This is the first I had actually heard of the Army even CONSIDERING such a thing. Generally from Navy and Air Force channels. This is a topic that has generated a lot of discussion. And now both are leaving.Would you like to be able to take a few years sabbatical from the military? There's a program for that!! Both had been wavering about separating from the Navy. Both are highly decorated and accomplished. As a result, they are denied the possibility of seeing each other for a year. His leave chit, for a period of time that spans allotted pre-deployment leave, is denied because he will be “too far away and we may have to surge” - which is actually not even a remote possibility. She deploys first to a non-combat zone that he would be able to visit as a tourist. Two sailors in a long-term relationship are scheduled for back-to-back deployments. Yet, the sailor is home for the birth and the first few days of his young son’s life. Most other leaders grumble that they were never afforded such compassion, and that we should not have allowed him to leave - just because. His officer-in-charge gets him a seat on the bird. He can find someone to cover his duties for a few weeks. There is a flight leaving for Germany, and ultimately to the states, in 20 minutes. For military couples who marry, detailers tend to treat spousal co-location like a good deal, and not like the policy it is, which means every two-to-three years, couples worry if they will have to endure another long separation.Ī sailor’s wife, pregnant with their first child, goes into labor while he is in Afghanistan. I have been “Dear Janed” by a partner, ironically also in the military, who met someone while I was at sea. Every single relationship I have been in since joining has rapidly become long distance. Otherwise, I would usually just be another bureaucrat in an armed, specially trained pyramid of bureaucrats.Īdditionally, like many other young professionals, I have had to choose between my personal life and my career, except on an extreme level. I realized that it would be decades of military service before I could actually make an impact. I didn’t want to follow a generic career path where “hitting the wickets” was more important than applying my skills. These thoughtful initiatives fail to holistically address the issue of why the best personnel are leaving.Īs I was nearing the end of my first tour and second deployment, close observations made me realize I didn’t want my boss’s job. Getting paid more for a longer deployment does not fix the personal issues that arise both on ship, and especially at home, during a long deployment. Reserve funding is being cut as the war in Afghanistan draws to a close. Even expanding it by 100% will not make a dent. The Career Intermission Program only admits 40 people per year - 20 officers and 20 enlisted. These are great ideas, but they are not enough. But these efforts fail to address many other issues endemic to an organization that, like it or not, maintains the status quo unless forced to change by external pressure. All of the initiatives being considered are certainly a step forward in the effort to retain quality personnel: expanding the Career Intermission Program, more dynamic rotations between Reserve duties, increased pay for longer deployments, better sea-shore rotations. In response, the Navy is attempting to offer service members more flexible career options.
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