Waiting for Orders

Orders? Huh?
    Orders are received from your higher command, after your training and permanent duty station have been decided for you. They detail your every move through training and beyond. It will list your rank, dependents, training dates and locations, your final duty station, and what you're authorized to use (such as travel reimbursement/military move/etc). Depending on your MOS (job type), reserve/active duty status, and availability (not to mention COVID crap...) your orders can take a long time to arrive. For me, I was contacted by someone who is in charge of assignments and filling up training slots. He asked me to rate my choices according to which ones I prefer the most. 
    I ranked:
                        1. San Antonio, Texas
                        2. Houston, Texas
                        3. Fort Bragg, North Carolina
                        4. Washington D.C. 
                        5. Germany
   
     I also verified some information about my dependents and SSN for him. After that... I waited!                     Shocker. 
    I signed my contract in December 2019, and received orders around February. Depending on your scroll situation and other factors, be prepared to wait a bit longer. One day... you'll get an email and literally crap your pants. This is where you google everything about your base for about 2 days and obsess over travel plans. That brings me to.... 

Travel!
    We owned a house, which is a different ball game. If you're renting, you just show your landlord/complex your orders right before you leave, and they have to break your lease (brushes hands) ta-da! For us, we had to make big decisions. My training consists of DCC (direct commission course) followed by BOLC- A & B. All my training would last June 7-Sept 20. That's 4 months! So, we decided Josh would move to stay with his family during my training to have help with the kiddos while I was away. That's a 9 hour trip with a huge truck and our two vehicles... not to mention a dog, cat, and toddler. Luckily, his Dad came up to Indiana to help us move. Once we arrived to Alabama, we moved him and the kids into the apartment (short term lease) and I relaxed for 9 days while we closed on the house. 

    Note: selling a home will be a wild card, especially if you need it done by a certain time. There are a lot of variables involved, and closing can be pushed even if everything goes perfectly. Have your funds in order and try not to rely on the money you'll get from selling. When I left for training, we still had 6 days before we closed. Luckily, I had PTO built up at my hospital job which came in handy while we were in limbo. 

    I chose to drive our car, since we had two vehicles and one was great on gas. I like the freedom of driving wherever I wish when I travel, instead of paying a service/renting/relying on others. This also meant I would need a hotel when driving from Alabama to Oklahoma (Fort Sill) for my first training assignment. My husband has put together a video blog that I shot while traveling... stay tuned! I used some miles from our airlines card for a free room and BAM! Taken care of. I slept, had a free breakfast, and reported to training first thing on day 1! More on that to come :) 

    If you fly, you're allowed to check 4 bags, so don't worry about not being able to bring enough with you. It will free up a lot of time for you, but make sure you have a ride to the airport, or the funds to pay for your parking for a whole month. Yikes. 

What to Take/Pack
    Your command will send you information about what to bring with you, but there are some places to look ahead of time to get your documents in order, and you have a lot to buy. 
Start Here: https://sill-www.army.mil/30ada/amedd_dcc.html which will give you a nice synopsis of everything that will happen and what you'll need. The documents, as mentioned in an earlier post, will be the most time consuming so start with those here https://sill-www.army.mil/30ada/docs/AMEDD%20DCC%20Welcome%20Letter.pdf

    Use Amazon as much as possible, as there is a lot to get for training. I went to walmart for a few of the cheap small things but I didn't want to be running all over town. It's suggested that you bring anything you can on the uniform list, as sizes become very limited during training when everyone goes at once to buy their stuff. Your recruiter should be able to go with you to help you buy some (the nearest Exchange, which will be on a base). I was able to use my orders to get onto base and through the store and bought my ACUs with my dad. Have fun with this part! Pictures for effect...




And that's all you can do before you report! Which will be my next post. Until next time :) 

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