31 January 2007

85, 54, 42, 32 Or 20...


My USN community is working hard to improve the process for selecting personnel for the prospect of mobilization. Depending upon how you look at the list, I am either 85th or 20th. And that depends upon a lot of things! The demand will depend upon a huge number of factors.

At present there are only 10 members of my community mobilized. In fact, since 9/11, only 32 members of my particular specialty have been recalled. There have been a number of volunteer actions, but we have not borne the burden of our colleagues in the other services.

So what?

So nothing.

It means there is a list.

There has always been a list.

When I originally received mob orders in 2004 (cancelled three days later! - why, I don't know - it's the Navy, son), they came out of the blue. I had some advance warning, but they still hit the family like a ton of bricks.

The estimated pull for 2007 is 10, maybe.

It could be 40, it could be zero.

It could be everyone.

*shrug*

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

This seems an oddly dark and insecure post. A list? Numbers? It all seems like a game of roulette to me....are you concerned? Hopeful? Expecting "your number to come up" as it were? Thinking of volunteering to go?

Remember, Billy, don't be a hero.

Citizen Deux said...

Please, we all volunteered a long time ago. No, the post is really meant to underscore the whole uncertainty of events. Our community, comprised of engineers and scientists, is principally interested in controlling events as much as possible. They have developed a process in which the system is supposed to be in control. What we fail to recognize is that the system is dependent upon the outside world, wholly out of our control.

I find it ironic that my number is 85. Actually meaningless. There are so many caveats that it may as well be 1 or 1001. If the Navy says they need a force protection officer, with an MBA who is an engineer with consumer goods experience, guess who gets to go?

On the other hand, if the congress tries to overstep their mandate and "defund" the effort in Iraq, no one may be going! The point is, it's not up to us. We can volunteer, or not. I have members who have been on the volunteer list for years and never been selected. Others who tried to stay below the radar and were snapped up right away.

I am taking a Zen approach. The list exists. Some people feel better that it does, others feel worse. Having taken one excusrion out to the AOR, I am less concerned than I was.

PS - I always hated that song...

PPS - ver word: eesos

LTC John said...

I guess we in the Army have it down a little more - sounds like you folks in the Navy are where we were at in 2003-2004.

I know I am on the 'ready" list this FY and come October 1, 2008 I am on the "go" list.

Maybe we could end up in the smae theater?

LTC John said...

Obviously I wouldn't go as a clerk-typist....

ver word: bktfz (huh?)

Citizen Deux said...

Major, frankly I would be honored. Even if I was filling in on an Army billet, that would be pretty cool. The Navy is STILL trying to figure out how to do IAs and unit mobs. When I was in Coastal Warfare, we got pretty good. We identified the ready, surge and standby squadrons. Those IBUs, MIUWUs and HDUs are pretty well set into their rotations, as are the SEABEEs and the CHB units.