In 8 weeks our sea term will be up. We've know this was coming for quite some time as I'm sure most everyone else has a countdown to shore, we just knew it was there.
A few weeks ago we were given options....
*Stay here on the boat. Do another Deployment and reenlist. Possibly do dry-dock in NH after for 1-2 more years.
*Guam. Go on the tender for 2 years then go to SC for proto-type for a few more years. Proto-type is the last thing on my list. I would rather be at a sea going command. Guam would be AMAZING though.
*Or home to Washington for shore. While this sounds like a sure thing, I don't know if I'm ready to go back yet since I know that when we do, we won't want to leave.
After a bit of talking, we are staying here for the deployment. Everyone keeps telling me I'm crazy for doing another one by choice...but here are my reasons.
*Reenlisting while deployed has a chance of getting us more money. Lots more. It's the difference between getting to buy a house and not.
*I LOVE our house we have right now. I don't know if we could get a single family home with a fenced in yard that is only 5 min from J's work in our next place.
*The job J really wants won't be available to him for another year due to him having to have a certain watch first.
*Doing dry-dock in NH would be a way to keep all of the sea duty money but have it be like a shore-duty. He wouldn't be going anywhere for a long while.(and I want to live up North!)
So here we will stay. I'm not ready to leave the East Coast yet and I don't want to leave NYC and Boston before I've seen EVERYTHING!
It just still stings a little knowing that we signed up for another Deployment and missed Holidays by choice.
John Hemmingson : Early Life & Background
1 year ago
1 comments:
Sometimes these choices are tough, huh? We're leaving our shore three months early for a lot of reasons. The worst part of it is having to go back to boat life early, but everything else about the decision is totally right for us.
I would warn you, though, that dry dock is NOT going to be like a shore duty. We thought the same thing when his boat went into a long overhaul, and it was pretty tough going. Lots of long hours, unpredictable schedule, and it was kind of a relief when he finally took the boat back out to sea. Still, though, no being gone for months, and you can call him if you need to talk to him, so there are pluses.
P.S. Why do you think you'll get more money on a deployment? Something to do with a reenlistment bonus timing? Just curious because I haven't heard of anything like that that would have helped my hubby get any more money. (Although we are pushing it off right now in hopes that the latest bonus list will give him something to cheer about.)
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