x-posted
I know this is a long shot, but does anyone know if there's any sort of regulation (Army) related to the following:
Long story short, someone failed the run on the PT test. Just after, they were put on profile and then promptly recommended for an MEB for the same hip injury that led to the failed PT test. Due to the failed PT test, they were flagged. Now that there's proof of the injury, this soldier is looking for a way to have the flag removed so they don't end up being medically discharged with a flag and a series of not-so-great NCOERs for PT. Our 1SG is refusing to remove the flag, and our CO is saying that he would consider it, but would prefer to do so with some kind of regulation behind it.
Any chance that someone can point me in a helpful direction? Or is he just kind of SOL with this?
ETA: Is it possible to take a record APFT while on a permanent profile the only allows push ups?

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Yikes!
Long story short, my husband and I are dual-military with a kid, and after much back-and-forth and attempting to find a solution, I am ending up taking a Family Care Plan chapter.
So now I am facing the situation where my time in the Army is suddenly ending (after 5 years in) and I have had little to no time to prep for it. I had my Phase 1 physical this morning.
We don't have a lot of money saved up, so me finding a new job fast is of paramount importance. On that note, I have quite a few questions.

-After my phase 1 physical today they told me to take the papers to my normal clinic to schedule phase 2. Do I have to do that right away or can I put it off a bit?

-I just had a dental appointment last week and they told me I needed some work done, to include getting my wisdom teeth out. Can I still get this done before I am chaptered?

-I have a memo requesting that I am able to clear without orders. In it, my first sergeant put that my estimated ETS is August 10. Holy shit, that's fast! Is this a hard date, or something I can delay just a bit? (Like, til September or so?)

-I assume I will have to ensure my son is listed as my husband's dependent or something like that so his (my son's) Tricare benefits are not interrupted? (Hubby is also active-duty, but son is currently listed under me)

-Does my SGLI vanish now? What about my Thrift Savings Plan?

-I have 5 years in as of August 7th. I'm an E5. I spent 3.5 years working as a PATRIOT Launching Station operator/maintainer, and the past (almost) 2 years as Public Affairs (essentially journalism).  Any suggestions for a civilian job that would generate about the same amount of money per year?

I'm pretty nervous about getting out. I'm worried I won't be able to find a job that pays the same. Most of hubby's money goes towards child support for his kids from a past relationship, we primarily use my paycheck for bills and such. Most job listings I've been looking at online require more experience than I have. I DO have my bachelors degree, however, so that's a plus. If you have any resources you can recommend, I'd love to hear about them. I don't have a resume or anything yet. I'm trying not to freak out.
We had discussed that this (the chapter) might come about, but the last time I spoke to my 1sgt/commander, they were talking like they really didn't want me to get out, they were going to work with my husband's unit, etc, try to find other options. SO I thought things were on the back burner for a while. Then suddenly last Friday Top called me in to the office and had me sign the paperwork and BAM! I had a Phase 1 this morning. And I'm a little taken aback at how fast everything is going. Help?

xposted to a couple military comms

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orders


Current Mood: anxious

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What all benefits are given for a General (Under Honorable Conditions) discharge from the Army? I know the GI Bill is usually not available any longer, and I've found a bit about medical benefits, but what about any sort of severance pay or anything like that?
Also, what else does a General Discharge change as opposed to an Honorable?
Thank you!

(Cross-posted to usmilitary)

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(listening to "Emerson, Lake and Palmer - C'est La Vie", contemplative, in solitude)

I have been a lone woman for all of my life, a function of a character formed from very hard adversities passed through over 5 decades but probably moreso, because of my mind.

 I am a 24 year USAF veteran, presently in "Inactive Reserve" status and still work at a military installation, albeit as a civilian technician.

Via nature and disposition, I am something of a loner and have always considered myself to be a Soldier.

Decades ago, joining the military proved to be the best career move which that I have ever made and it proved to be beneficial in many ways. But the military transmuted considerably over the decades and for this and other reasons, it was decided to "turn the page", if you will.


Current Mood: contemplative

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I didn't think I could make it but...
Growing up, I have always been into EVERYTHING. I wanted to do everything and experience everything. I was into biology, chemistry, ballet, dance, gymnastics, music, math, english, languages... but never into "war" games and the like. As soon as I hit high school, sports or anything of the nature was not in my vocabulary. Model United Nations? Yes. Amnesty International? yes. High School News paper? yes. JROTC? HELL NO!

However, as soon as the end of senior year hit-- I realized something... I found the idea of going into a top tier college and working my butt of there and then having to go to graduate school having to work my butt of there... and having to work and work and work for the rest of my life-- completely... just BLAH. I just did not and refused to do it. My life was not like that. I was lost. I decided to take the year off. What a waste... Still having reservations about college-- I went to an Air Force recruiter. My paperwork was in the process when an Army recruiter contacted me and I realized the Army was something I was looking for.

I enlisted and then freaked out. Will I survive Basic Training? Don't get me wrong, I had a hard time with the running and the PT. But after a while I realized it was fun. I remember one day-- we were going to do the gas chamber. It was raining so hard. We were soaking wet, uniforms all mudddy, and I was freezing. We were standing under a roof that barely shielded us from the rain, and I remember thinking to myself-- wow, I could be at home sleeping right now... warm. I look back now and I realize that no-- if I had to do it again I would. Remembering the times spent with my battle buddies being "smoked," road marching, conducting "barracks maintenance," I realize I would not trade it for a seat in my dream college (Brown University).

I can barely remember how civilian life felt like-- I barely remember my old self. But what I do remember myself-- I remember someone who took everything for granted, someone who had no back bone, someone who didn't think she could make anything, or do anything. Someone who didn't believe in herself. Having come out of Basic Training-- I realize that I CAN do everything and anything I want. I still cannot believe I made it through Basic, but I remember my Drill Sergeant telling me that if I really want it-- I can have it. Before I can barely run 1/8 of a mile... now I can run 1, 2, 3, 4, 5-- I can keep going.

It's an experience that is out of the ordinary. Not everyone will have a chance to live what I have... but I did. And if anyone is thinking about it... why not try?

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So, not long after I started this community a lot of women joined to ask questions about enlisting and basic training and so forth.

So, if you joined for that reason and have since gone through it all, tell us how it went. Was it up to your expectations? What was different than what you expected? Surprises? Pleasant or unpleasant. Have you enjoyed your experience in the military? Are you still in? Would you do it all over again?

I'm just really curious to hear how things turned out for all those women who asked for advice in this community.

Also, I'm a little sad that the community seems to be a bit dead. If you know anyone who would benefit from this community, send 'em over! And if you have any stories, post them! I miss discussing with you all.

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Sexual Assault Case forming
Class Action Against U.S. Military On Behalf Of Sexual Assault Survivors
by Jaclyn on 7.26.2010 · 0 comments
in Guest Blogging, Law, Military, Sexual Assault

Just got this news via the fine folks at CounterQuo:

The DC firm, Burke PLLC, is preparing to file a class action suit on behalf of those harmed by the military’s failures to address military sexual trauma. They are interested in speaking with anyone who has been assaulted or raped while in the military or by a member of the military. They plan on filing in the near future so if you know any victims/survivors who may be potentially interested in participating in this lawsuit, please have them contact Susan Sajadi at ssajadi at burkepllc dot com.



http://www.feministe.us/blog/?p=18175

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Is it just me...
or does this have big potential to be fuel to the fire for all the naysayers who think women have no place in the military:

U.S. personnel in Iraq could face court-martial for getting pregnant

The Army general commanding U.S. forces in northern Iraq has added pregnancy to the list of prohibitions for personnel under his command.

The policy, which went into effect Nov. 4, makes it possible to face punishment, including a court-martial and jail time, for becoming pregnant or impregnating a servicemember, according to the wording of the policy and confirmations from Army officials. (full article at Star and Stripes website)

Current Mood: sore

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Getting Tired of This...
So, I was reading this week's Army Times, and found this delightful letter to the editor. I can't find it online, so I'll reproduce it to share: I find the question regarding the female soldier refusing to deploy because the lack of a family care plan not only discriminating but outright ridiculous. The Army regulation on family care plans is black and white and if the Army even considers any favoritism because the soldier is a female then the whole regulation needs to be rewritten.

In March 2003, my ex-wife left me, leaving me without a family care plan and set to deploy to Iraq. The question to me was "Find your ex, give the kids back and go to war...or get out." There was no question of me being a single father with three children. Why is there consideration for this specialist? Why is the Army allowing female soldiers to remain in the Army by getting pregnant out wedlock?

We have single female soldiers getting pregnant and I believe because they know they only won't have to deploy, but they get more uniforms. tennis shoes and months of convalescent time. Don't get me wrong, to female soldiers who are married and are trying to build a family, God bless and best of luck. But the single females getting pregnant should be separated for destruction of government property, and breach of contract being unable to fulfill their obligation to the Army. I recently reclassed and while in AIT three soldiers got pregnant and laughed stating they won't have to go to war now. As long as the Army condones this, others will have to take up the slack of these so-called soldiers.

So the question is, what should the Army do now? Stick to the policies and regulations that are in place for every soldier in the Army and make her deploy, or if she is in her first enlistment, give her a general discharge and a handshake and make her take responsibility for her actions. Anything else would be a disgrace.

The writer is a SSG at Fort Carson.

I'm not sure which is worse - the "I got screwed, so should she" attitude or the implication get pregnant for more uniforms, TENNIS SHOES, and MONTHS of convalescent leave. Never mind that he's wrong about MONTHS, unless he's counting the six months exemption from the APFT. Or maybe it's the implication that unwed single soldiers should keep their legs shut. Never mind that he should have been given the thirty day period, deployment or not. Never mind that I bet no male soldiers would be charged for destroying government property in these cases.

But I think I'm going to go with my favorite - one woman's shortcoming is held against all of us. Because he's seen some female soldiers act like idiots, we're all idiots. It's like the XKCD comic that's funny until you realize it's NOT funny because it's true. I'm actually mad enough to write back. I'm tired of this BS. I'm a single mom, and a senior NCO, and tired of this attitude.

(Posting to my personal journal also in slightly different form, so you may see it twice.)

DV

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I have a question I was hoping someone could answer.
I'm Active Army and just finished AIT at Fort Sam Houston. I'm home until the 15th doing HRAP, and then I'll be heading to Fort Carson, Colorado.
I talked with housing and filled out the application and have a house reserved for my husband and I on post. I've always been under the assumption that you don't pay rent when you live on post and because of that, you don't receive BAH but some of the sites online refer to rental agreements and monthly payments and whatnot.
There's no way we can afford a $900/month rent right now if we're not getting BAH. I also swore I read somewhere that they "charge rent" but that it's paid by the Army instead of receiving BAH? Is this true at all?
I'm really confused with all this and could just call them up but I've been bugging them like crazy and I'm on my way to the recruiter's at the moment.
Any other information you can provide for a new army member would be much appreciated as well.
Thank you in advance!

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SPC Alexis Hutchinson
So, unless you've been under a rock, you've probably heard about her. She was arrested for missing movement, due to family care issues.

AP article here.

There's obviously a LOT missing from it - it sounds like the chain of command failed to support the soldier, possibly thinking that she was making it up. SPC Hutchinson did have a family care plan that fell through (her mother was overburdened) and asked for an extension to solve the problem. According to her lawyer, they told her they'd deploy her even if it meant the son was in foster care.

Obviously, not showing up wasn't the right answer, either.

I'm a single parent, by divorce, and my ex-husband is also military, so I am familiar with the family care plan and the burdens of being a single parent. Luckily, my parents were able to step up to the plate and handle things while I was gone, as they agreed to in my FCP.

Then I found this article, and thought I was going to enjoy it: Balance in Reporting Operative word, THOUGHT.

One of many striking omissions in the coverage of SPC Hutchinson's story has been the lack of information about the child's father. If this man is mentioned at all - it's only a passing reference such as this from SPC Hutchinson's attorney Rai Sue Sussman, "Hutchinson is no longer in a relationship with the father." How does the father's relationship with the mother negate the relationship with his son? Has America grown so accustomed to absent, irresponsible fathers that we just assume the guy cannot or will not step up and care for his child? Who is this man? Where is this man? Why isn't he part of this story along with the mother, SPC Hutchinson?

Well, I'll hazard a guess and say this: HE'S PROBABLY IN THE MILITARY. Maybe he's already deployed. Maybe he's not fit to be around his child.

If he is in the military, he can't be part of the FCP. Even if they were married, they'd still have to have one.

The last line makes me really annoyed: The case of SPC Alexis Hutchinson appears to be far more about the need for dual parenting and personal responsibility than Army policy.

Thanks. Never mind that some of us started out as a partnership - one that is now dissolved.

Discussion?

DV

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promotion board
Woo, I rocked the board and came out with 149 of 150pts. See, our SgtMaj likes to let people prove themselves, and if you come in there and are confident, say the NCO Creed word-perfect and loud as you can, and are precise in your uniform and facing movements, then they let you out of there without even asking you any questions at all. If you are nervous or stumble on the creed, that's when they grill you. I was nervous, but not visibly so, and so I got out of there after just doing the Creed, my bio, and the facing movements. :) It was almost a let down after how hard I studied, lol. But I'm just relieved it's over with and I can now focus on the field problem we're currently involved in. Thank you to all who gave me tips on my last entry.

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Heads up for those that were stop lossed....
Hi everyone,

Just wanted to share this information with you in case you haven't heard about it. If you were stop lossed in the past, the president passed a monthly payment, $500 a month, retroactive to 2001. WOO HOO!! You only have one year to get your appliation in (October 2010), so make sure you visit this site and do the application ASAP if this applies to you. The payment applies to every service, but each service has their own website or application process. Since I was in the Army, I only have the Army site. I'm sure for the other services, you can do a simple google search and find it. The Army site is:

https://www.stoplosspay.army.mil/Default.aspx

and here are some articles from the Army Times if you want more information or have no idea what I am talking about, lol

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/09/military_stop_loss_092809w/
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/10/army_stoploss_101809w/

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Hey ladies. Been a while since I last posted. I'm an E-4 in the Army, and I go to the promotion board November 3rd. I was just wondering if any of you might have advice with regards to the board? I've been studying, I know the NCO creed well, I've been memorizing AR and FM numbers so I can reference them if I don't know the answer to a question....I'm just a bit nervous and would love to hear any words of advice before i go. Thanks!

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Maybe y'all could help me....
Hello! My name is Kristin and I'm 19. A little background on me- I graduated high school in June, thank god. I've had quite a hard time with the college situation. I was going to go to UT, but we didn't have the money nor the balls to take out 22 thousand in loans a year. So I've ended up at my local community college which I just hate and I feel like I need to take a break from the whole college thing right now.

My family is really big into the Air Force and it's always been an option for me. Now I've decided to join! My recruiter called while I was writing this, actually, and he's going to try and schedule me to go to MEPS next week. Here's my question:

Does anyone here have any experience in the Broadcasting or Public Relations career choice for the Air Force, or really any other branch?

My recruiter says he's never had anyone go into Broadcasting (the only guy who was interested didn't score high enough on the ASVAB). And I would really like to hear from someone with experience in it. Broadcasting is what I want to do for my career in and out of the military, but I'd definitely like to know more about people's experiences in it before I jump on in.

Also, any other advice would be greatly appreciated!! xx

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I'm still waiting to get my commission, my application is apparently in the Senate committee that takes care of such things, so... keeping my fingers crossed.

But, I was wondering, does anyone know off the top of their head whether or not the DoD allows female service personnel to get breast augmentation? I'm looking into breast implants (what? I'm going to have a bonus I have to spend somehow, lol!) and I was wondering if a surgery like this would be somehow disqualifying for me?

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Time off for kids
I'm in a 3 deep shop, one person is deployed. The other was out all last week on quarters. This week, she was out today because her son has a feaver. And I've already been told by our supervisor that she'll be out tomorrow because her son still has a feaver. She is not a single mom, yes her husband works also, but only at the commissary.

I would never even think about asking to stay home because my son is sick. When my husband starts working again he'd have to call in and stay home, that's just the way things work. Sure if he'd been home for a couple of days I may ask to take one day so he can make an appearance at work. She's always getting time off for her kids, it's not like this is the first time either. Even when her husband wasn't working, she was getting time off to take them to medical appts on base (and they live on base, have two cars, and live in very easy walking distance since its a very small base). She's also had time off to take them on field trips, and brings them into work all the time. And she even comes in late every day to get them off to school (also on base), she's supposidly staying late, but I haven't really seen her staying late very often.

I really thought I would understand this getting time off for the kids once I became a mom, but I'm still baffled. This isn't the only base that I've seen this phenomenon occuring at either. I feel like I am getting the shaft because I have a spouse that will take care of things when they need doing.

I just had to vent, I really don't expect this to be fixed, and I really don't feel like complaining to our supervisor as while it is frustrating I don't see it as an issue worth complaining about to him.

Current Mood: frustrated

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PT question
I'm in the Army, and in most of my prior units, we've only run MWF, with muscle failure on TTH. In this unit, we are running EVERY DAY. For example, this week: 5 miles Mon, sprints Tues, 4 miles Wed, 3 miles today, and another 3 scheduled for tomorrow.

Now, please don't read this like complaining, or me trying to get out of PT, because the running is doing me a world of good. I dropped my run time from a 19 min 2 mile to a 16:50 2 mile. My concern is that it's also hurting me and others. I thought running every day wasn't good for the body, b/c your legs need time to recover. I'm getting shin splints and my ankle joints are painful every day because of the sheer amounts of running we're doing. I know of several others who are facing similar difficulties- minor things now, but what happens in the long run?

Is this a valid point to bring up to my chain of command? Would asking them to tone it down just a little be out of line? Is this running program even as extreme as I feel like it is? Any advice welcome.

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