As a prior service 11B who is putting together paperwork to head to MEPS soon, do I have choices in duty stations? What should I expect?

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 21:34:10 -0400

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 17 at 2017 9:37 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 21:37:45 -0400

Duty stations? No.

Expect to get offered a MOS based on the needs of the Army.

Response by PO1 William "Chip" Nagel made Oct 17 at 2017 9:50 PM

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 21:50:26 -0400

SPC Private RallyPoint Member Don't Think You are Too Slick to Outsmart the System. I fell in Love with Florida and Put My "Dream Sheet" I put in with Hawaii as 1st Choice and Florida as 2nd and 3rd Choice. Where did I Go? CINCPACFLT Pearl Harbor, HI!

Response by CW3 Kevin Storm made Oct 17 at 2017 10:34 PM

CW3 Kevin Storm — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 22:34:40 -0400

It is your contract, if you don't make the deal on the day you swear in you don't have a deal.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 18 at 2017 12:02 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 00:02:10 -0400

SPC Private RallyPoint Member There is the chance that you could be offered the incentive to choose a duty station. It all depends on what you are offered at MEPS.

Incentives for PS vary depending on your circumstances; what job you take, if you need retraining, if you are offered cash bonus, if you get a duty station choice. Unfortunately there is no way to know what is available until you go sit down at MEPS.

Response by PFC Michael Halk made Oct 18 at 2017 4:28 AM

PFC Michael Halk — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 04:28:38 -0400

When My kid brother joined he picked his three laces and promised he would get one!! Now his three choices were warm places. And guess what they sent him to Alaska!

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 18 at 2017 6:24 AM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 06:24:49 -0400

As I tell every prior service that shows up at my MEPS- you are not playing Let’s Make a Deal. If you retain your MOS (not sure without looking if 11B is a current retain MOS) then assignments gets called. You might get 3 choices of duty location, you might get 1.
If you are required to retrain into a new MOS, just like the first time you went to AIT, you will find out towards the end of training.
That’s how it goes- you are now needs of the Army and in most cases the bonus is you getting put on to active duty. Good luck to you

Response by MAJ Byron Oyler made Oct 18 at 2017 9:20 AM

MAJ Byron Oyler — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 09:20:16 -0400

Re-enlisting? Yes you do have a choice in duty stations, where you currently live and where the army wants to send you. Reality, I’ve been around the world and coast to coast and assignments are what you make of it.

Response by 1SG Dennis Hicks made Oct 18 at 2017 10:11 AM

1SG Dennis Hicks — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 10:11:27 -0400

Needs of the Army, the Magic 8 ball is more often correct than not :)

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 18 at 2017 11:38 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 11:38:13 -0400

You can expect pretty much nothing. MEPS sees your bonus/incentive as, you get to be a Soldier again.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 18 at 2017 12:10 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 12:10:56 -0400

It will depend on how long you have been out and whether or not you are going back in as an 11B. If youre are going back as an 11B and have not elasped two yrs of separation then tou will choose duty station. If you choose to try and get a different job (which you will have to decide prior to going down) the you will get a options based on availability and qualifications. If you are outside of two yrs of sep regardless you will have to do a 6 wk basic refresher course.

Response by SFC James Heath made Oct 18 at 2017 4:47 PM

SFC James Heath — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 16:47:56 -0400

Normally, I would say yes. If you are a grunt you will be assigned where there are a bunch of other grunts. Units in your MOS are always short of personnel. I see no reason why you could not specify in your enlistment contract your permanent party duty station.

Response by SSG Ken Schiffner made Oct 18 at 2017 11:19 PM

SSG Ken Schiffner — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 23:19:23 -0400

It's a whole new world now Joshua. I was 11B in the 80's and I got airborne and Germany on my contract. A waste of the army's money for airborne since I was going to a mechanized unit. My son joined a year ago and I helped him. He wanted to work on Chinooks, and although he was qualified, there were no openings. Miraculously when I said I was going to fly him frrom CA to Louisiana to try and get it there they found an opening for him. I tried the same thing in getting him a duty station choice and they wouldn't budge. When I was in the 1st duty station was the easy get. Good lucvk young man.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 19 at 2017 5:26 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 19 Oct 2017 17:26:55 -0400

Currently in the army all prior service personnel that are coming back in have to take an 18X (special forces candidate) contract which does have the benefit of airborne school. HOWEVER in the event you’re not selected or fail out of the Q Course you can be involuntary reclassed to any MOS the army needs within an airborne unit as you have a 36 month commitment to an airborne unit. I have a few buddies who are now 19Ds, 88Ms, cooks, riggers and other jobs

Response by SFC Daniel Jarvis made Oct 19 at 2017 8:44 PM

SFC Daniel Jarvis — Thu, 19 Oct 2017 20:44:17 -0400

It depends if they met there quota. I did the same in 2004 and told them I wanted Hawaii. They said they couldn’t do it. I politely said thanks and walked out. They came and got me and said they could. But times are different. Good luck.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 20 at 2017 7:13 AM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 20 Oct 2017 07:13:03 -0400

From what I saw unless you were previously airborne or have a tab, the only thing that was different between us and the priors was that they had different expectations of them. We had a guy come in detaining his stripes and they made him do everything with us except he had his “own room” which was a storage closet with a cot.

Response by SSG Dennis O'Connor made Oct 22 at 2017 11:53 AM

SSG Dennis O'Connor — Sun, 22 Oct 2017 11:53:23 -0400

They usually try to plus up units scheduled to deploy so it might work out your duty assignment and personal choice might be the same

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 23 at 2017 7:46 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 19:46:22 -0400

You will go needs to of the army

Response by PFC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 24 at 2017 9:21 PM

PFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 21:21:12 -0400

I don't know if this will answer your question. Are you keeping that MOS? Are you re classifying? In my situation When I changed from ARNG to Active Army I was offered re classify to a new MOS. I had to go back to a military installation to retrain a new MOS, Right after the training I had the opportunity to chose from various duty station openings that were available. Good Luck

Response by 2LT Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 3 at 2017 7:59 PM

2LT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 03 Nov 2017 19:59:19 -0400

Expect everybody to look up to you while you repeat basic. Or prior service guys when I went through were done of the nicest, most helpful guys I've ever meet and really took care of us. Great role models. Welcome back!

Response by CPL Ralph Moschler made Nov 6 at 2017 9:58 PM

CPL Ralph Moschler — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 21:58:37 -0500

Maybe

Response by SGT Tony Roberts made Nov 12 at 2017 6:57 PM

SGT Tony Roberts — Sun, 12 Nov 2017 18:57:07 -0500

It’s hit or miss, depending on the slots available. I wanted Italy and I got Alaska. That was over 15 years ago so I’m not sure if anything has changed.