I'm Coming Home, I've Done my Time
It’s official – I have a date of 31 July 2004 for my transfer to the Fleet Reserves (FLTRES). In other words… I’m retiring. As I write this, I am on Retirement Leave. After the… events… in September 03, I decided to request transfer to the FLTRES, even though I was on a waiver to go to almost 22 years. At my transfer date, I will have served 20 years, 6 months, and 15 days of active duty service in the Navy (also 3 months and 9 days in the Delayed Entry Program before that).
One is not automatically transferred to the FLTRES – one must submit a request to do so. This request includes the date that the member wishes, the total time the member has served, and service served in other branches of the military (if any). For that matter, the FLTRES is not truly retirement – the Fleet Reserve acts as sort of a brain trust, and one is still subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice – full retirement is at thirty years. So unless one has served a full thirty years, one can spend up to ten years in the FLTRES. However, transfer from the FLTRES to retirement is automatic (or at least it’s supposed to be…).
The FLTRES request runs through the normal chain of command, with a detour through the Command Career Counselor, who verifies that the member will indeed have at least twenty years of service, as well as no outstanding obligations (such as fulfilling the minimum tour requirement). After the Commanding Officer has approved the request, it goes to the Military Personnel Bureau (MILPERS) to be forwarded to the member’s detailer and community manager for review.
MILPERS usually sends out three messages in response to the request – if there are no difficulties with the request.
The first message is the Message of Acknowledgement, which lets the member (and their command) know that the request was received, and is being processed.
The second message is the Message of Intent. This message states that the member’s request is being processed for a specific date (the date requested) and their Time in Service is being processed. This message may be used to take to Personal Processing to make arrangements for shipping of household goods. This message also directs the member’s Personnel Office (or PSD – Personnel Support Detachment, in the case of shore commands) to ensure the member has sufficient time on their enlistment through the FLTRES date.
The third message is the Authorization to Transfer. This message indicates the Authorized Retirement Rate, whether the member served in a higher rank, the date at which the member completes 30 years of service, and if the member was reported for extraordinary heroism in the line of duty. As well, the message reflects the periods of service – Active, Reserve, and time in other branches, reserve points earned and if the member had served any time in a commissioned status.
Once approved, the transfer to the FLTRES is not irrevocable. One may request that the approval be rescinded if they are eligible for further time in service. I saw three individuals request their request be revoked while working as Career Counselor at Great Lakes – one of them admitted that after attending the Transition Assistance Program class, he was not ready to retire. But it is also possible for the Bureau to rescind the approval due to the needs of the service – I saw two individuals affected this way when Operation Enduring Freedom commenced.
The alternate possible messages… well, I’ve only seen three others (this does not mean there are no others beyond that).
1 - Disapproval of the request, either for ineligibility or due to the needs of the Navy.
2 - A request for missing or amplifying information. Usually seen if the member has broken service (got out, then got back in the Navy) or service in another branch.
3 – This message is a combination of the previous two. It’s not an out-and-out denial, but rather a notice that though the member is eligible for the transfer, the service would prefer that the member request a different (usually later) date, so as to allow a needed replacement to arrive and receive a turn-over. If the member is not willing to adjust their requested date, though – odds are good that a disapproval of the request will result.
