Class BIllet List

From the moment I started classes at the Navy Supply Corps School, my thoughts were always on the future billet I would be filling. As I mentioned before, the Surface Warfare Officers chose their billets straight out of Officer Candidate School. All other officer communities require specialized training before choosing billets. I had been able to piece together a few of the more likely openings by looking over past billet lists from the previous two graduating classes but that was not much to go on.

We assembled in an auditorium where copies of the list were passed out to everyone and several elements of the list were explained. Honestly, I was so focused on the list, I did not pay much attention. The list was broken down into two columns, one column by platform type (destroyers, cruisers, subs...etc) and the other by homeport (Norfolk, San Diego, Mayport...etc). Since I had not paid attention to the explanation, I originally thought there were twice as many billets as students in the class.

Each supply billet list is specifically tailored to the interests of a class. There were a large number of students interested in submarines, so accordingly quite a few billets were on subs. Originally, I had thought hard about serving on board a submarine but the idea of being the only Supply Officer there and consequently a department head scared me a little. On any other ship, excluding mine sweepers, there are several Supply Officers and the department head will be at least a Lieutenant. On my first sea tour, I knew I could benefit from working with a more experienced officer. Many Ensigns were surprised by the lack of carrier billets, there were only a couple of positions, previous classes had more opportunities on this platform. That is the way it breaks down sometimes; based on the needs of the Navy.

The first Saturday after receiving the list, we met as a class to pick our top billet choices. This was done primarily by class rank. The top student could choose any billet he wanted. The second best student could chose any billet except for the top student's choice and so on. This arrangement was called a "gentleman's agreement." I was ranked right in the middle of the class so I planned several strategies. I had no interest in either Pearl Harbor or San Diego so I eliminated those homeports along with submarine billets. I had no interest in large deck ships so those were eliminated as well. First and foremost, I had decided I wanted an overseas billet. If at all possible, I wanted a billet on a cruiser. Cruisers have three supply officers as opposed to two on a destroyer. Based on those two goals, there was only one possible choice. I did not end up on the cruiser but did get my second choice and the last billet out of Yokosuka, Japan, the USS CURTIS WILBUR, a destroyer. My next choices would have been close between a destroyer in Mayport, Florida or a cruiser in Norfolk.

The billets were essentially set after the gentleman's agreement, although the choices were not confirmed until written on a form and turned in. The anticipation and sense of uncertainty were killing several people in my class, including me. If someone near the top of the class changed their billet choice then it would have a ripple effect on everyone lower in rank. The air was rife with rumors and speculation all week, right up to the Orders Reading Ceremony.