I am enlisting as an 96B and I am told that AIT will be 9 to 24 weeks long. Does anyone know if my wife and child will be allowed to PCS with me? All the recruiter will tell me is that generally I can PCS my family if I will be somewhere longer than 20 weeks then I can request a PCS move, but that doesn't help me if AIT is going to be 9 weeks instead of 24. I really don't understand the difference in training length, so if anyone can shed some light on that I would be grateful, but my most important question is whether I will be able to move my family to Huachuca or not.

No, you will not be able to PCS your wife for the 96B course. The length of the 96B course is only 16 weeks and 4 days. I was looking to change my mos to 96b a few months ago and I asked the same question. I hope this helps

91XSOLDIER is right you can PCS your family down to FT Huachuca, but if you have school age children, I would wait until the semester ends...depending when you finish Basic Training. Now Sierra Vista isn't too bad of a little town, but it's very small. I know that there is a good chance you won't be able to get housing on post so a good place to start looking would be at the local paper

Thank you very much for the help. Where did you find the exact length of training? 16 weeks and 4 days. Everything I have seen says 9 to 24 weeks.

CAT, I am confused. 91Xsoldier said that I cannot pcs my family to Huachuca. But you said he is right...I can pcs them to Huachuca. I am confused, can I or can't I PCS them to Huachuca? Maybe what you meant was that the army won't move them, but I could move them if I wanted to at my own expense. Is that it? Is that allowed? Also, I have heard that you are not allowed off post for the first 11 weeks of training is that true?

ATTRS is showing 16 Weeks 3.0 Days for the 96B course. Housing on post right now is pretty scarce but the new quarters are coming up. As a norm AIT soldiers do not live off post they will live in the barracks and move to class with a DS. You will not want to do anything until you arrive here and ask the direct questions then. I recognize this does put you in a bind, but it is the best way to alleviate a potential problem when you do arrive. Know that it is starting to get cold here, might not mean anything right now, but at 5000ft the air is a bit thin too.

Thank you for your post Tools. Do you know what kind of PT I should expect in AIT. Your point about altitude and temperature is well taken.

It's not suggested, but they do have Soldiers in AIT that bring there family with them. All married Soldiers will receive BAH from that zip code (if the family is with you or not)and you can try to have on post housing, but there's a long wait and you should be finished with AIT before you can get housing on post. Now, the thing is you can have your Orders in Basic Training changed (amended) to add your spouse to your orders or you can do it the long way and have them show up and work from there.

In my class I was in ALL reclass students. However,the other classes that was during day shift had four Soliders that lived off post with there Spouses. When there was GI parties...they were excluded.

So assuming that I leave my family behind, and just focus on getting through AIT, will I be able to receive BAH to cover my familys living expenses AND still live on base myself? I can't see paying for off base housing for myself and housing for my family accross the country on an e-3 BAH? I am assuming that as a student and being that I am at a temp duty assignment I will be able to live on base in barracks or something, right?

Josh

Two questions for you. Are you an MOS-T, if you don't know what this is, then probably not. You will not be allowed to live off-post, flat out. You should be receiving BAH for where your family resides while you are in school. In fact, verify on your LES once in Basic, or when completed with Basic Training. due to the length of the AIT course is the kicker for you.

I just talked with your soon to be Drill Sergeants as they are in my building currently going through their CLS recert's. Bottom Line: Family stays, you get the pay for them, you live in Barracks.

CAT is correct, but again is covering the MOS-T Soldiers, if you are a reclass, then you can work that avenue, but it sounds like you jsut signed and are in the DEP program now. Hope this helps out. Not trying to confuse.

jt

You are correct I am a recruit. I appreciate the info, it helps us to be able to plan for my wife's job, appartment lease, etc...

I will plan on just living in the barracks in AIT. By the way what is LES?

LES is your Leave and Earnings Statement. Shows you how much you got paid each paycheck and any deductions from it.

Thank you all very much. That should just about do it for this thread.

You have all been so helpful, please see my new thread..."How do promotions work."