So Justin and I have been married for 6.5 years, and together for 10.5. We have truly grown up together, and our military experience has really put us through our paces these last few years. We are at one of those turning points again, as they seem to come up when you are halfway through an enlistment, and we feel strongly that Justin should try and become an Officer. When we joined, he was 27 (ancient to join by enlisted standards), and already had his Bachelors degree. The job he wanted was only for enlisted members, and it didn't seem a problem at the time for either one of us. He has loved his time as a SERE Specialist, and has learned so much over the last 6 years. But, now that he has his Masters degree, it only feels right that he try and become an Officer. So we are almost done with the grueling process of putting his application packet together....and will find out in May if he gets selected to go to Officer Training School (OTS). It's going to be a LONG spring! If he gets selected, he will enter a 12 week program, where upon completion, will be an Officer.
In the mean time, the Officer job he is hoping to land requires a whole separate selection process. He wants to become a Combat Rescue Officer.
This is the job description from the Air Force website:
Some of the most courageous Airmen in the Air Force are those dedicated to the rescue and recovery of injured servicemen from the front lines. Alone and immobile, the injured are often extremely vulnerable and thus need a swift, effective rescue evacuation. Combat Rescue Officers organize and strategize recovery missions, train and equip rescue personnel and manage and develop survival skills programs. They also deploy into direct combat as a team member, team leader or mission commander or provide expert insights to plan and control special reconnaissance, terminal control and recovery operations.
In order to have a chance to try for this job,he had to first apply for an invitation to the selection, which he did receive...and only about 40 people in the whole Air Force get chosen a year to do that. He will go to the selection at the end of March for a treacherous week of hell. In order to prepare for this, he has been swimming twice a day, at 5:30 am and after work, and working out in the middle of the day. This has been mentally and physically exhausting for him. He is up at 4 every morning, and in bed before 8 every night. He always gives 150% in whatever he is doing, but this is some serious training. I pray all of his hard work will pay off.
Need a peek of what I am talking about.....
If he can make it through this.....AND get selected to attend Officer Training School, then he will enter the actual program to become a Combat Rescue Officer. This can take about 18 months, if he can complete it all. You can imagine there are a lot of injuries along the way....
It would look something like this....
And as a side note, he is like "Grandpa" being that he is now 33. Most of his competition will be about 23. He had to get an age waiver to even apply! You must be done with Officer Training School before your 35th birthday, so the clock is ticking and this is our only real shot at this. He can reapply once, but would have to wait 6 months to do so.
The reason I am sharing all of this is that I need your support. I have not shared this information with hardly anyone, because so many balls are still up in the air, and Justin is a very private person about things like this.
I would also like to point out that he may not even get picked up for Officer School, and may not make it through HELL week in March....But, I still need your support and prayers. If these things don't pan out, we have some serious thinking to do as far as where we go from here. And that scares me too.
Here's to living your dreams, and reaching for things that seem unattainable. I believe in my man, but prayers help. Just wanted to let you all in on where my head and heart are at.
It will be a big sacrifice for a potentially huge reward, and although I am no gambler, I believe Justin was born to do this.
Thanks for listening....and if you are still reading...
I love you!
xo, A
