Confused and I am hoping someone can help shed some light on this concern of, not only mine, but the entire family. A close cousin of mine enlisted in the Army on Guam, where our family is originally from and currently lives. He is currently in AIT and is set to graduate in the next 3-4 weeks. While in basic training over the summer we found out his sister was diagnosed with a severe form of cancer (every form is severe in my opinion). We chose not to inform him until he graduated from basic training because we did not want it to affect his focus. Now that he is set to graduate and get assigned, he'd love to get assigned close to his sister so he can be there for her both mentally & physically (a very hard time for the family). She is not married nor has any children and is the only family member living in this state. Their parents are too old to move and to assist their daughter and because of the medical treatment she is receiving, it is necessary for her to stay where she currently is now. Because she is an older sister, what are the chance of my cousin getting re-assigned to be with her?

Going through his Chain of Command with supporting documents is the best option. It also might be possible for him to claim her as a dependent so he will be authorized family housing. Start with Chain of Command but there are other sources out there that you talk to for information. http://www.militaryonesource.com, Army Community Service can be informative as well, so where ever he is, he should talk to ACS on that post for info, I say again use Chain of Command to make it happen.

Usually if the issue is within the immediate family, Compassionates are considered, especially if there is some reason other members of the family cannot help take care of her. I would tell him to make sure there is medical documentation of his sister's illness, it's severity, any timelines the doctors might have for her recovery or if they expect her to pass away, how soon. Also, if there is a medical reason the parents can't go to their daughter, notes from their doctors would help establish his case. If the compassionate doesn't go through, and she is hospitalized, the hospital/hospice can do a red cross message to bring him there. That is what we had to do when my grandmother passed from cancer. I wish you and your family the best.