['Back when I was in the Navy, I hated studying for promotion tests, so you can imagine my reaction when I got selected.', 'Oh no haha, were you prepared for it?', 'I must have been, because I always was promoted the first time I was eligible!']
Nice, good job!
When I was still in the Navy, I never studied for promotion tests, so you can imagine my reaction when I was always selected my first time I was eligible.