wondering if someone out there can help on this. i am currently deployed and am married to another service member. her unit is deploying within a few weeks but she was placed on rear D as she just gave birth to our first child. well, due to circumstances they are now planning to deploy her. in absolutely no way do i want anyone on her side of the family watching our child and no one on my side is capable of handling an infant right now. i read in army times about 2 months ago that congress passed a bill or something stating that if one member of a dual military family was deployed the other could request deferment in the event they received orders also. does anyone know about this and how the process works? we dont mind the deployment but like i said above we are having problems with someone to care for him. thanks all and stay safe out there.
"A dead Soldier who has given his life because of the failure of his leader is a dreadful sight before God. Like all dead Soldiers, he was tired before he died, undoubtedly dirty, and possibly frightened to his soul; and there he is on top of all that...never to see his homeland. Don't be the leader who failed to instruct him properly, who failed to lead him well. Burn the midnight oil that you may not, in later years, look at your hands and find his blood still red upon them." ---James Warner Bellah
Posts: 15 | Location: Fort Campbell, KY | Registered: 20 March 2004
From what I know and saw there is nothing to protect you. They have been trying to pass a law to but has failed. Here is one refrence article frmo Sept. 1 about the same thing you are dealing with. Good luck...
Unfortunately you are pretty much stuck. I would keep trying to work with her chain, but you may come to the point where either you both leave, or there is the possability that she pulls her family care plan, but if you do that it is very possible her unit may chapter her out. When I deployed the first time, the BDE CDRs policy was that anyone who didn't have an active family care plan would be immediately processed for chapter. Within a couple of months of us leaving, the Rear D was almost non-existant. Best of luck.
I am going through the same situation except me and my husband are in the same unit. and we are getting deployed neither one of us have anyone that can watch the baby and i have absolutely no idea what i am going to do for money or how i am even going to manage if i get out i really don't have any place for me and my baby to go and me and my husbands relationship is on rocks right now. If you find out anyting at all that we can do let me know please..
1. ENLISTED MARRIED ARMY COUPLES MAY NOW POST ADDITIONAL PREFERENCE INFORMATION IN THE ASSIGNMENT SATISFACTION KEY (ASK). A NEW FEATURE PROVIDES MACP (ENL MARRIED TO ENL) THE CAPABILITY TO INDICATE A PREFERENCE FOR SIMULTANEOUS DEPLOYMENT CYCLES. THIS INFORMATION WILL BE AVAILABLE TO ASSIST COMMANDERS AS THEY DEEM APPROPRIATE.
2. SOLDIERS MAY UPDATE THEIR JOINT DEPLOYMENT INDICATOR PREFERENCE THROUGH ASK, A WEB-BASED APPLICATION AVAILABLE WHEREVER INTERNET ACCESS IS AVAILABLE. ACCESS ASK BY SELECTING THE ASK ICON LOCATED ON THE HRC WEBSITE AT HTTPS://WWW.HRC.ARMY.MIL . THE ASK PORTAL IS ALSO AVAILABLE AT NUMEROUS ARMY LINKS. USING THE ARMY KNOWLEDGE ONLINE (AKO) USER ID AND PASSWORD, SOLDIERS SHOULD CLICK ON ASK, CLICK ON THE ‘CONTACT’ TAB, AND MAKE A SELECTION IN THE MARRIED ARMY COUPLES PROGRAM ‘JOINT DEPLOYMENT INDICATOR’ DROPBOX. SOLDIERS MAY SELECT ‘YES: MARRIED SOLDIERS REQUEST TO DEPLOY WITHIN THE SAME DEPLOYMENT CYCLE.’, ‘NO: MARRIED SOLDIERS DO NOT REQUEST THE SAME DEPLOYMENT CYCLE.’ OR ‘X: NO PREFERENCE SELECTED.’
3. COMMANDERS MAY AQUIRE THE DEPLOYMENT PREFERENCE BY HAVING THEIR PERSONNEL SUPPORT (PSB/S1) ACCESS THE “PS” SCREEN (PERSONNEL SSN QUERY) IN EDAS. THE SOLDIER’S PREFERENCE WILL BE LOCATED UNDER THE DATA ELEMENT “JTDEPC” (JOINT DEPLOYMENT INDICATOR CODE).
See, this type of thing doesnt get the media attention I believe it deserves. Is the Army stretched so thin that it wont function if a few people didnt deploy?
The need for recruiters is so great that virtually anyone who requests a recruiter packet will get one, and pass the school? The Army would rather ruin the lifelong plans of career soldiers in order to meet its quota of recruiters?
For gods sake....you have soldiers who depend on the Army and are trying to raise a family and they are kicked out because of their kids?
I understand that sacrifices will be made, as its the nature of the beast but when it comes to someones children...they will always come first in my eyes. Im not talking about complaining because I didnt get off owrk to see my sons t-ball game. The Army is making ppl choose between money and their kids and that is complete BS.
I guess I do not have a problem deploying her. Do you both have a Family Care Plan that is approved? If after 30 days, a FCP is not approved they may (CDR) decide to forego a chapeter.
I guess I have to side with the Army on this one. You both should have understood this. I really have a hard time with people taking from the Army when it is convenient for them, and then complaining when it is not.
I do admire your decisioning to look out for the best interest of your child, and please keep that a priority with your decision!
1. Procrastination is like a disease.
Posts: 164 | Location: Iraq, where else would I be? | Registered: 12 January 2004
When my hubby and i first got married I was enlisted, baby was a complete surprise. We did not have a family care plan so the only option was discharge, I took mine and gracefully bowed out. I chose my child, now children, over a career, and wouldn't have it any other way. Yeah it was a monetary burden, but like Top_Dog said, it's not fair to the Army for you to just use and abuse the Army at your convenience.
As far as the whole "Is the Army stretched so thin that it wont function if a few people didnt deploy?" remark Whyme, there are a lot of soldiers trying to use their children as an excuse when in reality just don't want to deploy, if the Army did bend to the will of those dual families with no FCP, the Army would be more than a bit stretched.....
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ Advice... Go upstairs, grab your big girl panties, and put them on....
Posts: 274 | Location: Fort Campbell, KY | Registered: 15 February 2008
I dont want to sound harsh in anyway but why arent people thinking about these things before they reproduce? I dont know about you but before we had children we made sure we had a plan as to everything that had to do with them. If two people know they could deploy at the sametime and dont trust there own families to take care of there children or child then why wasnt this thought of before you had a child? I dont mean it rude in anyway but it should have been thought about before this happened.
THey ask how can you be an Army Wife I say I wouldnt have it any other way! Stand by your soldier!
When I was active duty, I was in a Forward Support Company for an Armored Cavalry regiment.
About a month before we were scheduled to deploy, 9 out of the 14 female soldiers in our company all of a sudden were wearing BDUs and running shoes instead of DCUs and boots.
7 out of these 9 were single soldiers.
1 out of these 7 joined us in Baghdad 11 months later while we were preparing to redeploy.
The other 8 soldiers were nowhere to be found when we redeployed back to Hood. All chaptered on FCP.
Vince "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." ---Benjamin Franklin
Originally posted by whyme: See, this type of thing doesnt get the media attention I believe it deserves. Is the Army stretched so thin that it wont function if a few people didnt deploy?
The need for recruiters is so great that virtually anyone who requests a recruiter packet will get one, and pass the school? The Army would rather ruin the lifelong plans of career soldiers in order to meet its quota of recruiters?
For gods sake....you have soldiers who depend on the Army and are trying to raise a family and they are kicked out because of their kids?
I understand that sacrifices will be made, as its the nature of the beast but when it comes to someones children...they will always come first in my eyes. Im not talking about complaining because I didnt get off owrk to see my sons t-ball game. The Army is making ppl choose between money and their kids and that is complete BS.
My best suggestion for you is to go into your Personal Zone, click Edit Full Profile, and change your name to "whyne."
I UNDERSTAND WHAT EVERYONE IS SAYING. I AM ALSO IN THE SAME SITUATION. MY HUSBAND AND I ARE IN THE SAME UNIT AND DEPLOYING NEXT YEAR. WE HAD A FAMILY CARE PLAN ALL TOGETHER BUT THAT DIDNT WORK OUT. NOW WE ARE STUCK WITH A VERY BIG DECISION. ME, I DONT CARE TO DEPLOY NOW THAT I HAVE MY CHILD. YES I KNOW I SIGNED UP TO PROTECT MY COUNTRY BUT I DID NOT KNOW I WOULD HAVE A CHILD. IT WAS A SURPRISE. AND LEAVING YOUR FIRST BORN COULD NOT BE EASY FOR ANYONE. I AM NOT TRYIN TO USE THE ARMY BY NO MEANS BUT I JUST THINK THEY SHOULD SHOW SOME CONCERN WHEN IT COMES TO SITUATIONS LIKE THIS. I KNOW MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT DEPLOYED BECAUSE OF CHILDREN, AND STAYED IN THE ARMY. SO, WHERE IM STUCK AT IS WHAT SHOULD I DO? SHOULD I GET OUT? SHOULD I DEPLOY? OR SHOULD I TRY TO STAY BACK WHEN THEY DEPLOY? BOTH PARENTS SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DEPLOY AT THE SAME TIME. WHEN THEY DO NOT HAVE ANYONE THAT COULD POSSIBLY WATCH THEIR CHILD, THATS NOT THEIR FAULT. BESIDES THAT THERE IS ALWAYS THE POSSIBILITY OF NOT RETURNING HOME. THEN WHAT ARE WE LEFT WITH? I DONT MEAN TO COMPLAIN, BUT ITS REALLY HARD. WHAT DO I DO?
ArmyStudyGuide Community 
Do you ever have anything positive to say?
