- Joined
- Jan 7, 2018
- Messages
- 786
From I-Day June 28, 2018 to Commissioning Day May 27, 2022, we may all agree that our Midshipmen's days on the Yard have been nothing short of smooth sailing. But we all may agree that our 4 year experience on the Yard, as Parents and Midshipmen, have gone in a flash! We will miss it as we set sail to our next journey.
Not one year went by without some kind of Drama on the Yard. If I have to sum up our biggest challenging time at the Academy, we will have to pick November 18, the Service Selection Day. When most Midshipmen and their families celebrated, our Midshipman was devastated. And so were we. He was expecting Naval Aviation - Pilot, and he got Nuke SWO. Maybe going to Nuke School at O-6, but "Not Now, Not Today."
To many, Nuke SWO is a highly prized community. It is highly selective and only 35 commissioned into Nuke SWO. It is a well paid and selects only well ranked Midshipmen. But to our Midshipman, it felt like a death sentence at the time, since he would have had to watch other Pilots and NFOs do their missions while he does his with Carrier Reactors. Not the life he planned for before and during the Academy.
During his 2/C, he prepared for the Navy SEAL qualification. He had passed the SEAL Screener. He made the 50% cut. We held our breaths, maybe he won't make the 33% cut. After 7 hours of grueling test and lying in Severn River, he had hyperthermia. He had to DOR. We were happy that he gave his best but didn't make the final cut. In his 1/C summer, he got selected to the Power Program and did his solo flights. This was the simulated NIFE-Naval Initial Flight Evaluation. He was one of the 125 1/Cs who passed the PFP. He ranked well among his peers, so his chance of Pilot first choice NFO second choice appeared high. Nuke SWO was his last choice.
Nevertheless, from November to February, he slowly accepted his fait and prepared for his Nuke interview with the Head of National Reactors 4-Star ADM. He was happy to get the ship and port he wanted, in Sasebo Japan on LSD for the first 2 year tour then to Nuke School. We, parents, also accepted the fact and began communicating to our MIDN on the many benefits of being a Nuclear Propulsion Officer. It is shorter service, more pay $400,000 more by year 8. You get job offers to join the private sector at high paying jobs, many technical educational opportunities. He began to accept his destiny and prepared for his interview. By chance, he met the Navy Air Boss, a 3-Star ADM. The Air Boss told him to ask the Nuclear ADM to let you serve in Naval Aviation but don't piss him off.
On the day of his Nuke interview, he decided that he will tell the ADM how grateful he is to be selected into the Nuke community and that he would serve with honor and pride. However, he still wanted to let the ADM know that he had trained to be an Aviator and his heart was still with Naval Aviation. And he will ask the ADM to allow him to serve in Naval Aviation.
And so the ADM did. He got service reassigned to Naval Aviation. But did not get the Pilot he wanted. The Pilot billet was now over subscribed and closed. So they gave him NFO for now and told him you can try your luck to change at the Flight School. About 5 got service reassigned to NFO from Nuke SWO and Submarine in February.
He recently posted on Linkedin, "From the Naval Academy To Naval Aviation." He did not mention the drama behind the Service Selection, but it does summarize well his experience at the Academy. Since posting 2 days ago, he's received nearly 3,000 impressions with thumbs up from Naval Aviators, current and retired. He is now enjoying his month off while doing a program with Goldman Sachs. He'll be supervising MIDN at the Naval Sailing Program during Plebe Summer, then head off to NAS Pensacola in early August.
From the Class of 2022, 377 commissioned into Naval and Marine Aviation (36%), 1046 graduated making it the largest class to graduate in Naval Academy history. Thank you all. It has been a pleasure sharing our story with you all past 4 years! Go Navy! Fly Navy!
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Not one year went by without some kind of Drama on the Yard. If I have to sum up our biggest challenging time at the Academy, we will have to pick November 18, the Service Selection Day. When most Midshipmen and their families celebrated, our Midshipman was devastated. And so were we. He was expecting Naval Aviation - Pilot, and he got Nuke SWO. Maybe going to Nuke School at O-6, but "Not Now, Not Today."
To many, Nuke SWO is a highly prized community. It is highly selective and only 35 commissioned into Nuke SWO. It is a well paid and selects only well ranked Midshipmen. But to our Midshipman, it felt like a death sentence at the time, since he would have had to watch other Pilots and NFOs do their missions while he does his with Carrier Reactors. Not the life he planned for before and during the Academy.
During his 2/C, he prepared for the Navy SEAL qualification. He had passed the SEAL Screener. He made the 50% cut. We held our breaths, maybe he won't make the 33% cut. After 7 hours of grueling test and lying in Severn River, he had hyperthermia. He had to DOR. We were happy that he gave his best but didn't make the final cut. In his 1/C summer, he got selected to the Power Program and did his solo flights. This was the simulated NIFE-Naval Initial Flight Evaluation. He was one of the 125 1/Cs who passed the PFP. He ranked well among his peers, so his chance of Pilot first choice NFO second choice appeared high. Nuke SWO was his last choice.
Nevertheless, from November to February, he slowly accepted his fait and prepared for his Nuke interview with the Head of National Reactors 4-Star ADM. He was happy to get the ship and port he wanted, in Sasebo Japan on LSD for the first 2 year tour then to Nuke School. We, parents, also accepted the fact and began communicating to our MIDN on the many benefits of being a Nuclear Propulsion Officer. It is shorter service, more pay $400,000 more by year 8. You get job offers to join the private sector at high paying jobs, many technical educational opportunities. He began to accept his destiny and prepared for his interview. By chance, he met the Navy Air Boss, a 3-Star ADM. The Air Boss told him to ask the Nuclear ADM to let you serve in Naval Aviation but don't piss him off.
On the day of his Nuke interview, he decided that he will tell the ADM how grateful he is to be selected into the Nuke community and that he would serve with honor and pride. However, he still wanted to let the ADM know that he had trained to be an Aviator and his heart was still with Naval Aviation. And he will ask the ADM to allow him to serve in Naval Aviation.
And so the ADM did. He got service reassigned to Naval Aviation. But did not get the Pilot he wanted. The Pilot billet was now over subscribed and closed. So they gave him NFO for now and told him you can try your luck to change at the Flight School. About 5 got service reassigned to NFO from Nuke SWO and Submarine in February.
He recently posted on Linkedin, "From the Naval Academy To Naval Aviation." He did not mention the drama behind the Service Selection, but it does summarize well his experience at the Academy. Since posting 2 days ago, he's received nearly 3,000 impressions with thumbs up from Naval Aviators, current and retired. He is now enjoying his month off while doing a program with Goldman Sachs. He'll be supervising MIDN at the Naval Sailing Program during Plebe Summer, then head off to NAS Pensacola in early August.
From the Class of 2022, 377 commissioned into Naval and Marine Aviation (36%), 1046 graduated making it the largest class to graduate in Naval Academy history. Thank you all. It has been a pleasure sharing our story with you all past 4 years! Go Navy! Fly Navy!
Christopher Kim on LinkedIn: From the Naval Academy To Naval Aviation Throughout my 4 years at
From the Naval Academy To Naval Aviation Throughout my 4 years at the Naval Academy, I often asked myself, did I make the right choice coming to the Naval...