.Tranferring into Navy EOD- looking for professional advice and mentorship

[BrowntoBlue]

Whats up everyone.

My intro will tell mostly all, but long story short, I'm an "academic attrite" from naval aviation. Quotations placed because it was half flyability like maintaining altitude and heading, part written exams, part bad timing. I graduated the program, but low GPA during a force reduction led to me getting dropped.

I was a prior enlisted soldier, with a plan to file my separation from the Navy and get back into the Army to get my boots on the ground. A few months into the paperwork to get out, and I started learning more about what Navy EOD does, which developed into a pretty intense motivation to get into this community. Right now my main focus is physically training for the program, as well as getting out there to visit some units and get some first hand experience with the community.

Here are my concerns.
- I know how academically tough EOD school is. How willing to take an academic attrite will they be? My college GPA was solid. 3.9. I mostly just had a rough transition from college academics to the fire hose military academic style. I did pull it together, just too late to save my GPA. I know I can do it. I figured out my flaws from naval aviation, and had 6 months to stew in the embarrassment of being attrited. I've dealt with a lot of success, never a failure. After experience my first, my motivation to succeed in whatever I do next almost hurts.
- Navy EOD is a pretty small community. I've heard of a lot of people fighting to get into this community. Will they trust my motivation to be in this field? Or look at me like they're second fiddle to aviation. It's not the case. I think aviation just wasn't for me, and direct support of the fight (like eod) should've been. From what I've been told, an interview with an EOD tech is the most important part of my packet. I want him to have as little questions about me as possible.
- My plan if I don't get EOD is to go enlisted as a Navy EOD tech. a mix of my own thoughts, plus the thoughts of others makes me question if this means I'm right for the community, or if I'm right to be an Officer. Every EOD applicant I have met had a plan to become a surface warfare or supply officer if they did not get picked up for EOD. Just wondering what my different backup plan says about me.


For those interested, here are my PST times. I have NOT taken an official one, but I take a mock one every week, and these are my averages. To monitor progress and so that there's no jitters when I actually do take it. It will just be like a regular day to me.

ADDITIONAL HELP: push ups!!! I don't know why I cannot increase my push up count. I've hit a wall of 90 (my number goes down after doing a 500 yd swim) and have been there since army boot camp. My goal is to hit 100 in 2 minutes. Anyone have any advice for this? I have tried at least a dozen push up programs.

With my swim, I just learned the CSS about a month ago. My goal is have an 8:45 swim time by the time I take my official PST. I'm confident I can get there with my current program, but if anyone has any advice for this....please. My biggest issue in the water is gliding.

500 yd swim: 9:15 (combat side stroke)
push-ups: 80
sit-ups: 115
pull-ups: 23
1.5 mile run: 8:50


Thanks everyone for whatever you all have to offer.

 

[Badger21]

You say you completed the program, but then attrited? Are you currently a winged pilot or NFO? When did you attrite? What's your current designator? I have a hard time believing that you were attrited for reduction in force anytime in recent years. The Navy just raised its age limit for pilot. As far as redesignation as an EOD officer, chances are probably not good. It is a very small community and even smaller for officers. I do not believe the Navy allows you to resign a commission to become an enlisted Sailor either. I know the Army does however.

 

[Teufel]

You’ll be fine. I’m not an EOD officer but I imagine they are like all other selective communities; pass the selection course and no one cares what you did beforehand. I knew a guy who dropped out of BUD/s but later passed BRC and became a Recon Corpsman. He eventually passed selection for an Army dominated special operations unit at the highest levels of SOF. Keep training, give it everything you have, and never quit.

 

[Badger21]

Teufel provides some good advice. I re-read my post, and I sounded negative which wasn't my intention. Just know that if you choose to stay Navy, you may have to take whatever is needs of the Navy first because EOD is so competitive, and then submit a package for EOD. Happens all the time for officers going to BUD/s that don't get a slot out of the academy, ROTC, or OCS. You will get a chance if you want it bad enough, it just might not be right away.

As for push ups, keep doing them and work on your core with planks. Also, knock out as many as you can do it the first set, then do spurts of short numbers of reps like 5. Remember to breath too. You could try doing dips and super setting them with push ups right after like a set of 20 dips followed by 20 push ups for 5 sets. That helped me.