This morning, after checking how my stable performed last night on Martial Combat... er, researched vital mission essential information, I checked my AKO (Army Knowledge Online) email (the official email of the USArmy) on a lark. Well, no. On a computer. But, anyway...
I received an email, this morning, at ~0600. The email was from the personnel office letting me know that the report date for my PCS (Permanent Change of Station) (the date that I would show up to my gaining unit), had changed. Again. Due to Stop Loss/Stop Move.
Now, why did this infuriate me? It's not like I expected to go to my next duty station as it was. The report date was already postponed to this December, leaving me only nine months in my enlistment, necessitating a reenlistment or extension to meet the 24 month requirement on a CONUS to CONUS (Continental United States) assignment, anyway.
Well, what I was angry about, at first, was that the Army (as a whole, which is sometimes a poor way to characterize the Army) wasn't even making a pretense about wanting to send me to my assignment any more. My report date became the end of OCT next year, but my ETS (End Term of Service, the date I would get out of the Army) was in September, 33 days before that! "This is BULLSHIT!" I told my squad leader. (Poor SSG Cochise.) Thankfully, he remained calm, and took my diatribe in stride. (He is used to me, after over two years of this.)
"What do you want to be done about this?" Of course, I shoot back that the Army should just put me out for Breach of Contract (their breach, not mine, amazingly), but when I settled down (in about 1.3 minutes), I said that I was more worried that this meant another Stop Move/Stop Loss looming on the near horizon for early next year.
After the morning brief and the Squad Leader meeting, the Platoon Sergeant (SFC C) saw me and my squad leader in his office. (Amazingly, after less than a year, he seems to be used to my rants as well.) (This time I tried to hold back, though.)
"It's PAC," he said, "constantly screwing up the UICs." A UIC is the Unit Identification Code, which is assigned to you when you arrive at your unit. They track this to make sure you spend enough time/not too much time at the unit you're assigned to. SFC C then goes on to (re)tell me the story about how he had been assigned to Fort Hood for five years (back in the day) and had his UIC changed 14 times, although he never changed units. The "clock" for how long a soldier has to stay in a unit before they can PCS is reset when the UIC is... this can keep you from leaving a unit (or at least provide people an excuse for not moving you).
This actually very much reassured me. But the next part of the conversation upset me again. I mentioned that I understood I wouldn't be leaving anyway, but that it bothered me that the Army wouldn't even pretend any more that they would meet my contracted Station of Choice. This seemed to blindside SFC C. "Bring me a copy of your contract," he quickly said. "If you want to go, I can work on it for you."
I swear I had mentioned Station of Choice being in my reenlistment contract before. I suppose I may have only mentioned it when talking directly with Cochise, and negelected to mention it to the PSG. To his great credit, SFC C jumped on this as a chance to help a soldier. (Say what you will about him, he has always been a straight-shooter when dealing with me.)
"I've got to talk it over with Her," I told him.
And I have.
Damn it, we're staying. We're staying and praying that another Stop Move/Stop Loss doesn't come my way. (Although, if it does, I hope to be the SGT Greywar of next mission: Indispensible and Untouchable, Knowledgeable to a Fault, although I'll skip the coffee swilling.) She gets to finish school, we avoid a potentially messy fight to leave and a potentially messy move to a place we're not that interested in, I get to train my n00bs some more. Here's hoping that all works out.
(I'll leave the ETS bit for a near future article. This is a bit long, I'm procrastinating on my homework, and I can always leave the tale for my 7-year Army Anniversary this Friday...)