I saw this first hand. My group of Marines in flight school went to the Senior Marine to basically try and stop one such transfer. That was the same time when the USN was giving out the dreaded "boat orders", and this one guy thought that he could get around it by trying for the transfer.
I remember hearing about the Marine to Navy transfers but never saw it first hand.
Needs of the service is ALWAYS #1 - no doubt. Rules will be made, bent, and broken based on the needs of the service.

USMCFLYR

 

Funny how the pendulum swings. There was a point about 7-8 years ago when the Marines couldn't get enough guys to go TACAIR. The koolaid in the T-34 land was strong and they were convincing everyone to go helo's. The Marines opened to the door to Navy studs with jet grades that didn't get jets, to interservice txfr and pick up a pointy nose slot. They did TBS after winging, then went to the RAG. Knew a few guys in the E-2 pipe that took the deal.

 

I said I didn't know any who had gone USN to USMC and then I remember 'Fungus'
He was one of the last NAVCADs (1992-3 timeframe - that program got turned off soon after I think) who took the transition, then went to TBS (as a winged aviator - YIKES), and then showed up in my fleet squadron.

USMCFLYR

 

Contract in this case means that one party may alter the terms at will, but you are bound to the terms. Read the fine print.

 

No matter what service you are in, you will repeatedly hear "the needs of the service come first". The military doesn't exist for your pleasure, you exist to make the military function. It can happen in any service, I personally know an Army Major who is a pilot who did a one year infantry tour in Iraq. In the Air Force, you could do an ALO tour if you are a fighter pilot (ALO tour is being assigned to an Army unit and directing airstrikes with TACPs). Also, you could fly a UAV. In the early 90's, lots of officers waiting to go to pilot training ended up doing 3 years in other jobs such as Security Forces, missilier, and more because the training pipeline was so backed up. If you go into the military without understanding that you are an officer first (and pilot second or whatever your Jo title ends up being) you will be disappointed. Having said that, I was a little disappointed when I first joined the Air Force, but in the end I was able to look back and enjoy my time and was proud of what I accomplished.

 

Great advise here. Never a more accurate word has been spoken on this forum.

Now, that being said, as a former Marine primary flight Instructor Pilot, (with a lot of old buddies still teaching at Navy flight school), I would argue that getting sent off to foreign shores while waiting for your class date is a rare thing. It happens, but rarely. Especially if said Marine Officer has not been to OIC. If one reads all the excellent posts above, one gets the impression that everyone is being shipped off to dirka-dirka-stan to kick in doors and take the fight to the enemy. Not true. It does happen, but rarely in my opinion. More likely, is the reality of said future Naval Aviator - getting stashed at a squadron in the fleet as the crappy little jobs officer, or getting stuck in a waiting pool in pensacola and having to teach lectures, or funeral detail, etc. There are a million jobs out there, that are perfect for a wet-behind-the-ears officer to do. MATSG in Pensacola has a lot of 1st and 2nd LT's running around doing all sorts of jobs as they await their initial shot at API. The drinks are cold, the beaches are excellent, and the girls are still as young as they were when I went through. I'd do it all over again.

Best of luck and Semper fi,
Aloha

 

OIC = IOC (Infantry Officer's Course for those wondering)

Aloha speaks the truth for young wan-a-be pilots being stashed in P-cola or some other place, but officers who have already earned their wings and even been through their fleet aircraft training ARE/WERE soaking up FLEET Individual Augment (IA) assignments is the Iraq/'Stan of their (meaning the USMC's) choice.

I don't know if things have gotten better over the last year with the new draw downs and such, but it is something that you always need to be mentally prepared while looking into Military Aviation in my opinion.

USMCFLYR

 

Rumor has it that some senior Marine leadership doesn't want it's Marine Corps Hornet IPs/IWSO's to fly the Superhornet while assigned to Navy Fleet Replacement Squadrons...Gee, since when does the Marine Corps DCA get to tell a Navy FRS CO what he can or can't do with his assigned aircrew. After all, his squadron produces more Marine aviators than his Marine Corps FRS counterparts out West and has historically done it with 3 Marine IPs assigned before the billet flood gates opened recently.

What next General, you won't let the Marines fly D's because we're running out of them?...perhaps you should recommend to your service brethren that the Superhornet (specifically the F) is a viable platform that would serve the Marine Corps well into the future...oh wait, you'd have to admit you made a mistake in putting all your eggs in one basket with the JSF, heaven forbid. Or is it best to continue to put this on the backs of the JOs and Field Grade Officers on the pointy end to continue to do more with less.

RUMINT « Neptunus Lex

 

Glad the former leadership at MATSG-23 had the good sense to keep fairly quite about the "good deal".
I wonder if me saying ........... helped along my demise

USMCFLYR

 

Absolutely absurd is the whole idea, the idea that a Service and General Officers within that service would prevent its aircrew from flying a Naval aircraft training Naval aviators who could one day employ that aircraft ISO the MEU/MEF for the sole reason that they don't want that 'strategic communication' out there; they don't their aircrew to fly a very capable aircraft and then discuss, as good JOs should, about how it might benefit the Corps. It makes me want to vomit quite honestly...and glad I don't have to deal with leadership like that.