I realized that I probably haven't explained my job very well. I try to keep this blog solely to horse related events because my life isn't interesting enough for a blog about it, but in this case, my job is having an effect on my horse life, and through my thesis I have discovered that the outside world in general, doesn't have much of an idea as to what the Air Force is really like.
My Job
Normally I am a Civil Engineer in the Air Force, which really means I supervise people or projects (or both). However, the Air Force has a program where they pay people to go to grad school to get technical degrees. Most of the degrees are in things like Nuclear Physics or Rocket Science, but my husband and I are majoring Engineering Management. As a part of the degree we are required to conduct research and write a thesis, otherwise, we don't get a degree. Graduation is supposed to be in March, and it is *bad* *bad* *bad* if you don't get your degree!
Air Force Life
I have lived in NJ, Korea, and now Ohio since graduating from college in May, 2003. Generally Air Force officers stay put for 3-4 years, and aren't eligible to ask to move until they've been in one spot for 2 years. When I first started my career it was 3 years in one spot, but due to the budget they have extended that by a year. Some things, like short tours (Korea, Turkey, Iraq, etc) without your family are only 1 year, then you must move, unless you elect to stay longer. Grad school is another example, we started school in September of last year, and once we graduate we have to report to our next base within a week or two, depending on how far away from Ohio it is.
New Base
My husband and I are in a unique situation because we are the same rank and work in the same career field. This makes it harder for us to find a base because they need to have enough room for both of us. Plus, we needed the base to have something other than regular civil engineering, either what's called a MAJCOM (Major Command) that oversees a group of bases or a special interest group that goes out and builds bases in new locations. Our options were in Virginia, Illinois, California, Florida, or Nevada. Neither of us really want to go west of the Mississippi if we can help it. And Illinois and Virginia had no room for two more officers. So, that left Florida.
Technicalities
In order to get a new base we have to submit a development plan, outlining our potential career and listing the bases we desire. We did that and were told that we've been penciled in for Florida and orders should "drop" or be "cut" by the end of the month. So, until we have orders we are tentatively going to Florida, but it looks very, very good. Once we have orders we will have a RNLTD, which is a Report No Later Than Date, or, when we need to show up at the new base, in uniform, and sign in.
Moving
Moving sucks, but it's not too bad, because the Air Force takes car of just about everything. They send movers around the time we ask for them (provided we give them plenty of notice). The movers pack everything up and take it away. When I moved to NJ the movers arrived with my stuff the day after I arrived (they picked it up 2 weeks earlier). Moving back from Korea was another matter because we had to get our stuff out of storage too. There are some things they don't move, cleaning supplies, cats, horses, candles, the usual stuff. We're still working on the logistics of moving our 2 cars and the truck/trailer but we'll worry about that more when it's closer to time to go.
So, that about sums it up. It hasn't completely sunk in yet, because we don't have orders yet. And even then it probably won't sink in until a month or two before moving! I also wanted to add, normally it doesn't work out this well! (And it still might not). There are lots of bases in places where not enough people volunteer to go so some people get sent there despite their wishes. And, we could still get sent somewhere where we don't want to go, so knock on wood for us that it doesn't happen, because I am looking forward to the idea of moving to horse country, even if it is a bit unnerving.
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