Complaint Department

I'm so not in the mood today.

I have had about an hour's sleep in the past 24 hours.

This will be the third night in a row my husband has been pulling a double shift.

I never see him except when he sleeps.

Today I'm asking that every one understand that I'm going to be on edge.  There is only just so much caffeine I can digest before I start to puke it back.  I'm going to be a bitch today.  Probably tomorrow too.

We were supposed to go to a family party tomorrow and it looks like he'll be on detail AGAIN!

Thank you Obama for short staffing them to the point that my spouse, who doesn't get paid over time but by the month no matter how many hours he works, is now working double shifts.  So much for family time being for the family.

Oh and Thanks again President Obama for screwing my spouse out of his career path.  Figured you and your staffers would decide my email isn't worthy enough to respond to.  Not even a form style email.  Don't expect my vote.

Reading Between The Lines: Army Style

I feel for my spouse.  He has worked hard, done what he was told, and still keeps listening to those above him.  He should be rewarded but I think unless we find a loop hole we are doomed to not get him that justly deserved rank award.

Yesterday, being the research junkie that I am, I did some research to try to find a loop hole.  I might have found a technical error that when brought to JAG (Judge Advocate General) might just get J in the door for the board that is coming up.  MIGHT.

This is the data I collected.

According to the MILPER 11-317, its a pdf file, the following changes might have eliminated him from being a candidate.

B. REQUEST FOR WAIVERS FOR TIME IN SERVICE (TIS), AGE, AND UCMJ/CIVIL CONVICTIONS ARE SUSPENDED INDEFINITELY.

D. SOLDIERS IN THE ACTIVE COMPONENT (AC) MUST NOT HAVE REACHED THEIR 28TH BIRTHDAY ON THE DATE OF SUBMISSION OF THEIR OCS PACKET TO HRC. SEE PARAGRAPH 5G.

 K. A COMPLETED COPY OF DA FORM 2807-1 MUST BE INCLUDED IN THE APPLICATION PACKET. THE FORM MUST SHOW THE REASON FOR THE PHYSICAL AND BE DATED. THE FORM MAY NOT BE OVER 1 YEAR OLD FROM THE SCHEDULED SELECTION BOARD END DATE FOR WHICH THE SOLDIER IS APPLYING.
J's physical is almost two years old and he was told they were good for two years but he said getting another physical is no problem.

However, there is some good news too in the new announcement the Army made in its MILPER 11-317.

 J. MINIMUM APFT SCORE FOR ALL SOLDIERS IN ALL COMPONENTS APPLYING FOR OCS MUST BE 240 (80 POINTS IN EACH EVENT) ON ALL TESTS. APFT DATES MUST BE 30 DAYS OR MORE APART. MOST RECENT APFT MUST BE WITHIN 60 DAYS OF SUBMISSION OF APPLICATION TO HRC.

J's last APFT score was over 250 so he isn't in danger of not being accepted for the score on that one for his fitness test.

  E. MEET ARMY HEIGHT AND WEIGHT STANDARDS IAW AR 600-9.

J is far from being overweight.  He is quite fit and muscular to boot.

 Q. GT SCORE OF 110 OR HIGHER.  J's GT score was above 130.  He's smart.

 R. THE ARMY IS PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN ACCESSING OFFICERS WITH DEGREES IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING OR MATH; HOWEVER, ALL SOLDIERS MEETING ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS MAY APPLY. 

J has a bachelor's degree in a science field.  They'd want him because of that, one would think right?

 3. THERE ARE TWELVE CHANGES OR ITEMS OF INTEREST TO THE AC/RC OCS PROGRAM ANNOUNCED IN THIS MESSAGE. IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT SOLDIERS APPLYING FOR THE FEDERAL OCS PROGRAM REVIEW AR 350-51, PARAGRAPH 1-7, WHO MAY NOT APPLY.

Now I head over to the AR350-51 Paragraph 1-7 subset M and I find the following:
 1–7. Who may not apply
Individuals may not apply if—
m. They would be over 34 years of age when appointed as a commissioned officer.

That is my loophole.  Think it will work?

He has all the qualifications that they want in an officer.  His APFT score is high enough over the minimum.  His GT score is also way above the minimum.  He has the ideal degree they want.  He is under 34 for another 9 months.  He has time.

But....they won't give age waivers according to the MILPER 11-317.  So is this futile?  I mean does anyone think we have a chance?

Military Retirement Plan On Chopping Block

Oh great just what I needed to read this morning in my email.  The military is to have their benefits messed with again.  Read here to find out why I'm upset. 

I'm not sure why Congress thinks that we military families can afford to contribute to our own retirement.  Federal employees will still get their entitled retirement benefits without change so why is it that the military will have to suffer yet again?

I guess J and I are "lucky" to not have children on his pay.  If we had children like many of my friends with the same pay grade we'd not be able to contribute a single dime to the proposed changes.  I know of a few families that can barely afford to feed and clothe themselves on their wages.

Just yesterday J comes home from work and tells me that his co-worker is having to sell his wife's engagement ring because money is tight that month due to a bank error.  They are also selling the game systems and anything else they can afford to part with just to make sure that there is food on the table this month and gas in the tank.

So if they are the normal, a family of four or five on the same pay that J gets, how, just tell me how are they supposed to find money to contribute to their retirement fund?

Congress is making a big mistake by messing with the military benefits.  They are going to have a lot of the young troops refusing to stay in the military because its just not worth what they are willing to risk.

I would rather see my commissary and exchange hours cut or possibly disappear than to have to lose the retirement program that is in place right now.  Much as I don't like to shop off post, because shopping at the exchange means that the money I do spend goes to fund MWR projects in my community, I would go off post if it means that the retirement plan would be kept in place.

I have no voice.  My opinion counts for nothing.  Congress and the President will do as they see fit.  But I have yet to see anything good come of this particular presidency.  We are further in debt, our gas prices and food prices are higher and more benefits have been cut.  Foolish spending by our government in the big company bailouts have caused more poverty.

I'm just a handicapped person with no job, no children, and no retirement plan.  I have no voice.

But I'm still pissed.

No Pay, No Infertility Treatments, No Extras, No Necessities Either

I'm an Army Wife so my ears have been tuned to the news that the government will be shutting down as of tomorrow if a budget isn't passed.  Will I think it will happen?  Well I didn't before but now I think its a distinct possibility.

Here is a link to a news article from USA Today on that very subject.  I am reading in this particular article something that really shouldn't surprise me but somehow it still does.  Congress and Obama will still get paid if the government gets shut down.  How is this fair?  If the rest of the government won't get paid why should they?

No pay for J would mean that we'd not be able to continue to afford those out of pocket infertility treatments.  They aren't cheap and with our budget being slashed to only essentials its something we'd have to go without.  Forget about saving up for the IVF treatments which run about eight thousand dollars.

No pay would mean that J would not receive his clothing allotment this month.  Its a yearly stipend of a really small amount that the US Army pays to its soldiers so that they can afford to replace worn out gear.  Its so small that it means he can barely get one pair of combat boots, a pair of trousers, jacket, a pack of t-shirts and possibly a pack of socks.

No pay would mean that there would be no more date nights, though of late their haven't been many of those with his schedule.  It would mean we'd eat at home and those meals would be trimmed of all extras too.

No pay would mean that J wouldn't be able to come home after morning PT for breakfast.  He wouldn't be able to come home for lunch.  Gas is way too expensive to be wasting it on such things as going home for food. 

I'm sure this couldn't last too long.  I mean how would Obama deal with all the guilt he has to obviously feel knowing that his government employees are going without food.  Or did he forget that the majority of the government employees now live pay check to pay check.

I wonder if we could cut our government budget if we made Mrs. Obama cook the food for the entire family and visiting diplomats?  I wonder if we could cut out President Obama's vacation fund?  Ooh I wonder if we could make him pay for his own travel expenses?   

I think I'd pay a small admission fee just to see the Obama's live off a welfare food allowance for four people for one month and entertain on that allowance.  Do you think they'd get tired of eating spaghetti with no meat sauce?

I'd like to see President Obama pay the utilities bills for a month on his wages.  I'd like to see President Obama pay for the fuel for his transportation for one month out of his own pay.  He obviously needs his pay to do those things, right?  Seriously what does he pay for that he feels he needs to have his income not stopped?  Is he afraid his credit rating will plummet?  Is he so deeply in debt that he owes creditors?  I doubt it.

The President could have volunteered to not get paid until the budget gets passed.  He knew he had nothing to risk knowing that he and Congress will always get paid because its in the 27th Amendment.  

Love During War

I took this photo over the summer while on vacation with my husband.

Maybe some of you still realize that there is a war going on.  Maybe some of you are sick of hearing about the military.  Maybe some of you have a loved one overseas serving in a war torn country.  I can relate to all of the above because my spouse hasn't been home all that long.  For a while I just wanted to hide inside my home with no news broadcasts, not a whisper of anything military, I didn't want to think about the possible dangers and that my love might not come back home.

I have my hopes up that Obama will hold true to at least one of his promises and let me keep my husband at home for two years.  I don't think I've ever had two years with my husband at home.  Let me think, nope I haven't, but many of the military spouses can understand this as a foreign concept.

Just this week, during lunch, my husband was telling me that they are soon to start their training again.  He told me of a definite assignment coming up for the new year and of another possible one.  I realize that its going to mean he'll not be home for at least a month for each new adventure.  What is a month? its just a short amount of time in comparison to how long he's been gone thus far, but it means a lot more.  It means that yet again I'll be marking off the days on the calendar, this time not just to mark their passing, but now it will mean those empty days and long nights I've survived yet again.

I didn't marry a military guy.  I married a civilian.   Sure I've been associated with the military before and I even worked for the Department of Defense once upon a time.  Still it never prepares the family for when the soldier has to leave.  And leave they must because someone has to go out there and fight for freedom.

There are way too many left behind with open wounds in their hearts.  Our soldiers leave us to go do a mission.  They take us with them in their hearts and try to leave us with a bit of theirs as well.

The last two weeks before my husband deployed were shear HELL!  The last two weeks are supposed to be spent with immediate family only for a darn good reason.  I think we are the only ones that can understand truly that our soldier becomes a grouch before they leave.

The nightmares, night sweats, stress, and anger come on in those last two weeks.  Most of us try not to remember those last two weeks with our spouse as they aren't the memories we want to tide us over for the entire deployment.  We argued.  We loved.  We knew our time was down to just hours the last day.  Would those precious few hours be the last I would hold him?  I kept hope that I would see him again.  I'm one of the lucky that was able to hold my soldier again.  Kiss him again.  Make love with him again.  He wasn't the same guy that left me behind but I was no longer the same woman he left behind either.

Now, almost four months after he re-deployed we are still putting back together us.  Look at the above photo of the heart made of rock.  If you take out a rock you leave a hole.  Its that rock we are trying to find.  One to stand on and build from. We might have found that rock and now we just have to make it fit for us both.

This afternoon is another session of marriage counseling at the Family Life Center.  I look forward to today's session knowing that we are both willing just to be there.  There is no quick fix to a year apart.  We can't get back what we missed.  The experiences we both had over the past year were not shared together but apart.  Our paths are merging together again, slowly, so that we don't miss that precious rock that will complete us.

Remember love is the rock you build your life on.