New Information on BAH

BAH- You are entitled to BAH from the moment his feet touch yellow footprints. Tell you husband to take a voided check with him. If you need the BAH payments for bills he will have to request from his DI to take the voided check with him to the RAB office (Recruit Admin Branch 619-524-8174). They will be able to set him up about 2 weeks after boot start with payments that are sent home to you. I did not get this benefit. It has taken me nearly the entire 3 months of my husband’s boot camp to find this information. Luckily we only have 3 weeks left (as of 3/21/12) and our BAH and FSA is being paid directly to his account at boot camp. Never fear ladies, you ARE being paid!


The Unofficial Wife’s Guide to Boot Camp

This is basically a post about a future post. I’m going to stand up on my soapbox for a moment and whine about the serious lack of information for us wives who were married before I men joined the armed services. I have asked 20 different people the same question and received 20 different responses. I do understand the military is geared for the fresh out of high school, 18 year old, who hasn’t even thought about marriage. Surely we are not the first people to go through this. Of course we aren’t! So why the lack of knowledge? This is where I am going to start writing down everything I find out and publish it so that, in the future, some other poor wife can finally find the answers she NEEDS to know now! I think it’s something that should be taught to every recruiter because even though 99% of those guys coming through the door are 18, occassionaly you might have the 25 year old stroll through your door who has lost 140lbs and been married for a while and can finally feel confident stepping through your hatch.  I can’t wait to share my knowledge with you ladies. :) Good luck!

 

 

8 Questions for the future Marine’s Wife.

I feel like I’m asked constantly, crazy questions about my husband joining the Marines. I just want to start going over things I’ve found and answer some general question. I won’t claim to know everything, because I don’t. I just know that this wasn’t a decision we took lightly, nor did we rush into it. We both researched it for well over a year before making the decision.

Aren’t you scared something will happen to him?

Well DUH! If you think I’m not freaked out about him going to a country that’s a little less than welcoming than you’re crazy. But on that note, I’m also afraid that he’ll get in a wreck, his acetylene bottle might blow up,  he doesn’t have enough for his lunch, that he might have a blowout on the way to work, that his undies aren’t clean, and that he could possibly get blown up by a rogue pipeline he’s digging. If I were to fear this so much as to not let him go to work then he and I would never leave the house. I have faith that God will provide for us and God will protect us. “Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

Why did he join?

The simple answer: Because he wanted to join. The more lengthy answer: He never thought he could. He always thought he was too big and when one day he mentioned it was a lost dream I pushed him to try for it. When he realized it was still obtainable we sat down and gave it some serious thought. I can’t fully answer for him. I just know it was always his dream. He is truly amazing when it comes to jobs or careers that require a brotherhood. Firefighting was something he was so passionate about for so long that it broke my heart when he gave it up to move to a better job and better paying town. I’m happy that’s he’s going to have brothers again.

Isn’t he too old to start this now?

No. You can join the Marines/Military up until you are 28 or 29. He’s still a very youthful 26 and he’s not decrepit by any means! People make it sound like by his age he should be having incontinence problems and can’t keep up with his dentures. Granted, he’s got some age on these piss and vinegar filled, fresh out of high school, 18 year olds, but I really think this may give him an edge. Was your head on straight at 18? No, I didn’t think so. He’s got the maturity, calm, appreciation, and determination to fill any role handed to him and lead. God bless him, my man is a natural leader and teacher.

What about your future kids? You want them growing up around that lifestyle?

Heck yea! I can’t tell you how much I look forward to my kids running around on bases not having to worry (so much) about sickos trying to kidnap my children. They can play all day and I know that if they get in trouble someone will call me to tell me what they’re up to.

Can you financially handle this?

To which I really must reply, “is it any of your business?” And yes.

What about all that moving?

Trust me. I’m used to it now. Pipeline and Windmills had us all over the nation. This will be my 7th, 8th, 9th move? I’ve lost count. Besides, we do know that even the military is going through a recession. Most places you stay for at least 3 years before you have the option to move again. Honestly, after having moved so much, after a couple of years both of us find ourselves getting antsy for something new and exciting. Most people tend to take a vacation at this point, we tend to pack up and move. Perhaps God lead us to this path because he knew that my husband and I were nomads at heart.

 

What if he’s deployed?

Is it going to suck? Yes. Is it something that thousands, if not millions of other wives have been through? Yes. Will I survive 7 months without my husband? Yes. Will it be hard, tiresome, and grueling figuring out stuff on my own? Yes. Can I do it? Yes. Will I complain about it? Hopefully not publicly because Lord knows I grow very tired of people complaining about it.

 

Won’t you miss him while he’s at bootcamp/ deployed?

Uhh yea! Pretty much the same answer as above. But I do know that he is doing a service to our country. I do know that the Marines train their men to come home no matter the circumstances. I know that what he is doing is good. This is a comforting thought to me.

 

I hope I answered a few questions to the 4 readers I have out here in internet land. I hope you will continue to journey with me as I discover a new road God has laid down in my life and his… I hope to continue writing about it and maybe one day it’ll help another future Marine’s wife.