Story and photo by Sgt. 1st Class Terry Rajsombath<\/p>\n
CRANSTON, R.I. \u2013 Land navigation requires Soldiers and Airmen to stop, check their bearing, and sometimes reorientate themselves to ensure they\u2019re moving in the right direction. It\u2019s a skill that demands awareness, patience, and willingness to change course when obstacles obstruct the path. For Capt. Michelle McCombe, Behavioral Health Officer, with the 43rd Military Police Brigade, the same principles apply to life. <\/p>\n
In her civilian career, McCombe works as the Life Skills Instructor at the Naval Academy Preparatory School, located at Naval Station Newport. The school prepares prior-enlisted Sailors, Marines, and high school graduates for the academic and military rigors of the U.S. Naval Academy, which produces future officers of the U.S. Navy. Among her duties, McCombe counsels students considering a drop on request (DOR), a formal process of leaving the program. <\/p>\n
\u201cPart of my job is to be a thinking partner \u2013 a sound board \u2013 to help them make the best decision for them,\u201d said McCombe. <\/p>\n
She said the goal is to make them stop at their metaphorical checkpoint and reassess their route, their terrain, and ultimately, their destination.<\/p>\n
McCombe guides students by role-playing as the person who strongly encouraged them to pursue a commission as a Naval officer. She asks them to explain their decision as if they were speaking directly to that supporter\u2014the mentor, parent, or leader who believed in their potential from the start. The exercise helps them pause, check their bearings, and decide whether they\u2019re still on the right path.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf that student looked uncomfortable or was scrambling over their words, I\u2019d ask, \u2018How did that feel?\u2019\u201d said McCombe. \u201cIf they knew that the school is not the right place, they\u2019d be excited to no longer pursue something that they knew they didn\u2019t want. You should be thinking, \u2018I tried. It was a great opportunity, but oh my goodness, I realized it was not for me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
McCombe said the difference in mindset often determines whether a person grows from the experience or carries it as a burden.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen people reassess, they feel liberated and proud that they figured it out,\u201d said McCombe. \u201cWhen people quit, there\u2019s guilt and shame. They\u2019re embarrassed to say why they stopped pursuing something.\u201d<\/p>\n
By walking through this exercise, McCombe helps students reassess and reevaluate, clarifying whether they are setting a new course in the right direction or simply quitting under pressure.<\/p>\n
McCombe believes there\u2019s an important distinction between quitting and reassessing. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn land nav, you\u2019re always checking your points to confirm you\u2019re on the right path,\u201d said McCombe. \u201cBut sometimes you realize that point A isn\u2019t where you actually need to go anymore. Maybe point B now makes more sense for your goals or resources. It\u2019s not quitting\u2014it\u2019s strategic reorientation.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, whether you\u2019re navigating in the field or through the journey of life, be sure to reassess and reevaluate your objectives so you don\u2019t end up at the wrong destination. And if you\u2019re off course, have the courage to reorientate and set your path toward where you truly belong in life. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Story and photo by Sgt. 1st Class Terry Rajsombath CRANSTON, R.I. \u2013 Land navigation requires Soldiers and Airmen…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":380364,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[23,3,21,19,22,20,25,24],"class_list":["post-380363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-states","tag-america","tag-news","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380363","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=380363"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380363\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/380364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=380363"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=380363"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=380363"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}