Navy ‘Golden Ticket’ program allows former sailors to easily return to active duty

Petty Officer 1st Class Micheal Trendley left the Navy last year to join the private sector. Instead of working on helicopters, he would be juggling numbers. He joined an accounting firm in St. Louis and thought he was starting a new chapter of his life.

Then the coronavirus happened and he lost his job.

Thanks to an initiative launched in 2018, Trendley was able to easily rejoin the Navy. He’s already back in uniform, serving with a San Diego-based helicopter squadron.

“It was a no brainer to come back,” said Trendley, recalling all the great experiences he had and colleagues he served with while in the Navy. “It was the most fulfilling 10 years of my life.”

Trendley was able to quickly rejoin the Navy because his old command gave him a so-called “Golden Ticket” before he walked out the door. The entire reentry process took less than six weeks after he entered the Navy Targeted Re-entry Program.

He was only the second sailor to take advantage of the program so far.

https://www.pilotonline.com/military/vp-nw-navy-sailor-20200729-uscf4o2dyzft3gndwnnxp4irv4-story.html