But the overall point of me saying that wasn't to focus on one service community. It was more of a statement that by finishing higher in your class will give you more options and choices. No guarantees, of course. But I'm certainly not an authority on this topic...only hearing it from DS.
 
And then there was Admiral Sir Snuffy Smith, Naval Aviator, 4-star Admiral, KBE, who was either the Anchorman of his class or only a few places off down in the bilges. I recall hearing him speak about his academic struggles.

.

He was class of ‘62, when things were done strictly by OOM. Clearly there was flexibility, but who knows how it worked.

When all is said and done, true talent excels in all kinds of settings, regardless of commissioning source, class OOM and other factors. In the Fleet and Corps, it’s performance performance performance in operational billets, and a good sprinkle of luck here and there.
 
Boy ain’t that the truth CaptMJ. Part of that luck is who you end up reporting to. I saw my share of Reporting Seniors who tanked someone’s career with adverse fitness reports on dubious indiscretions or with some silly thought process on creating “teaching moments” that lived on on an Officers jacket forever.
 
USMCGrunt said:
Boy ain’t that the truth CaptMJ. Part of that luck is who you end up reporting to. I saw my share of Reporting Seniors who tanked someone’s career with adverse fitness reports on dubious indiscretions or with some silly thought process on creating “teaching moments” that lived on on an Officers jacket forever.
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I know we are off-topic here, but I always hope it’s useful to readers in some context. I agree completely and actually had that element in mind. All I can say is my first CO, at my first duty station, and my second, well, it was a darned lucky thing I worked for them less than 90 days, and therefore got an NOB fitness report. The first one said he had not wanted female officers in his command, so he was sending me down to Port Services, told me to keep out of his sight, and then “Dismissed.” This was my welcome aboard interview (20th c.), I was kept standing, and he didn’t even shake my hand. Next CO was super! Next duty station, I infuriated my first CO there by refusing to make the coffee for everyone in the AM. It was not a duty officer daily action item, I was not the most junior officer, it was not rotational, they just assumed as the lone female officer I would make it every morning. I don’t even drink coffee. Then his secretary told me I would be responsible for planning and hosting the CO’s personal dinner parties at his house and serving as his hostess, since he was single. This was not being the Wardroom Mess Officer and planning wardroom functions for officers and spouses. I was the Tanker Ops Officer, and no other male Ops desk officer was being asked to do this. I went to the CSO and told him I would not do this. The CO never addressed me again. The next CO was again super, a hardcore SWO who only cared about performance and not which head you used. Sometimes I wonder where I got the stomach to hold my ground. There were no hotlines, people to call or complain to, just my gut telling me to not roll over for it.

Oops. Sorry. Fell hard off the sea story wagon.
 
Capt MJ said:
I know we are off-topic here, but I always hope it’s useful to readers in some context. I agree completely and actually had that element in mind. All I can say is my first CO, at my first duty station, and my second, well, it was a darned lucky thing I worked for them less than 90 days, and therefore got an NOB fitness report. The first one said he had not wanted female officers in his command, so he was sending me down to Port Services, told me to keep out of his sight, and then “Dismissed.” This was my welcome aboard interview (20th c.), I was kept standing, and he didn’t even shake my hand. Next CO was super! Next duty station, I infuriated my first CO there by refusing to make the coffee for everyone in the AM. It was not a duty officer daily action item, I was not the most junior officer, it was not rotational, they just assumed as the lone female officer I would make it every morning. I don’t even drink coffee. Then his secretary told me I would be responsible for planning and hosting the CO’s personal dinner parties at his house and serving as his hostess, since he was single. This was not being the Wardroom Mess Officer and planning wardroom functions for officers and spouses. I was the Tanker Ops Officer, and no other male Ops desk officer was being asked to do this. I went to the CSO and told him I would not do this. The CO never addressed me again. The next CO was again super, a hardcore SWO who only cared about performance and not which head you used. Sometimes I wonder where I got the stomach to hold my ground. There were no hotlines, people to call or complain to, just my gut telling me to not roll over for it.

Oops. Sorry. Fell hard off the sea story wagon.
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I have no experience in or with any military folks except for this forum. Would it be more than right to assume that the behavior you noted does not exists today? Sounds like more of headlines in all kind of media if existed.
 
What a tool!!!! So sorry you endured all of that and super proud of you for standing your ground. I don't know if I would have had the fortitude. I hope it is much improved today for those entering the service.
 
It is very much improved, by massive degrees. I just happened to be with the cohort going through some new doors in the late 70’s with a few bumps along the way. Some of it is funny now; some of it, not so much, when we still have incidents here and there.
 
DS was surprised at how many of the questions on 2 senator and 1 congressman's panels focused on NASS and SLE experiences. Lots of questions about what he perceived as the differences between the 2 experiences and why he thought USNA was his best fit. and "What is the difference between how USMA and USNA teach leadership?" "Who has the most fun between the campuses?" He cracked them up with his impression of the USMA cadets who sounded really excited about piling into cars to go to a diner an hour away from WP.

As a result of this forum, he printed out and re-read his essays on the way to each interview. Thought he could easily have blown a couple of questions if he had not done that.

Lots of questions about why he won this award or that leadership role and what he learned from it. Very glad he thought those through and didn't wing it.

One he felt he didn't handle well, "If a cadet or midshipman violates the honor code, is rehabilitation possible?, or should they be kicked out?" He floundered a bit and basically said "it depends"on the violation.

Best question overall, "What has been the most compelling argument anybody has given you as to why serving as a military officer is a bad idea for you?" He nailed this one as a result of a midnight kitchen conversation with my brother, a psychiatrist and former flight surgeon who works with PTSD in the VA. DS told the interviewer that his uncle has seen many vets who have no physical wounds, but have trouble living with things they did in combat. They don't trust that the orders they followed (which resulted in collateral damage) were sound. DS's explained that this is why we need to pick the very best people possible and give them the very best leadership and decision making training that we have...and that's why he wants to attend an SA as his first choice path to becoming an officer.
 
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