In The Army » Lady Jess

Crisis Averted, Awesome Abounds

Apr 082011

First off when I panicked at the first realization that we could be seriously screwed next week, two very awesome people offered to help via paypal. You know who you are, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Shortly after my panic ended, the anger ensued. I stopped being upset about my own situation, because we have always survived. We survived before he enlisted as a family of four on $5,000/year. We survived when he enlisted as a family of four on a private’s pay which at the time was less than $1000/month. That sounds like alot but we were in alot of debt, and we still had many bills. I know my resources, I know where to go, who to call, and what to do. Not everyone is so lucky.

My anger shifted to anger for those who are where we once were. The new private with a wife and kids trying to live on a so small salary, and having that cut in half, even for one week would be devastating. Trying to keep food on the table for a family is hard enough in this economy, and gas prices are nuts.

Having support networks furloughed that are a huge part of keeping our families strong during deployments especially, and during everyday military life in general.

When I looked at my bank account and did a quick review I realized it would be tight but we’d make it if we could make an interest payment on our car. Our credit union (AlaskaUSA) that handles it allowed us to skip it. Which, if our pay arrives screwed up next week, as has been known to happen, we’ll do. If we get a full pay as they say we should (albeit a day or two delayed for the other half possibly) we won’t. I’m not sure how that’s going to shake out really. We’ll see when payday arrives.

But I wanted to say I’m glad it’s worked out. I’m glad Planned Parenthood has been left alone. I hope we don’t go through this again next week. And thinking about what could have happened to that young private, I want to make a plug.

I want to encourage people to donate to Army Emergency Relief. If you want to help our soldiers, this is the agency that does it. They provide grants and no interest loans for car repairs, they’ll help with buying food or paying rent, avoiding utility shutoffs, even dental emergencies for the families. They’ve been a big help to us just with the car repair loans. And they were there, ready to step up in the event of a shutdown.

AER provides:

Help with emergency financial needs for:

Food, rent or utilities

Emergency transportation and vehicle repair

Funeral expenses

Medical/dental expenses

Personal needs when pay is delayed or stolen

Give undergraduate-level education scholarships, based primarily on financial need, to children of soldiers

That’s what I’ve got to say, now that things are calming down. Thank you to my twitter list for their support, and patience as I /Jessraged all over the place. You’re all Awesome. Red heart

STUPID is STUPID Stupidhead

/Jessrage, In The Army 4 Responses »

Apr 082011

Look at that, I gave you a new twitter to follow AND blog to read in ONE quote! Proving once again that Jess is Awesome. Yes? Yes! Right, anyhow…

Stupid Politics. Stupid Government. Stupid no pay check coming next week. Stupid bills due anyway. Stupid Congress. STUPID. –tweeted by myhomemadehappy

Jess has some rage today. This government shutdown bullshit. Holy crap. I looked at my husband’s pay for the 15th. Half. HALF! That’s not right. Now, before I go any further, YES I am just as pissed off about planned parenthood and Head Start! I’m a woman after all, I have daughters that may one day depend on planned parenthood for THEIR care when they are no longer military dependants. Believe me, I CARE! And my Mother in Law works for Head Start! My children both benefitted from head start as little darling girls. Not that you can TELL now that they’re *darling* teenage girls. (* denotes sarcasm in case you need to know).

tx_001 But I’m A LOT pissed off at the president. YES. I know it’s not all on his head. Yes I know it’s party politics bullshit. BUT when he made his little speech last night, he mentioned those 800,000 Government employees living paycheck to paycheck. He mentioned that a few times. He mentioned loan and passport problems. He mentioned other things, but not once did he mention the 2.2 million Active and Reserve military that are being required to report for duty without pay!

Let me repeat that. TWO POINT TWO MILLION TROOPS. Required to report for duty. Fighting the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. REQUIRED TO REPORT but only receiving HALF their pay on the 15th. Oh they keep saying they’ll continue to EARN their pay, but they won’t GET a paycheck until this is settled. That doesn’t put food on the table, or cash in the bill collectors’ pockets in the mean time. “Eventually” isn’t going to cut it. it’s not going to bring comfort to troops fighting overseas now worried whether their families are making it when they shouldn’t have to.

I know how much I personally am going to be affected by this. I just blew my savings on my dental work, (not by choice but when your doctor says “this is bad, no more waiting your health is at risk” you don’t dick around) I have a little left of the pay from the 1st, and a call into my bank about my car payment. My kids are awesome and fully OK with eating Ramen and Mac n Cheese for a while if we have to. But what about these young, newly enlisted soldiers on a private’s pay trying to support a family of four? I can’t even imagine it. Wait, yes I can, and it’s ugly.

What most people do not realize is it’s not JUST the troops and families affected financially. ALL of our support resources are govt run too. Our health care, Army Community Services which provides education and information to the spouses and soldiers. EVERYTHING on an installation is basically government run. And A LOT of those paid employees are being furloughed as well. Sure we have many volunteers, but these jobs are important, and often cannot be replaced by volunteers. Child care centers, gyms, teen centers, are possibly affected as well. The doctors in our hospital and clinics, and nurses are not always soldiers, they are mainly civilian providers. I realize med staff is critical but we’re still looking at a slow down of a system that already takes more than two weeks sometimes to get an appointment. It took me 3 days of calling at 6-7am to get seen for illness this week.

And let’s remember the fact that my husband is off at school. He is waiting on the money to pay his room and board that’s due to arrive on the 28th. This is a payment (travel pay) that gets screwed up quite enough on it’s own, what happens to that? Am I to support his room and board (Roughly $1k just for a month in the room) along with ours on HALF of his paycheck?

I have so much homework due this weekend, and I can’t even think straight or read the texts. So if you see me flailing on twitter. Don’t assume I don’t care about planned parenthood, head start, or npr. I do. Especially Planned Parenthood. But right now it’s personal, it’s survival, it’s my LIFE and my entire community, and support network, my friends…no my family. It’s literally my WORLD being affected by this right now, so maybe I get to be a little selfish yes?

Let’s Catch Up!

In The Army, The Family 1 Response »

Sep 272010

Last week was a bit hectic! But good things happened.

First off, Hubby received his award, his Bronze Star With Valor.

Then, we found out that his school has been rescheduled! For March, and we don’t move until JULY!! This is awesome. No cross country trek in the winter, no yanking the kids out of school mid year. And more importantly, no rush to get ready, and a normal Christmas for us. Also, I’ll be able to enjoy the WoW Cataclysm release as well as Dragon Age 2!! *cheers*

Then we both got miserable yucky colds. We’re over them, mostly, now the kid has it. I would kill for a break from sniffles and coughing around here, seriously.

Careful What You Wish For

In The Army 4 Responses »

Sep 132010

So, in my last post I vented my frustration at him leaving so soon after he returned from deployment right? Well, things pretty much went to hell in a handbasket right after that. Instead of dropping him off, he had to begin a wilf goose chase, because his orders still hadn’t shown up. Why? Because they were sent to someone elses email account. Not even the same last name! So he missed that first flight. But as long as he arrived in South Carolina by Friday morning, it was all good. Yeah, he didn’t. At about 11am Thursday morning, after hours of waiting, they gave him a new flight. At 2pm that afternoon. By the time he got out of that office, home, gathered his bags, and got a ride to the airport…you guessed it. Missed the flight. So, they got him on one around 11pm that night. He stayed at the airport waiting.

He finally arrives at his location, but is too late to not be marked as a no show. BUT, that’s not all. He shouldn’t have been SENT in the first place. There is a mandatory amount of time a soldier must be home from deployment before he can attend a school. He has not been home long enough. Now, this changes the no show to a no qualification, so that’s good. So he got there, only to be turned around and sent home. He’s not alone. Many soldiers from his deployment have the same problem. They are even being pulled out of classes they’ve already started and sent back. They said they’ll try and get him to school in January. Ok.

BUT, our orders to move to GA (whether Drill Sgt or not, we have two sets) are for January. This means either they get pushed back, OR he goes to school En Route. Basically meaning I get stuck with all the moving crap. We’ll drive (I hope) together to GA, where he’ll pretty much leave me and go to school. I’ll be left with the arrangements for housing, delivery of our household goods, claiming of moving pay etc. Which…I know how to do, I’ve just not done it. Luckily, I have friends there that would probably help me around the place if I holler.

What we are thinking about doing? With a child in her Jr year of high school, and our future kind of up in the air, we may just try and stabilize where we’re at until she graduates.

Who knows, we’re in a strange kind of limbo here. But…I guess I should be careful what I wish for in the future.

A Serious Case of the Not Fairs

In The Army 3 Responses »

Sep 072010

Twelve months I waited for that deployment to end.

The last two months I’ve wanted to not end.

They have. In the wee hours of the morning, I’ll drop him off to start his journey to Drill Sgt school. I won’t see him again until November.

despise I really want to throw a fit. I’ve seen him so far all of 2 and a half months so far in 2010, 6 months in 2009. I realize it’s only two months. I also know it isn’t near as bad as deploying. But that doesn’t make the side of my brain that just wants to be with him any happier. I also know what comes at the end. He returns and a couple months later we move to Georgia where he takes on his newly trained role of Drill Sgt.

There are alot of positives to this. Really. No deployments for 2 years, good for his career, better climate for me (I hate WA and it’s wetness), and closer to PA. But What most people DON’T get is…he won’t be around. He will work from 4am to 10pm 6 days per week, and half days on Sundays for 13 straight weeks, then MAYBE get two days off before doing it again. The normal 2 weeks of leave in summer and 2 weeks in winter don’t happen that way. He’ll get some leave in winter for the holidays, but that’s pretty much it. And of course noone in their right minds wants to drive home for Christmas in the winter through the West Virginia mountains, so I’m not sure being close to PA is really that much of an advantage.

Basically I’ll see him for a few minutes before we go to sleep, and a couple days every few months. THIS is why we bought the second car. Because the truck will never be available to me.

Our kids are 15 and 17. These upcoming years will be most likely the last we have with them living at home. The last we get to do some things we want to do as a family. Go to Disney, go camping in the Smokies. These things will have to be squeezed in where possible.

Now, granted none of this is fact yet. But I trust the friend that gave me the info, since her husband was cry just doing it himself. And I know I’ll deal with it with my usual suck it up and drive on hooah dressed in my big girl panties, kickin ass the whole way. It’s kinda my thing. And there is ONE big positive to it. None will be shooting at him, or trying to blow him up.

But now? RIGHT now?? I want to throw myself on the floor, fists and feet flailing about screaming “IT’S NOT FAIR!!” until I’m hoarse. And maybe glomp onto his leg and scream NO NO NO NO!!