June 27, 2013

Navy Life: Part 2

I'm about to get real here, really real. I guess don't really get into to many personal details or talk a whole lot about the military side of S and I's relationship too much (other than Navy balls and fancy things like that), but in this case, I need to be true to myself and write about what has really been weighing on my mind. Things will be changing a lot over these next couple months and I thought it was about time to share.




There are a couple different scenarios, that we are contending with these days, which is pretty normal for military families, I'm sure. Things are very up in the air right now and it's driving me a little crazy, but I'm trying to look on the positive side of each one and I'm getting excited for a change no matter what happens next.


Scenario 1:
A few weeks ago, S put in a package for OCS (officer candidate school). If he gets chosen, he will have to leave pretty quickly to complete 12 weeks of training in Newport, RI. Once he graduates from this program, he will be commissioned as a US Navy Officer.
 
This scenario would keep us here in Charleston for a while longer as S will have to come back to Charleston for more training. It probably wouldn't be for another 1.5 years that we transfer.




USS Washington, Newport News, VA


Scenario 2:
If S does not get picked up as an officer, he will move forward with his reenlistment paperwork and continue his career as enlisted until he has the opportunity to put in for officer again.


Note: When the time is approaching for a sailor to transfer, they have to contact their detailer. The detailer is the person who assigns them their orders and they can also inform the sailor ahead of time of what jobs are available and where so that the sailor may have some say in where they go next (depending on the situation, they may or may not have a say in where they go.)


S spoke with his detailer recently and was able to get some information about what openings are available. I have been not-so-secretly wanting to transfer to San Diego, however, he was told that there isn't anything available there at this time. Boo. What he was told was that there are several positions in Virginia, Hawaii, and Connecticut.

S's first choice possibly would have been Virginia because of the nature of the job, however, that would require him to report as early as January and he doesn't think his current command will allow him to leave early to do that, especially since they just denied someone else's request recently.

So at this point, our next choice is Hawaii. Hawaii! There is a chance, albeit just a chance right now, that we might be moving to Hawaii in less than a year. How crazy yet wonderful would that be??!

So the next few months to a year could go in complete opposite directions as of right now, we are just waiting, waiting, waiting. These are the two main scenarios, but as you know, there are probably a hundred other different things that could happen..

I am finally getting a real glimpse into military life and what the future may or may not hold for us. Ugh, it is truly apparent that the Navy owns you sometimes. I can barely contain myself, looking forward to hearing more news about OCS and where we will be headed to next. Will keep you all posted because if it is Hawaii, it will be my first Navy move and I will need as much info about that AND Hawaii as possible!!!




What are y'alls experiences with transferring/ PCS-ing???




15 comments:

Unknown said...

We LOVED our tour in Hawaii. I remember navigating through Pearl Harbor and feeling the incredible sense of history and pride in that port. I went from Texas to Hawaii when I enlisted, Hawaii to Virginia for 'A' school, then back to Hawaii. Then to Chicago, IL, then Cape May, NJ, then Boca Raton, Florida, then Dallas, Texas while my husband was underway, and now we're headed to Cape Cod, MA in two weeks!

Meg said...

I know it must be stressful to have all of these different options (I know personally I'm not great with change, but not knowing what that change will be as soon as possible is even worse), but seriously, what great options?!?! VA you'll be sort of close to where you are now, CT you could be near your fam, and Hawaii - I don't need to convince you of that one! If S does get into OCS, you should definitely go visit - I loooove Newport!

Melissa (i swim for oceans) said...

It's nice (nice is a strong word lol) to read about other military girlfriends living with their life in a state of flux while their loved one is awaiting orders. My boyfriend recently re-enlisted and put in his application for warrant officer school (Army). We're waiting on whether that's accepted. If it is, then he'll be off to training for 6 weeks then stationed elsewhere. He's in Arizona right now, and I'm in Boston until his final orders come through. It's craziness.

Sam said...

I swear being spontaneous is not my strong point but by the end of all this the military is going to try to beat the planner out of me lol. At least you have two exciting options...even if you do have to wait to hear which one!

Eights on the Move said...

Giiiiiirl I totally feel ya :) I know we've chatted briefly via email about our loves' and their OCS paths! I can't wait to hear how things go for you guys! I have my own opinions about where I'd prefer we go, although its too hard to plan this far in advance - grrrr! Best of luck!

Lindsay Erin said...

Ummmm.....can I come visit?! :o) In all seriouness, I know this is probably nerve-racking. I hope for the best for you guys adn I'm sure you will end up right where you are meant to be!

The Better Belle Project said...

Gah! I will be SO jealous if you get hawaii! Still upset that we didn't put that first on our list! (Charleston isn't a bad consolation prize though!)

The biggest thing in dealing with the military is that old saying "hurry up and wait" except after you wait forever, everything will hit at once! It's like the law or something... anyway, whatever happens I'm sure you guys will do great and make a beautiful life together wherever you end up!

When is he supposed to find out about OCS? (Selfishly my fingers are crossed for that one, I want y'all to stay in Charleston longer! haha)

Rach said...

Hawaii!! That would be amazing! I mean, the whole not-knowing isn't fun for sure and I love that you are excited about whatever comes next regardless what it is, but Hawaii would be especially amazing!

Jen said...

We had orders to Hawaii but we actually turned them down haha.

Kristen said...

My husband's in the Air Force, but as an Officer, we get moved around every 2-3 years. We had a good feeling we were going to get this base, but we are due to PCS next year and have absolutely no clue where we are going. It drives me insane! I know it's a year away, but being the control freak that I am, it makes being a military spouse way harder than it should be. Good luck to the both of you!

B @ then there was we said...

Best of luck rolling with the punches on this one. We're in a similar boat--my husband is applying to OTS (the AF version of OCS) in Dec and we're crossing our fingers with that. If he gets it then we'll be leaving Japan a lot earlier than expected and bouncing around for a bit. If he doesn't make it then we have 2 more years in Japan and NO clue right now where we'll end up next. Gotta love the military life!

Katie said...

Oh my! I know how this waiting period feels! It's so hard! My husband is in the AF and we are moving to San Diego in about 2 weeks so he can go work with the MC. We had no idea if we would even be moving this summer, but the assignment came up quickly and then to find out that it wasn't even to an AF base! Hawaii would be so fun! I have a friend who's hubby is stationed in Hawaii right now and she LOVES it! I hope it works out for you - best of luck!

Anonymous said...

When my hubs had a "choice" of duty station, we also ranked the 5 places. It was a real blow to me at first to get our "last" pick, but things have a way of working out. Even though where we ended up was initially our last choice, it has turned out to be the best thing And we cannot imagine being stationed anywhere else! It has been the best for his career, and I lucked out with the timing of finding a job too. But no one can deny that the waiting is pretty awful. Lessons in patience and going with the flow all thanks to the military!

Ashleigh said...

How exciting! I'm glad to hear that you will be in Charleston at least long enough for us to *hopefully* meet in person!

Emily Stewart said...

I know it's a stressful time but whatever is meant to be will be the best thing. And the good thing is, all of those are options are great! Keep us posted about what the Navy decides!

PS: Usually PCSing isn't too bad if the Navy moves for you. We just moved from Pensacola to San Diego and the move was actually a breeze aside from a few scratches on our furniture and a broken grill. However, they were kind enough to send us some mula to compensate too! Good luck girl! :)

 
Blogging tips