How long am I going to be away from my wife and kids when I’m in the field as 12B active duty?

Orlando Rivera — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 00:29:25 -0400

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 8 at 2021 1:01 AM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 01:01:14 -0400

You’ll be out in the field unit your unit goes back to garrison

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 8 at 2021 1:14 AM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 01:14:14 -0400

Orlando Rivera Below are two posts to review. To review the other posts, search on "12B" and then click on "Answers".

https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/for-those-who-are-active-duty-12b-in-the-army-where-are-you-stationed-and-how-common-is-overseas-deployed-at-this-time

https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/what-s-daily-life-as-a-12b-like-on-active-duty

For those who are active duty 12B in the Army, where are you stationed and how common is overseas...

For those who are active duty 12b in the army where are you stationed and how common is overseas deployed at this time? My younger brother is currently finishing AIT(at Fort Leonard Wood) and he said he has no idea if he’ll be deployed overseas or not. He signed a 3 year contract and my mom is going to be such high anxiety if he goes overseas for that time(which I’m sure we have to learn to accept now as a military family). I’m new to army...

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 8 at 2021 1:14 AM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 01:14:31 -0400

Could be hours. Could be days. Could be weeks or months. It will all depend on the training being conducted.

Response by SSG Robert Perrotto made Apr 8 at 2021 4:56 AM

SSG Robert Perrotto — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 04:56:11 -0400

depends on what the training event is. If it's qualification, could be a late night, if its small unit training, could be a couple of overnighters, if its Platoon/Company STIX, could be a week or two, If its a Battalion/Brigade certification 30-45 days. All of these training events will be forecasted on the published short/long term Training Calendars in order for Soldiers to plan accordingly. and prepare your family for your absence. You will know well in advance of your field time.

Response by CPT Lawrence Cable made Apr 8 at 2021 5:56 AM

CPT Lawrence Cable — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 05:56:29 -0400

It is going to depend on the unit you end up in and their operational tempo. If you go Airborne and land at the 82nd, expect to go on multiple field exercises a year and be prepared for a deployment. The overseas deployments have slowed down of the last four years, but expect at least one during your enlistment. If you land in a Mech Unit, you are still going to the field, although probably not as much as the 82nd or 101st. However, chances are you will catch at least one NTC rotation and that ends up being about 30 days.
The price of financial security for your family is being away from them for periods of time. I got married on a Friday and left for OCS the following week. Even in the National Guard, I probably averaged 60 days a year or more away from home.

Response by SFC Michael Jackson, MBA made Apr 8 at 2021 9:56 AM

SFC Michael Jackson, MBA — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 09:56:50 -0400

A lot

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 8 at 2021 10:02 AM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 10:02:02 -0400

Not near as long as when you are deployed or rotational TDY, etc.

Response by SSgt Christophe Murphy made Apr 8 at 2021 10:56 AM

SSgt Christophe Murphy — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 10:56:02 -0400

Joining a combat arms MOS will equate to training, field ops and potential deployments. It's part of the lifestyle.

Response by MAJ Byron Oyler made Apr 8 at 2021 11:54 AM

MAJ Byron Oyler — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 11:54:38 -0400

Blunt reality is you need your family to understand everything you get from a paycheck to housing to medical care is from the ARMY. Army comes first and the sooner your family understands this, the better the relationship will be. Looking for concrete answers how long you will be out will only set you and the family up for hardship. My wife married into the Army and as a recent immigrant that could not drive with a new baby I left her for two weeks with my parents. It was rough as hell for her but I started from day one this is Army life. Eleven years later she and my children understand it very well.

Response by SGM Bill Frazer made Apr 8 at 2021 12:03 PM

SGM Bill Frazer — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 12:03:05 -0400

Depends on the unit- if you think it will be a problem, then stay home.

Response by SFC Melvin Brandenburg made Apr 8 at 2021 12:13 PM

SFC Melvin Brandenburg — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 12:13:45 -0400

The Marines had a great recruiting slogan. We don't take applications, only commitments. If you aren't committed, then there will come a lot of things, like this but more things, that will get you butt hurt. You have to decide if you are committed or not. This isn't a job, it's a lifestyle.

Response by SSG Carlos Madden made Apr 8 at 2021 1:07 PM

SSG Carlos Madden — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 13:07:08 -0400

Completely Unit and mission dependent. There's really no way to tell.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 8 at 2021 1:31 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 13:31:36 -0400

It depends on the unit. Could be a couple weeks. If you go to NTC or JRTC, a month. Really no one can know at this point.

Response by CSM Danny S. made Apr 8 at 2021 1:59 PM

CSM Danny S. — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 13:59:36 -0400

Field time is easy usually 1 to 4 weeks depending on your unit and training event. It's the CTC rotations, 9 month deployments, or a PCS without dependents that cause more problems. Building contacts for support and fostering your wife's ability to handle problems when you are gone will make life some much easier.

Response by Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen made Apr 8 at 2021 3:52 PM

Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 15:52:36 -0400

If you are worried about that you made the wrong choice when you enlisted.

Response by CSM Charles Hayden made Apr 8 at 2021 3:58 PM

CSM Charles Hayden — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 15:58:49 -0400

A lot of time will be apart from the family. If your wife is not a great manager of family affairs and the kids, she will need to get up to speed quickly. Military wives must be extremely component spouses and quick learners as everything changes, often!

Response by GySgt Kenneth Pepper made Apr 12 at 2021 12:56 PM

GySgt Kenneth Pepper — Mon, 12 Apr 2021 12:56:32 -0400

If I were you I would make sure my family understands that military life is full of sacrifice. I'm not talking about the flag covered casket. I mean the fact that your duty to service must come first. You will miss births, deaths, birthdays, anniversaries and special events. You will all face getting to know each other again after an 18 month rotation. You will have to stand duty 10 miles away while your wife cares for a sick kid with no help. She will have to carry more weight than a mother should, while you are off in some foreign land getting shot at or drinking beers on the beach.

I am fortunate to have a marriage that survived, even thrived, during my military life and beyond. My military career set me up to make a good living while having a very strong safety net.
"Is it worth it?"
"Yes, if you are strong enough."

Response by PFC Robert Brooks made Jun 7 at 2021 12:21 PM

PFC Robert Brooks — Mon, 07 Jun 2021 12:21:39 -0400

Not to be a Carl here, but as much as they tell you. I was a 12E/B in Europe during Cold War. We stayed in field more than home. Not sure if they still do this, but we had alerts every month while in garrison. Kept us on our toes ESSAYONS 12 Engineers. "We Lead The Way"

Response by SGT Michael McKenna made Jul 15 at 2021 12:57 PM

SGT Michael McKenna — Thu, 15 Jul 2021 12:57:39 -0400

Airborne

Response by SPC James Monroe made Jul 24 at 2021 1:03 AM

SPC James Monroe — Sat, 24 Jul 2021 01:03:48 -0400

Were you with the 82nd in the late 70s early 80s

Response by SPC James Monroe made Jul 24 at 2021 1:32 AM

SPC James Monroe — Sat, 24 Jul 2021 01:32:15 -0400

As an old army engineer it can be days to year or more you never know. In my time we did not have infantry support we had to do everything like our own security like permiter and active ground support I was lucky had great ppl with us to do all necessary to stay alive