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?

No See, No Hear, No Speak...A RANT

There are days I want to be like one or all of the chimps and just not know.   Of late its been all three.

I live on Post.  I follow the rules and regulations.  Why can't the others around me?  My husband and I must be perfect or something because we don't break the regs. as far as I know.

I don't call in those who violate policies on this post unless they are really annoying or are a hazard to themselves or the community.  But tell me how hard is it to follow the rules?

I don't want to see you letting your dog poop on my lawn or pee on it.  This is my front yard, we mow it, we seed it, we fertilize it and I don't want your dog excrement on my lawn.

In effect this month is the twenty-four hour rule of the trash and recycling bins.  If you don't get your trash can off the side walk or out of the road within the alloted time of twenty-four hours you will be cited.  I find it extremely annoying that folks are just too lazy to move their bins.  I have to walk on those side walks as do the children going to and coming home from school.  MOVE YOUR BINS!

Those of you that refuse to park your vehicle in your garage are also in violation of housing codes.  Your garage is meant to house your vehicle.  If your vehicle is too large for your garage have the decency to at least park it in your drive way.  Some of us would like to be able to back out of our own driveways without hitting your guests vehicles or your vehicle. Blocking a resident's driveway is just WRONG.  I've had that happen a few times in the almost two years of living here.  My driveway is not your turn around point for your vehicle.  Just today, with my garage door open, I had some grey suv pull right up my driveway and almost into my garage.  I thought she would park there but no she was just turning around.  If you have to turn around you don't need to use my whole driveway.  Some folks need to go back through drivers education.   I've even found strange vehicles parked in my driveway.  My house is obviously lived in, I have flowers out front, a name placard, and a leaky cauldron sign so what were they thinking? A few of my friends, in some post housing areas, don't even have driveways or garages.  I really feel for them.  Parking is first come, first serve in their areas.

If you see a No Parking Zone sign it means just that, Don't Park There.  Unless you are an emergency vehicle you have no business being on that side of the street.  The loop going around the hospital here on post is becoming difficult to navigate with all the illegally parked vehicles.  There is adequate parking for the staff in the staff parking lot.  If you can't find a spot you should consider carpooling as it would benefit the environment and cause less accidents for those of us that do live in the area.

Pay Day weekends are just too noisy here in the community.  I don't want to hear your guests outside on your front area or even the backyard for that matter at 0200hrs yelling, barfing, hooting, hollaring, or arguing.  Put a cork in it already. Some of us want to sleep.  You can talk all you want outside just remember that you don't have the right to shout.  Speak at a normal inside voice volume during the hours of 2200- 0700hrs if you are going to be outside.  Oh and don't give me that crap about being in your own home, if you have those windows open and are making loud noises its pretty much the same as being outside as I can still hear you very easily.  Have some curtsy.

I don't want to hear your car stereo blasting before 0700hrs or after 2200hrs nor am I supposed to tolerate it.  There are regulations about noise on this military installation.  If you want to yell, blast your stereo or make any other loud noise between those hours GO SOME WHERE ELSE!  Off -Post would be nice.

Those of you that are military should remember that you are responsible for your dependents and your guests.  If they violate the policies here on post you are the one that will get in trouble when your chain of command finds out.  Set an example.  If you want to party on post you can do so but follow the rules and your neighbors will enjoy their own free time too. If you want to be a jerk with your party you ruin the free time for the soldiers in your neighborhood.  We will turn you in.

If you park in my driveway without my permission or block my driveway without my permission I will have you towed.

If you let your animals ruin my lawn of which we have worked so hard on, I will take a photo of you, find out who you are and turn you in.

If you can live by the regulations set forth for all residents here on post we will be great neighbors.  I'm not a bitch.  I'm just tired of you violating my rights for peace and quiet during the structured hours.  I'm just tired of you not respecting my residence.  I'm really sick and tired of you violating the policies on our military installation that were put there to protect us all from idiots like you.

If you don't like having to live by the regulations then move off post.  There are plenty of places off post you can dwell.  Oh and take your guests with you when you do leave as I don't want them left behind.

Emotionally Drained

After last night's episode of "he's not my friend" I'm totally drained.  I didn't sleep much before the alarm clock went off at 0522hrs.  We were up talking until 0104hrs about the problem.  I can only imagine just how tired my husband is today considering he had to do PT this am.

 I know that my husband's day has gotten worse due to a surly co-worker.  This particular co-worker has been giving him a hard time since he arrived at the unit almost two years ago.  What's ironic is that its a person of less rank than he when my husband got to this duty station.  They met at AIT where the soldier was in a different cycle from my husband. (Cycles are like college classes that start at different dates)    Now they are equal rank and this soldier is still being intolerable.  The soldier sleeps in the office, cries that about not  being treated fairly and likes to back stab.  I really wished that when they got re-deployed this soldier too would have been moved out of the section.  I mean this fsoldier used to message me on facebook and tell me about  hating my spouse and was going to make trouble for him when he got back stateside.  Mind you I kept those messages just in case this soldier does try to start trouble for him.  Well it seems as though me keeping those messages was a good thing, almost 20 pages of messages give or take a page.

 I just would like to know why someone doesn't straighten this soldier out.  Its not my job.  I want to stay out of it but like most wives in a committed relationship when someone tries to rip apart our husband's blossoming career with petty disputes we come out with fangs bared.  I'm going to have to bite my lip on this problem most likely.  I'm sure this soldier is going to play the medical card yet again to the fullest. Mind you this soldier has already turned in two other guys for cursing and teasing  when this soldier was the first to start cursing.  What happened to the rules applying across the board?  If this soldier was a civilian they would have been fired for sleeping on the job, or should I say sleeping around on the job?, and the above annoyance wouldn't be happening because this soldier would no longer be an employee.

 Sheesh folks this soldier is there to do a job just as much as the next soldier.  That job does not mean you bring your emotional baggage to work with you.  It means check it at the door. I'd like to tell the soldier this, "I don't want you taking your bad mood out on my spouse just because you broke up with your significant other and hate all of humanity.  Grow up  act like an adult and treat the others around you with the respect they are due.  They didn't break up with you!  If you didn't sleep at home its on you to work to stay awake so that you do your job not leaving others to pick up the slack."  But like I said I'm going to have to bite my lip on this one.  So I'm posting it here without names, unit numbers or locations. 

Okay I know it just bugs the heck out of me but I had three soldier friends that went through similar without sleeping at work and making work life a living hell for their co-workers.  So why can't the soldier just "suck it up"?   The US ARMY is after all mission first family last.  Soliders aren't issued families or emotions as they just get in the way.  The families are the silent ranks because if we put our noses where they didn't belong nothing would ever get done.