Life After The Navy

[robav8r]

To all,

I spoke with the webmaster and recommended a forum to discuss the transition from military life to the civilian world. I know there is a wealth of information and knowledge within the current membership and I know that there are lots of folks who could benefit from an exchange of civilian job info and "how to" gouge on how to make the transition easier. Kind of like "TAP" class for aviators. Personally, I will most likely be starting my transition to the civilian world at the end of the year and would enjoy hearing all the experts out there that have already done it. Look forward to hearing your ideas and comments.

 

[phrogpilot73]

I agree, I'd love to hear some stuff... I just finshed TAP, and I'm going on terminal in April, needless to say I'm starting to get slightly nervous...

 

[robav8r]

I agree, I'd love to hear some stuff... I just finshed TAP, and I'm going on terminal in April, needless to say I'm starting to get slightly nervous...

As an aviator and officer, do you feel TAP offered anything you didn't already know? I'm hopefully going in March before my IA.

 

[Huggy Bear]

I agree, I'd love to hear some stuff... I just finshed TAP, and I'm going on terminal in April, needless to say I'm starting to get slightly nervous...

Amen. I did TAP recently too. It really opened my eyes to how much I haven't done.

 

[Huggy Bear]

As an aviator and officer, do you feel TAP offered anything you didn't already know? I'm hopefully going in March before my IA.

I suppose it varies in quality from place to place, but by and large it was worthwhile. However, in typical navy fashion it was 1-2 days of info crammed into one week. It is geared toward more of a younger audience. I was the only officer in my class of 57, and most of the questions were from 22 year olds getting out after a few years in the navy. All of the recruiters who came on the last day were geared more toward that experience level as well (home depot, chevron, etc.). I thought the resume and interview portions were helpful. The best part was the VA and the explanation of their benefits. For example, if you served in Iraq, you are entitled to two years of medical care from the VA after separating. I wouldn't have known that without TAP.

 

[feddoc]

I've got about two days left on active duty. :icon_tong

Been through two TAP classes...one when I was about to be med boarded and the other 9 years later just before retirement.

The best gouge I can give is to take notes and names on everything...PSD...Nav Hosp, etc. People forget things said and either you or they will forget something and that something could turn out to be very important.

Make copies of everything. After you retire/separate, put it in a filing cabinet somewhere. Don't throw it away. Ever.

Make yourself a calendar and put various tasks on it....when to: make multiple copies of your medical record, decide on SBP (or not), set up HHG move, where to send your DD-214, etc . If it seems small, put it on the calendar anyway and complete it.

Your health....now is the time to start bitching about all the little things you didn't bitch about during your annual flight physical. Make sure it is in your medical record and, the obvious, make copies.

 

[phrogpilot73]

Make copies of everything. After you retire/separate, put it in a filing cabinet somewhere. Don't throw it away. Ever.

Is that for when they try to NJP you for being UA when you're 70? I wouldn't put it past them...

I do agree wholeheartedly, as I found out when I was applying for my officer program (and had lost my DD-214 from the reserves), it can be a ROYAL pain in the ass to regenerate anything. That's why I ordered a copy of my OMPF from the USMC, so at least I have digital copies of my OQR, Fitreps, etc...

 

[Brett327]

Your health....now is the time to start bitching about all the little things you didn't bitch about during your annual flight physical. Make sure it is in your medical record and, the obvious, make copies.

Like that vestigial tail that sprouted up about the same time I started flying Prowlers?

Brett

 

[bsm9531]

I suppose it varies in quality from place to place, but by and large it was worthwhile. However, in typical navy fashion it was 1-2 days of info crammed into one week. It is geared toward more of a younger audience. I was the only officer in my class of 57, and most of the questions were from 22 year olds getting out after a few years in the navy. All of the recruiters who came on the last day were geared more toward that experience level as well (home depot, chevron, etc.). I thought the resume and interview portions were helpful. The best part was the VA and the explanation of their benefits. For example, if you served in Iraq, you are entitled to two years of medical care from the VA after separating. I wouldn't have known that without TAP.

Granted, I got out in 1993 as part of the post cold war RIF but it sounds like things have not changed much. Huggy Bear's comments are dead on. Quite frankly one of the things that really left a bad taste in my mouth was the guy from the VA. He kept saying how sucessfull they were in reviewing medical records to "get you bennies." I was perfectly health then after 6 years in the Navy and I am perfectly healthy now. Maybe it was just my take on it but he was really trying to sell the younger E's on the "free money" sales pitch. I'm all for compensating folks who really deserve it but this guy seemed to cross the line into pandering.

 

[Gatordev]

To all,

I spoke with the webmaster and recommended a forum to discuss the transition from military life to the civilian world. I know there is a wealth of information and knowledge within the current membership and I know that there are lots of folks who could benefit from an exchange of civilian job info and "how to" gouge on how to make the transition easier. Kind of like "TAP" class for aviators. Personally, I will most likely be starting my transition to the civilian world at the end of the year and would enjoy hearing all the experts out there that have already done it. Look forward to hearing your ideas and comments.

There actually is a forum already set up for exactly this called the "Transition Forum." It's private, however, so that it's not polluted w/ every wannabe asking about how they can fly C-40s out of flight school. Unfortunately, it's a little too restrictive, due to the permissions, so not much happens in there. I wish we could make the permission so that if you have a warfare insignia (wings, water or otherwise) you can see it, but I'm not that smart in making it work that way. Perhaps if webmaster has the inclination.

 

[robav8r]

EXACTLY what I was looking for. Webmaster ???

 

[Gatordev]

Not sure if he's incommunicado right now, so until he becomes communicado, go ahead and just ask to join the group (in Group Memberships in your User CP) and one of us can add you in.

 

[Flash]

I agree, I'd love to hear some stuff... I just finshed TAP, and I'm going on terminal in April, needless to say I'm starting to get slightly nervous...

I am 28 days out and I am getting even more nervous.........

TAP was good, at least here in DC it was geared towards officers and senior enlisted than the E-4's getting out, at least half of my class was O's and 70%were retiring.

While it was a bit tedious at times, it did have a lot of useful info that I would not have gotten elsewhere. We even had a personal fashion consultant come in and advise everyone on their dress, pretty good advice (she told me leisure suits were not coming back........Damnit!!).

Other than that, I second the advice to copy everything, especially your medical record. I have heard too many stories of guys having way too much trouble 20-30 years down the road taking care of things that happened to them in the service (ejecting from an A-4, 25 years later having back trouble/surgery but with no record it took 3 years before the VA would touch him, had to go back and find the record of the crash and evidence that he was in the jet....... ).

 

[robav8r]

Thanks

Not sure if he's incommunicado right now, so until he becomes communicado, go ahead and just ask to join the group (in Group Memberships in your User CP) and one of us can add you in.

OK, thanks, I'm in. Saw all the helo flying stuff posted, now we just need to expand to cover, fixed wing, ASW, ISR, etc. Hopefully this will grow. I already got an excellent tip from an old P-3 TACCO, excellent gouge. Thanks again.