what do i do about a married army life?

Question

i just got married and my husband and i are both in the millitary. right now were at two different duty stations. but my time to get out is in two years i cant be moved to his duty station enless i reenlist. which is something that i dont want to do at all. my husband is staying in the millitary and getting orders to go to japan. i can go with him once im a civilian but what kind of jobs can i do? i dont want to get out the army and be some army housewife with nothing to do but have children. and in another country where theres barely any english. i dont know. i just dont want to feel like im depending on my husband once i get out the millitary. but since hes staying in and im not i have to move to where ever he gets stationed at. and thats hard to find jobs constently. so what do i do? if i reenlist to go to japan with him then i'll owe the army more years of my life and anything can happen to our future then.

Answer 1

dont forget there is also never a garuntee that you will both be stationed together either. so dont reenlist unless you have decided that a creer in the army is what YOU want. being a military wife is a committment and is not easy. if your not up for it you might have to start considering that you're with the wrong man. or you'll have to make the sacrifice like thousands of other military wives do all the time.

by the way there are jobs for military wives with many departments in the civilian perosnnel syatem. i worked it for years after i retired from 20 years servcice with the military. and japan's not that bad... it has some of the best miloitary bases on the planet.

Answer 2

You can extend and not reenlists. Or you can get a job when you get there. I was stationed in Japan for two years and its small are you going to Iwakuni or Okinawa, both are small and there will always be people that speak english and there are other bases and there will always be jobs, people are always coming and going, you can also go back to school and learn Japanese. Its not the end of the world, its was beautiful. Dont be so close minded I know you are by the statement "be some army housewife and to do nothing but have children". You decide your life, your priorities and what you want, but as Marine and mom dont criticize and judge what you dont know, make an educated decision by having facts

Answer 3

I guess if you look at that way, it will be hard for you esp. you are a defendant of your husband and at the same time in military as well. This is a huge decision that you must really think, but let me tell you something that I did when we were in the military. Ours is navy and my husband's job was in the ship,(Carrier, destroyer), and mine is in port, were both officers and his duty is not like mine but we worked on it. I only stayed when I got my commander pin, and my husband finished his 20 years.
I'm a very independent person just like you but it was I that gave a 100% so my marriage can work for the two of us. If your husband will get station in Japan, that will be a good place to be in, not because people hardly speak English. Our military base in Japan is big and the military housing is spectacular, as well as Post Exchange and Commissary. People in Japasn do speak our language,they only speak Japanese if they're talking to their own people. The military base back there are full of military family, and you don't have to become pregnant if your not ready yet.
Like what you said,you'll be getting out soon and your not sure what you would do, here is the thing, if and when you get out and be with your husband, use your military background to get a job in Japan. You will not have a hard time finding one back there or even here in the state. If your husband will stay in the military and will be moving on diff. country or state, you can work at the military Exchange so that way when your husband change duty station, the military exchange will give you transfer to where he will be station.
I have this solution to most military wives,they worked in the military exchange and when their husband change duty station, the wives also continued working wherever the exchange is located. So why not try this, and see if it will work for you..

Answer 4

Hello,
I am an active duty Army soldiers wife and I live in Germany right now. Me myself as of right now do depend on my husband and do have a child with him which is why right now I don't have a job. I don't know what your job is or how much you have looked into this but depending on what you do now you can easily slide from being a soldier to being a government worker, we are actually going to look into that for ourselves for when my husband gets out. Try talking to you ACS or your family center or chaplain to see if they couldn't help you to cut you curtailment paperwork or for hardship away from your husband. About just sitting down and depending on your husband part it is a choice either way the military make it pretty easy for spouses to have jobs and they have programs to where when you family PCS from that particular unit that the recommendations from the job that you were at can automatically go to your next post. Their is even going back to school it you want to do that by using your GI bill. Japan from what I have heard from people who have been there that it is a nice, nice place to go. Like any place though it is what you make it.
I hope that this helps and good luck for the both of you.

Answer 5

I'm a US Army veteran. If you're looking for a familiar job, you should look into the military occupational specialty (mos) called 88H. I forget the name for it, but those guys are the ones who load and unload cargo from ships. Their home base when I was in was Ft. Eustis, Virginia, where I was also stationed. They were always driving around in huge green forklift-like machines. They deploy alot, for example some of them came with us on a mission to Puerto Rico, and that's fun. They were also some of the worst behaved people: drug busts in the barracks, drunk driving, etc., which means easy promotions for anyone who keeps his nose clean. As far as helping you to get citizenship or something like it, it's not a sure thing. I had a Slovak workmate who was as good a soldier as anyone could be, and a great guy in general, and they wouldn't give it to him. It was a real loss for the Army because he wanted to become a helicopter pilot and they wouldn't let him because of the citizenship thing, and I think he got frustrated and got out. My experience with the Army was that it's a great adventure and definitely worth doing, but I couldn't do it as a career. There's more busy-work than actual work and some of the people you find in charge of you are impressively angry and slow witted.

Answer 6

As far as overseas jobs... there are normally alot of contract/government service jobs at military posts- especially if you have a security clearance. They normally give preference to military spouses before they give the jobs to locals... Be careful about getting out if you have any inactive time on your contract, I was out for 3 1/2 years, and the army called me back in for the last 18 months of my contract... so be careful with that- if your job is in demand, it's better to just re-enlist and get a bonus, plus negotiate to go to the same duty assignment as your husband.

Answer 7

Obviously you have some tough choices to make. My first suggestion is for you to consult with anyone who has been to Japan, and see what they can tell you. Usually there are jobs on post that are held by wives of service personnel, and you can apply for them. Have you thought of taking a Japanese language course, so that you learn to speak the language before you go? This might assist you in finding a position, outside of the base, or in manging any of the local help on the base.

Answer 8

there is alot you can do whether you get out or stay in....I am a military wife and I don't just sit around and have kids.....I guess all branches are different cause in the Air force once you get married and its a dual duty marriage you do go to the same base to live together unless you get deployed...I agree w/Paulo look into a gov/contract job . Good Luck and congratulations on your marriage

Answer 9

This is a very personal choice, that you two really need to discuss. Good luck with it.