Medically Cleared for Worldwide Deployment

Remember when I said my excitement was continually building? Well, getting an e-mail informing me of my 'medical clearance for worldwide deployment' certainly didn’t diminish that at all! I knew the medical clearance would be much quicker than the security, but it’s good to know I don’t have any surprise ailments… at least that they tested me for. My wife made the cut also, so we just need to get my son in to his pediatrician, so we can get his paperwork submitted. (The State Department doesn’t do physicals for children under six years old). That’s all for now… my fingers are crossed that I’ll hear back about the security investigation sometime before the new year, even if my brain is skeptical.

Security Investigator Interview

Next step down! I was interviewed by my security investigator this week. I had a stack of paperwork for him, and he went through each page and asked for clarification where necessary. The whole process is pretty painless, for me, but my friends have already started getting calls and a neighbor or two has mentioned meeting my investigator. I don’t have anything to hide, so I’m not concerned, but I’ve read online, and was warned my investigator, that the process is a slow one, so I shouldn’t be expecting anything any time soon. Honestly, although I understand that, and believe it will be awhile… my excitement increases with every step of the process. Oh well, back to waiting for now!

Medical Clearance Exams

Following the suggestion of the interviewers, my wife and I planned to get our medical exams done at the State Department. Apparently that tends to go smoother than having private doctors do it, which makes sense; they do this stuff every day. Our experience started off rocky, with some cancelled appointments, and we ended up with two appointments in one day, instead of the customary two over three days. In the end, however, this turned out to be ideal. We dropped my son off at daycare and drove down to DC for our 8:30 appointment. Traffic was just as horrific as expected, but we made the 60 minute trip in a mere 90 minutes (huzzah!). From there we filled out some paperwork, gave up some bodily fluids, and were released into the world to await our afternoon appointment. This is where the luck kicks in. We both needed chest x-rays… which can conveniently be obtained at one of several walk-in centers within a few blocks of the State Department! Ignoring our still-fasting stomachs, we headed to the nearest center and knocked our x-rays out in about 90 minutes. We grabbed a fancy lunch at the Blue Duck Tavern, and headed back for our afternoon appointments. After what I would call a pretty standard physical, we split up; my wife headed to her evening class in Alexandria, and I headed back home to pick up my little buddy from daycare. I arrived at daycare within minutes of my normal pick up time. Can’t really argue with that! According to the doctor there, we should have our results by sometime late next week.