Really stupid questions about life as a SWO and anything else not aviation related [mod dog wuz hərə]

[Uncle Fester]

I've been in the Navy for 10 years now and have yet to spend any time on a ship, life as a "Green Side Corpsman", I've only read the stories form here and random spots I can find online about SWO life. Is there anyone out there that really enjoys being a SWO and have SWO's ever Lat moved to NFO or Pilot?

I lat-xfered from SWO to NFO in 2001. So my info about Shoe life is dated, and based on what I’ve seen on my Boat and frigate cruises since then.

I enjoyed the sailoring part of being a SWO. Conning alongside and pier landings, taking the RHIB to chase go-fasts and do boardings, that kind of thing. The rest was just being an industrial manager. Paperwork and reports and supervising the guys who actually do the work.

We had a shitty captain - screaming micromanager type - so life wasn’t fun. I’ve seen ships with good COs, too, and good command climates. But even on a happy ship, they’re being run ragged with a ridiculous optempo and not enough time for mx or training, let alone rest. Good news is that, since the collisions over in 7th Fleet, the community seems to be taking a hard look at how they do business and seems willing to make changes. Time will tell.

 

[Triumph_MAC]

I lat-xfered from SWO to NFO in 2001. So my info about Shoe life is dated, and based on what I’ve seen on my Boat and frigate cruises since then.

I enjoyed the sailoring part of being a SWO. Conning alongside and pier landings, taking the RHIB to chase go-fasts and do boardings, that kind of thing. The rest was just being an industrial manager. Paperwork and reports and supervising the guys who actually do the work.

We had a shitty captain - screaming micromanager type - so life wasn’t fun. I’ve seen ships with good COs, too, and good command climates. But even on a happy ship, they’re being run ragged with a ridiculous optempo and not enough time for mx or training, let alone rest. Good news is that, since the collisions over in 7th Fleet, the community seems to be taking a hard look at how they do business and seems willing to make changes. Time will tell.

How old was you when you did the Lat transfer?

 

[Uncle Fester]

How old was you when you did the Lat transfer?

I was 24.

 

[Bergers2short]

I've been in the Navy for 10 years now and have yet to spend any time on a ship, life as a "Green Side Corpsman", I've only read the stories form here and random spots I can find online about SWO life. Is there anyone out there that really enjoys being a SWO and have SWO's ever Lat moved to NFO or Pilot?

BLUF: If you want to be an NFO or pilot, you're best bet is through the application process now. Even if it means serious test prep to retake the ASTB now.

The SWO community won't let you put in a redesignation package until you get your pin. After the 7th flt collisions, most COs are wary of fast tracking JO's quals, even for shit-hot divos. And who knows whether your first ship will get underway often enough to qualify quickly or if you'll be stuck in the yards waiting to get all your underway evolutions done. There's also a political aspect to this--show up to your ship saying "I want to qual quickly so I can redesignate ASAP" and you're likely to run into speed bumps getting your boards and support from the command. So do the math with your age: assume selection + OCS + BDOC + SWO Pin will take at least 2 years with a really generous estimate of every timeline.

I dunno if you'd need to retake your ASTB before submitting a redesignation package, but even if not, it's still a lot of work to do outside of being a 1st tour SWO. After qualifying relatively quickly, I looked into putting a package together for another community. I ultimately decided that it'd be a better use of my time to put that effort towards getting my EOOW so I could take a non-traditional 2nd tour.

Best of luck in the process. It's not impossible to transfer over, but I recommend doing everything in your power to get selected NFO or Pilot now.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

How old was you when you did the Lat transfer?

I believe you have to meet age requirements and you would get the benefit of the prior service age limit, now I am drawing on my memory from the Pilot I worked with in recruiting.

 

[Max the Mad Russian]

AFAIK, relatively new (and stolen from NavAir experience) Surface Navy WTI program has placed several fresh IAMD WTIs to AW Weapon School in Fallon where they were qualified as AW Weapon Instructors. Whether it means that those Shoes were in E-2Cs doing the NFOs job and succeded in it? If so, the SWOs' life becomes not so grim - if one could wrestle for WTI in this pipeline (IAMD) and spend half of sequent two-years "producing" tour within NA/NFO crowd. BTW, WTI is available for Shoe LDO/CWOs as well

 

[BigRed389]

AFAIK, relatively new (and stolen from NavAir experience) Surface Navy WTI program has placed several fresh IAMD WTIs to AW Weapon School in Fallon where they were qualified as AW Weapon Instructors. Whether it means that those Shoes were in E-2Cs doing the NFOs job and succeded in it? If so, the SWOs' life becomes not so grim - if one could wrestle for WTI in this pipeline (IAMD) and spend half of sequent two-years "producing" tour within NA/NFO crowd. BTW, WTI is available for Shoe LDO/CWOs as well

Not the same thing at all.

 

[Max the Mad Russian]

Not the same thing at all.

A matter of a fact that it doesn't make them NFOs, but it surely makes communities closer to each other, isn't it? Kinda old Naval Destroyer School restored along lines borrowed from aviation, right?

 

[prestonaz]

Are there any specialty schools for SWO’s, like how there are specialty schools for the ARMY (airborne school, Ranger school, sapper school, etc.)?

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

Are there any specialty schools for SWO’s, like how there are specialty schools for the ARMY (airborne school, Ranger school, sapper school, etc.)?

Yes.

 

[Meyerkord]

Are there any specialty schools for SWO’s, like how there are specialty schools for the ARMY (airborne school, Ranger school, sapper school, etc.)?

SWOs go to BDOC in either Norfolk or San Diego to basically gain leadership skills and learn how to be a DivO. Any more specialty training after that stems from the actual job they want you doing on their ship.

 

[wlawr005]

An airborne SWO would be an NFO.

 

[Uncle Fester]

An airborne SWO would be an NFO.

 

[HAL Pilot]

Don't listen to wlar005 - he wasn't selected to be a RAG IP and is trying to cover up his own inadequacies…..

(smilies and shit)

 

[DanMa1156]

Don't listen to wlar005 - he wasn't selected to be a RAG IP and is trying to cover up his own inadequacies…..

(smilies and shit)