Transfer Season is happening again

To explain this to the non-coastie readers, there is a process. It begins in September or so. The Detailers (folks who decide which bodies will fill which jobs) put out a list of all of the jobs that are available. Dave submits a request based on the type of job, the location, and what is appropriate for his rank. It is stated as "first choice, Second choice..." you get the idea. Evidently the highest ranked people get looked at first. In December, Jan, and February is when they will be looking to fill Commander positions. (Dave has been selected to be promoted to Commander so that is the job rank they will put him in). Now, Dave is not on "medical leave" but a temporary light duty assignment. But he has a "medical board" which is a stack of papers saying "he is sick." It would appear, if I understand this correctly, that if we did nothing, the fact that he has this medical board would mean they would not look at his name as a potential to fill an open slot. They would wait until the medical board is cleared then decide what to do with him. What we are trying to do is generate an interim medical board that will say something like "He is currently sick, yeah, but will be all fixed up and good to go by May 2008." We hope that this is enough to allow the powers that be (some committee or board or something... I think that is what they said) to allow the detailer to consider Dave for the positions they are filling. If it does not work, he will get the "all clear" in May, and then they will see what orders they can come up with for him. These would be unexpected last minute openings (like when Dave's Staten Island job suddenly became available this summer since he was no longer going to it) , jobs they were unable to fill (which could translate to "jobs folks would rather not have") or something like that. I guess either way it will work out. I learned years ago that this whole transfer process is a "Let Go, Let God" exercise. It would be nice, after the year we have had, for him to get a job he wants and is excited about. But also, after the year we have had, we are grateful to have an opportunity to have good health restored, a steady income, a roof over our heads, and money to spend on some fun. It is all a matter of perspective isn't it?