Thanks for your reply. I am very interested in maritime activities. One project I did a while back involved nautical electronics and I was supremely envious of the people who actually got to go out to sea for testing.
By the way, here is the article where I learned about the Patriot Express loan:
That's administered by another agency, not the VA. The barrier for that is much less -- not that that's not a fun thing to do anyways.
For what it's worth I really enjoyed my bitter time in the military, it influences every single aspect of my life. Once you cross over you'll the world in a different light. A lot of the vets here on YC apparently don't share what I feel. Like a poker game it's all about the cards you're dealt with and trying to make the best of it.
By the way, here is the article where I learned about the Patriot Express loan:
http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/49297/