Michaelteo, I sympathize with your predicament but now that the
facts are established, I don't think you're in that great a
quagmire that you made it out to be. Had me misconstrued there for
a while ....
Basically, you can't escape these 2 truths:
- you're still on operational-ready status, unlike your other
reservist cohorts who're being "stood down" & being reposted
to, in reality, a non-active unit (PDF). Yes, that's depressing -
blame it on the roll of the dice, that's all. It's not really
different from a corporal who finished 6 ICTs after joining in
midway, then had to serve 3 more ICTs with another fresh BN due to
his NSman liability.
- KAHs are supposed to go for upgrading courses, period. Medical
downgrading isn't going to change this, unless your fitness's
reclassified down to PES C9L2 or lower (I think).
Accordingly, I don't think you should think too far ahead &
then calculate on a risky, but ultimately ill-advised move. In some
ways, I'm speculating instead that you can actually maneuver around
with the hand you've been dealt with.
1stly, going on Medical Board takes time; I don't think you can
just make an ad-hoc phone call for a review. Rather, you'll have to
report sick in your next call-up (ege. SCSC course, or FFI checkup)
& then ask the MO to forward your documents. In other words,
there's a bureaucratic process to go through, & they'll
formally board you when they're ready. Until that date, it's likely
you won't be excused from your present circumstances (as long as
it's not overly physical-taxing). By all means, see how far you can
get out of this means, but don't expect the moon immediately.
2ndly, it's a bit SAF-backstabbing to suggest this but I think
aiming for a deferment can help your case big-time. Think about it:
you only have X years left in your 16-year window, & SCSC
courses aren't organized impromptu. How many chances left to go for
CO training if you can get yourself "postponed" from one
preparatory attendance due to civilian factors?
[Skip the next part if you're already posted out or on a holding
list, completely at the mercy of where the SAF could send you
to.]
3rdly, I dunno if it's deliberate but my own experience indicates
that it's both prevalent & preferable that an unit's KAHs
recyle on TOGETHER to the new outfit, rather than breaking up the
team & leaving each on his own. Thus, your CO's longevity can
affect your expected promotion, in the sense that he may not
formally "stand down" (& may even re-upp under ROVERS) until
your own window is ending. There's a chance you may never climb
higher than S3/2IC despite your new qualifications, or do CO for
just 1-2 ICTs before the ROVERS people contact you. [As for
suddenly being faced with 3+ week ICTs again, see "Truth 1"
above.]
Take it one step at a time. Even if your worst nightmare comes true
& you end up commanding a SIR unit, there's always the
"delegate-down" leadership style - instead of hands-on - though
you'll probably be stuck with a "condemned" rep ~smile~
Don't think I can help much more; maybe other posters can offer
something ...
