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This message has been edited. Last edited by: p1739,

A soldier does not get a chance to take leave(vacation) until after they have finished AIT. Now their are some exceptions (i.e. Christmas family emergencies) but for the most part that is how it works. Depending on what his MOS(job) in the Army is his basic and AIT might be combined into OSUT( one station unit training) which means they combine basic and AIT all in 1. So in that case it would seem to him that once he finishes basic that he is coming home for leave. Hope this answered your questions.

[quote:3da04af9cc="missyjinx006"]so after his AIT then he can come home? for how long?[/quote:3da04af9cc]
after AIT he will have a chance to come before going to his first duty station. This time can be anywhere between 15 to 30 days.

[quote:3da04af9cc="missyjinx006"]can he bring a family with him in his AIT or when he get stationed?[/quote:3da04af9cc]

not while he's in AIT, but he can once he gets to his first duty station.

[quote:3da04af9cc="missyjinx006"]does he get to live on his own house or apartment when he get stationed?[/quote:3da04af9cc]

once his family arrives, he will get to live off post in his own house/apartment. Until then, he'll live in the barracks. Now, if he goes overseas (for instance, Korea) then his family won't be able to come with him. There are exceptions of course, but his unit will be able to explain this better.

Any other questions, don't be afraid to ask. We'll answer what we can. :wink:

A soldier with no dependants will normaly be required to live in the barracks. As a cousin you would not be considered a dependant unless he was your legal guardian. This doesn't mean you can't go but the Army will not provide him with family quarters or a housing allowance if he has no recognized dependants.

I assume he is training to be an infantryman, in which case he should graduate (if everything goes right) in late April (graduation dates are posted at http://www.benning.army.mil/itb/ ). Infantry basic training is OSUT (One Station Unit Training) meaning the BCT and AIT are combined into one course.
Active duty soldiers earn 2.5 days of leave each month. He will have about 8 days saved when he graduates.

The most commonly recognized dependants in the Army are spouses and children. The only exception I've personaly seen is a soldier who's parrents both died, and she became the legal guardian of her kid brother. Being his cousin, and of an age to attend college, there would have to be some severe extenuating circumstances for you to be considered his dependant. He would most likely need to be assigned your legal guardian by a court.

If this is not the case, and he has no wife or minor children, then he will be assigned quarters in the barracks.

If you are under 18, then he can become your guardian through a court order. This would make you his legal dependant. For specifics, you would have to contact a lawyer or the courts or legal assistance in your area. If you are 18 or over, then it usually takes some kind of special circumstance for you to be his dependant, as DW said.

Now, if he has no other dependants, there is still a way he might be able to live off post. If the barracks are overcrowded he may be able to get what is known as a "letter of nonavailability" ... please note though that this is situational, depending on what his unit is like once he goes to his first duty station.

[quote:6c2570c503="missyjinx006"]i guess i'm just gonna live on my own close to where he gets stationed so every now and then he can just visit me.. can he just do that?[/quote:6c2570c503]

yes, he can do that .. in fact, once he's at his duty station, he could visit you every day after work. Now, one thing to remember is there's a chance he could be sent to another duty station in anywhere from 2-4 years.

If you're mom is willing to give your cousin custody of you, then you will be his dependant. Again, you'll need to talk to legal advice for the specifics.

When you deploy to Iraq you deploy for a certain amount of time then come back to wherever you are stationed. Iraq is not a duty station it is just somewhere you go for a time and then go back to your duty station. Here is an example... My first duty station was Ft. Hood(Texas). I was stationed there for 3 years but 1 of those years I was deployed to Bosnia. After those three years I moved to Ft Lewis (Washington) and then I was there for three years. Now I am recruiting in south FL and will soon be moving to my next duty station.

It really depends on the needs of the army. I spent two years at Ft bragg. But other people I came to Bragg with from my AIT were transferred within a year. Plus he could get stationed some where like Korea where you could not go with him.



[quote:c185807bc1]i mean, once he get stationed to one place isn't that he's final station and he might just get deployed some place and then come back there when he's done?[/quote:c185807bc1]

No he will move depending on how long he is in for if its only three years he will probably only be stationed at two different bases. But if he makes a career of it he will move more throughout his career.

Soldiers are moved around for a couple of reasons.
First, there are manpower issues, and soldiers are moved to fill vacant positions. Some units don't need to be fully staffed if they don't have a high priority mission, other units preparing for deployment will be overstaffed.
Also, when a soldier moves, he gains new experiences, learns to operate in a different environment. He will bring with him the skills and experience he gained from his previous assignment to his new unit. When we move soldiers every few years it makes the Army more rounded, and more versitile. You wouldn't want a bunch of soldiers who have only seen Alaska to go to Iraq; we're better off sending them with a couple of guys who have spent a few years in the California dessert.
I have heard the Army wants to extend the period that a soldier can stay in one place to about 5 years. This may or may not work out for us.
While it is typical for soldiers to move every 3 or so years, there are exceptions. I've been in Kansas for over 7 years now. While this is by no means common, it can happen.

Soldiers have the same rights as all other Americans. Among those is the right not to enlist. There are a great number of benefits that come with service, and along with that comes a great number of sacrifices. The Army will do quite a bit to take care of their soldiers, but the needs of the Army always come first.

dependant ID cards are simply ID cards that show you are the dependant of a Soldier, and allow you unaccompanied access to certain areas like the PX, commissary, and other places on post. Without one, he would have to be with you in order for you to go.

you would have to be his dependant in order to get one, yes. :wink:

Dependent ID card holders can go on/off a post without being accompanied by the service member. If your a family member with no ID card...most likely the service member (SM) will have to sign you on to that post. How they sign family members on post usually depends on the post itself. Some post have a specific gate/building where the SM can sign family members on.

[quote:4f2c67b711="missyjinx006"]what are dependent ID cards? do i get one? but since im not his dependent, i guess i cant have one huh?[/quote:4f2c67b711]



I use to work in a post ID Card section. I personally only seen SM with court orders stating that a specific family memeber, over the age of 18, state that they can't be able to take care of themselves...usually these are adults such as mom or dad. Have your cousin inquire at JAG where ever he gets stationed at.

Heck you can send letters, cards and even just a postcard. They'll get what ever you decided to send and it'll boost their moral a bit. Just try not to send a whole lot of packages with junkfood and stuff. They won't be able to eat that type of stuff and if they were givin the opportunity ....they'd probably be doing some extra push ups too.

Whatever you do, don't send stuffed animals. That always ends badly.