Brett Spurgeon
Well-Known Member
I'm at a major and worked midnights for less than a year. Timing is everything.
Piedmont hires
- Thread starter Monsterjet
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A-9er
Well-Known Member
How long did it take you to GET to the major?
///AMG
Well-Known Member
He already posted, so this may be more true for myself than lawman, but the moving all over the country, being away from family, being away from your loved ones on deployment, etc becomes more tolerable when you know the end is in sight and you can go where you want (in theory). Getting back into the same game, with a different company, being sent where you don't want to go and flying the same long hours......not exactly the gameplan if you will. Though like Lawman, I too was pretty blessed with assignments/locations, so I really can't biT** too much about that aspect.
Lawman
Well-Known Member
I'm in a 6 month hold on any decision and a 2 year hold from being able to actually action one due to promotion and PCS service obligations.
Probably the biggest single thing I can effect is are we going to have another baby.
Outside my sphere of influence, assignment to the posting I want, which comes with an additional 5 year service commitment. At that point I'm at over 16 years and I might as well hold my breath a little longer.
If I don't get that assignment (and this may be the deployment talking) the Army, the lack of a bonus for aviation, the constant deployment/PcS/deployment cycle.... probably going to push me off the fence towards leaving.
A-9er
Well-Known Member
If you already have 16 years in, you may as well go for your 20 and get the pension. You'll appreciate that when you get older, particularly over 50...
A-9er
Well-Known Member
I understand that, but if one works in aviation, then moving IS part of the game, if you will. If one wants to stay put, then working in Part 135 is an option, as there are more charter operators than airlines. After I put in some time at my regional, I might do that...
///AMG
Well-Known Member
fair enough
Lawman
Well-Known Member
I don't think from outside the experience a person can truly appreciate the moving done in the military often for the sake of regulation in the face of common sense (you've been here X months, you're supposed to move again).
I moved to a duty station I wanted 6 months after getting home from an 11 month deployment. 4 months later I was deployed again for 6 months. 6 months after that I moved to a new duty station and a new unit. We spent 3 field problems, 2 gunnery events, and an NTC rotation all adding up to 4+ months in the suck over the span of about 14 months..... then I deployed again for 9 months. Now I'm moving some time next spring at the latest so 6 months at home, to move again, to a unit that needs all those field events in order to deploy again some time in 2018-2019 for 9 months..... and then move again.
I've spent half my marriage (6 years) away from home for at the shortest 3 weeks and longest 11 Months straight. My son turns 2 in a few weeks, I've been home for 8 months of his total life.
That is the current status quo in the military for at least the next 5 years because of manpower cuts while simultaneously increasing rotational deployment requirements (Korea/Europe). That is also why divorce rates are so high and we are having the mass exodus of senior/mid-grade manpower. We were promised a respite when we "ended combat operations." That respite never came and in some ways it is worse than what it was when I joined a decade ago.
manniax
Well-met in the Ka-tet
I'm glad I got out of the military when I did (mid 90's) but at that time there seemed to be much less moving going on . Depended on your unit how many deployments there were. Of course I was Air Force and not Army so that may have something to do with it.
Lawman
Well-Known Member
Honestly even talking to my dad who did the Reagan/Bush/Clinton era and my father in law who did Clinton into Obama era it truly has changed. They were both Air Force too.
We've simply forgotten that what we are doing right now isn't normal and it's not sustainable. The longer I stay in as time goes on the more I've noticed a real change in that idea that this is normal now from the high leadership. Mostly you notice the number of people staying to those levels don't have families anymore. It's almost normal to see senior officers with no kids or having kids very late into their careers. Those people don't understand why their soldiers want to go home. They look back behind them and go "why isn't everybody comfortable making the same choices I did." That's toxic, and it's only exacerbating the burn out being felt in the force.
A-9er
Well-Known Member
I was in during Reagan's term. I served in the Navy. Things weren't at ALL that crazy back then the way you described them...
///AMG
Well-Known Member
6 month deployment and normal shore/mx/FRTP cycle was still in full effect. In the last decade, standard deployment was 9-11 months, often with a 5-6 mo surge on the backside. Additional "workups" prior to said surge. Mainly a Lemoore/west coast issue, though deployment length has been a standard throughout the fleet (aside from CAG-5/Japan)
Lawman
Well-Known Member
I think one of the specific problems the Army is having is that aviation is running running on the same rules as the ground BCTs except there are 40+ of those and only 11 fully capable CABs to support them.
Guard is picking up where it can on the slack but it's not nearly enough. Then you have ground officers at senior levels going "why aren't you giving your people dwell!" out one side of their mouth and "Get you crap to CENTCOM/PACOM/EUCOM and support the mission!" out the other.