If I was around civilians again, I might actually see what a work ethic is.

Then again, one of the people who didn't do her job well enough here is a civilian, but 99% of such people are Navy, and all the Civilian (former military in most cases) instructors are very organized and hard working.

I'm stuck here, and no one knows how long. They just didn't feel like processing my paperwork, so myself and several of my classmates will be taking the extended tour of Meridian, joining the over 300 shipmates to have had significantly extended stays due to no fault of their own over the past two months.

I can understand the people on legal or medical hold, the people who simply can't be transferred out of here for something that they did or that happened to them, unfortunate as that may be.

But for those of us who have NO REASON to be here, why the snot are we being kept in this wretched place?!?

I hate it here. I absolutely hate it here. This command is unbelievably disorganized, and this town has little good to offer the visiting trainee.

And no matter what I do to be persistant and move things along, it doesn't seem to help.

I did finally get my orders: To Jacksonville, FL. The one state I specifically requested NOT to be stationed in. I'm more ok with that now, though, what with my grandfather not being too well these days (I'd be about two to four hours from him) and my niece and others only 6 or 7 hours south of me. But of course, on par with the rest of my experiences with the Navy so far, they send me to the one state I requested not to be in. Less than an hour North and I'd've been in GA. It may be the very extreme North of FL, but it's still FL, and I never wanted to live there again.

And we graduate tomorrow. I qualified for the Accelerated Advancement Program (AAP), along with one other person in my class that wasn't already a Petty Officer. AAP means that within the next 4 to 10 months, as long as my next command approves it, I'll be advanced to a Petty Officer Third Class without having to take the advancement exam and compete for a small percentage of slots available to be advanced. Two people in my class qualified, and my class (being 24 people strong) is allowed two and only two AAP students. Yet, those in charge of my program at this training command haven't seen fit yet to tell us if we'll actually get it.. since qualifying isn't the only factor in that decision. And if they don't tell us today, they probably will not have enough time to process the paperwork so that it'll be done.. and if that's not done before graduation at 0800 tomorrow, it will no longer be valid.

They just don't feel like doing their work. Or they're being given too much work to do. Either way, it all comes back to the Navy in general being too disorganized and not strong enough in communication or work ethic.

Honor, Courage, Commitment. . . The Navy Core Values that were laced into every lesson plan at bootcamp, that we say every time we PT or IT or talk about Navy Life and behaving ourselves.

I don't see much of it in these parts.

I don't feel as much of it inside me anymore.

I'd be so much better if I could just get home, get moved out of my apartment finally, see my friends and say a more legitimate "I know-where-I'll-be-for-at-least-the-next-two-years,-even-if-not-the-address-where-I'll-be-living" goodbye to them, and get settled into some routine again.

But I'm here, still.. and will be for who-knows-how-long.

I hate this place.

I'm going to go have a talk with my Chief and see if she can't make a few stern phone calls to speed up the process. I don't feel a lot of hope about that or about leaving within this month, really.. but it's something to do. Besides eating lots of ice cream and crying, both of which I already did since 1130 when I found out I wasn't leaving tomorrow for certain.

Oy friggin Chadesh.