Opportunity Abound

      There are still so many things that I don’t know about the military in general. There is so much to learn and so many different ways to go about things. I decided I would start gathering a lot of questions about the USMC, pilot eligibility, and college oriented programs a while ago. Since I felt I had acquired enough questions and I knew more weren’t coming until I’m much farther down my path I decided to call my recruiter today and talk to him about some of them.

      When I called I was a little less than eager. For me a phone call isn’t as direct as simply talking to a person in front of you and I prefer to be direct whenever possible. Consequently in this instance I felt a little uneasy. This was somewhat amplified by the fact that I could barely hear him and the fact that he soon told me he was busy with someone else. He said he’d call back when they were finished. That was understandable so I began waiting near the phone expecting it to be no more than forty minutes to an hour before he called back.

      Sometime around three hours later he called me back (maybe even two and a half hours). I could barely hear him still. I’d assume the receiver on his phone was old or failing because it sounded as if he was holding the phone a good five feet away from himself. He remembered who I was which made things easier and I began to ask some of my questions. I don’t recall in what exact order I asked my questions and I could barely hear him. As a result I could have easily misunderstood something he said and gotten some information wrong so please feel free to correct me if you notice any errors.

      One of the first questions I asked was about LASER eye surgery. As far as I understand it in order to be a pilot you need to have 20/20 eyesight which many people don’t have (I used to have better than that, but it’s a long story).  I was curious about it because I thought I’d heard somewhere before that if you had certain conditions or if your eyesight was poor enough you wouldn’t be able to receive LASER surgery treatment. My recruiter told me he had never heard of such a case before and everyone should be able to receive the proper treatment. I was very relieved when I heard this answer.

      The next thing I asked about was the age limitations for becoming a pilot. He didn’t know and had to search for the answer but eventually found it. He told me that the age requirement for becoming a pilot is twenty-one years old. He then said that the age limit is twenty-seven and a half. I really don’t know how long it’s going to take me to finish everything I need but I certainly hope I do it before I’m too old to begin training. I’m going to blast through everything as fast and efficiently as I can.

      I recalled when I had first visited him and he told me that it would be good to have enlisted experience before becoming an officer. I was never really quite sure what he meant by that and asked him if he could elaborate upon it. He just told me that it would give me an understanding of what the demands upon enlisted soldiers are and what they have to work with and go through. Personally I’d prefer to have this kind of experience but I’m still not sure how I’m going to approach attempting to join.

      After this I wanted to know a little bit more about becoming an officer and the different ways to do so. The first thing he mentioned to me was the BOOST (Broadened Opportunity for Officer Selection and Training) program which as far as I understand is a preparatory program for enlisted personnel who desire to go to college but are educationally deprived or not yet at college level. I’m not sure why he mentioned this program to me considering it is only available to enlisted personnel while currently you need fifteen college credits to even enlist in the USMC. I guess that’s something I couldn’t hear and missed but I don’t think I’ll have to worry about it very much because I doubt I’ll have need of this program.

      I soon asked him about programs that actually pay for your college education and he told me about the PLC (Platoon Leaders Course). From what I’ve gathered about this program it is open to most college students regardless of if you’ve ever served in the military. You attend summer training to help prepare you for becoming a Marine and the length is dependant on your year in college. I believe that most colleges even give you credit for completing this program. You can also receive tuition assistance however until you do accept the assistance you are not required to serve in the USMC. Once you graduate you then have the chance to serve as a second lieutenant provided you meet the requirements.

      I then decided to ask what it would be like if I were to enlist immediately when I attained the minimum fifteen credits required but continued with college all the same. The recruiter then told me about another way to become a commissioned officer called MECEP (Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program). As I’ve understood this one you can apply at any enlisted rank but must be between the ages of twenty and twenty-six. You also have to score well enough on certain tests to qualify and once qualified you need to submit a package of all relevant records and documents to be accepted. You also have to submit an essay which even undergoes handwriting analysis. However if you are accepted your college classes will be fully paid for and you will go to school full time while still receiving active duty pay.

      After everything else one of the only things left that I wanted to know was about the contract that you sign when you join. My questions were specifically about your MOS (Military Occupation Specialty). For those who don’t know your MOS is basically your job title and in the military they are broken down into fields each with their own numbers and every job under that specific field also has its own numbers. If you want to learn more you can go here.

      I’ve heard many things from many people; some of it contradictory. Some have told me that you don’t get to choose your MOS while others have said that they would never sign their contract if their MOS wasn’t in it. I have additionally heard that it can be very hard to change your MOS (such as working your way up from enlisted to officer so you can become a pilot). When I asked my recruiter about this he told me that it usually isn’t hard to change your MOS. He further explained to me that you do get to select which field you want to work in but how you perform on certain tests determines which specific job in that field you get assigned to. He continued by saying that he wasn’t sure on the exact process for officers but that the Officer Selection Office knew everything I could want to know about this sort of thing since I wanted to be a pilot and thus would be required to be an officer. My father also told me that the top 10% of each class in TBS (The Basic School) gets to choose their MOS themselves but I’m not sure how true this is as I have not personally confirmed it.

      The final question I was going to ask him I nearly forgot to do so. Once a few years ago I knew a guy who was in the Army and told me that once you sign the contract any original work you create would be the property of the Army. For example if you were to write a book while in the Army they would own it. I wanted to know how true this was or if there was any basis to it at all. He remarked that he had never heard anything about that and he did not recall anything similar to that being in the contract but that he would have to re-read it to be sure. Another answer that gave me some relief considering I do also want to be a writer.

      Finally as I no longer had anymore questions to ask he told me to call him back as soon as I had the minimum fifteen credits required and then he would give me the number to the Officer Selection Office who would be able to better answer a number of my questions. I kind of wish I could ask them about these sorts of things right now however patience isn’t an issue for me. I really don’t know if I want to enlist as soon as possible and then work towards officer and pilot or just go straight for officer and pilot from the start but I have plenty of time to decide. For now all I need to do is get to work.

There are other options and programs to become an officer in the USMC though the two mentioned here (PLC and MECEP) are the most likely ones for me. To see other programs and learn more visit these links:

http://www.marineofficer.com/page/Earning-a-Commission-O.jsp

http://www.military.com/MilitaryCareers/Content/0,14556,MPDC_Options_Commissioning_Marine,00.html

To learn more about PLC (Platoon Leaders Course) visit these links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platoon_Leaders_Class

http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/marinetrng/a/marineplc.htm

To learn more about MECEP (Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program) visit these links:

http://usmilitary.about.com/od/marinetrng/a/mcecp.htm

http://nrotc.ou.edu/mecep.html

Wonders Never Cease

      Undoubtedly my last transcript was inadequate. My old teacher requested that I provide her with the relevant records so that she could give me all of my credits. She wants me to provide her with the records that it was no less than her job and legal obligation to be keeping up to now since she chose not to send anything to the board of education (who I also feel has failed in their job by not being on top of things like this). The few records I do have were never meant to be the basis for a transcript; that’s not the student’s job. Despite this she has been given what there was to be found on my end.

      As a result, my old teacher sent over a ‘fixed’ copy of my transcript. About the only differences between this and the last one that I noticed was the fact that my name was correct and it looked like she had given me one additional credit. The changes were not satisfactory but it was suggested to me that it be taken to the college anyway so that I could obtain whatever precious few credits there were. That way I could start working and when I could get her to rightfully give me more I would then bring that to the college as well. This way there wouldn’t be too much wasted time.

      Things always get better. Even though the name was now acceptable the transcript still was not. You see a proper transcript is required to have numerical grade values. You might wonder why but this is to help with conversion between the different systems that schools use and more so to keep an accurate record on file. I’m sure you have guessed by now that there were absolutely no numerical values on the paper at all. It was nothing more than the letter “C” across the very few lines on the page. At this juncture the college wanted to see her teaching certificate granted to her by local government and I can’t blame them in the least. You might have also guessed by now that she doesn’t have that either. So now we have to request a copy from the board of education.

      I wasn’t pleased before we went to the college today and I was definitely less pleased by the time we left. All the same by now I was getting hungry so after a few other stops I went to one of the local Taco Bell establishments. As soon as I walked in I could tell something was different and before I could even speak a word the two cashiers were already bickering in jest. When I said what I wanted the man on the right started to input my order and the woman on the left began to reach over to correct the order which was promptly followed by a short lived burst of hand slapping between the two of them reaching for the same computer. The woman on the left said “I’m sorry.” To which I said “I don’t mind.” And then the man on the right said sarcastically “See he doesn’t care.”

      Many snarky comments were flung between the two the entire time which somehow evolved into a tackling match in front of the registers. I could already tell the rest of the employees there weren’t really amused by their antics but I honestly thought it was fun to watch. As the woman went in the back to get my order the man said “Women are crazy, you know what I mean?” I’ve met my share of insane women so I nodded in agreement. After I had my order the woman again apologized by saying “I’m sorry customer.” And I again told her I didn’t mind. As I picked up my order the man said something along the lines of “Women are crazy man, run away!” as I turned for the door he yelled “Run dawg run!”

      I can only imagine for how long they carried on after I left yet I’m glad I stopped there. Because of their shenanigans I wasn’t feeling so bad about all of my transcript issues anymore. Call it perfect timing, coincidence, or what have you but I needed it. Nevertheless I haven’t forgotten and I’m not letting go until I’m satisfied with whatever may come.

Familiarizing Setbacks

      Today I returned to the college for the second and final part of orientation. I don’t feel like I wasted so much time today though so that’s always good. All the same people showed up that were there before and I thought it was kind of funny that everyone (including myself) sat in the same exact seats despite the freedom to sit anywhere.

      As soon as the teacher arrived she began handing out strangely assembled slips of paper (as seen above). I could tell from the start that these were in fact the scores from the test we had taken just two days prior. The scores on the slips were actually approximations of what level of education you fell into for each segment. I expected I’d get average scores for the English parts and I feared the worst when it came to the mathematics. It turns out I did quite well, as you can see in the image at the top of this post. In fact my results were in the highest tier available.

      The teacher then began explaining the differences between the available programs which were ABE (Adult Basic Education), GED (General Educational Development), and AHS (Adult High School). In short ABE is for those not yet up to high school standards while GED and AHS are for those who currently are. There was a lot of explanation about what scores fit into what area; the higher your score the higher the tier you fell into. Scores of 8.9 and below fell into one of the four tiers for ABE while scores of 9.0 and above fell into one of the two tiers for GED or AHS.

      For the high school level programs scores of 9.0 to 10.0 were eligible for GED/AHS low and scores of 11.0 to 12.0 were eligible for GED/AHS high. Neither GED nor AHS is above the other as far as I understand it. The teacher never really elaborated upon the differences between to the two. Despite this, I know that AHS will serve you far better than a GED would. My choice was clear.

      I could elaborate on comparisons between GED and AHS even more but I don’t feel that’s needed and I don’t think anyone really wants to read it. Since I chose AHS my only requirement at this point is a total of twenty credits. That’s all I need and I will be finished and ready to start working for my fifteen college credits required to enlist into the USMC. It sounded simple at first but what would happen later took away that comfort.

      All that remained before the orientation would be over was a short tour around the college along with clarification of which buildings housed which facilities. After this I met privately with the teacher in her office to discuss an issue with one of my transcripts. You see the head of the private school which I once attended (and is now closed) never kept any records. Let me be a little more specific, she never kept any records of grades, attendance, or even student names.

      You did read that correctly. There were no records of any kind to be had. Due to this when she was creating my transcript she simply made everything up. When I left her school I was just a couple months from finishing high school entirely. However according to the transcript she had given me I barely even began. I attended for well over two years while the document (if you can call it that) claimed I had only been there for one year.

      It always seems to find a way to get even better. This lackluster ‘record’ in fact did list most of the classes I had taken for my second year there but as if it were some cruel joke of irony it didn’t assign any credit for any of them. The four or five classes that weren’t missing and she decided to give me credit for were all given the grade of C in what felt to be open ridicule of the fact that I had actually received a good amount of A’s. If that wasn’t enough, the crowning accomplishment atop this scandalous script was the fact that she didn’t even know how to spell my name which you might think isn’t so bad were it not for the grandiose absurdity of claiming that my name was none other than the word “Thorough”.

…

      Clearly this document was unacceptable. Even if it were I would never agree to submit the vast majority of my rightfully earned credits to the great void never to be seen again. I knew things wouldn’t be simple but this is getting worse by the day. Right now it feels like someone out there is trying to tear away my will to carry on with my quest to become a pilot. Unfortunately for them they don’t seem to be aware that my will is about the only thing I have left in my life at this point nor do they seem to realize that it’s impossible to stop a man determined to reach out and meet his future.

I’ll be damned if this ends here.

Making Sense is Overrated

      So I went to the orientation at the college today and it was an incredible waste of time. I’ll try to put into words what happened today…

      The orientation was supposed to start at 9:00 AM however the teacher wasn’t there until a few minutes after. What’s worse is that twenty-three people signed up for it and only ten showed up. What’s worse still is the fact that four of the ten that showed up were late. I’m not here to judge other people but that’s kind of saddening when you think about it.

      Though there wasn’t really a problem with the teacher showing up just a few minutes late; that sort of thing I don’t mind. Once the teacher decided to start we had to fill out a bunch of forms and we were only allowed to fill them out a certain way and only where the teacher specified. Again, I didn’t mind this sort of thing. This was just the college gathering our information and so on.

      After that we were given a test with four segments and twenty-five questions each with breaks in-between most parts of the tests. I don’t really want to make it sound like the other people that were there were a little slow or anything but for the most part I finished the test segments before anyone else was done which gave me time to draw a little bit since I had nothing else to do. That’s not to say I did flawlessly on the test. The entire thing was simple however when the mathematics section started I soon realized I had forgotten most of the mathematical formulas I had previously learned over the years due to complete and absolute disuse.

      Mathematics is something I’ll have to work on, not because I’m weak with it or anything but because I simply don’t remember a lot of the formulas. However re-learning them is an easy enough thing to accomplish so it won’t really be too much of an issue. I just felt kind of silly since I know I’ve done much more complicated work before. If nothing else I suppose it was a good thing to notice that slight gap in my memory. I also thought it was funny that they gave us calculators for the word problems section.

      This all sounds fine and well, nothing unexpected so far. However once we were on the last part of the tests the teacher said to not worry if we did poorly on any part of it. I thought I understood what she was saying up to that point, these aren’t actual classes or real work we’re doing here… but I could never guessed what was about to happen next. As the teacher clarified further I realized why she had said this, apparently we have to do the same exact tests all over again.

      Yes, we have to do the very same tests again. “Why?” you might be wondering. Well the teacher actually explained that to us. She said that the people who are actually in charge of the program and place us into the appropriate classes don’t like the way that the orientation does the testing and thus makes you do them all over again. At this point I was wondering why we didn’t just take the tests with them to begin with and avoid the gigantic waste of time that we were currently partaking in.

      It gets even better. In order to receive credit for the tests we took today we have to return on Wednesday. Yes, in order to get credit for tests that grant no credit at all and must be retaken we have to come back on a completely different day than the day they were actually taken. I don’t even know what to say about it at this point. Do they think we had our twins or some sort of duplicates come in and take the tests for us? And why does credit even matter if we have to retake them all over again? 

      I’m not really thrilled about all that time I wasted there. Though I suppose it’s not a complete loss since I did have enough time to draw a little bit during it all. I’m not eager to go back Wednesday and I really don’t know what to expect. I don’t even want to think about it. Superfluous is a good word to describe the orientation so far.