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The Road to Direct Commission Officer School

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The Road to Direct Commission Officer School. The next step for me was DCO School in Newport, RI. My first mistake in making DCO School happen was to think I could make things move in a forward fashion in just a couple of weeks. I was wrong. The classes are limited in size thus a request must be made to reserve a seat in a upcoming class. All readiness categories must be complete before orders can move and, again, my security clearance would play a role. I, mistakenly, took vacation from work thinking all these things would move smoothly in getting me to Newport. I, sadly, started to realize that I had over two weeks of vacation coming and I realistically may not have anywhere to go! As fast as I could, I completed all my needed tasks. Online training and medical requirements were just a few of the things I had to complete to be ready for DCO. Just when I thought my orders would be in the clear, I was informed by the NOSC personnel I needed a complete security clearance to at...
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I am in the Navy now!

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I am in the Navy now! After commissioning I was ready for some smooth sailing. I received a few emails from the Naval Operation Support Center (NOSC) and was given directions on how to proceed. Things were looking good. This included directions on how to access many of the governments sites to start my initial naval career. What I didn't appreciate were the order of things that I had to accomplish to get this process moving in a positive direction. Two things, I later realized, had to occur immediately. First, any computer access would only occur when a access form was completed by me and put into the hands of the personnel at the NOSC. The second was obtaining a common access card (CAC). This card would provide the digital signature I had to have to access the government sites. The cards are only issued on military installations typically with appointment. The next logical question was...how do I get on a military installation without proper identification? Thankfully a...
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I joined the US Navy!....where too now?

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How I joined the Navy ! .  In 2015, I began what I can only describe as  a professional midlife crisis . A wandering mind of grasses much greener and a few degrees of what ifs?  A combination of s ome local economic changes were occurring which began the tug of war of professional uncertainty that was waging in my mind. Was it time for a change and new direction which I seemed to be asking myself?  Coincidentally, I had been part of the process of educating future Navy physicians for several years and had always enjoyed being surrounded by the next generation of Navy Medical Officers. My relationship with the Navy was the most likely the starting point where my thoughts drifted into the reality of joining the military on active duty.  At the young age of 48, I had no idea what an uphill climb being commissioned as an active duty medical officer I would face. Being fit and very active, it never crossed my mind I could be “too old”. My first effort was ...
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