Six months have now passed since we found out that my Husband was not selected for retention within the United States Navy. To say that it has been a difficult, trying, and nearly devastating six months would be a severe understatement. We have developed a resume, and then continued to develop it to make it perfect. We have poured over job listing after job listing after job listing to no avail. The Navy, in an effort to show the civilian world (i.e. YOU) that they are making an effort to “help” the ERB affected sailors, while padding the wallets of former U.S. Navy Master Chiefs to the tune of approximately $5 MILLION, paid for the services of a company called Challenger, Grey, and Christmas who was tasked with assisting ERB affected sailors to write a resume and provide job leads and job seeking assistance and coaching. Personally- speaking for my Husband and I- we were very disappointed in their resume services which included strictly blocking out our mailing address on my Husbands resume and sending it back. Their paltry job leads were the same ones we found on job search websites such as Monster.com and Indeed.com. Rather, we took his resume and went a-huntin’ ourselves. At the end of April, my Husband was offered a job in Virginia and he accepted it. Since then, we have made an offer on a beautiful house (which was accepted by the way!), and planned our final move to Virginia. We are excited to being our new future, but I can’t help but still feel so scorned by the Navy. Aside from having read about it on my blog, or for those of you who may have relative affected, have you heard about ERB anywhere else? Probably not. We are being swept behind the scenes like the Navy’s bastard child that they don’t want anyone to find out about. I just thank God for my Husband’s strength and dignity. His drive to provide for his family is phenomenal, and I know just how blessed I am to have him. Even after the Navy has committed this terrible breach of contract, he wakes up Monday through Friday at 0’dark thirty, laces up his boots, and walks out that door to serve his country with a pride and a dedication that the Navy will never see in future troops.
So that’s that. In just about 4 weeks, my Husband will put on his uniform for the last time, lace up his boots, kiss me goodbye, and end his Naval career with 14 years of honorable service to this country and to you. I might throw a fit over it all- because lets be clear: there is nothing fair about this- but at the end of the day, I have my best friend, and he has me, and together we will persevere.
must. knit. faster 