How long have you been in the Military Service

[Justin91M]

Just hit my 3 year mark this past march and have 3 more to go -__-. Currently on my second deployment.

Originally Posted by Bg8780

3.5 years in June. Signed for 6. I absolutely hate my unit. Currently deployed and ready to come home. The extra cash just paid for almost 5 grand in upgrades (exhaust, wheels and suspension) Also, an engagement ring when I get back, so I can't complain too much. It's pretty easy out here, just SO BORED.

If I don't get orders to a different unit/base before my enlistment is up I will not be reenlisting.

Where are you deployed at? I'm on a really cake deployment, that would be funny if we're at the same place. Message me if you want !


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[OrbitalEllipses]

Would be funnier if you're in the same unit and he's complaining about you.

[Bg8780]

Originally Posted by gramicci101

Look into applying for a Base of Preference assignment. You're allowed to apply at the end of your first enlistment, but I don't remember the exact timeframe. I think it was a year out. You can get information on BOPs from vMPF under the assignments section.

Also, if you like the AF, but don't particularly like your job, look into crosstraining. Your crosstraining window will open up a month or two shy of your 5 year mark. As a first term airman, you have much greater opportunity to crosstrain than the rest of us do. You can also get a BOP in conjunction with crosstraining. Again, information is on vMPF.

Thank you, I have already planned to do both of those things. Just waiting out the clock. At 4 years I can get a waiver to crosstrain early. That's the route I plan to go. My base is a black hole and everyone that has put in for BOP has been denied. (6 people I know of). Two of my coworkers also were denied for crosstraining.

Justin, I PM'd you.

[gramicci101]

When you put in for crosstraining, keep in mind that some things have changed. When I first crosstrained, I could put down just about any career field I wanted and have a decent chance of getting it. These days, it's really coming down to numbers and manning. If your job is critically undermanned and the job you want is 100% or overmanned, it won't get approved. The key is to find something you think you'll like that is below the manning level in your current AFSC.

Same thing with a BOP. Say your office is 60% manned for SrA, but the base you want to go to is 140% manned, it'll get denied. You won't have ready access to those numbers, so there's really no way to accurately judge what's available. Your best bet is through AMS, when the Overseas and Overseas Returnee lists come out. I believe they come out on a quarterly basis. Keep an eye on those, and update your dreamsheet accordingly. Also, boots on ground come into play. A first term Airman has the opportunity to PCS at 1 year BOG at the first base. If they don't get selected for that window, normal BOG rules apply. Those are 2 years BOG to go overseas, 4 years BOG to go stateside. Your BOP will get denied if your BOG requirement isn't met by the time you would be PCSing.

If you really want to go, put down worldwide-open and list Korean bases by name. You'll very likely get picked up as soon as you're available to go. It's only a year, and then you get a more choice about where you go afterwards. Korea returnees and ITDY returnees get first pick, other overseas returnees get second pick, and CONUS to CONUS movers get third pick.

Stay on top of the AMS assignment lists. Once a list is published, I believe you have 10 days to update your dreamsheet before they start selecting assignments for people.

[dizzario]

1.5 years only...and I have never seen a group of people so lazy and unmotivated as the ones I work with now. It probably comes with shore duty, but it shouldn't be this shitty when these people are living cush lives in San Diego. Once the manning is up at my current command I want to go TAD/support to anywhere but here. I need to be around motivated people, high-caliber people.

[Captain Caveman]

12 years total - 6 in the Navy enlisted, 6 in the Army commissioned.

[sato]

8 years... considered staying in but wanted to work corporate. Did consider changing MO, but they not considering Prior Service where I was considering...only young people (Circa 2005)...

[Simply2clean]

8 years, USAF 3P0X1, First post

[neutron256]

Coast Guard 4 years E5 Medically Retired in 2000

[RenegadeSS]

8 years active duty Navy. Got out as an HT2, and I just enlisted in the NJ National Guard as a Sergeant. I did two MEDPACs. I love every minute of it, and now I am trully blessed to do it again as a Sergeant.

[Stevie86]

Thanks to all who is serving and has served in the military. My dad did his 20 years in the army and I'm thinking of doing the same.

[Bg8780]

Originally Posted by gramicci101

When you put in for crosstraining, keep in mind that some things have changed. When I first crosstrained, I could put down just about any career field I wanted and have a decent chance of getting it. These days, it's really coming down to numbers and manning. If your job is critically undermanned and the job you want is 100% or overmanned, it won't get approved. The key is to find something you think you'll like that is below the manning level in your current AFSC.

Same thing with a BOP. Say your office is 60% manned for SrA, but the base you want to go to is 140% manned, it'll get denied. You won't have ready access to those numbers, so there's really no way to accurately judge what's available. Your best bet is through AMS, when the Overseas and Overseas Returnee lists come out. I believe they come out on a quarterly basis. Keep an eye on those, and update your dreamsheet accordingly. Also, boots on ground come into play. A first term Airman has the opportunity to PCS at 1 year BOG at the first base. If they don't get selected for that window, normal BOG rules apply. Those are 2 years BOG to go overseas, 4 years BOG to go stateside. Your BOP will get denied if your BOG requirement isn't met by the time you would be PCSing.

If you really want to go, put down worldwide-open and list Korean bases by name. You'll very likely get picked up as soon as you're available to go. It's only a year, and then you get a more choice about where you go afterwards. Korea returnees and ITDY returnees get first pick, other overseas returnees get second pick, and CONUS to CONUS movers get third pick.

Stay on top of the AMS assignment lists. Once a list is published, I believe you have 10 days to update your dreamsheet before they start selecting assignments for people.

I was down to do the Korea thing when I first joined but have now met a woman. You know how that changes things. She just got her masters in Speech Pathology so I'm very limited with going overseas now. She won't be able to get a job in a foreign country. They have merged my groups squadrons while I've been deployed so I'm hoping I'll get orders when I get back. Our shop now has over 50 people.

[gramicci101]

Originally Posted by Bg8780

I was down to do the Korea thing when I first joined but have now met a woman. You know how that changes things. She just got her masters in Speech Pathology so I'm very limited with going overseas now. She won't be able to get a job in a foreign country. They have merged my groups squadrons while I've been deployed so I'm hoping I'll get orders when I get back. Our shop now has over 50 people.

Here's the problem with the whole "meeting a woman" thing: The AF doesn't care. If they decide to move you to Korea, or Germany, or Qatar, they will. If you're married, they'll expect her to go with you (not to Korea or Qatar). If you're not married, they won't even think twice about it.

That sucks, but that's the way it is. I just spent a year in Kabul because I was the most eligible person in my AFSC for a short tour. The AF's response to me being married was to give me family separation pay. On the other hand, I got to PCS to Nellis when I got back, so it all kind of worked out.

Hopefully you can get orders out of Warner Robbins when you get back. I've known people to spend their entire careers at one base, and they either love it or they hate it.

[Bg8780]

Originally Posted by gramicci101

Here's the problem with the whole "meeting a woman" thing: The AF doesn't care. If they decide to move you to Korea, or Germany, or Qatar, they will. If you're married, they'll expect her to go with you (not to Korea or Qatar). If you're not married, they won't even think twice about it.

That sucks, but that's the way it is. I just spent a year in Kabul because I was the most eligible person in my AFSC for a short tour. The AF's response to me being married was to give me family separation pay. On the other hand, I got to PCS to Nellis when I got back, so it all kind of worked out.

Hopefully you can get orders out of Warner Robbins when you get back. I've known people to spend their entire careers at one base, and they either love it or they hate it.

Oh I know that. I knew that before I joined and now I'll have to adjust my life to fit what I want to do. The military is a great way to start my adult life and learn. Whether I decide to stay in or not it has shaped who I am and made me a better person. But if staying in GA is the only option when my time to reenlist comes up, the AF can kindly fuck off. I'll find my happiness another way.

Yeah, we have people in my unit that have been at this base for 12 years.