So, do views on spouses/family at pinning on/promotions vary by branch of the military? Just curious.
I see @ojo said its normal for her, and I know her/her H are AF. My H is AF also and spouses are encouraged to come to pinning on. I wasn't at my H's last one because I was working, but I'm planning to be at his one next year.
It can vary based on branch or unit. I was Army Reserve. We had a little ceremony for everyone who ranked up, no matter the rank. For H, his unit is odd. Until you hit E-7, they just hand you your promotion papers and say congrats. There is no pinning.
As far as involvement, I'm very involved right now. I'm a Key Caller for our FRG and help with a lot of planning for events and such. This unit is like a huge family and there are constantly events. We will be PCSing this summer. H is going to a completely different type of unit, so I'm not sure how involved I'll be there.
Post by iluvmytxrgr on Oct 22, 2013 16:42:01 GMT -5
I can't even wrap my head around how people can do things like this to their kids. My son had an upset stomach 5 min from the house once. By the time I got him into the house to change him, he was already red and blistering. I can't even imagine what two weeks in the same mess can do to a child's skin. Good, God, the torture these babies must have gone through.
Post by iluvmytxrgr on Oct 2, 2013 12:14:55 GMT -5
Here, all TDY trips are cancelled to include my husband's SLC class. He was told all AMMED classes coming up are canceled. DEERS, Commissary, Vehicle Registration office are all closed. They had us down to one gate opened, but command from a number of units got together with Garrison and agreed to volunteer soldiers to work the gates to keep them all open. Everything else is open and running as normal at least until the end of the week. After that, it will able to re-evaluated to see if more needs to be cut.
Good laundry detergent and fabric softeners, non-aerosol air fresheners, sun screen, fun snacks, magazines, nice sheets, a nice towel, at home spa items, an eye mask, a loofah on a stick.
Post by iluvmytxrgr on Sept 23, 2013 19:58:04 GMT -5
I always ask for the shot. I've had the mist twice and had terrible sinus infections within 48 hours of each one. My doctor and I are both convinced it was the mist. He says there is just something in it that my sinuses don't agree with. He says it happens in a small number of people. I guess I'm just that dang lucky. Yay me!
Stan, just wait for Reception and the mass shots you'll get that day. The peanut butter shot is way fun! lol I couldn't sit on that cheek for a good three days. Sucks for running, too.
Post by iluvmytxrgr on Sept 4, 2013 18:24:32 GMT -5
Done. (Stan, don't cut your hair. It's easier to control longer hair and keep it in regs. For White Phase and time at the ranges, find a female who can braid. It is easier to keep it up and your helmet on right when your hair is braided. We were told to corn row our hair, even though it isn't normally with in regs, because it helps.)
Oh boy. How do I explain my misery briefly? First, I was not prepared at all for the sheer amount of bureaucracy and red tape. I estimate that I spent 2-3 hours a day practicing pharmacy, and the rest of my time attending pointless meetings and doing paperwork. I incorrectly assumed that as a brand new pharmacist, I'd spend most of my time being a pharmacist and that leadership would come later. Instead, I was the officer in charge.
I had poor leadership. My first flight commander gave very little guidance or performance feedback. I had to figure out everything myself. For example, about a month after arriving, I happened to find a binder called "operating instructions" and thought it sounded like something I should read. It was the complete description of the standard operating procedures for the pharmacy. Months later, my flight commander said, "Oh, have I had you read the OIs yet?" My second flight commander was one of the dumbest pharmacists I have ever met. I ended up doing most of his job in addition to my own. This is when my stress level went through the roof. I got terrible insomnia. My squadron commander was a micromanager who would fly off the handle seemingly randomly.
Childcare was a big stressor. DH is an active duty pilot who traveled and deployed frequently. We had frequent exercises with 12 hour shifts. DS was being sent home constantly from the CDC for mythical fevers that almost never showed up on my thermometer at home. If your DH has a flexible job, this will not be as big a problem for you.
PT was another big stressor. We had a schedule of 6:45 am on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 4 pm on Mondays and Wednesdays. I'm not naturally athletic at all. Our pt sessions hardly ever included running, my biggest weakness. I desperately wanted to work on running, but it was almost impossible to squeeze in between mandatory pt, trying to get my work done, being limited to 10 hours a day at daycare, and DH being gone frequently. I failed the run on my last pt test, which just made my situation more miserable.
My recommendation is that you not join the Army unless 1) you are interested in being a leader, 2) you don't mind office politics, 3) you are prepared for bs meetings, computer based training, and paperwork, 4) your DH has a flexible job that can move around easily , and 5) you are at least a little bit athletic
Please don't take this as me being rude. I'm asking because I'm really curious. Did you not know anything about the Air Force or military in general before you joined?
Post by iluvmytxrgr on Aug 29, 2013 14:08:35 GMT -5
I spoke to one of the vets my husband works with. He said you need to get accepted into a program first, then speak to a medical officer recruiter. You'll get a stipend every month and pay during summer and school breaks. He and most other vets he's worked with joined after they finished because the pay in the Army was far better and they are able to pay off their loans faster than in the "real world". You'll have all sorts of opportunities you won't working as a civilian vet. There are training facilities, research facilities, breeding programs, regular clinics and more. Some of the first females entering into Special Forces and Special Operations units are going in as vets and vet techs. There are some really awesome opportunities as a vet in the Army. There are still deployments, for some. Though, they are usually only a few months long. You can also go on great humanitarian missions.
Post by iluvmytxrgr on Aug 28, 2013 6:31:36 GMT -5
The Army is the only branch of our military that has Vets and Vet Techs. Most of the vets I've known enter after they've finished vet school. The vet my husband currently works with is using the loan repayment program to pay off his schooling.
Post by iluvmytxrgr on Aug 19, 2013 11:10:17 GMT -5
I was in the Reserves. We never had a ball. However, as an MP, I was able to attend the MP ball at Regimental HQ in MO, if we chose to go. I didn't really see the point of going to MO from GA just for ball. The only thing my unit did was a Christmas party where we were all required to wear our uniforms and the dress code for family was semi formal.
Post by iluvmytxrgr on Aug 6, 2013 18:55:44 GMT -5
Thanks, ladies. We have a bit of time before we go. The kids will be able to finish out this school year that is about to start. I just want to be as prepared as possible. We still have to make some minor repairs to our current house and find a renter. I am also researching areas with the best schools. If any of you have experience with Ft Benning, I'd be grateful for insight.
We are headed to Benning next spring/summer. He's being promoted up to a regimental job. He's hoping to push it back until after the kids get out of school. They said they don't see an issue. We just have to hope it works out that way or we'll be sleeping in my brother's living room until the last day of school. I think we are of the mind we'll pack a couple mattresses, some pots and pans, valuables, linens, clothes, cleaning supplies and food with us and let them have the rest. I was figuring on enough stuff to get us through a week or two, just in case.
Well hey, I expect to be there for a bit in the near future. Congrats to J on the promotion!
Well, I expect to buy you a beer when you are finished.
Post by iluvmytxrgr on Aug 2, 2013 20:34:02 GMT -5
We are headed to Benning next spring/summer. He's being promoted up to a regimental job. He's hoping to push it back until after the kids get out of school. They said they don't see an issue. We just have to hope it works out that way or we'll be sleeping in my brother's living room until the last day of school. I think we are of the mind we'll pack a couple mattresses, some pots and pans, valuables, linens, clothes, cleaning supplies and food with us and let them have the rest. I was figuring on enough stuff to get us through a week or two, just in case.
Post by iluvmytxrgr on Aug 2, 2013 10:05:11 GMT -5
Everything I've ever learned about PCS-ing, I've learned from you ladies. However, we've never had to PCS. It's now our turn. Luckily, our move will only be 4 hours away. We are thinking of doing a partial DITY, mainly a small truck load of our expensive items, a couple of mattresses, kitchen items and clothes. Does this sound like a good idea? We aren't trying to make any money off of it. We just want to take some items for comfort while we wait on our HHG and items we can't replace if damaged.
For those of you with experience with shorter distance moves, what is a "typical" wait time for your HHG to be delivered? We have about 9 months before our move, I just want to get as much info as possible to be prepared and to plan ahead since my husband will be gone for the majority of the time before we go. Thank, Ladies.
Post by iluvmytxrgr on Jul 20, 2013 11:33:38 GMT -5
Oh, my husband would love that. He brought an old French press with him last deployment. Those new laundry detergent gel packs have been great for him. He travels around a lot, so he puts a few in a zip bag to take with him. He had a hard time with dust last time. He had a sinus infection for weeks. I finally sent him a neti pot. With in a few days of him using it, he was much better. He said he'll take one with him from now on.
The thing that makes me laugh most about this stuff is the fact that it's SO predominant in military towns.
H said it perfectly one day while we were at the exchange and saw a girl wearing a "Proud Marine Wife" shirt: "Why do girls wear that stuff around base? Okay? And? So is every other spouse at this base... why do you think you're so special?"