Well, I've been working at my current job for just over a year now and, while I appreciate the fact that I am making a decent living, I sometimes wonder if maybe there's something more.
Instead of complaining about making $X per month or year, and instead of complaining about the quality of some of the people that comprise the civil service (the overwhelming majority of whom are terrific, professional people), I thought I'd put to work the fact that I meet a variety of people on an daily basis. I work in the separations department of the Personnel Support Detachment at a very large naval station, and get the chance to talk to all types of people: retiring officers, chief petty officers and enlisted men and women, sailors getting dismissed from the navy due to the needs of the navy, some are getting out simply to test the waters outside the military and some are getting kicked out. All of them have a story. Some of them are quite captivating.
This is sort of a project in the developmental stages. Let's see if I can make it as entertaining in print as it is in my head:
It’s Friday, the last day of the work week, and today is the last day of work for the month as well. Today I separated three people from the navy. It was supposed to be a day for me to catch up on my work and get ready for next week’s busy summer schedule, but I had 2 last minute separations that had to be done today. These two members are retiring as of the end of the month (2 days from now) and had to get their DD214 finished and all their paperwork processed today to ensure a smooth transition into the world of retirement. “Not to worry,” is what I usually tell the scheduling clerks. I can get this done.
Today’s first appointment was at 0900, so I had about an hour and a half of ‘free’ time to catch up on a few things piling up on my desk. Having a clean desk on Friday afternoon is kind of important to me. I don’t mean completely clear of all files and papers, that would be… well, weird. For me, at least.
So, my first appointment is a First Class Petty Officer (E-6) who is transitioning into the Fleet Reserve (the time between active duty and retirement, which begins at 30 years. Fleet reserve means that the member could be recalled by the Secretary of the Navy should a nasty war break out. It also means that the member is receiving a pension). It turns out that he was a Chief Petty Officer (E-7) until a month ago when he was reduced in rank at Court Marshall for a domestic violence charge, which, if you were to take the word of the member, was a bogus charge; no evidence was found to convict, yet they stuck him with the conviction, anyway. It sounds bogus to me. I’m not taking sides, just talking about the guy.
He was, by all appearances a pretty good guy. We talked a little about his motorcycle and his future of being a motorcycle mechanic. He had a shaved head and several tattoos on his arms, indicating that he might be a biker-type. Of course I asked him about it, and, sure enough, he was a biker- and a mechanic, which was evident by how technical his descriptions of the bike were. It was hard to keep up, to tell the truth. I understand engines and how they work, but I don’t know them intimately, like a good mechanic does. We got through the appointment in just over an hour, but it’s done and his paperwork is turned in.
Appointment number 2 was scheduled for 10am. This was a Navy Chaplain getting ready to retire. I had to explain to him why I was going to be delayed for a few more minutes, but he was very understanding. Once I sat him down at my desk, I realized that he was very laid back and relaxed. He made no real attempt to change the information on his DD214, he seemed like he was just ready to move on. I’m always thankful to have customers like him. Although he wasn’t the most interesting appointment I had this week, he certainly made my job as easy as possible, considering the short-fused nature of it.
Appointment #3, and my last for the day, was someone getting out for PTS reasons. PTS is ‘Perform to Serve’ and is the navy’s way of reducing its numbers. While I don’t necessarily like the PTS system, at least it keeps me gainfully employed. This guy was a 2nd Class Petty Officer (E5) and was, by most standards, a stand-up sailor. I don’t understand why they are letting good people go, but that’s the way it goes these days. He had all of his documents ready for me and is joining the Reserves to finish out his career. A good guy with some pretty good, marketable skills. Too bad, but I guess people like him usually land on their feet. Perhaps this is a sign that he should be spreading his wings and trying to do something better? Who knows? Sometimes I wonder if I would have made it through the PTS process... I'm glad I didn't have to find out.
Well, that was last Friday and I've had another three days of appointments. I'll talk a little about them next time. I think this job would drive me nuts if I wasn't able to talk to the customers a little. I mean, doing the exact same thing day after day would get monotonous. This work is like assemblyline work: Get the information, build the package, ask the customer if he (or she) brought the rest of the paperwork, send them back to where ever to get the things they are missing, do the loss documents, get the DD214 signed and move on to the next one. BOR-ING!! So it's good to get to talk to them a little before they leave.
This is sort of a project in the developmental stages. Let's see if I can make it as entertaining in print as it is in my head:
It’s Friday, the last day of the work week, and today is the last day of work for the month as well. Today I separated three people from the navy. It was supposed to be a day for me to catch up on my work and get ready for next week’s busy summer schedule, but I had 2 last minute separations that had to be done today. These two members are retiring as of the end of the month (2 days from now) and had to get their DD214 finished and all their paperwork processed today to ensure a smooth transition into the world of retirement. “Not to worry,” is what I usually tell the scheduling clerks. I can get this done.
Today’s first appointment was at 0900, so I had about an hour and a half of ‘free’ time to catch up on a few things piling up on my desk. Having a clean desk on Friday afternoon is kind of important to me. I don’t mean completely clear of all files and papers, that would be… well, weird. For me, at least.
So, my first appointment is a First Class Petty Officer (E-6) who is transitioning into the Fleet Reserve (the time between active duty and retirement, which begins at 30 years. Fleet reserve means that the member could be recalled by the Secretary of the Navy should a nasty war break out. It also means that the member is receiving a pension). It turns out that he was a Chief Petty Officer (E-7) until a month ago when he was reduced in rank at Court Marshall for a domestic violence charge, which, if you were to take the word of the member, was a bogus charge; no evidence was found to convict, yet they stuck him with the conviction, anyway. It sounds bogus to me. I’m not taking sides, just talking about the guy.
He was, by all appearances a pretty good guy. We talked a little about his motorcycle and his future of being a motorcycle mechanic. He had a shaved head and several tattoos on his arms, indicating that he might be a biker-type. Of course I asked him about it, and, sure enough, he was a biker- and a mechanic, which was evident by how technical his descriptions of the bike were. It was hard to keep up, to tell the truth. I understand engines and how they work, but I don’t know them intimately, like a good mechanic does. We got through the appointment in just over an hour, but it’s done and his paperwork is turned in.
Appointment number 2 was scheduled for 10am. This was a Navy Chaplain getting ready to retire. I had to explain to him why I was going to be delayed for a few more minutes, but he was very understanding. Once I sat him down at my desk, I realized that he was very laid back and relaxed. He made no real attempt to change the information on his DD214, he seemed like he was just ready to move on. I’m always thankful to have customers like him. Although he wasn’t the most interesting appointment I had this week, he certainly made my job as easy as possible, considering the short-fused nature of it.
Appointment #3, and my last for the day, was someone getting out for PTS reasons. PTS is ‘Perform to Serve’ and is the navy’s way of reducing its numbers. While I don’t necessarily like the PTS system, at least it keeps me gainfully employed. This guy was a 2nd Class Petty Officer (E5) and was, by most standards, a stand-up sailor. I don’t understand why they are letting good people go, but that’s the way it goes these days. He had all of his documents ready for me and is joining the Reserves to finish out his career. A good guy with some pretty good, marketable skills. Too bad, but I guess people like him usually land on their feet. Perhaps this is a sign that he should be spreading his wings and trying to do something better? Who knows? Sometimes I wonder if I would have made it through the PTS process... I'm glad I didn't have to find out.
Well, that was last Friday and I've had another three days of appointments. I'll talk a little about them next time. I think this job would drive me nuts if I wasn't able to talk to the customers a little. I mean, doing the exact same thing day after day would get monotonous. This work is like assemblyline work: Get the information, build the package, ask the customer if he (or she) brought the rest of the paperwork, send them back to where ever to get the things they are missing, do the loss documents, get the DD214 signed and move on to the next one. BOR-ING!! So it's good to get to talk to them a little before they leave.
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