Please tell me what is the criteria to determine if a soldier is allowed an Accompanied Tour vs Unaccompanied?

Question

To be honest I just thought about this idea even though after reviewing my most current question and a few previous, some answerers indicated that a spouse must be authorized to accompany her husband to certain places such as Korea. First I'm a little shocked!. I thought that I was dealing with only the USA. Then I find out from my dad and yahoo experts (thanks all for taking your time to give me such great answers luv ya!!)that he could be sent to Alaska, Korea, Germany (I already knew about Germany from my own knowledge), and WHERE ELSE?). I am prepared for him to do his duty in the Middle East and really proud of him and will support him 100% when his tour there begins, but these other places. It doesn't seem fair that they would send him away from us to Korea or Alaska on an unaccompanied tour. I'm a little upset about this possibility. I was thinking of taking a break from asking questions but just want some answers about the concept of "Unaccompanied Tours".

Let me say how totally upsetting and unfair this is. My parents will NEVER allow me to go to a place like Korea with a newborn baby!! Even Alaska is out of the question. How can we live in a place that's 20 below zero in the Winter!! That means I and our son will never see our husband and father. He goes to a place where we can't go then he gets sent to the Middle East for 15 months, then back to the "end of the earth" then on and on. This is terribly unfair!!

First I want to say if I offended anyone, I'm very sorry. It's just that I'm only 18 and it's hard to break my dependency on them. I really respect their judgement and maybe I'm a little frightened to go away to a strange place by myself. I've always had Jamie near me. I can't think of a time since I met him that he hasn't been around. I feel stronger when he's near me. Since he went away I haven't even heard his voice. I'm a lot more sure of myself when he's near. He centers me!!

I didn't mean any disrespect to our brave men and women who serve our country and protect us. I didn't mean to imply that only the soldiers, sailors, air men, (air women too!), and marines who serve in the Middle East do that. They ALL protect us no matter where they serve!! I want to join the ranks of proud military spouse and do my part by making a home for my husband so he can serve our country too.

Thanks to everyone for answering my question and my apologies if I offended anyone.

I think I "stuck my foot in my mouth" once too often". I think I'm going to take a long vacation from asking questions. Again I apologize for any disrespect I may have shown to our brave and heroic military personnel. Also anything inappropriate about Korea and Alaska. I think Korea is a country with a rich and diverse culture and would love to see it first hand. Also Alaska is a beautiful and grand state. I've never lived anywhere where it snows in the Winter time even though it gets very cold. It would be difficult for me to adjust to snow but for the opportunity to live surrounded by the natural beauty of Alaska would make it worthwhile.

Anyway sorry for my bad attitude and I will work on that. I love you all and thanks again for answering my question.

Answer 1

Excuse me, I can't believe you said: "My parents will NEVER allow me to go to a place like Korea with a newborn baby!! Even Alaska is out of the question. How can we live in a place that's 20 below zero in the Winter!!"'
Your'e a MARRIED WOMAN now. Your parents have no say as to where you go. LOTS of military families live and lived in Korea (so do Koreans)(my brother and his wife did 2 tours there), and LOTS of babies THRIVE in Alaska (my wife has an online friend who has raised 5 kids in Fairbanks, Alaska)! If your husband gets ACCOMPANIED ORDERS, you need to be with him. Your parents don't run your life anymore! A wife belongs with her husband, not mommy and daddy. It's about time they learned that. I was married in February (1969) and in December (2 months after my oldest was born) my wife was with me in Japan...for 3 1/2 years. I left her here in S.E. Va for 13 months while I was in Antarctica (before the days of EMAIL and IMS...and no mail for almost 7 months). Then I came back and took her, my oldest and my 10 month old son to Sardinia (big island off the west coast of Italy) for another 3 1/2 years. We left for Italy 2 weeks after some terrorists shot up the airport in Rome...and the windows were still boarded up and the Carabinieri were still patrolling the inside and outside of the airport. My father-in-law thought he could keep little Suzie home! I EDUMICATED him REAL quick.
I have been on 2 12 month UNACCOMPANIED tours (Antarctica and the Middle east) and 2 6 month deployments with out my family. Welcome to the military. LOTS of families get separated for a time. It's what we expect when we join and get married.
The CRITERIA is the availability to support families by the local military installation. Also, the situation, diplomatic, in the area. Bahrain used to be accompanied orders, but in 1977 they sent all families home. Things got sticky in 78 and 79, and of course in November of '79, everything went to hell in a hand basket in the area. The Flag Ship for the Middle East Forces is home ported out of Bahrain and many had their families there.
AFWIFE has spoken the truth! Listen to her, too!
(USN, retired)

Answer 2

The responses you have received so far have be brutally honest. I am sure you are scared, frustrated and improperly prepared for the new life as a military wife. There is no class or book to read to get you ready. There are some resources to help you adjust and cope with the upcoming MAJOR changes that you will experience again and again as a military wife.
Take a moment a reflect on the advantages of being the wife of one of the best men on earth - An American Soldier- , the excitement (and danger) of his job, the stability of employment, the adventures of traveling, the fact that many people NEVER have the opportunity to visit another country some never visit other parts of America while you get the opportunity to travel the world and not just a weekend but a lifetime. The things you will experience will vary from not wishing that on your worst enemy to "Wow I wish I could share this with you", and fortunately there you are for him and your child sharing new worlds experiences and growing further and wider than the confines of Mom and Dads reach. They will miss you but what great stories they will have to tell. As you grow you will find that you appreciate Mom and Dad more when you are only a visitor.
Now the question remains - and the answer is - When the military says so.

Answer 3

Well first off No it's not fair - but that's just the way it is. Hubby's first tour of duty was to Korea for 17months without us (Gulf War stop loss). However he was stationed near the DMZ so it wasn't safe for us to go over. There are wives who go without orders but it makes it harder to find a place to live, shop, etc.

There are some accompanied to tours to Korea but they are few and far between - depends on hubby's job and where he's stationed in country. Alaska is generally an accompanied tour and everyone I know who's been there absoloutly loved it! (we would love to go). Fort Richardson is in Anchorage, Fort Wainwright is in Fairbanks and I think Fort Greely is still open but it's very small and remote. Alaska is not a third world country, nor is it the end of the earth! Sometimes KS is actually colder than Anchorage!

The next thing you need to realize is that you are a big girl now and while you should take parents thoughts into consideration the fact is they no longer have ANY SAY in what you do with hubby and if he gets orders to Alaska or Korea and wants you with then you need to go! Your first loyalties are now to him and your baby.

He could be sent anywhere in the world that the Army needs him. Generally it will be somewhere in the States, Germany (getting smaller), Hawaii, Korea or Alaska. (And the others mentioned above me --- oooh Italy pick me pick me!!!!! ) But just think of the adventure of seeing those places that you wouldn't get to otherwise?!! Learning new things. Just strap baby on in the sling and go!

Deep breaths..... it will all work out!




edit: Oh and there is no way to know ahead of time whether he will get an unacompanied tour or not - it will be specified on his orders once he graduates and receives them.

Answer 4

There are some areas in Korea where accompanied tours are available, but they are few. One I know of from experience is the 8th Army HQ in Seoul. At one time there were also accompanied tours in Alaska, but I'm not sure of that now. I have known soldiers in both assignments to pay thir families way while on unaccompanied tours, but I would not recommend it, espescially with a young child. Most assignments in Korea are considered hardship tours. Germany has been greatly drawn down since the mid 90's (I left in 89) so I'm not sure what's left there, but if you get a chance...GO.
Depending on your husband's MOS he could also be sent to Italy(good assignment) or Turkey (not as good), Japan (Beautiful but expensive), Okinawa, Panama, and many others.

Answer 5

Duty assignments for a year or less outside the U.S. are unaccompanied tours. That's because of the hardships involved, including a lack of proper housing and other support facilities for family members. Tours greater than a year are considered accompanied tours, where dependents can travel there and be eligible for housing. In the case of Korea, the chief concern is evacuation of family members in case of open warfare on the peninsula. The distance from the DMZ to Seoul is half that of the road distance from New York City to Philadelphia.
Let me cite one example where things changed for one particular branch of the military. For many years the Marines and Navymen assigned to units of the Third Marine Division on Okinawa were considered to be unaccompanied tours. They have built new housing in the past ten years and now some of those assignments are long-term and accompanied tours.
Hope this explains it.

Answer 6

first of all let me start by saying while you may not have been made aware of these assignments your husband was. it is in the contract that they sign that they are willing to go to an overseas assignment. while i know it seems horribly unfair your husband should have been the one to take this into consideration before he signed. most tours (like Korea) are only 1 year tours and are unaccompanied for many reasons : danger, liability, cost, facilities are some of them. other oconus locations (alaska, hawaii, japan, italy, germany, england and many others) if he were to get orders he would most likely get to make a choice......either take an accompanied tour of 3-4 years and take the family with him....or take a short tour unaccompanied which would make it 2 years. the problem with that being if he takes an unaccompanied they will provide him a room in barracks at his base and provide BAH for you and your child in the US.....however you are not permitted to have overnight guests in barracks so the only way you would see him is if he came home (also travel can be iffy if youre not command sponsored as well as medical care at the overseas base) now that being said your reason for not wanting overseas is because and i quote "My parents will NEVER allow me to go to a place like Korea with a newborn baby!! Even Alaska is out of the question. How can we live in a place that's 20 below zero in the Winter!! That means I and our son will never see our husband and father." ok now are you an adult or a 12 year old??? your parents not wanting you to go away is not grounds for your husband to decline orders. bases in places like alaska are very nice and built for the weather there.ive never been lucky enough to get orders to AK but I know many who have and begged to go back. i did go to japan for 3 years, with my husband and my children however....and i know it was heartbreaking for my parents BUT you are a grown woman and married now....your husband and child come first, you made that choice when you said I do. the only thing your husband can do is fill his dream sheet with stateside bases and pray...and if he decides to make a career out of it i can almost guarantee there will be at least one OCONUS tour in there somewhere.

Answer 7

It depends on his mission, location, etc. Some bases simply to not have the facilities to accompany family members. When my husband was in Korea, he was stationed at a base on the DMZ. It was not safe for families. There was no housing or other facilities.

Usually places such as Hawaii, Alaska, Germany, Italy, etc. are easy to get accompanied. As long as there aren't any issues (such as certain health issues that require special medical attention, etc), there shouldn't be a problem. However, if you have, say, a chronic illness and your husband is on orders to Germany, and there are no doctors or facilities that can treat you, his tour would be unaccompanied.

Answer 8

biggest factor: cost. It costs money to send family members overseas and it costs money to provide for a family while overseas. a newly minted E1-E3 will NOT make enough money, not even with all the extras like COLA to provide for a family OCONUS.

Second factor: area . Korea is a hot bed of fighting just waiting for an excuse to start. evacuating family members from a combat zone is hard to do.

Third factor: available resources. Medical care and housing is substandard in many areas OCONUS. Korea especially.

Fourth Factor: liability. going over CS means the US government is willing to take all legal and financial responsibility for you. meaning if you get into a traffic accident in Yongsan, you would NOT be tossed in a Korean Jail, you would be under the protection of the US government.

Answer 9

Most assignments overseas (that also includes Hawaii) are refer ed to as OCONUS (outside the Continental US) and are available for Accompanied tours. Soldiers can travel Unaccompanied if they choose to leave their families somewhere in CONUS. The only Unaccompanied tours (which are very few now) are areas that the State Department has labeled dangerous. Trust me you do not want to go to those locations.

Answer 10

Bravo AFWife!!! I couldn't say it any better myself! I think this is possibly less about what your parents will say and more about your fear of leaving the comforts of what you know. That is natural to a point. But I think you have very little understanding of the military life and I think it would be good for you to visit family readiness or attend a spousal orientation meeting to get better acquainted and greater knowledge of what it means to be a part of a military family and community. You need to find a way to come to a resolution of this for yourself and your family. Not every deployment is going to be in support of what you see as a heroic and noble cause in the Middle East ... I'm "really proud of him and will support him 100% when his tour there begins." "WHERE ELSE?" Anywhere he is needed for the mission!!!! We must support them 100% no matter where they serve., if we are with them or without them. We at home are the source of strength and stability for our men and women in uniform to do what needs to be done no matter where they are. We are also their greatest distraction. It is imperative that your spouse feels reassured that no matter what, he can do his duty without having to worry about you back home freaking out when he has to leave for "where ever". Like it has been said before, some parts of Korea are bad for families but having been there and Alaska, I can honestly say that outside of security - the duty load, down range time, exercise schedule of our military folks are soooo high that you wouldn't get to see them anyways. Just ask the guys at Ft. Richardson or at Bragg. It hurts, it's lonely, it's not fair, it sucks, it scary but it is OUR sacrifice for them. I'm really not sitting in judgment of you although it may sound as if I am, I am simply nervous for what can happen to your young family if you can't come to grips with this. I've seen it too many times before.