For the cadets from cadets

Pima

10-Year Member
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Nov 28, 2007
Messages
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Many of the incoming cadets are trying to plot their military life. I thought that since we are coming up to graduation and C2C are getting their future career fields that this might be the time to discuss if your vision at 17 is now reality.

I would like cadets or parents to opine in this issue.

For example:

Entered in the USNA thinking I would be a SEAL and exiting as a SWO.

or

Entered in the AFA with the belief that I would get UPT and I am going to Maxwell July 1st for UPT.

I am just posting this so candidates and cadets have a bigger picture on how you may know what you want, but you need to be open minded to other options.

From our child or our friends children, we have seen that few walked in and out with the same career field. Our friends son at the USNA started off saying he wanted to be a submariner, now he wants to be a pilot. Another friend's son walked in saying pilot now he wants to be CE (building runways). Ours has remained the same. I also know one on this site who wanted to be a pilot than a flight doc.

Again, I am just curious to know how many went in with one specific field and walked out with a different one and how many of you will walk out with the job that you wanted when you walked in.
 
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i applied to USNA wanting to fly fighters, ended up at USCGA wanting to fly helos, 3 years in I couldnt think of a better job than driving ships as DWO and being a division officer.
 
Entered wanting to fly fighters
40 some days out: UPT slot to Laughlin, considering helos

ps. Maxwell doesn't have UPT
 
raimius, I knew that... my brain is fried from doing taxes and dealing with getting DS ready for summer training at Maxwell (even Bullet is shocked by the amount of shots they require)...I meant Columbus...you know Mississippi, Alabama, Texas they are all the same :shake: Sweet tea and bbq food with 100 degree weather and humidity to boot!

Del Rio, it could be worse and be...never mind! JK

If you see a guy that looks like D-DAY from animal house tell him hi from us. And yes his call sign was D-DAY. His wife, Rebecca is a hoot! (I think their boys would be around your age). He was actually a helo pilot in the Army and switched over. D-Day is also very unique...Bullet flew with him 1 time and during the flight he decided he needed to have a smoke. Bullet asked him if he was and he said yeah, do you mind? No, but could you tell me 1st the next time(think running a check list).
 
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even Bullet is shocked by the amount of shots they require

Tell me about it. Im headed to FT this summer too and all of us here are scrambling to find places that offer H1N1 and the flu shot. Not to metion Tdap and a blood titer that theyre going to need.
 
I am off to the second series of shots for our DS. Today is Flu, pneumonia and HepA
 
YIPPPEE SKIPPEE DS is now officially cleared for FT. I would truly suggest to candidates and parents that have a C4C to get basic shots done next winter break. They will be required to have them to go to field training so while their home have them get the Flu shot, or H1N1 booster. Check their records to make sure they are current otherwise they will be running around getting shots during their academic yr. You never know some yrs there is a shortage of flu and some yrs there isn't, you just want to get it done to be safe that they will not be coming up like nick or our DS scrambling. The reqs of shots don't come out until @30 days prior to the deadline and the deadline is in the spring.

I can say DS was required all of the normal shots
Hep B
Tetanus.
PPV,
Menococcal (sp?)
Chicken pox or verification of chicken pox

He was also required
Hep A
H1N1
Flu
Pneumoncoccal (sp?)


Blood titer for him was required because he had to verify he had the chicken pox.
 
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Yep. I have to get TDap, Hep A and a blood titer on tuesday. And H1N1 and the Flu shot tomorrow.


Supposedly, the reason for the emphasis on immunizations this year stems from Max 6 last year. Apparently an entire flight got H1N1 and had to be sent home. I guess this is the response?
 
DS told me that was the reason also and it is very hard to disinfect anything when you are out sleeping in the field for days.

Interesting that people have different cut off dates to submit by, I wonder if it is because some will go earlier and some will go later.

DS had to have all of his medical requirements submitted by today.

Also, another tip is when making the appt., especially for H1N1 make sure the doc has it in stock. Nothing worse than getting there and they say they don't have it!

I will never ever complain about wait times at base hospitals again. We waited a total from start to finish 3 hrs for the 3 shots. DS walked out and said he was glad he was going into the military because he couldn't imagine the wait time when the new health care program goes full force.:wink:
 
Our deadline is the 23rd. Which is cutting it close since the results of our blood titers are due to come in that day.


Definitely a tip for any current AF freshmen or folks joining AFROTC in the fall...get your shots now
 
Just thought I'd add something thats already been drilled pretty hard on these forums....but here it goes.Your career can change at any second. Its pretty much impossible to chart out where you will be in the next 5, 10, 15, and 20 years of service (if you stay in that long).


Just came across this article today

http://www.pacaf.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123200123

Basically an AF grad who was originally assigned as an officer in aircraft maintence, assisted in training 2500 Afghan soldiers only three years after graduating. Pretty awesome IMO! Bet she wasn't planning on something like that while at the academy....
 
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