I have a question for you. My dh is currently recruiting and I would like to know what you all felt would have helped you the most while your SO was going through the recruiting process. ( please don't say wish he didn't lie as well that is a given) From the time he first talked to the recruiter till he shipped off to boot. I am trying to help him out some so I want to see what the otherside has to say. TIA

Aren't you sweet :P

Aren't you sweet :P

but of course. besides he needs help. :lmao

I wasn't with DH when he went to boot, but I have a suggestion anyway. Have your DH contact family line and get copies of Sea Legs, and the social customs books. If the guy he's sending up to MEPs is married, have him give those to his wife. That might help to ease some confusion.. kwim??

ohh good suggestion Melissa, Def putting that on the list. :teehee

ohh good suggestion Melissa, Def putting that on the list. :teehee

You know my feelings about that.. those books should be standard issue.. ;)

Maybe include a card or something with the book explaining about familyline and military onesource.. and all that they offer.

Do you guys have an ombudsman that the recruits' spouses could call with spouse type questions?

You know my feelings about that.. those books should be standard issue.. ;)

Maybe include a card or something with the book explaining about familyline and military onesource.. and all that they offer.

Do you guys have an ombudsman that the recruits' spouses could call with spouse type questions?
we do, but hell even she hasn't given me her number. hope I don't need any help. lol He has been handing out the website addy to girlfriends and what not. He hasn't had anyone in a while with a SO. but i like to be prepared.

we do, but hell even she hasn't given me her number. hope I don't need any help. lol He has been handing out the website addy to girlfriends and what not. He hasn't had anyone in a while with a SO. but i like to be prepared.

Do you want some cards? Brandi gave me a ton a while back.. I can pass them along to you.

Maybe on the card you could include the # for family line, some info about NWCA(navy wives club of America) FFSC, NMCRS, and military.com's spouse career center.. It sucks that you guys don't have a FFSC nearby!

OOh, and don't forget the list of all the commonly used Acronyms...

I can totally help you compile something if you'd like!

Do you want some cards? Brandi gave me a ton a while back.. I can pass them along to you.

Maybe on the card you could include the # for family line, some info about NWCA(navy wives club of America) FFSC, NMCRS, and military.com's spouse career center.. It sucks that you guys don't have a FFSC nearby!

OOh, and don't forget the list of all the commonly used Acronyms...

I can totally help you compile something if you'd like!
yes yes yes!!! :yourock that would be totally totally awesome. :yes

I wasn't with John when he went to boot camp. I was with him when he decided to re-enlist though. He had been out for 4 years. What helped me was that since he had already done 4 years and 2 deployments he was able to really prepare me for what was to come. He told me what it was like and we decided together if it was something we could handle. He didn't sugar coat things so that helped. He told me right up front to expect him to be gone half the time he is sea duty. I think that could really help a SO; talking to people that are already in (AD or another SO) that will tell them what it really like and not what will help the person that will be AD sign on the dotted line.

Also, John has a friend that is a recruiter and John has given tours of the RTC base and answered questions himself about the Navy and boot camp since he is a RDC to some of the people his friend has been trying to recruit.

And of course, you could give them the link to this site.

Good Luck.

yes yes yes!!! :yourock that would be totally totally awesome. :yes

Ok, I'll get to work on it soon, and mail you the cards and such around payday.. how's that?? :D

Ok, I'll get to work on it soon, and mail you the cards and such around payday.. how's that?? :D

sounds fantastic. :yes :five

sounds fantastic. :yes :five

Awesome.. I'll get it taken care of then. I'm always happy to help! :hugehug

the pay knowing about the pay would have been nice, and being told that they take money out for uniforms would have helped him. but really just clarity on the rules, what can and can't be sent in care packages, when the insurance kicks in. how important the ID is. and housing questions, i felt really left in the dark and my DH did DEP and we had a kid. but insurance was a big thing i found our recruiters were useless when it came to knowing anything about Tricare, none of them had kids though or a family.

definitely those books are a great idea. read a lot about the trade he'll be doing and where he could be posted. talk about whether you are willing to relocate, because it might happen. also get ready to be away for holidays and anniversaries - talk about everything. make sure everything is on the table because once he's gone it will be hard to get a hold of him and working things out by mail is difficult and could end in misinterpretation. talk about what you will do when he's away and what you'll do together when he's back.

The recruiter didn't lie(in fact, he was pretty awesome)...but he didn't do everything he said(like actually submitting DH's college transcript so he'd go in as an E-2 like he should have). I think having more info would have helped us both to stay on top of him about that, as well as helped me understand more of what the process is all about. I agree with the spouse book/info-google can only provide so much.

:bump
keep it coming ladies.

A link to this website! :lol

Information about spouses going to school.

The importance of picking a rate and the long-term effects (good and bad) it can be.

trust me the first thing I told him was link them here. :teehee

the pay knowing about the pay would have been nice, and being told that they take money out for uniforms would have helped him. but really just clarity on the rules, what can and can't be sent in care packages, when the insurance kicks in. how important the ID is. and housing questions, i felt really left in the dark and my DH did DEP and we had a kid. but insurance was a big thing i found our recruiters were useless when it came to knowing anything about Tricare, none of them had kids though or a family.

Yes, exactly. I was not told about the pay, how much it would be, or when it would come. So dh left on Sep. 4th and i wondered and waited for almost a month trying to figure out if he was going to get a check or not.(I finally got a small check on Sep. 27th) I mean i did not and still do not understand a lot of the stuff that goes on and how to read certain things.....A link to this website would be great, and any other websites for the place where there dh will be going for boot camp. And make sure that the wives do understand how hard and trying it can be. Ugh... i could go on and on..but i think it is great that you are doing this!!!!!!

We are new to the Army... 7 months in... Ireally wish the recruiter would have helped me once he left for BCT, as in telling me how to get me ID card, how to sign up for tricare, what my rights as a military spouse are, what things are offered for military families, told me some things to expect, showed me how to set up mypay, how to access AKO... that kind of thing... I had to figure it out all on my own...and there are some spouses in my husband's AIT that STILL don't know they could go on Mypay or AKO

mine joined on the 14th well left for basic and no one had a clue as if we were going to get paid for that one day or not. but knowing what we were entitled to would have helped and not blowing smoke up his ass about his rate when he gets out. don't tell them how useful it will be when its not at all.. and i really really wish they would have pushed him hard to go to college while he was in. the first 4 years he was making it a career and saw no need for college now he wants out and is wishing he would have gone to college without having to use all his GI Bill. and clarity on the GI Bill as well. as in its NOT free money!! common misconception that makes me insane.. i think that if a recruiter is trying to enlist a married person before that person should beable to sign the paperwork the spouse should be involved even though its their life. and make it very clearn the military does NOT do divorces. when we were in great lakes lots of kids would go into legal asking how to get a divorce DH would have to tell them get a lawyer out in town we don't do that. also be clear to the spouse that you know, when it comes down to it. the military really doesn't care if your expecting during cruise he is still going ot have to go. and when to and when not to call the red cross.also i think that its important for the spouse to have all the numbers for basic and have it stressed when to call and when not to.. our pay was so jacked up for so long when he enlisted it was a mess his recruiter had to call to findout what wsa going on.