Questions about orders and careers..

[DocDad]

WOw. Thats a pretty open title. My questions revolve around this: I got a call from my son last night. He's ... annoyed. His assignment in Oki is in a supply warehouse. He's not happy. He wants to use the training from NCHS and FMTB in a manner that is more direct. He has been told that this is "it" for two years.

Now, I understand everyone doing your part. I have no problem with that. My issue is I need to provide moral support for him and I don't know enough about the internal working of the Navy to really know how to. I initially told him that if he was unhappy to follow his chain to get info on what can or can't be done.

I have seen a number of threads here that lead me to believe nothing is in stone. Its just finding the correct path of action that is going to have results.

Obviously there is more here, but I don't know what info is relevant. I am looking for a copy of his initial contract to see whats there.

But if there is any info you can pass along to me that you think is relevant, please do.

DocDad (Jim)

[Da-Chief]

Docdad,
Understand, I can understand where he is coming from about being disappointed, but he needs to understand, that we in the medical field are our own supply people. Corpsman do the job of ordering and obtaining our own supplies.

I saw red when I saw the contract thing in your post. This (Understand I am doing deep breathing exercises now), is not a democracy in the military. If they tell him to paint rooms for 2 years, then that is what he has to do. He will piss people off so bad if he goes the route of the contract thing. It's called bucking the system and he will be labeled as a Whiner.

That being said..here is how he can help himself..

He needs to stop griping and do a stellar job at what he has been assigned. After 6 months or so, ask to go and start doing Sick Call once or twice a week. After the 9 month period drop a chit to go to Sick Call or a PT care area. Trust me when I say, there will be someone out in the Patient Care area who will need a break and want his job. They are both interchangeable as they are both Junior in Rank.

Please don't take offense to my post as it is not intended to be harsh, I am just trying to state the facts of military life. He needs to stop questioning the orders given to him. Follow them.

When I first came in I thought I was a Janitor for 2 years.. I could clean and damn bathroom better then most. I could buff floors so it looked like a Zamboni went over it.

What I am trying to say, is this is the way of the military. It is called 1st LT's Div on the Aviation side, Mess Crankin on the Surface Side etc.

Tell him to do good so they want to reward him with something else.. If he gripes and moans etc.. He will be there for the duration..

Hope this helps..

HMC

[DocDad]

Understood Chief, and thanks!

Let me clarify. You did not appear harsh and I am certainly not offended. As admitted, I am not familiar with the ins/outs the military existence. When the contract was mentioned, it was me looking to start at the beginning so I understand everything I can. That includes asking lots of questions here. My initial advice to him was " suck it up, do your job and look for opportunities to volunteer" (as I have seen here in several places!) but I did tell him that if he had questions to go through channels and not around them. That was based on my own ethic and again on what I have seen here. After re-reading my post, I can see where you would feel how you did. Thanks for the deep breathing! I know him, he WILL gut it out no matter how he hates it. Like I said I don't have enough info on my own to help him in any other fashion. If the end result is the same, then nothing is lost. But I would feel... insufficient if I didn't learn what I could so I can at least support him emotionally and be able to give sound advice. I know now that he has suffered from the ever present "thats not what the recruiter told me" issues. He's mostly over that now (which is a good thing). I learned a lot about that here too.

But, again, I am not offended. We may be only recent acquaintances, but the only thing I ever ask of anyone who might be called friend is to be honest. You were. And I thank you for it. That's what I have come to expect and appreciate here. Honesty. Maybe brutal, but isn't anything we don't want to hear always brutal?

DocDad