darklite_xI'm not an r-tard...Registered Userregular
FML. I'm in my re-enlistment window, and I literally spent 2013 fighting to be able to re-enlist. Now, here I am debating whether or not I want to. Honestly, I just don't believe in the mission anymore. I don't give a fuck about anything, but on the other hand, this is all I've ever known in my adult life and quite frankly I have no goals or aspirations as far as jobs outside the military go. Honestly, I hate that it's even come to this, and I don't know what to do.
Steam ID: darklite_x Xbox Gamertag: Darklite 37 PSN:Rage_Kage_37 Battle.Net:darklite#2197
FML. I'm in my re-enlistment window, and I literally spent 2013 fighting to be able to re-enlist. Now, here I am debating whether or not I want to. Honestly, I just don't believe in the mission anymore. I don't give a fuck about anything, but on the other hand, this is all I've ever known in my adult life and quite frankly I have no goals or aspirations as far as jobs outside the military go. Honestly, I hate that it's even come to this, and I don't know what to do.
Talk to your SNCOs now. They can point you to career counselorsand services you didn't know you had.
Wow. That is a lot less structured then I imagined things being.
Thanks for the help!
Kind of ridiculous, right? I think the manning documents are intentionally vague to let any CGO fill those junior officer slots. It lets the commanders make decent decisions on what the makeup of their unit needs to be. I'm not even sure that ALL career fields operate like that, my experience is kind of limited to my own and a handful of others.
The day I commissioned as an officer I got a call from a recruiter in New York. He asked me if I realized I had hit my window - and asked if I had though about re enlisting. and I responded that I knew, but that I had just accepted a commission as a lieutenant.
His response was, "So is that a no?"
Seriously man, if you don't believe in the cause, and if you don't enjoy the work, don't torture yourself. Guaranteed the civilian world has something better to offer you. It'll take a bit to adjust no matter what you choose to do as a free man, but you'll get to live the way you want and do as you please.
Me: Chief, now that I'm getting my own office, would it send a bad message if I had a cabinet full of Bailey's for my coffee?
Chief: Nah, I'd feel better because that would explain a lot.
3DS Friendcode 5413-1311-3767
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spookymuffin( ° ʖ ° )Puyallup WA Registered Userregular
The 3 worst words that were ever uttered: Professional Military Image.
PSN: MegaSpooky // 3DS: 3797-6276-7138 Wii U NNID: MegaSpooky
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Waffles or whateverPreviously known as, I shit you not, "Waffen"Registered Userregular
edited January 2014
I find it amusing that with less than a month before my first PCS all the jobs I applied too have been calling back now asking me to work for them. I first got a call back from LA Fitness for Personal Training, then a few Hollister & Abercombie stores called me back about doing their Assistant Manager Programs, American Eagle did the same, & I applied for a few defense contractor businesses that have locations here in Chicago and they just called me today asking me when I could start.
Would've been nice y'know, if you guys called me like, six months ago when I was in desperate need of work.
But anyway, rant off. New question.
So with me PCSing next month what should I actually bring to BOLC? I planned on bringing clothes, PC (For gaming huerhuerhuerhuer), silverware, pots & pans for cooking, and linens for the bed. Is there anything else I should bring? My goal is to find a pre furbished apartment so I don't have to buy furniture or worry about moving that stuff till I get to my first duty station.
Where is your BOLC at waffen? Are they going to have you stay in army hotel (my class wasn't allowed to stay off post, only in the army hotel - it will say in your introduction letter from your instructor) If so you're going to need to rethink some things. My biggest lament was not having a kitchen for months and eating at the chow hall. I gained like ten pounds.
Here's the rub, AFPC (Air Force Personnel Center) allocated those as "CGO" slots for the most part. 2nd, 1st LT or Capt doesn't really matter.
Now obviously there are some positions (think a 1 deep job, where you are essentially a contracting CC) that would require a more seasoned Captain. Or a position that has historically struggled.
That's why you end up with a shit ton of 2Lt's at Minot, because both Hanscom and Wright-Patt are largely civilianized contracts for the base maintenance (re: 75% of the bases money and contracts) so they're high performance jobs. Minot on the other hand has a huge Mission Support Group (MSG) with Comm, SF, CE that are all active duty Airmen. Less contracts, less stressed contracting, does that make sense?
That's the first part of it.
The second part, is that you have nothing to give. Not saying you're not smart or whatever, but assignments wise you're a new member. The places you listed? And those overseas locations? Those are going to guys who just got off a 365 deployment, or 2 years in Korea, or something like that (either what we call an iTDY or a remote tour). They've essentially traded some of their time for a future assignment at a better location. Of course this isn't official like it is on the enlisted side, but it happens all the time. In Germany you see a large percentage of your inbound folks coming from other overseas locations like Korea because it was their gateway to Europe.
All that being said, I bet Hanscom and Wright-Patt have a TON of contracting officer spots, so I'd say your odds are still pretty good. I think VeritasVR is up there, but a 62E engineer.
If I remember on Tuesday when I get back to work I'll check the authorizations and see how many officer spots are listed. Do you happen to know the unit numbers for Hanscom and Wright-Patt? If I recall correctly its sorted by location and not unit but I haven't looked in a while.
I'm a 63A (Acquisitions Officer aka Program Manager) at Hanscom. We're almost interchangeable with 62Es (Developmental Engineers) it seems. As a new 64P (Contracting Officer), you can fill an O-2 billet. Usually it's +1 or -1, so an O-2 can fill an O-1 or an O-3. I've always been in a +1 situation, holding a billet that's one grade above my current grade. By the way, the 'P' in 64P stands for PK, which stands for Contracting. No idea where that one came from. I guess it was too close to PM (Program Manager).
There is a less of a need for 6X (all acquisition-related officers) at operational-heavy bases that are located in remote areas, because they simply don't run huge contracts out of those bases. There's almost zero development program offices or procurement program offices that exist there, because they are at bases with cities or places with a large civilian presence (Wright-Patt, Hanscom, Los Angeles, any AFMC base). However, there are a few sustainment contracts for aircraft maintenance or base maintenance, hence the need for a handful of 64Ps at every base.
Most 64P billets are in AFMC, and the largest of the five centers of AFMC is AFLCMC. It doesn't use the Wing/Group/Squadron/Flight construct, so traditional "commanders" don't exist. There is a total of one CC with G-series orders at Hanscom (an O-5) that approves permissive TDYs and those sorts of things.
VeritasVR on
Let 'em eat fucking pineapples!
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Waffles or whateverPreviously known as, I shit you not, "Waffen"Registered Userregular
Where is your BOLC at waffen? Are they going to have you stay in army hotel (my class wasn't allowed to stay off post, only in the army hotel - it will say in your introduction letter from your instructor) If so you're going to need to rethink some things. My biggest lament was not having a kitchen for months and eating at the chow hall. I gained like ten pounds.
I'll be at Fort Benning for Armor BOLC. I have literally heard absolutely nothing about it apart from what I've found here and I don't know of anyone whose actually gone to ABOLC.
FML. I'm in my re-enlistment window, and I literally spent 2013 fighting to be able to re-enlist. Now, here I am debating whether or not I want to. Honestly, I just don't believe in the mission anymore. I don't give a fuck about anything, but on the other hand, this is all I've ever known in my adult life and quite frankly I have no goals or aspirations as far as jobs outside the military go. Honestly, I hate that it's even come to this, and I don't know what to do.
Get out then, IMHO. You presumably have your GI Bill, start saving. You can realistically swap majors reasonably easily after even a year or two, so grab a degree.
Peacetime garrison is a pretty shitty job compared to many, IMHO. Military retirement is bullshit good, but besides that, you can do as well or better civilian side with a degree, particularly as enlisted.
Where is your BOLC at waffen? Are they going to have you stay in army hotel (my class wasn't allowed to stay off post, only in the army hotel - it will say in your introduction letter from your instructor) If so you're going to need to rethink some things. My biggest lament was not having a kitchen for months and eating at the chow hall. I gained like ten pounds.
I'll be at Fort Benning for Armor BOLC. I have literally heard absolutely nothing about it apart from what I've found here and I don't know of anyone whose actually gone to ABOLC.
You haven't gotten any kind of communication from your class leader, or from the school house?
Check your ako/enterprise email ASAP. If nothing do your best to get into contact with the school house directly. Call them until you get someone who can direct you to schoolhouse personnel. They'll be able to give you more guidance.
In specific you're going to want to get a packing list, details on housing, a map, the location you need to report to (building and room number), on what day at what time, your class number and expectations. All this should be in some sort if introductory packet that they send out.
You want to stay on top of this.
Oh and don't arrive early. For serious on this. They'll put your ass right to work on the most mundane thing they can find.
Edit: also I hope you like your weather muggy. I've never been to benning in the winter - only in the summer and spring. I loved it there but I like hot, hot humid weather.
h3ndu on
Lo Que Sea, Cuando Sea, Donde Sea.
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Waffles or whateverPreviously known as, I shit you not, "Waffen"Registered Userregular
Where is your BOLC at waffen? Are they going to have you stay in army hotel (my class wasn't allowed to stay off post, only in the army hotel - it will say in your introduction letter from your instructor) If so you're going to need to rethink some things. My biggest lament was not having a kitchen for months and eating at the chow hall. I gained like ten pounds.
I'll be at Fort Benning for Armor BOLC. I have literally heard absolutely nothing about it apart from what I've found here and I don't know of anyone whose actually gone to ABOLC.
You haven't gotten any kind of communication from your class leader, or from the school house?
Check your ako/enterprise email ASAP. If nothing do your best to get into contact with the school house directly. Call them until you get someone who can direct you to schoolhouse personnel. They'll be able to give you more guidance.
In specific you're going to want to get a packing list, details on housing, a map, the location you need to report to (building and room number), on what day at what time, your class number and expectations. All this should be in some sort if introductory packet that they send out.
You want to stay on top of this.
Oh and don't arrive early. For serious on this. They'll put your ass right to work on the most mundane thing they can find.
Edit: also I hope you like your weather muggy. I've never been to benning in the winter - only in the summer and spring. I loved it there but I like hot, hot humid weather.
No communication what-so-ever. I've been in the dark these last ten months. tbh, my orders didn't actually arrive in the mail. I stumbled upon them by accident in my HRC Account's document section when looking for information about my Student Loan Repayment option back in November. If it weren't for that accident I would've instead received a phone call along the lines of, "Where the heck you at LT?" after February 20th.
My AKO email stopped receiving emails months ago when the Army did that transition over to Enterprise Email. In order to access it you need a CAC Card, which mine expired and I am not authorized to have one since I'm still in the IRR.
I'll call the school house directly tomorrow and let them know my plight.
Where is your BOLC at waffen? Are they going to have you stay in army hotel (my class wasn't allowed to stay off post, only in the army hotel - it will say in your introduction letter from your instructor) If so you're going to need to rethink some things. My biggest lament was not having a kitchen for months and eating at the chow hall. I gained like ten pounds.
I'll be at Fort Benning for Armor BOLC. I have literally heard absolutely nothing about it apart from what I've found here and I don't know of anyone whose actually gone to ABOLC.
You haven't gotten any kind of communication from your class leader, or from the school house?
Check your ako/enterprise email ASAP. If nothing do your best to get into contact with the school house directly. Call them until you get someone who can direct you to schoolhouse personnel. They'll be able to give you more guidance.
In specific you're going to want to get a packing list, details on housing, a map, the location you need to report to (building and room number), on what day at what time, your class number and expectations. All this should be in some sort if introductory packet that they send out.
You want to stay on top of this.
Oh and don't arrive early. For serious on this. They'll put your ass right to work on the most mundane thing they can find.
Edit: also I hope you like your weather muggy. I've never been to benning in the winter - only in the summer and spring. I loved it there but I like hot, hot humid weather.
No communication what-so-ever. I've been in the dark these last ten months. tbh, my orders didn't actually arrive in the mail. I stumbled upon them by accident in my HRC Account's document section when looking for information about my Student Loan Repayment option back in November. If it weren't for that accident I would've instead received a phone call along the lines of, "Where the heck you at LT?" after February 20th.
My AKO email stopped receiving emails months ago when the Army did that transition over to Enterprise Email. In order to access it you need a CAC Card, which mine expired and I am not authorized to have one since I'm still in the IRR.
I'll call the school house directly tomorrow and let them know my plight.
You're not authorized a cac in the IRR? I had one while I was in the IRR in Germany. I even had to update it in ramstein.
I bet good money you've got some emails waiting for you.
Lo Que Sea, Cuando Sea, Donde Sea.
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Waffles or whateverPreviously known as, I shit you not, "Waffen"Registered Userregular
edited January 2014
Yesterday, I called the receiving unit twice, no answer. I called the Staff NCO desk and he gave me a number to the SGM. The SGM asked me who the guy was that told me to call him because he had over 20 LTs call him asking for the same information and gave me a new number. Number he gave me was disconnected. Time to try again today lol.
#goarmy
Edit: finally got a hold of someone. They said, "Use our website".
I don't know whether or not to put this in the tax thread, but...
I had an interesting run-in with the guys at H&R Block in the BX today. The active duty W-2 is coming out tomorrow so I figured I'd pay them a visit because I'm insane (and like to do my taxes with at least two different agencies and go with the one that makes sure that I get the highest return). Well the guy asked me where my home of residence was, and I said Ohio, because it's Ohio, and then he responded "oh, it looks like you don't pay state income tax". It took me a while to NOT blurt out something to the effect of "YOUR LIES AND TRICKERY!" but rather "you may be mistaken". But he was like "nope, here it is on my chart, no state income tax for you." Cool, if true. Why didn't TurboTax catch this for the last three years? Oh well, lost money- until the day when from good to great- when he offered to check my last three returns and get a state income tax rebate to the tune of several hundred dollars, or whatever it was... yeah around there as long as I went with his fees. Really, any fee was good as long as it was less than several hundred dollars, which it was of course.
So we'll see if it's true when I go back next week. I looked up the details and it seems that as long as you're FROM Ohio but not stationed IN Ohio, then the state income tax is zero.
Maybe I'm insane but I always get pumped when I do my taxes because of this crazy shit that comes out of nowhere. It's usually in my favor, because income is easy to calculate but deductions can be hard as hell.
I don't know whether or not to put this in the tax thread, but...
I had an interesting run-in with the guys at H&R Block in the BX today. The active duty W-2 is coming out tomorrow so I figured I'd pay them a visit because I'm insane (and like to do my taxes with at least two different agencies and go with the one that makes sure that I get the highest return). Well the guy asked me where my home of residence was, and I said Ohio, because it's Ohio, and then he responded "oh, it looks like you don't pay state income tax". It took me a while to NOT blurt out something to the effect of "YOUR LIES AND TRICKERY!" but rather "you may be mistaken". But he was like "nope, here it is on my chart, no state income tax for you." Cool, if true. Why didn't TurboTax catch this for the last three years? Oh well, lost money- until the day when from good to great- when he offered to check my last three returns and get a state income tax rebate to the tune of several hundred dollars, or whatever it was... yeah around there as long as I went with his fees. Really, any fee was good as long as it was less than several hundred dollars, which it was of course.
So we'll see if it's true when I go back next week. I looked up the details and it seems that as long as you're FROM Ohio but not stationed IN Ohio, then the state income tax is zero.
Maybe I'm insane but I always get pumped when I do my taxes because of this crazy shit that comes out of nowhere. It's usually in my favor, because income is easy to calculate but deductions can be hard as hell.
I don't recall Ohio having the no state tax for income earned out of state, but I know they had the awesome "here is free money" thing.
The VA decided not to follow through with a pending Post-9/11 GI Bill payment that was due last summer, and then also decide not to acknowledge that I hit the 100% tier for benefits for this semester. The VA rep doesn't know what happened nor has the power to do anything, so I'm basically stuck doing his job trying to calculate the real number (which is impossible given the cryptic information sent in these VA certificates of eligibility) or I pony up the money.
That's a cool ~$2,500 that I didn't know I needed to pay. Thankfully, might get that Ohio state income tax refund for the last three years maybe?
I noticed ADF is looking for foreign recruits and was wondering how it compared. Because I'm kinda done with the super specific day to day, but I'm still interested in staying in the defense sector, and that could be an interesting choice.
I was approached when I was in Australia for a pistol competition. Last I knew you needed an Aussie sponsor to get you in the door. Then I think you can file for citizenship after 6 months. This may be old/not current anymore.
Here is their website with all their current information.
Edit: For some reason I can't put in the URL whilst on my work PC
The VA decided not to follow through with a pending Post-9/11 GI Bill payment that was due last summer, and then also decide not to acknowledge that I hit the 100% tier for benefits for this semester. The VA rep doesn't know what happened nor has the power to do anything, so I'm basically stuck doing his job trying to calculate the real number (which is impossible given the cryptic information sent in these VA certificates of eligibility) or I pony up the money.
That's a cool ~$2,500 that I didn't know I needed to pay. Thankfully, might get that Ohio state income tax refund for the last three years maybe?
This terrifies the hell out of me. I just did two classes (poorly), and they haven't paid yet. I got a nasty gram from the school telling me they were about to send my ass to collections.
I contacted the VA reps to ask if there was a thing I need to do, or what the deal is.
Still though, sorry @VeritasVR
The VA decided not to follow through with a pending Post-9/11 GI Bill payment that was due last summer, and then also decide not to acknowledge that I hit the 100% tier for benefits for this semester. The VA rep doesn't know what happened nor has the power to do anything, so I'm basically stuck doing his job trying to calculate the real number (which is impossible given the cryptic information sent in these VA certificates of eligibility) or I pony up the money.
That's a cool ~$2,500 that I didn't know I needed to pay. Thankfully, might get that Ohio state income tax refund for the last three years maybe?
This terrifies the hell out of me. I just did two classes (poorly), and they haven't paid yet. I got a nasty gram from the school telling me they were about to send my ass to collections.
I contacted the VA reps to ask if there was a thing I need to do, or what the deal is.
Still though, sorry @VeritasVR
Yeah, I called them back up wanted to clarify what was going on. Then they called *me* back the next day with an explanation:
"Courses that begin before you cross over into the next tier (in my case, 90% to 100%) are billed completely for the lower tier."
More than two years I've been using the Post-9/11 GI bill, calling up the VA, and getting no one who could tell me this until now. That explains where minus ~$2,500 comes from.
Fortunately, they were able to tell me that because I had $2,500 less for this course, I'll have $2,500 more for the course I want to take during the early summer (before the next academic year), so it will all equal out in the end.
Then the next academic year hits on 1 August and I'll have a fresh ~$19k limit to take my final courses: three 3-credit electives at ~$1.4k per credit = $12.6k and I won't owe a dime.
Assuming this is what they come up with too, of course. Getting $12k wrong is a pretty big calculation error.
...I don't know that I entirely understand what you are doing then.
I assumed Post 9-11 was 100% (up to x amount). Whats this % shit you speak of?
Yeah I got into the weeds there. Your benefits are limited to a % of the maximum based on how long you've been on active duty (tiered prorated eligibility). Link
For most officers, since some/all of their school was paid for, they don't start their first day of benefits (40% tier) until their commissioning ADSC is up. So an AFAcademy grad is looking at 5 years of commissioned time until they hit the first (40%) tier and 8 years until they hit the last (100%) tier.
Anything below 100% really hurts your benefits badly. It's not just that your cap of $19k for this year is limited to that tier, but each payment your school gets is reduced to that tier too. Therfore it takes longer to max out your cap, but you're paying out of pocket even trying to get there.
I'm trying to do all this on active duty so this tier thing is a problem when it changes and I have no way to figure out what to do or plan my course schedule to avoid a surprise bill of several-thousand dollars.
Just a couple years ago when they were having their mining boom. I would get emails at least once a month. Work 4 months a year at a mine in some remote area, supervising a crew. Then then 6 months living on the Gold Coast. With tons of pay and benefits and a chance at a citizenship after a certain period of time.
Almost pulled the trigger on that one before I re-enlisted last time.
Just 4 months of 140+ degrees and there is not a single animal in Aussie land that isn't poisonous or doesn't want to kill you.
" I am a warrior, so that my son may be a merchant, so that his son may be a poet.”
― John Quincy Adams
0545-1920 day at the range, woo! Drank a whole bottle of wine with dinner on accident. Woops! Thank god for Katusa Snack Bar, why the fuck do they even give me a meal card if I can't eat at the dfac 1/3rd of the time?
PS4:MrZoompants
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Waffles or whateverPreviously known as, I shit you not, "Waffen"Registered Userregular
edited February 2014
I've enjoyed this conversation with my ROTC Battalion's S1. I can't sign the DA 31 Form because I haven't had a CAC since June and AKO no longer allows emails without a CAC. I anticipated that and sent her the email a few weeks before the deadline and now I can't get the form. Its been an enjoyable dilemma because as this S1 gets pissier and angrier, it becomes more and more obvious that if she answered her email around the time I had originally emailed her (two weeks ago), none of these issues would've occurred.
Sounds like she has a problem that was easily avoided if she didn't take two weeks to send a simple form.
You don't have to digitally sign a da 31. EDIT - for that matter there are a myriad of forms that you don't need to sign electronically.
EDIT 2 - have some pity for the poor woman too. All she does, literally, all day long is fix peoples shit for them. Dealing with pissy people and their issues is her whole life.
One of the big downfalls of logistics, HR, and supply is that they do a lot of shit for a lot of people and only ever get recognition for things they fuck up.
I'm glad you got what you wanted, but you would've had fun up here with the rest of us cold people. Minot is a great first base because the community tends to be a little closer, it makes for a strong introduction. It's not an awful third base either.
Just finished filling out a rather in depth online survey before its accompanying phone interview tomorrow for a Project Valor study I'm participating in. Who would've thought clicking radio buttons and checking boxes would've been such an experience?
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Waffles or whateverPreviously known as, I shit you not, "Waffen"Registered Userregular
You don't have to digitally sign a da 31. EDIT - for that matter there are a myriad of forms that you don't need to sign electronically.
EDIT 2 - have some pity for the poor woman too. All she does, literally, all day long is fix peoples shit for them. Dealing with pissy people and their issues is her whole life.
One of the big downfalls of logistics, HR, and supply is that they do a lot of shit for a lot of people and only ever get recognition for things they fuck up.
I left out some information there in my haste to type it out. I guess she wants me to send it by secure chain (DoD Email), but AKO finally went the cac route this week so my last source of "secure" email just burned out.
Normally I would give a person some slack, but she puts herself in these binds all on her own 95% of the time. Shes notoriously infamous for being extremely lazy (People have caught her in her office watching netflix for days before) and waits to the last second to do her work or documentation. That's her fault if her work turns around and bites her in the ass.
I know there are a couple people in here who will appreciate this.
I got waivered out of DLI, ended up at a unit that didn't use my language and where I failed a few more DLPTs (two of them at 1+/2+), deployed to Afghanistan, and finally took a good length, comprehensive review course and passed my first Arabic DLPT:
2+/3
I have to give credit to my unit though, because traditionally they have been really stupid about language stuff (having to show back up to the company to do literally nothing for 3 hours until finally getting out late only to then have to do homework and study), but this time I barely talked to them, and basically just did PT on my own and went to class, and ended up tied for highest career PT test and getting highest career DLPT.
On a broader, but related note:
I have a dream, and that dream is that one day the army will learn that less is often more. It'll be a new army, where joes can wear a fleece cap at 34 F in Afghanistan rather than carrying a PC with them to swap to*, and in garrison if someone rapes someone while riding a motorcycle drunk in improper safety gear, they personally get sent to Leavenworth but their entire division doesn't have to repeat the same fucking useless training all over again.
* I feel like this, more than anything, shows one of the biggest fundamental flaws of the army. We had intel guys specialized in capture/kill operations for HVTs, and like 6 hours after an IDF attack on the FOB, those guys were being told it was above freezing, and to swap to a PC, rather than being asked "Hey, what do you need from your leadership to go shoot the guys trying to kill us in the face?" And then we'd get IDF attacked the next day...
You're literally risking your life to keep a lack of priorities that fucked up.
You're literally risking your life to keep a lack of priorities that fucked up.
In 2006 a member of my platoon got an article 15 for getting shot. He was gunning on a humvee and a sniper shot him from the side, in the typical "bullets you so cray cray!" standard the round entered the inside of his IBA, skimmed the inside of his ballistic plate and tore his acu top leaving his tan shirt untouched.
Truly, a miracle. On the same day our brigade CSM ventured beyond the wire to visit us (Cough* get his CAB fricken POG) and with much excitement this Soldier decided to share his story with the CSM. The CSM is like "no wai!" so the troop pulled his ballistic plate out to show the CSM. When he pulled it out the CSM says "Why do you have a black plate instead of the new green sets" troop is like "wut?" BAM article 15 for not having or knowing what a green multi impact ballistic plate is.
CSM then takes the time to address the platoon for improper gear beyond the wire including informing us that our UAVs have seen us without kevlars.... Our UAVs, that should be tracking enemy movement, are spying on us to make sure we always have kevlar / nomex gloves. OUR UAVS ARE.. you know what who cares.
CSM then takes the time to address the platoon for improper gear beyond the wire including informing us that our UAVs have seen us without kevlars.... Our UAVs, that should be tracking enemy movement, are spying on us to make sure we always have kevlar / nomex gloves. OUR UAVS ARE.. you know what who cares.
2 months left til ETS...
I almost exhaled my whey protein through my nose after reading this.
A unit did a similar thing to us with a different piece of equipment (which apparently doesn't pass a quick google-opsec test) when we were clearing their AOR. Oh Army...
Oh boy tar, I've seen your posts. We could write a sitcom on this shit.
Like the time a guy was awarded a bronze star with valor when one of our bradleys was struck by an IED that ruptured the fuel cell. This guy (among others, who enter the story later) rushed to the vehicle and saved the life of one of the guys in the back as ignited jet fuel filled the troop compartment setting off 400+ AP and HE rounds. He was additionally awarded a purple heart for burns to his face.
He was also given a shaving profile that included only the side of his face that was burned, the other half had to be kept to standard shaving policies
At the brigade award ceremony that followed. One of the other troops that rushed the flaming vehicle was overturned for his BSw/V and his purple heart for burns to his hands due to not wearing nomex gloves, something our platoon had already received an on the spot correction for (see prior post lol). He was instead awarded an ARCOM w/Valor. The person next to him (not from our unit, not invloved in the same incident) was awarded the same ARCOM w/V for recovering a radio from a vehicle that caught fire on the FOB.... The person next to him was awarded the same thing for saving a radio that would of been destroyed (IE, standard protocol with thermite grenade) as the man receiving an award for saving one mans life, we lost four Soldiers in that bradley, and all subsequent radios. THE MAN NEXT TO HIM.... I seriously hate the Army.
Edit note, sorry for derailing via "Oh yeah well I got a story for you" one upsmanship. Like I said I have two months left and I gotta vent.
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Talk to your SNCOs now. They can point you to career counselorsand services you didn't know you had.
Kind of ridiculous, right? I think the manning documents are intentionally vague to let any CGO fill those junior officer slots. It lets the commanders make decent decisions on what the makeup of their unit needs to be. I'm not even sure that ALL career fields operate like that, my experience is kind of limited to my own and a handful of others.
His response was, "So is that a no?"
Seriously man, if you don't believe in the cause, and if you don't enjoy the work, don't torture yourself. Guaranteed the civilian world has something better to offer you. It'll take a bit to adjust no matter what you choose to do as a free man, but you'll get to live the way you want and do as you please.
Be free man.
Chief: Nah, I'd feel better because that would explain a lot.
Wii U NNID: MegaSpooky
Would've been nice y'know, if you guys called me like, six months ago when I was in desperate need of work.
But anyway, rant off. New question.
So with me PCSing next month what should I actually bring to BOLC? I planned on bringing clothes, PC (For gaming huerhuerhuerhuer), silverware, pots & pans for cooking, and linens for the bed. Is there anything else I should bring? My goal is to find a pre furbished apartment so I don't have to buy furniture or worry about moving that stuff till I get to my first duty station.
I'm a 63A (Acquisitions Officer aka Program Manager) at Hanscom. We're almost interchangeable with 62Es (Developmental Engineers) it seems. As a new 64P (Contracting Officer), you can fill an O-2 billet. Usually it's +1 or -1, so an O-2 can fill an O-1 or an O-3. I've always been in a +1 situation, holding a billet that's one grade above my current grade. By the way, the 'P' in 64P stands for PK, which stands for Contracting. No idea where that one came from. I guess it was too close to PM (Program Manager).
There is a less of a need for 6X (all acquisition-related officers) at operational-heavy bases that are located in remote areas, because they simply don't run huge contracts out of those bases. There's almost zero development program offices or procurement program offices that exist there, because they are at bases with cities or places with a large civilian presence (Wright-Patt, Hanscom, Los Angeles, any AFMC base). However, there are a few sustainment contracts for aircraft maintenance or base maintenance, hence the need for a handful of 64Ps at every base.
Most 64P billets are in AFMC, and the largest of the five centers of AFMC is AFLCMC. It doesn't use the Wing/Group/Squadron/Flight construct, so traditional "commanders" don't exist. There is a total of one CC with G-series orders at Hanscom (an O-5) that approves permissive TDYs and those sorts of things.
Let 'em eat fucking pineapples!
I'll be at Fort Benning for Armor BOLC. I have literally heard absolutely nothing about it apart from what I've found here and I don't know of anyone whose actually gone to ABOLC.
Get out then, IMHO. You presumably have your GI Bill, start saving. You can realistically swap majors reasonably easily after even a year or two, so grab a degree.
Peacetime garrison is a pretty shitty job compared to many, IMHO. Military retirement is bullshit good, but besides that, you can do as well or better civilian side with a degree, particularly as enlisted.
You haven't gotten any kind of communication from your class leader, or from the school house?
Check your ako/enterprise email ASAP. If nothing do your best to get into contact with the school house directly. Call them until you get someone who can direct you to schoolhouse personnel. They'll be able to give you more guidance.
In specific you're going to want to get a packing list, details on housing, a map, the location you need to report to (building and room number), on what day at what time, your class number and expectations. All this should be in some sort if introductory packet that they send out.
You want to stay on top of this.
Oh and don't arrive early. For serious on this. They'll put your ass right to work on the most mundane thing they can find.
Edit: also I hope you like your weather muggy. I've never been to benning in the winter - only in the summer and spring. I loved it there but I like hot, hot humid weather.
No communication what-so-ever. I've been in the dark these last ten months. tbh, my orders didn't actually arrive in the mail. I stumbled upon them by accident in my HRC Account's document section when looking for information about my Student Loan Repayment option back in November. If it weren't for that accident I would've instead received a phone call along the lines of, "Where the heck you at LT?" after February 20th.
My AKO email stopped receiving emails months ago when the Army did that transition over to Enterprise Email. In order to access it you need a CAC Card, which mine expired and I am not authorized to have one since I'm still in the IRR.
I'll call the school house directly tomorrow and let them know my plight.
You're not authorized a cac in the IRR? I had one while I was in the IRR in Germany. I even had to update it in ramstein.
I bet good money you've got some emails waiting for you.
#goarmy
Edit: finally got a hold of someone. They said, "Use our website".
I had an interesting run-in with the guys at H&R Block in the BX today. The active duty W-2 is coming out tomorrow so I figured I'd pay them a visit because I'm insane (and like to do my taxes with at least two different agencies and go with the one that makes sure that I get the highest return). Well the guy asked me where my home of residence was, and I said Ohio, because it's Ohio, and then he responded "oh, it looks like you don't pay state income tax". It took me a while to NOT blurt out something to the effect of "YOUR LIES AND TRICKERY!" but rather "you may be mistaken". But he was like "nope, here it is on my chart, no state income tax for you." Cool, if true. Why didn't TurboTax catch this for the last three years? Oh well, lost money- until the day when from good to great- when he offered to check my last three returns and get a state income tax rebate to the tune of several hundred dollars, or whatever it was... yeah around there as long as I went with his fees. Really, any fee was good as long as it was less than several hundred dollars, which it was of course.
So we'll see if it's true when I go back next week. I looked up the details and it seems that as long as you're FROM Ohio but not stationed IN Ohio, then the state income tax is zero.
Maybe I'm insane but I always get pumped when I do my taxes because of this crazy shit that comes out of nowhere. It's usually in my favor, because income is easy to calculate but deductions can be hard as hell.
Let 'em eat fucking pineapples!
That reminds me. My boss forced my coworker to cover his Touhou coffee mug in masking tape. He is weeaboo as fuck.
Because I got my first choice, Hanscom AFB!
Sighs of relief.
Awesome man! That's like hometown for me (almost).
I don't recall Ohio having the no state tax for income earned out of state, but I know they had the awesome "here is free money" thing.
The VA decided not to follow through with a pending Post-9/11 GI Bill payment that was due last summer, and then also decide not to acknowledge that I hit the 100% tier for benefits for this semester. The VA rep doesn't know what happened nor has the power to do anything, so I'm basically stuck doing his job trying to calculate the real number (which is impossible given the cryptic information sent in these VA certificates of eligibility) or I pony up the money.
That's a cool ~$2,500 that I didn't know I needed to pay. Thankfully, might get that Ohio state income tax refund for the last three years maybe?
Let 'em eat fucking pineapples!
I noticed ADF is looking for foreign recruits and was wondering how it compared. Because I'm kinda done with the super specific day to day, but I'm still interested in staying in the defense sector, and that could be an interesting choice.
Here is their website with all their current information.
Edit: For some reason I can't put in the URL whilst on my work PC
http://www.defencejobs.gov.au/recruitmentCentre/canIJoin/overseasApplicants/army.aspx
― John Quincy Adams
http://www.stripes.com/news/serving-down-under-australia-offers-military-jobs-to-us-troops-facing-separation-1.176622?reminder=later#.UugRkvoIan8.facebook
I'll hit up my Canadian buddy who is in the CAF, and see if he has any Aussie buddies who can get in touch to answer questions.
This terrifies the hell out of me. I just did two classes (poorly), and they haven't paid yet. I got a nasty gram from the school telling me they were about to send my ass to collections.
I contacted the VA reps to ask if there was a thing I need to do, or what the deal is.
Still though, sorry @VeritasVR
Yeah, I called them back up wanted to clarify what was going on. Then they called *me* back the next day with an explanation:
"Courses that begin before you cross over into the next tier (in my case, 90% to 100%) are billed completely for the lower tier."
More than two years I've been using the Post-9/11 GI bill, calling up the VA, and getting no one who could tell me this until now. That explains where minus ~$2,500 comes from.
Fortunately, they were able to tell me that because I had $2,500 less for this course, I'll have $2,500 more for the course I want to take during the early summer (before the next academic year), so it will all equal out in the end.
Then the next academic year hits on 1 August and I'll have a fresh ~$19k limit to take my final courses: three 3-credit electives at ~$1.4k per credit = $12.6k and I won't owe a dime.
Assuming this is what they come up with too, of course. Getting $12k wrong is a pretty big calculation error.
Let 'em eat fucking pineapples!
I assumed Post 9-11 was 100% (up to x amount). Whats this % shit you speak of?
Yeah I got into the weeds there. Your benefits are limited to a % of the maximum based on how long you've been on active duty (tiered prorated eligibility). Link
For most officers, since some/all of their school was paid for, they don't start their first day of benefits (40% tier) until their commissioning ADSC is up. So an AFAcademy grad is looking at 5 years of commissioned time until they hit the first (40%) tier and 8 years until they hit the last (100%) tier.
Anything below 100% really hurts your benefits badly. It's not just that your cap of $19k for this year is limited to that tier, but each payment your school gets is reduced to that tier too. Therfore it takes longer to max out your cap, but you're paying out of pocket even trying to get there.
I'm trying to do all this on active duty so this tier thing is a problem when it changes and I have no way to figure out what to do or plan my course schedule to avoid a surprise bill of several-thousand dollars.
Let 'em eat fucking pineapples!
What is the reasoning behind it? I assume they are a volunteer force, so they may need bodies? Or are they looking for experienced people?
EDIT: From the site language they just seem to have trouble manning some specific fields.
Almost pulled the trigger on that one before I re-enlisted last time.
Just 4 months of 140+ degrees and there is not a single animal in Aussie land that isn't poisonous or doesn't want to kill you.
― John Quincy Adams
Thanks for nothing, CrossFit
EDIT
0545-1920 day at the range, woo! Drank a whole bottle of wine with dinner on accident. Woops! Thank god for Katusa Snack Bar, why the fuck do they even give me a meal card if I can't eat at the dfac 1/3rd of the time?
PS4:MrZoompants
Sounds like she has a problem that was easily avoided if she didn't take two weeks to send a simple form.
EDIT 2 - have some pity for the poor woman too. All she does, literally, all day long is fix peoples shit for them. Dealing with pissy people and their issues is her whole life.
One of the big downfalls of logistics, HR, and supply is that they do a lot of shit for a lot of people and only ever get recognition for things they fuck up.
I'm glad you got what you wanted, but you would've had fun up here with the rest of us cold people. Minot is a great first base because the community tends to be a little closer, it makes for a strong introduction. It's not an awful third base either.
I left out some information there in my haste to type it out. I guess she wants me to send it by secure chain (DoD Email), but AKO finally went the cac route this week so my last source of "secure" email just burned out.
Normally I would give a person some slack, but she puts herself in these binds all on her own 95% of the time. Shes notoriously infamous for being extremely lazy (People have caught her in her office watching netflix for days before) and waits to the last second to do her work or documentation. That's her fault if her work turns around and bites her in the ass.
I got waivered out of DLI, ended up at a unit that didn't use my language and where I failed a few more DLPTs (two of them at 1+/2+), deployed to Afghanistan, and finally took a good length, comprehensive review course and passed my first Arabic DLPT:
2+/3
I have to give credit to my unit though, because traditionally they have been really stupid about language stuff (having to show back up to the company to do literally nothing for 3 hours until finally getting out late only to then have to do homework and study), but this time I barely talked to them, and basically just did PT on my own and went to class, and ended up tied for highest career PT test and getting highest career DLPT.
On a broader, but related note:
I have a dream, and that dream is that one day the army will learn that less is often more. It'll be a new army, where joes can wear a fleece cap at 34 F in Afghanistan rather than carrying a PC with them to swap to*, and in garrison if someone rapes someone while riding a motorcycle drunk in improper safety gear, they personally get sent to Leavenworth but their entire division doesn't have to repeat the same fucking useless training all over again.
* I feel like this, more than anything, shows one of the biggest fundamental flaws of the army. We had intel guys specialized in capture/kill operations for HVTs, and like 6 hours after an IDF attack on the FOB, those guys were being told it was above freezing, and to swap to a PC, rather than being asked "Hey, what do you need from your leadership to go shoot the guys trying to kill us in the face?" And then we'd get IDF attacked the next day...
You're literally risking your life to keep a lack of priorities that fucked up.
In 2006 a member of my platoon got an article 15 for getting shot. He was gunning on a humvee and a sniper shot him from the side, in the typical "bullets you so cray cray!" standard the round entered the inside of his IBA, skimmed the inside of his ballistic plate and tore his acu top leaving his tan shirt untouched.
Truly, a miracle. On the same day our brigade CSM ventured beyond the wire to visit us (Cough* get his CAB fricken POG) and with much excitement this Soldier decided to share his story with the CSM. The CSM is like "no wai!" so the troop pulled his ballistic plate out to show the CSM. When he pulled it out the CSM says "Why do you have a black plate instead of the new green sets" troop is like "wut?" BAM article 15 for not having or knowing what a green multi impact ballistic plate is.
CSM then takes the time to address the platoon for improper gear beyond the wire including informing us that our UAVs have seen us without kevlars.... Our UAVs, that should be tracking enemy movement, are spying on us to make sure we always have kevlar / nomex gloves. OUR UAVS ARE.. you know what who cares.
2 months left til ETS...
Like the time a guy was awarded a bronze star with valor when one of our bradleys was struck by an IED that ruptured the fuel cell. This guy (among others, who enter the story later) rushed to the vehicle and saved the life of one of the guys in the back as ignited jet fuel filled the troop compartment setting off 400+ AP and HE rounds. He was additionally awarded a purple heart for burns to his face.
He was also given a shaving profile that included only the side of his face that was burned, the other half had to be kept to standard shaving policies
At the brigade award ceremony that followed. One of the other troops that rushed the flaming vehicle was overturned for his BSw/V and his purple heart for burns to his hands due to not wearing nomex gloves, something our platoon had already received an on the spot correction for (see prior post lol). He was instead awarded an ARCOM w/Valor. The person next to him (not from our unit, not invloved in the same incident) was awarded the same ARCOM w/V for recovering a radio from a vehicle that caught fire on the FOB.... The person next to him was awarded the same thing for saving a radio that would of been destroyed (IE, standard protocol with thermite grenade) as the man receiving an award for saving one mans life, we lost four Soldiers in that bradley, and all subsequent radios. THE MAN NEXT TO HIM.... I seriously hate the Army.
Edit note, sorry for derailing via "Oh yeah well I got a story for you" one upsmanship. Like I said I have two months left and I gotta vent.