Is there a required time to return home before a report date while deployed?

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 06 Feb 2021 10:52:33 -0500

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 6 at 2021 12:08 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 06 Feb 2021 12:08:51 -0500

In time for you to report. It's your Commanders responsibility to ensure you don't miss your report date. If you do, you're talking about a deferment that has to come from your BDE CDR, and most Captains and 1SGs are not willing to face the wrath of the COL and BDE CSM for failing to do a very simple task

Response by Maj Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 6 at 2021 1:31 PM

Maj Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 06 Feb 2021 13:31:53 -0500

It’s probably up to YOU, believe it or not—up to you to complain enough and put a bug in people’s ear that you need to get back so you can report. You need more than just 24 hours from landing to report—what if your plane is just a little late?

Worst case: I had a friend when I was in the Marine Officer basic course. He (like me) was prior-enlisted. Except he was in Force Recon. In fact, he was deployed aboard ship (USS Nassau) with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit on its scheduled deployment. In fact, he was part of the unit sent ashore to Albania to evacuate 800 non-combatants (a NEO) in Operation Silver Wake (1997) during the Albanian Civil War. And then the MEU was sent to the Republic of the Congo, where he was sent ashore as part of Operation Guardian Retrieval, for a possible NEO in Zaire. In FACT, while he was in Brazzaville, at the airport, they witnessed a civilian F-27 commuter plane crash where they and some French Foreign Legionnaires rescued the passengers from the burning wreckage.

Why am I telling you all this? Because he had a report date to go to officer candidate school, in the middle of the deployment. Due to the logistics of being in Congo, then getting him back to the ship, then getting him to the carrier, then getting him to a base somewhere, then getting him onto an airliner somewhere, they didn’t budget enough time. OCS is entry-level training, like boot camp. All the other candidates are showing up on time to get yelled at by drill instructors. He showed up a FULL DAY LATE. They showed him no mercy. Why are you so late, candidate?!? Why should you deserve gold bars? He said, “Give me a break, I was in Africa, 30 hours ago.”

So be LOUD, that planes get delayed, travel goes awry, you need to pack and do laundry when you get there, and hopefully get ONE good night’s sleep before reporting. It’ll be YOUR fault if things go bad, so it’s YOUR duty to nag for adequate travel time.

Interesting side note: we were two months into officer’s basic course when we were gathered in formation, and he was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal (equivalent to the Soldier’s Medal, the highest non-combat award for lifesaving), presented by a three-star general. We had no idea. He had to explain about the plane crash in the Congo.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 6 at 2021 3:49 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 06 Feb 2021 15:49:27 -0500

I'd be trying to figure out how I got PCS orders while I was deployed...by talking to my command and taking it as high as I needed to go.

Response by SGM Bill Frazer made Feb 6 at 2021 4:36 PM

SGM Bill Frazer — Sat, 06 Feb 2021 16:36:37 -0500

How in the Hell do you have orders anywhere??? DA normally locks a unit out of the order loop during time up to deploy and return from deployment.

Response by WO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 6 at 2021 11:03 PM

WO1 Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 06 Feb 2021 23:03:12 -0500

It's either 90 or 120 days, I forget which but I believe it's 120 days from return to report. In March of 2019 I was given orders to Riley with a report date of 10 Oct 2019. I was deployed in Kandahar, not due to come home until July 2019. I was sent home in June (8 month deployment with no R&R) and got a Deferment to November 10th 2019. I tried to fight the orders with branch, who basically told me to you know what. So I dropped a Warrant Officer packet for the November 2019 board before I PCS'd. I was selected within a month of arriving to Riley and had orders to pcs again within 2 months of arriving, and ended up only spending 5 months at Riley (the pcs to location). I completely missed the CTC rotation branch sent me there to attend.

Bottom line, ALWAYS take your career into your own hands because you WILL get pushed around if you don't act.

Response by SGT Justin Brothen made Feb 7 at 2021 4:49 PM

SGT Justin Brothen — Sun, 07 Feb 2021 16:49:24 -0500

If your extended or things come up they will change your orders, but as of now your set to be there when they tell you.