one Black Friday they went into Pensacola and cut more than 400 students in training.

I remember this too. I had just finished BJN School at NAS Glynco, after having been offered a switch from RIO School (I was 3 weeks into the RIO pipeline) because "the Navy desperately needed A-6 B/Ns."

You can guess the rest. No one in our BJN class got any A-6 RAG orders, and there were no impending inputs into the A-3 or RA-5C RAGs (the two other outlets at that time for BJN grads). My entire class was SERGRADed.

I felt sorry for myself, but not for long once the word got out about the Big Attrite. At least I had wings, a DIFOT billet at VT-7 / NAS Meridian, and a deferred shot at the bird (A-6) and coast (west) of my choice. It all worked out OK, except my 18 months at NMM were the longest 3 years of my life.

--
Mike Kanze

"There's a fine line between evil and underpaid."

- Carol The Secretary, Dilbert (1/14/2007)

wrote in message ...
On Fri, 19 Jan 2007 16:34:22 GMT, Ed Rasimus
wrote:

snipped for brevity

As a follow-on, at the wind-down of the war, requirements were
drastically reduced (late 1970) and while USAF chose to cut the
training pipeline at the acquisition point--reduce recruiting for
pilot slots, the Navy opted to cut immediately across the board. On
one Black Friday they went into Pensacola and cut more than 400
students in training. Several were within weeks of graduation.

I remember this. I was in Pensacola with a CQ det from VS-30 (the S-2
RAG) the next week. I had a cousin about to graduate from AOC and he
got RIFed. He told me that they just went in and cut the bottom 50%
of each class. He was awaiting his discharge.

You could pick up REAL good deals on "muscle cars" as the BOQ parking
lot looked like a used car lot for all the "for sale" signs.

Navy personnel management practices are not always "top drawer." :-(

Bill Kambic
Haras Lucero, Kingston, TN
Mangalarga Marchador: Uma Raça, Uma Paixão