Black hole posts?

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 08 Oct 2018 16:43:22 -0400

I’ve read and heard things. Some people say there are “Black hole” post where people go and never leave? From your experience what are some bases that have this “Black hole” mentality?

Side not; I’ve been at JBLM almost 3 years with a Korea rotation in my upcoming future. I’ve “double dipped” with this unit. After Korea I’ll have done 2 overseas tours with the same unit.

Response by MAJ Rene De La Rosa made Oct 8 at 2018 4:53 PM

MAJ Rene De La Rosa — Mon, 08 Oct 2018 16:53:54 -0400

Ahhhh, Fort Bragg comes to mind; have had some friends of mine who reported there and never left in a 20 year career. They simply PCS'd (?!?!?) across the street to another unit, and thus showed that they had "left." Fort Campbell as well, with South Korean tours in between.

Response by SFC Ralph E Kelley made Oct 8 at 2018 4:54 PM

SFC Ralph E Kelley — Mon, 08 Oct 2018 16:54:39 -0400

Oh! I thought you meant a Post on Rally Point

Response by SFC Quinn Chastant made Oct 8 at 2018 5:13 PM

SFC Quinn Chastant — Mon, 08 Oct 2018 17:13:34 -0400

The idea of returning to the same post or duty station was developed so that Soldiers could have a sense of continuity and community through their military career. Ft Bragg, NC is probably one of the more notorious for Soldiers to return to in Conus. But also you may need to consider the MOS you hold for where you get posted to. When on AD before going Reserves I had what I called a Plug and Play MOS. Power Generation Operator and Repairer. I was assigned to an Air Defense Artillery Battery, Maintenance Company and Combat Engineer Company before ETSing after 6 years. As a Reservist, I circled Ft. Bragg for MOS Training, Mobilizations and Demobilizations due to the nature of the unit I was in and the Command I came under. If you speak to your S1, Personnel Section in Company or Battalion, you may be able to select a different duty station for future assignment, but it may not be garranteed due to the needs of the Service. if your MOS is ADA, Air Defense Artillery, you may see quite a bit of Ft. Bliss TX in your future....

Response by SSG Brian Carpenter made Oct 8 at 2018 5:25 PM

SSG Brian Carpenter — Mon, 08 Oct 2018 17:25:55 -0400

JRTC and Fort Polk comes to mind real quick

Response by SSG Brian G. made Oct 8 at 2018 5:30 PM

SSG Brian G. — Mon, 08 Oct 2018 17:30:23 -0400

It's going to be MOS specific, not necessarily 'Post' specific. Fort Bragg is one such, as is Ft Benning, and a few others. Each service has something along the same lines. My father was Air Force and while he was not in a 'black hole' it was a situation where he would leave then come back, leave, then come back. Every other duty assignment was different but he would also return to the same base when that was done.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 8 at 2018 5:31 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 08 Oct 2018 17:31:58 -0400

I have heard a lot of people complain about black hole posts, but in my experience a lot of people reenlist to stay at those bases. Sometimes it's because they're working through a custody issue, or family is close by, or they recently bought a house, or they want to pursue College. Those are the main reasons people have told me why they reenlisted for stabilization. I've only seen a handful of times we're branch managers refuse to move someone who was eligible to move, as in time on station and key development time complete. Most of those were are born positions and the branch managers didn't have any backfill.
Other than that, people just call it a black hole because they want to leave earlier than they were allowed to

Response by MSG Frank Kapaun made Oct 8 at 2018 5:38 PM

MSG Frank Kapaun — Mon, 08 Oct 2018 17:38:44 -0400

Fortress Bragg, get a “P” ASI or assigned to 3rd SFG(A) and you never ever have to leave.

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made Oct 8 at 2018 6:00 PM

LTC Jason Mackay — Mon, 08 Oct 2018 18:00:09 -0400

Homesteading SGT Private RallyPoint Member is the old school term for this. I have always run into someone at each post that has homesteaded for one reason or another as SFC Private RallyPoint Member mentioned. Even Fort Irwin. Met a guy that had been a Tank Commander in the OPFOR for 12 years. Met one officer that had stayed in US Army EUROPE for 12 years, referred to as the USAREUR hostage program. Met another Armor officer that had not left Ft Hood except to go to PME. We were at the Naval War College and he was going BACK. Even saw it in Korea. I knew a guy that arrived as a LT in 1985 and basically never left. Still there as a retiree. He was a reserve unit commander in 99/2000 when I worked with him.

The risk is DA figures out what you are doing and makes you move in the most painful way possible. The other risk is a promotion board sees it, and it hurts you. Even if you job hop to meet all the key and developmental gates.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Oct 8 at 2018 6:44 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Mon, 08 Oct 2018 18:44:25 -0400

Fort Hood

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 8 at 2018 7:05 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 08 Oct 2018 19:05:41 -0400

There is a joke among some Air Force friends of mine about Offutt Air Base. They say that once you're on it, you can't get off it.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 8 at 2018 8:09 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 08 Oct 2018 20:09:20 -0400

Another vote for Bragg. I have one buddy who went there as an 11B with the 82nd then went 18 series and went to Group, took a short trip to Ft Sam for IPAP, then back to the 82nd as PA. After a couple of years he'll probably head back to Group until he retires. He actually loves it down there. He has a house with a ton of land and his wife even started her own business. Personally it would probably drive me crazy, but to each their own.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 8 at 2018 8:48 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 08 Oct 2018 20:48:49 -0400

I have been at Bragg for my entire career (almost 16 years). Mainly because Bragg has the only Active Duty PSYOP units.

Response by SPC Cathy Goessman made Oct 8 at 2018 11:30 PM

SPC Cathy Goessman — Mon, 08 Oct 2018 23:30:38 -0400

I think Bliss is going to end up one soon.

Response by WO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 9 at 2018 12:03 AM

WO1 Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 09 Oct 2018 00:03:03 -0400

Fort Bragg is the worst from what I’ve heard

Response by Sgt John Steinmeier made Oct 9 at 2018 8:41 AM

Sgt John Steinmeier — Tue, 09 Oct 2018 08:41:34 -0400

There was a MSgt in my squadron when I was stationed at Incirlik AB Turkey that had been there for at least 10 years maybe longer. Had a Turkish wife lived off post. Back then it was a 15 month unaccompanied, or a 2 year accompanied tour. They offered a bonus if you extended your tour there due to some weird SOFA agreement that cost the US for every new service member sent there. Because of that once you went to Turkey you were all but guaranteed to return again during a 20 year career whether you wanted to or not. Probably why he was able to stay there as long as he did.

Response by SrA Roy "Abby" Abernathy made Oct 9 at 2018 8:54 AM

SrA Roy "Abby" Abernathy — Tue, 09 Oct 2018 08:54:13 -0400

Depends on your career field for the most part. From an AF perspective, SAFB is a black hole for communications while supply or medical gets here and is gone before their out of the dorms/barracks. For example, I was talking to a couple personnelists and an E-7 with 18 years under their belt was just PCSing for the first time in their military career. My current CC was here a few years back and returned.

"Needs of the *insert service here*."

Response by TSgt Bruce Davis made Oct 10 at 2018 11:49 AM

TSgt Bruce Davis — Wed, 10 Oct 2018 11:49:01 -0400

when i was active duty Marine Corps, i was stationed in 29 Palms, CA for 6 years...i put in for and received orders for a change of station to a unit in Camp Pendleton that had a detachment in...(wait for it)...29 Palms! fast forward to active duty Air Force. i was stationed at Hill AFB, UT for 6 years. i worked with a LOT of munitions and missile maintainers who had been there for 10+ years. there are very few bases they can be stationed so they tend to rotate or homestead. then i did back to back overseas tours to Korea and RAF Mildenhall, U.K., where Air Force Special Operations Command likes to hold on to people for some reason, and ended up at Schriever AFB, CO where i eventually retired. but then again i worked with Space Operators that have been here for 10+ years also (same reason for the missile maintainers). it all boils down to your specific job and the needs of the military.

Response by SSG (ret) William Martin made Oct 10 at 2018 12:38 PM

SSG (ret) William Martin — Wed, 10 Oct 2018 12:38:48 -0400

I thought you mean real black holes like in space haha!