Can you be forced to ETS even though you’re trying to reenlist or extend?

2022-04-23T21:02:22-04:00

When on rotation To Korea, I was being forced to reenlist or extend, but I told my chain of command that I was waiting on the retention NCO (cause I wanted Germany or reclass). Still, I was sent back to the rear because I didn't decide on time. After getting back to the state, I have a situation on getting my GT score up, so I tried to extend and have been denied and told that I must ETS.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 23 at 2022 9:09 PM

2022-04-23T21:09:55-04:00

Contact one of these three gentlemen... they are very knowledgeable in Military related questions/issues.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 23 at 2022 9:37 PM

2022-04-23T21:37:17-04:00

I've never heard of this retention situation.

Response by SSgt Christophe Murphy made Apr 23 at 2022 9:45 PM

2022-04-23T21:45:18-04:00

So you were asked to extend/reenlist and when you didn’t by a deadline they sent you to the rear to ets? Then you submitted an extension package and they denied it?

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 24 at 2022 2:05 AM

2022-04-24T02:05:07-04:00

If you are fully qualified to reenlist, you can't be denied reenlistment without your commander barring you. Fully qualified meaning you have no reenlistment prohibition codes on your ERB.

Your commander has seven calender days to return the signed DA 3340 request for reenlistment as approved or recommended for a bar, that is IAW AR 601-280.If your commander just refuses to sign it, I suggest a quick trip to IG so that the IG can explain the regulation to your commander. If your commander recommends barring you, it goes to your battalion commander for approval. If that is approved, it goes to your Brigade commander for appeal. Assuming there is nothing more to it than this, your Brigades Senior Career Counselor would advise the Brigade Commander that you can't bar someone just because it appears they used a loophole to leave a rotation early by saying they were going to ETS and then changing their mind. Actually, you should have been left behind from the rotation when you didn't extend ahead of time, but that's a different issue.

Response by SGM Erik Marquez made Apr 24 at 2022 8:57 AM

2022-04-24T08:57:58-04:00

SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member So you were on an OCONUS rotation with your unit. Your ETS date was approaching and triggered a choice, reenlist or extend. You choose for your own reasons to do neither.
That trigged an action point guided by policy to send you back to your home station to process you out of the service at your ETS date. (Because you wanted something that the retention NCO could not get you at that time, nothing wrong with that, but the point is it was your choice)

Once back at your home station for the purpose of doing all the mandated pre-separation training, classes, medical, ect. You tried to get the Rear D commander to halt the separation process, allow you to extend so you can take a GT improvement class, maybe get a higher score, maybe find a reclass MOS you want, that has a seat and you are qualified for, and then maybe you will follow through to reenlist. That is how that Rear D commander sees it, who by the way gets their commanders' intent and instructions from the higher HQ commander, which is the same commander that ordered you back to separate at your current ETS date...So there is that.

Bottom line, no commander I met in 28 years allows a good Soldier, a Sergeant at that, separate if there is any way to get you what you want to reenlist. Retention rates are a metric commanders get graded on. If a unit commander is not looking for ways to get you to reenlist, either they suck at their job, and that's possible, or they have no interest in seeing you reenlist, not enough to bar you obviously, as they offered you while in Korea to reenlist or extend.

Your choices are simple.
Follow through on the choice you made not to reenlist or extend.
Ask to speak to the Rear D commander, layout your requested plan to make yourself eligible for, and then reenlist to continue serving the Army, in a MOS you desire. All the commander can say is no, but they might see a reason to say yes, and jump though the hoops needed,