My Navy medical board results came back: fit to continue Navy service. Unfortunately, I was expecting to be found unfit, so I have been making plans to get out. Job hunting, budgeting, saving, house hunting, etc. have been my life (apart from my Ph.D.) for the last two months.

The big problem is, if I accept the results and stay in, I still have the possibility of being administratively separated if my medical problem flairs up, or if my next command decides to not accept someone in my condition. With the draw-down the Navy is planning for (25,000 people in the next few years), there is no real reason for the Navy to keep someone who is medically limited around.

So, I’m still planning on getting out if I can’t find permanent shore duty orders or convert to a less sea-intensive rating. Plus, I haven’t heard back from any of my job applications yet. One way to guarantee a job offer is to stay in the Navy, and I have regretted it every time I’ve done it in the past.