Post choice night at the Service Academies

[Marauder06]

That might be a good way to run it.
What gets offered as trade material?

I'm not sure that any goods or services actually change hands, they all indicate preferences and then if there are situations where someone really wants a particular assignment, either because their fiancee is there / is going there or for other reasons, they talk it out and sometimes make changes.

 

[Devildoc]

I think of CAPT Mike Abrahshoff. Graduated near bottom of his class and ended up becoming the junior most CO in the Pacific Fleet at the time.

He turned out all right. He was a great captain, and an exceptional officer.

That said, the young Ensign McCain of Vietnam notoriety graduated not at the bottom but close to it, and he was a shity officer.

 

[Teufel]

Still an Ensign, just like an NFL player is in the NFL. The odds may be long, but "time to put in that work."

What's the worst case for an Academy graduate, minus being a SWO in INDOPACOM or whatever? You have the NA on your resume, the degree, and whatever you did repaying your obligation? There are tens of thousands of Americans who would kill to be in that situation.

It probably just means overseas assignment on a smaller vessel. Lots of Mids want to get assigned to the big decks because it sounds cool, until they realize that carrier life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

 

[Teufel]

He turned out all right. He was a great captain, and an exceptional officer.

That said, the young Ensign McCain of Vietnam notoriety graduated not at the bottom but close to it, and he was a shity officer.

I graduated in the bottom third of my class. I think the government got a decent return on investment.

 

[Devildoc]

I graduated in the bottom third of my class. I think the government got a decent return on investment.

I would consider Abrahshoff and McCain to be on the opposite extremes of military success. I figured most people would be in the middle. That ol' bell curve strikes again. Most people are excellent officers and are right in the middle of two extremes.

 

[Marauder06]

I graduated in the bottom third of my class. I think the government got a decent return on investment.

Yeah I think you did OK. ;)

Some people who make good students don't make such good leaders. That's one of the reasons I have mixed feelings about allowing Academy grads to run off to do scholarships before they start doing their service time.

 

[digrar]

I think I feel more for the ship captain who is last to be chosen.

At what point do you think he sends his orderly off to put the sword and hat back in the car?

 

[Teufel]

Yeah I think you did OK. ;)

Some people who make good students don't make such good leaders. That's one of the reasons I have mixed feelings about allowing Academy grads to run off to do scholarships before they start doing their service time.

Some of my classmates did extremely well at the academy and not so well at war. They were so talented that the academy didn’t really challenge them in the same way it did me, and they never failed at anything in their lives...until they went to war. Everyone fails in war, at some level, and you have to learn to get back up and keep going no matter what. I learned that lesson at the academy, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to do so in an academic setting and not a life or death situation.