I really didn't view the comment as "disrespectful" as much as a statement of harsh reality. Back in the days of "service selection", which was done purely on Class Rank, there were always SWO billets left to be filled, and the bottom of the class generally got the less desirable billets . This doesn't mean that SWO is less desirable, and plenty of people at the top of the class went SWO--it's simply a recognition of the fact that there were more billets to fill than their were people to fill them, while most of the other conmmunities had limits on accessions . As OldRetSWO says, aviation often went pretty deep (because there were alof billets), and sometimes they didn't even fill the USMC quota. NFO actually went pretty quick in my day, when we had a lot of aircraft carrying NFO's (P3, E2, A6, EA6B and variety of special mission aircraft) and limited billets.
The fact that the end of the Class often went SWO should not denigrate the SWO community, or those that graduated at the end of the Class. The anchorman graduates with the same rank as the valedictorian, and once you get the commission and go tot he Fleet, your academic performance at USNA doesn't count anymore. Plenty of classmates who graduated lower in the Class served honorably and effectively as SWO's for 20+ years.
I would be curious, and perhaps a current Midshipman or more recent graduate can comment; One of the advantages of the Service Assignment (v. Service Selection ) process is that it give the community some opportunity to evaluate aptitude and fit for that particular community. What happens if NONE of the communities wants a particular Midshipman ? I presume there is a Aptitude evaluation program to identify the person who somehow slipped by the Admissions process and got admitted, and most are separated (voluntarily or involuntarily) before they get to Service Assignment, but what happens to the Midshipman who is not bad enough to separate but nobody wants him/her ?
I will speak on behalf of my mid who just went through the process: he wanted aviation, and went that route. When he arrived on I-day, he wanted subs. He did a sub cruise the summer after plebe year. It was good. He really liked the crew and the officers. He was impressed and felt like they would all get along great, BUT he didn’t like the idea of lots of good food and little exercise and little sleep. He said while the sub crews he encountered were fantastic, he just felt like their lives were not what he wanted. He wanted a healthier life and valued that over the adventure that a sub provides.
He did two YP cruises, one after plebe summer, and one the following summer after protramid. He enjoyed it, and during the second cruise they had the first ROTC participants on board.
As an aside, that particular YP cruise demonstrated to him the value of the YP cruise, specifically, when the ROTC kids started, he said they were like have elementary school kids on board. They literally knew nothing of Navigation, Ship Handling basics, etc etc. stuff they’d been working on since day 1 and he was appalled and terrified for the Navy, BUT by the end of the cruise they were doing a solid job and it really opened his eyes about how valuable the YP cruises are for producing competent sailors.
During protramid he had a short flight week because it fell on the week of the 4th of July. So their time was limited to two days. He did get to go up to fly, but he said his pilot flew straight and level the whole time, nothing exciting. Boring and he didn’t enjoy the flight, but loved that he was flying. He also got to ride on a boomer and I thought his choice for subs had been revived. He absolutely loved it. The captain of that boat was fantastic as well, but had a major impact on him. He loved it.
Then this last summer he did an aviation cruise with a helicopter squadron. He loved it, but I think the thing he took away from that cruise was how great it was to be in the fleet, to cook for yourself, etc
In the end, what made his decision was where he felt most comfortable. He enjoyed the aviation community and felt he fit in there the best. He really struggled with the extra time commitment, because 2 for 7 isn’t as big a decision as, “do I spend 5 years or 10 years in the Navy. If I spend 10, it’s a career and I will not work in the field of my major in all likelihood”. There is also the lure of the big payment. Sub kids get signing bonuses and higher pay.
Regardless of how service assignment went, he was absolutely at peace with the Needs of the Navy come first. Service assignment is first and foremost about the Navy, not the individual. While they might not get their first choice, service comes first.