jbrecon2

did you volunteer to be mobilized? i am waiting to hear from someone at medcom that is supposed to be helping me with some packet but i havent recieved an e mail or call yet. I hate how slow things are sometimes. This is kind of a big deal and i have some big decisions to make.

Hi all, i had some questions i was hoping you could help me with. I am an IMA critical care nurse 66h8a who is being mobilized for an active duty tour. While i would like to go to iraq/afghanistan, the choices i have are Walter Reed, Ft.Sam, Lahnstul Germany, Ft. Wainwright or Ft. Bliss. Im leaning towards Walter Reed. im from new jersey so still close enough to the girlfriend and everything. Im kind of excited becasue this will give a tase of active duty without my having to sign a long contract. I have some specific questions though. 1) Has anyone done this? 2) what is the process like? 3) how is walter reed? 4) would i be responsible for finding my own housing or do i get billeting on post? 5) is there extra financial incentive for a reserve nurse on active duty. someone in oblc told me they give you per diem or something because some people still have to pay a mortage at home while renting near their duty assignment. 6) when i report....what do i do? while ive been in the nurse corps two years i have never drilled with a unit or done any army nursing beyond oblc. although i am 9 years prior service.

is that per diem in addition to BAH/BAS

im in the IMA, which is different than a regular TPU

Hi all, i had some questions i was hoping you could help me with. I am an IMA critical care nurse 66h8a who is being mobilized for an active duty tour. While i would like to go to iraq/afghanistan, the choices i have are Walter Reed, Ft.Sam, Lahnstul Germany, Ft. Wainwright or Ft. Bliss. Im leaning towards Walter Reed. im from new jersey so still close enough to the girlfriend and everything. Im kind of excited becasue this will give a tase of active duty without my having to sign a long contract. I have some specific questions though. 1) Has anyone done this? 2) what is the process like? 3) how is walter reed? 4) would i be responsible for finding my own housing or do i get billeting on post? 5) is there extra financial incentive for a reserve nurse on active duty. someone in oblc told me they give you per diem or something because some people still have to pay a mortage at home while renting near their duty assignment. 6) when i report....what do i do? while ive been in the nurse corps two years i have never drilled with a unit or done any army nursing beyond oblc. although i am 9 years prior service.

dont know, tried forever though. tell them to call me, ill go!!!!

just cause, there is now a 20,000 a year bonus type payment you can apply for on active duty for a commitment of four years

hey leathers!! we were in oblc together i think. august right? good luck trying to deploy, i've contacted HRC directly several times with no luck. a guy named mr. boone is who to talk to, but there hasnt been anything available. they mostly need people for backfill missions.

hey i was wondering if there are any active duty folks who can help me out. i am in the reserves and thinking about going active duty. however, i am worried about the financial crunch i may face with the huge pay cut going from civilian side with bountiful over time and union wages to the army pay scale. my car payment alone is over 500 hundred a month, and to be honest i dont know if i could pay my bills if i went active right now. im not sure what i may or may not get in terms of an incentive bonus. i received a 30,000 bonus for going into the reserves, of which i have received 10 thousand. does anyone know if i will be eligible for the 20,000 dollar incentive pay. i have an 66h8a identifier. but from something i was reading, it looks more as if it is more of a retention tool for nurses with less than one year remaining on their commitment. if anyone on active duty can help me out with some info i would greatly appreciate it.

hey there!! i went to oblc in august of 08, and what a blast. challenging and annoying at times, but fun nonetheless and full of great new experience and great new friends. i was prior service enlisted and have been deployed so i had a good idea of what to bring. one thing i always reccomend is really good socks. not the kind that come in a pack of four for 15 bucks, but 15-20 bucks per pair. they last forever and make all the difference in comfort and not being one of the people limping around on profile. try tonsofsocks.com. i like the bridgedale hikers. also essential....and inflatable mat, and small pillow. the hiking kind that is very compact. baby wipes are KEY, and alot of the girls bring special girly type wipes. a head lamp comes in handy, especially if you have to get up in the tent in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom! also, go to a real running store and get a really good pair of running shoes. especially if your not all that atheletic. i mean spend a hundred bucks if you need to. make sure its a place where they really measure your feet, and it should not feel like you have to break them in. and also, lots of motrin!!! vitamin m!! good luck

hey bronx....you basically gave me summary of army nursing i've been looking for for a long time. I am a 66h8a in the reserve component. Although I went to OBLC last summer (a blast by the way) i've yet to do anything. I somehow ended up IMA with a unit out of Kansas although I live in NJ and have nothing but loop holes trying to either get into a local TPU or volunteer for deployment. anyway i am a prior service infantry guy and have really been pondering active duty. your description helped alot....thank you

hi.......not sure what day to day life in the army is like as a nurse. however, i went to OBLC this summer and had a blast. i was in the army 11 years as an enlisted guy and never had so much fun. great people, great city/post and great times. i am now thinking of going active duty.

i hate packing!! well its been a busy few weeks leading up to this. i'll see you all tomorrow!

karen, judging from your pictures on myspace i would venture to guess you be just fine in the fitness aspect! remind me not to pick a fight with you.....jeez

hey belly dancer!! I'll be joining you on August 14th from New Jersey. good times i am sure

all the sites list the hight weight and body fat requirements as prior and non prior. does prior mean already in, or does it mean if you have ever been in, because the standards are different. if you are off by a little bit on the tape, will they tape you again before you leave?

athena, thanks for the info!! so let me make sure i got this right....i don't get a hard ticket or e-ticket or anything? i have the itinerary they e-mailed and i show that along with ID and orders to the airline? i think i'm gonna opt out out of ACU's for the trip.....are there any advantages of traveling in uniform, i've never done so.

I received an itinerary from carlson wagonlit, and faxed my orders as asked, but does anyone know when or how you actually get the plane ticket......and what to do when you get to the airport in San Antonio?

I concur completely. It is a bit ridiculous. I wasn't even told I had to take the initiative to schedule OBLC myself, and sat around on my butt waiting for 6 months for a phone call that never came!! I call my career manager, and e-mail, and never receive a call back or a reply. I've called the transportation number they provided for plane tickets 30 times in the last two weeks and nobody has answered once. It's frustrating. However, I must say that when I was active duty everything is pretty squared away. If you need something and people ignore you, they will have a handful of NCO's, a company commander and a 1st SGT. banging down their door. In the Army your trained your first duty is always to take care of the guy/guys below you. For example.......I once mentioned to my squad Sgt. that I had a tooth that had been giving me some trouble. Just in general conversation at the motor pool during work. He didn't say anything further, just took note of it in his head. After lunch he handed me a piece of paper with an appointment to see the dentist on it. Next day 9am sharp. This is the Army I cannot wait to be a part of again.

sounds like fun!!!! i can't wait. i'm prior service infantry, so i'm really itching for the field!!! and an m16 in my hands again.....it just can't get any better if it tried.

thanks for the info!! what exactly does inprocessing consist of. what do you do in the field if you dont pass the apft (not that i intend on failing). did you guys qualify on m16's and 9mm? do you need the winter PT stuff that is on the list?

silver, Hey im heading down to fort sam in august for rc oblc. can you give me a run down on what to expect? do i need the whole packing list? ect. ect. did anyone drive from a distance? jb

itsarythm: as athena said CSh is a combat support hospital. it would most likely be a reserve unit in which you drill once a month. the IMA or individual mobilization augmentee is just kind of a pool of available nurses from what i understand. they assign you to a medical facility here in the states in which you drill two weeks in the summer, and if they need you for assignment they mobilize you. whether it be here in the states or over seas. i chose this route because i was told it was my best chance to volunteer for deployment.

thanks athena, your advice is always helpful and you are a wealth of knowledge. i truly appreciate it as do others i'm sure. well, i'm just concentrating on OBLC for now and will volunteer when the time comes. all i can do is everything they ask, an i can only go everywhere they tell me to go. being excited to get back in the mix, all i know is soldiers are my favorite people and i would love to be taking care of them....in the desert if possible.

does anyone know the process, or how easy it is to be deployed if you volunteer? i am attending reserve OBLC in August and already have the critical care designator 66h8a. i have heard they like you to have a year before you go, but i am prior service and was already deployed for enduring freedom from 2004-2005. i am currently IMA but am switching to the 344th CSH at Ft. Dix I think. any takers?