my life 2007

Diana,

Wow, June is a long way off. That’s a long time to hold our collective breath. It sounds like you’ve done everything right, though. Now it’s up to the gods of bureaucracy.

Sounds like the AF’s Surprise Party department has overruled the Fairy Godmother department temporarily. We’ll keep our fingers crossed that it doesn’t last.

Maybe it’s not a good time to ask this, but do you have thoughts on what you’d do after separation?

Dave

I haven’t entirely given up on the Fairy Godmother Department yet.

I haven’t really given after-undesired-separation much thought. I still want the PhD. I’d just have to go back to…living like a real student, I suppose. :)

One of the reasons they gave us this much notice is so more people will take them up on the VSP offer and the RIF board won’t have to pick so many. So…yeah. I won’t know until after the end of this semester if my luck has held. (Obviously, I’ve worked hard to make my own luck, too, but it isn’t all in my hands.)

d

Ah, the good old axe from Uncle Sam. Funny that they’re doing this while at the same time the war effort is leading the armed services to try to re-recruit the deceased and injured (I know, big mistake, not actual recruitment effort).

Begrudgingly, that’s how I exited the USAF–as they ramped up for the first Gulf War, and sought to replace Airmen with B2 bombers and munitions. Exiting seemed like a good idea at the time (note to future enlistees…always have more stripes than children…or better yet finish college and then hold for a commission), ‘though I often wonder how things may have turned out had I managed to better handle my time in service (I’ would have been in 18-19 years right now…probably would have finished my degree…maybe would have earned a commission…would probably have Gulf War, Afghanistan, and Iraq ribbons…).

I’m doing well, don’t get me wrong…just wondering aloud-ish. It’s probably best that I was getting volunteered (OK, strongly encouraged) to take the early, and Honorable, discharge. Oh, the drama of it all…

It does seem tempting to take the VSP offer. That is a pretty handy nest-egg to leave with (I got a bunch of well-wishes and a lifelong pal), and would probably give much toward completing your PhD at our prestigious University… It’d be easier to live like a student with experience, degrees, and a six-digit savings account than it was to do so before.

If it was me, I’d hold out, keep working hard, and try to retire proper. You’ve got lots of time in service, a good career and plan for getting Major, and one of those service karmas that seems to go in the right direction. Not that I have any bias…

If they disagree, you are welcome to our fine city, should attend our fine University, and, heck, could even get a teaching gigs at one of our fine secondary schools and put those non-technical degrees to use while you chase the doctorate.

I’ll even help you house-hunt in our fine neighborhood…

Hang in there, Cuz. It may be naive of me, but I like to think that the powers that be are smart enough not to let someone like you get away. (Believing they would keep the best ones and 86 the slackers helps me sleep at night.) My husband retired from the Army with 20+ years and the benefits of retirement far outweigh the years of separation we dealt with when he would have to do yet another unaccompanied tour. You deserve to be allowed to earn your retirement.

I wish the two of you were sitting on my RIF board. :)

Right now, I think I have a very good shot, but that’s in the absence of specific information about this specific board. I spoke with my boss at length about it yesterday. I wanted him to know I’m concerned and losing some sleep and as soon as he knows anything, PLEASE pass it along. He said they usually non-select for continued service the same way they non-select for promotions (which makes sense). If I had an overseas tour, I’d be in a better position. However, I’ve had no control over that, anyway. Absolutely none. It doesn’t make sense that they’d select against someone who’s simply never been sent abroad through no fault of their own.

I dunno. I have a great boss and a terrific department head. I believe they will do right by me. If it looks like I’ll be RIF’d, I’ll opt for the six-digit nest egg then make plans from there. If it doesn’t, I’ll place confidence in my record and all the effort I’ve made to establish myself.

I just hate unknowns THIS big.

d

Hey Capt.,
Hang in there. The AF has been known to have the occasional outbreak of smart decisions and common sense. I gave up on the AF too soon and struggled for a long time and regretted that decision. I have always looked at you as the epitomy of the ideal officer and leader and hopefully they will to.

Wow! Thanks, Rick. I had no idea, (which is probably best). But…you just did wonders for my morale. :)

How’s the new job working out, anyway? Are you happy there?

d

Stick with it Diana.

If you quit in advance, you’ll never know whether you would have been able to stay on or not, and you’ll end up regretting not having tried.

From all you list, and from your achievements over the last few years, you have to be one of the absolute best they have. I find it difficult to believe that they would be so stupid as to choose to get rid of you, and you must be head and shoulders above the rest of the field.

If worst comes to worst, you’re not in any sense going to starve. You’ll have a decent nest egg whatever happens, and I’m sure you’d be eminently employable.

Good luck.

baldbantam

Thanks, baldbantam.

You make a good point. Even though I get double the separation pay if I volunteer, I’ll spend the rest of my life wondering if I’d have made it through the RIF. In the end, I’d rather know, I think, than have the extra money but never know.

Thanks for the encouragement and food for thought. :)

d

Diana,

I think that’s the right choice. What’s money worth compared to your self-respect? I think I know you well enough to know that money isn’t THAT important to you.

“To thine own self be true.”

Dave

Yeah. There are other considerations, as well. (Things keep occurring to me.) First, if I get the RIF, I’ll have six months to make alternate arrangements and apply to a good PhD program (and as a civilian, I could actually take the full five years to complete it, too…so, silver linings and all). I think the RIF would leave me more available options for possibly returning to uniform when the military changes their minds and decides they really need more officers again (which will happen in another three or four years, if history is any schoolmarm). I think there’d even be a possibility of getting a reservist position teaching at the Academy so I could keep doing what I’m doing, but I don’t know.

Most of all, though, I have to know. Basically, I’m playing poker and laying about $25k on the table just for the privilege of seeing the other bloke’s cards.

Oh. And on the surface, the odds are that the bloke has the full house to my three of a kind. According to my calculations, they’re excising 58% of my career field and year group alone. I like to think I’m easily in the top 42%, and I’ve done all I could to make myself as competitive as possible, but at the same time, I’m not objective.

(However, if I am among the keepers, I’m in a very good position to make major first go. That’ll be Sept ‘09.)

Argh. I can’t take the suspense. :)

d

Geez, Just when you get up to speed, you gotta slow down for a kid waving a dime. Isn’t life like driving an ice-cream truck sometimes? Oh well, I think you are one of the obvious choices to continue, but then this IS the armed forces, so logic does not necessarily come into play. I guess I would get accepted into a school and find a position outside. If you go to that trouble, surely they will ask you to stay. Either way, good luck - if they rif you they’re nuts.

Love,
rog

The new job is going great. I had no idea that working for the Alabama Highway Patrol would be this gratifying. They are a great bunch and appreciate everything you do for them. Also to those of you who drive through AL, be careful, I have enabled the HP the ability to write a violation 40% quicker. Ain’t technology wonderful?

Hey d, long time no read.

Well, I know they’d be stupid to try to get rid of you, and it sounds like you’ve got a lot going for you. But I understand where you’re at, and even so, just not knowing can be a source of stress.

Don’t sweat it, though. I’m sure you’ll come through it OK. You aren’t the dead weight which needs to be cut!