Zach is in the Army Now (formerly who is from Georgia)
- Thread starter Dave
- Start date
Dave
Staff member
Well, Zach got his orders today. First duty station? It's not. He's being deployed to Korea. So now I have no idea how long he'll be gone or where he'll go when he comes back. I also don't know if he'll be able to come home or if he has to go right from Benning to Korea.
So answers but no answers.
So answers but no answers.
That's not a terrible posting. He's getting to see a part of the world that most people don't, he's doing it on someone else's dime, and it's pretty safe. Really, all he needs to do stay out of trouble and he shouldn't have any problems.
Make sure you encourage him to go out and get some culture if he can. This is kind of a once in a lifetime deal.
Dave
Staff member
That's what we told him. He sounds excited. He wanted either there or Germany.
Germany, Korea, and Okinawa are generally the cushiest postings you can get, assuming you can control yourself in public. He really lucked out and must have impressed someone, somewhere for that to have happened.
That bit me is the ass once. I had gone on leave in between C-school and my next duty station and gone in the hole on leave. Then my original 4-year hitch expired and the extension kicked in. Since I was in the hole on leave, and my original enlistment was over, the Navy took the overage out of my paycheck... all at once. It took months and the efforts of multiple PO1s and chiefs on my behalf to get it straightened out.
Long story short, they wouldn't let me stay in the hole on leave, so I had to still pay it back, but not all at once. But I was now even on leave instead of way in the hole.
Tell him he's got a great chance to explore, have fun, learn a foreign language etc..... IF HE CAN STAY SOBER AND OUT OF TROUBLE.
Biggest thing that hems up young enlisted overseas is stuff like that. Fighting is sort of expected. But don't get tore up and get locked up.
Biggest thing that hems up young enlisted overseas is stuff like that. Fighting is sort of expected. But don't get tore up and get locked up.
Especially in Korea or Okinawa. Sailors are constantly being accused of killing or raping the locals and it's not always unfounded. Regardless, it's a sure way to kill your career.
Dave
Staff member
Zach doesn't smoke, drink, do drugs or even drink caffeine. He's really quite boring that way.
Really? He'll be a commanding officer in six weeks, then.
He will, and you know it, even if it's just because he's in a foreign country, and "why not?"
So long as he's moderate, he'll be okay... just a bit of friendly advice from another Jarhead.
Neither does my brother in laws brother. He just ended up with two failed marriages to women who wanted a free pass to the US and a couple of kids he hardly sees.
Sounds like he'll do okay, then... except for the sharing room thing... better get used to that... I don't think he'd rate a one-man tent until he's an E-5 or better...
I had a blast in S. Korea, if he doesn't get leave enroute then he will get mid tour leave while in Korea. It's typically a 12 month tour unless he extends for money under the AIP.
Dave
Staff member
Doc! Good to see you!
And we found out he'll get about a week with us. His leave is two weeks, but he'll only really get one as the other will be traveling to Korea and getting set up.
When I was in the navy, we used Red Devil blowers for ventilation when painting and the like. They were certified explosion-proof until they had been serviced/fixed by navy personnel. Once they had been serviced, they were painted a different color. During training, the instructor asked us "So, if it's red, does that mean it's explosion proof?" and a number of sailors said yes.
"FALSE," he says. "Because sailors have touched it. I wouldn't stand near one of those things if you paid me."
Dave
Staff member
Well, we're back. rolled in this morning about 4:30 am after a 17 hour drive and immediately hit the rack. My body decided that it needed to be up at normal time, so I got out of bed at 7 like usual. I'll probably crash this afternoon.
Graduation rocked and Zach slept nearly all the way home as he hadn't had too much sleep the previous days. He also ate at almost every stop. Dude packs away the food now. He will be here a week or so and then ships out to Korea, where he will be designated as infantry replacement. That means he'll do a lot of field exercises and get used to walking a lot of long distances. Feel for the guy, but we also found out this is not a deployment, but his actual duty station, which is a big difference in designation.
I'll probably type more when I'm more awake. You should see the typos I'm making and then correcting. It's incredible.
Graduation rocked and Zach slept nearly all the way home as he hadn't had too much sleep the previous days. He also ate at almost every stop. Dude packs away the food now. He will be here a week or so and then ships out to Korea, where he will be designated as infantry replacement. That means he'll do a lot of field exercises and get used to walking a lot of long distances. Feel for the guy, but we also found out this is not a deployment, but his actual duty station, which is a big difference in designation.
I'll probably type more when I'm more awake. You should see the typos I'm making and then correcting. It's incredible.
Yeah, Korea isn't even considered a hardship tour anymore. He is going to have a good time as long as he gets out and travels when he gets passes!
Doc, do they still do heavy restrictions on the junior enlisted over there, do you know?
Dave
Staff member
Usually they have to have a battle buddy - especially if one of them is going to drink. Also, if you miss curfew, you will be fucked royally.
Hopefully whomever he is paired up with won't be an asshole. My husband has been stuck with some terrible liberty buddies. He wants to go explore a new place and they just want to sit in the first bar they find.
TELL ME WHEN TO DRINK MY BEER BATTLE BUDDY!
They enforce the curfew pretty heavily it's an Article 15/NJP for missing it. Also up in area one they have to have passess to leave their base from what I can remember. I was in Seoul so I partied like an animal!