Stepping back on the soapbox.... shocking I know!!

So.... deployment time. Here's what it entails, at least for us. I guess all branches do things differently.... heck all units do things differently. First come orders! They make the official really official. Makes sense huh. Then comes the paperwork. The soldiers have millions of paper to fill out every time they deploy. When I say millions I'm really not kidding. It's not an exact count cause hey have you ever counted to a million.... takes a long time!! But really they take several days to do all the red tape paperwork. Then comes the fun part. Verification. Except I think that the soldier think that we're bluffing when we say, we will be calling for verification. So there's a very beautiful and sweet woman, who works for the Battalion. It's her fabulous job to call all these people and make these verifications. Let me share some numbers with you just so you understand where she's coming from.... there are probably one thousand soldiers that she represents... close to anyway. Each soldier is required to fill out Next Of Kin information sheets. These are what we are trying to verify. Each soldier is required to have a Primary and a Secondary. They can have more, but no less. So this is at least two thousand people she is trying to call and verify the information! So she asks for help and I volunteer. Cause I'm nice like that!! haha. Anyway, so she give me a small stack. Let me tell you people!!! When the form says person must live within Colorado state boundaries, why oh why are we listing our long lost relative in Texas!!! Hello?? And when you list your mother as next of kin but list your home phone number here in Colorado as her number, when she lives in Pennsylvania, how are we supposed to contact her? HMMM HOW?? Then there are the people who list their neighbors as next of kin, and even better don't tell them. So when some crazy lady from Ft. Carson call to verify they are totally taken back that they have been listed as next of kin!! I shouldn't be the one breaking this news to them. ARGHHGHGHGH! It's crazy.
It has been my experience not just for this, but in general. That if a form, especially an official form, asks for information, it's good to list accurate information. Oh! and it's good to actually fill in the blanks! It has also been my experience that if there is policy about something, especially as important as a deployment, that there is good reason for that policy to exist. Now sometimes things are out dated or old fashioned, but I don't believe next of kin falls into this category. Is like the warning on preparation H. It tells you not to eat it. I don't' know what happens if you eat it, but I'm sure there's some fool out there that does! And that is why there is now a warning that says do not ingest orally!
I think these soldiers think they are invincible and that the ARMY doesn't need the info because nothing is going to happen to them. Well those people are usually the idiots who walk into bad situations without thinking, and get hurt. And then the whole brigade turns upside down because the next of kin can't be notified. Chaos ensues and a whole lot of bawling wives create a HUGE headache for the poor souls left behind to deal with all the Estrogen. So for the love of Pete!! Fill out the form. Do it correctly. Be accurate. Tell the people who need to know. Use some common sense!! I mean after all we do let you play with guns!

Why can't things just make sense???

Ok so if you know the ARMY at all none of this will come as a surprise... but the ARMY and it's "protocol" just doesn't make sense to me!!! Here's my latest gripe. The King is heading out to "The Sandbox" and while he's out there his contract ends. Our plan is to go back to the Utah National Guard, and gain civilian employment. This is what I want, not him, well mostly me and little him. But it's the plan. So we got the official orders to deploy. Ryan goes over to the JJPSO office (the moving people) He wants to make arrangements for them to move me home. We all ready know this is gonna be a battle so he went prepared. They tell him they don't move spouses just because the soldiers deploy. We say we know. We don't want to move just because he's leaving. We want to move because he's getting out. They say, nope. He says why? They say because you can't do that without orders. He says I have orders. They say we don't accept depoloyment orders they have to be orders to get out. So he goes he talks with the Col. The Col. says he'll see what he can do. He talks to some people. Orders can't be cut until a certain number of months before he gets out... But he also says we're not asking for anything they wouldn't do for us anyway. He suggests just talking to a supervisor. So off to the supervisor we go. We explain everything to him. He says it makes perfect sense. We thought ah ha!! Yeah someone who gets it. WRONG. Even though it makes sense he says no. If I move you for a deployment I have to move everyone!!! ARGHGHGHGHGHH.... not moving because of deployment... HELLO???? Is anyone home. NOPE. So we say fine. We'll just move ourselves and then when we qualify for orders we'll just turn in reciepts for re-imbursement. Oh no. That no workey either. Reciepts can't be more than 60 days old. Are you kidding me!!!??? So I have to waste $1500 a month to stay in Colorado, because why??? Because we don't have a piece of paper. Awesome. Thanks ARMY. Thanks for taking care of families. Thanks for taking care of soldiers who serve. You rock.
I'm moving anyway.
AMEN.