hey guys, whats going on?
Alright well heres my problem, I am currently active duty and I am stationed in germany, I thought it was the best news ever when they told me that in AIT.
Well now I'm here and I'm not as satisfied with it as I thought I would be, I understand that I made this commitment and I'm not looking to get chaptered or go AWOL, but I'm really missing home right now, so I wanted to look into the possibility of switching to the reserves or gaurd so I can be at home.
So if someone could lend some advice, because I dont want to climb the chain of command until i have some information on what I'm asking about
Thanks alot, I really appreciate it

Except under certain hardship conditions forget getting off of active duty. As far as I know you'll have to complete your enlistment & then, & only then will you be allowed to finish your 8 year obligation in the Guard or Reserve.

I personally know of two instances where a person was excused for further active duty. My cousin had done a hitch in the 82nd Airborne. He reenlisted in the Air Force & after a year or so his father, my uncle, died. His mother was a semi-invalid, he was an only child so he was released to go home & care for her. About the same thing happened to one of my soldiers. The difference being between him & my cousin was he was released to the Reserves to complete his obligation whereas my cousin had already served enough time to receive a free & clear Honorable Discharge from the Air Force.

Your luck will be the Army decides to release you but that takes awhile. Finally the day comes & you get into a Guard or Reserve unit. Two months pass & guess what? Your unit gets called up for 3 months of training & a 12 month deployment to a combat zone. There is no guarantee while a war is on. A good portion of the troops overseas in the middle east are from the Reserve Components. The National Guard Bde in my state will be called to active duty this summer or late spring, all 3300 of them.

I doubt very much if the Active Army will release you for homesickness. Just suck it up & soldier on. Try to enjoy your service because when you do time goes by real fast.

__________________
Proud Dad of a US Army Ranger SSG-Former 3/75 Rangers, 2/334-95 USAR at present
US Navy 1960-1966 Submarine Service, Navy Diver-UDT 21
US Army 1980-2001 Airborne Infantry,G3, Army Instructor, Commo Instructor Company 1SG
Retired 1SG/MSG
I was a Soldier. I am a Soldier. I will always be a Soldier.

thanks sir, I realized that was going to be my most possable answer anyway.
but you did give me some good advice, and like you said nothing to do but suck it up and drive on.

Good on you, Morton. (please don't sir me, I'm an NCO, Ret. & used to work for a living.)

Make the most of your military experience. Go to schools that might be available. Thrill up your life. Go to jump school, Air Assault School, advanced MOS schools, etc. if your unit has slots available.

Do the best job you can & go for promotions in the secondary zone. Wouldn't it be nice to get out of the Army as a SGT? For the rest of your life you can say you were a SGT in nth of the Ninety worst. It also will make somewhat of an impression on some people hiring employees in the civilian sector. At least it shows you were a leader.

Of course when someone asks you what you want to get out of the Army don't say what you want is to get out of the Army.

Try not to let your leadership know that you'd rather be out. (Sometimes that goes without saying) They're probably lifers so try not to upset the apple cart. They like their precious Army.

Follw orders cheerfully & willingly. And if you think you have a lousy situation in your unit cheer up. Someone always has it worse.

Try to stay as positively busy as you can. Homesickness can be a sign of boredom. I spent 21 years away from my wife & kids, Mom & Dad. Of course I saw them while on leave & my family came down to Bragg for the summers but I can definitrly relate to what you're saying. I was always glad I put 6 years in the Navy before I met my wife. I don't think I would have had a good time of it with 27 years in instead of 21.

__________________
Proud Dad of a US Army Ranger SSG-Former 3/75 Rangers, 2/334-95 USAR at present
US Navy 1960-1966 Submarine Service, Navy Diver-UDT 21
US Army 1980-2001 Airborne Infantry,G3, Army Instructor, Commo Instructor Company 1SG
Retired 1SG/MSG
I was a Soldier. I am a Soldier. I will always be a Soldier.

sorry about the sir thing i saw the bird and, well, you know how it is.
but thanks again for sharing some of the wisdom, and I'll definetly keep looking up

The rank shown on this site is earned by the amount of posts you make. Right now your rank on here happens to be your real one. Another 50 or so posts & I'll be a Brigadier Gen.

There was a short time where I was a MSG here, my retired rank. I wish I could have had that show permanently.

__________________
Proud Dad of a US Army Ranger SSG-Former 3/75 Rangers, 2/334-95 USAR at present
US Navy 1960-1966 Submarine Service, Navy Diver-UDT 21
US Army 1980-2001 Airborne Infantry,G3, Army Instructor, Commo Instructor Company 1SG
Retired 1SG/MSG
I was a Soldier. I am a Soldier. I will always be a Soldier.

o alright I didn't know that, thanks again for all the advice

A zillion guys have been in your shoes.

Suck it up and drive on. Most of us did, too.

Don't do anything dumb and screw up your life,

Home is never like it was when you left.

Set agoal ahead of you and strive for it.

Good luck troop.