my navy daughter has been ordered to report to Ft Bragg to deploy with the army for 1 year to Afghanistan-help

Question

my daughter has been in the navy for seven years-she is a radar tech with two overseas deployments on the uss kennedy-she received orders to report to fr bragg in jan for two months training with the army and then a one year deployment with the army to afghanistan- my questions to lawmakers have pretty much been answered like this- yes, this has been going on for the last 8 or 9 years but it's not widely known-or well, it's suppose to be volunteer but it's not--my daughter is now buying new uniforms for her new branch of military career- when I asked the state representative how many mothers know when they sign the paper for their son or daughter to enter the navy -- they could ultimately end up in the army- he replied - not many-I would appreciate any comments and advice

Answer 1

She is in the military. As such she goes where she is needed. And she will not be 'in' the Army. She will be performing joint services duty under an Army command. (It also will make it easier for her to get that 'choice' assignment when her tour is over.)



BTW - this is a _very_ good thing for her career. It is much easier to make the senior ranks when you have a joint tour under your belt.

Answer 2

Your daughter is not changing the branch of service she is in; she is deploying with the Army because of her training. All the services have some personnel serving with other branches so that they can see how other services operate and fill specialty roles. Sometimes it is a rude shock; never forget the Air Force Captain (pilot) who was assigned to us when he saw how the Marines lived in the field but he did enjoy it in the long term. Personally, I made two carrier cruises but was never in the Navy; I was deployed with them because they were short a specific aircraft at the time; I went with an F-4B unit aboard the USS Forrestal and with an F/A-18 unit aboard the USS Coral Sea so I was not Marine Detachment but I was not in the Navy at any time. It is a training or shortage of specialty thing and she has not been transferred from the Navy to the Army; she will need to wear Army uniforms so she won't standout (this is a good thing for her) but should still wear Navy rank; this is the same thing Navy Corpsman serving with the Marines do, wear Marine digitals but Navy rank, and no they are not all volunteers. I don't know what kind of help you are looking for; she has received orders and either follows them and goes or doesn't and gets court-martialed. I retired in 1990 and this has been going on for a long time; the deployments wer mid 1970's and 1980's, the AF pilot with us was the 1970's late, and Navy Corpsman have always been our Doc's so the statement of the last eight or nine years might be referring to more common but it has been done for a 37 years that I know of personally.

Answer 3

You've drawn many different answers...some helpful, others not at all. I aim to provide some useful information.

I am an active duty Sailor with 14 years experience. While many answers from Army-related personnel have been very good, I hope that my information...from my branch of service...can provide some accuracies the others may not have hit upon.

First of all, like the other answerers, your daughter has not been transferred into another branch of service. She has simply been reassigned temporary duty to a different branch. The duty is labeled temporary because normal tours last three to five years long in the Navy. An IA tour is normally up to 18 months, which includes necessary training. As others have already stated, it is not uncommon. In the Navy, it's (currently) called IA, Individual Augmentees.

IAs provide either some expertise with their related job experience, or are just another soldier to add to the team. In my unit alone, nine of my brothers and sisters have been pulled from our shore duty to augment the efforts overseas. There are less than 100 personnel in my command. The IAs who have been called away have been both enlisted and officer. Outside of my command, I know three other people deployed on IA orders who should be on shore duty. The Navy is now considering tacking on an IA tour to Sailors who are transferring from sea duty to shore duty.

Volunteer military. This term refers to the fact that all of our military is composed of those who volunteer to join it. While it is possible in the Navy to volunteer to become an IA, volunteer military does not mean you can volunteer for whatever you want and dodge orders you don't want.

I'd buy new uniforms too if I were deploying to the desert. You don't want your daughter trying to work in summer whites over there, do you? Of course not! She'll be reimbursed with a special uniform allowance to pay for her new expenses.

One answerer stated that an IA tour is career enhancing. The Navy is adding points towards advancement for IAs. As an added incentive, those IAs at the E6 rank who are eligible for E7 are no longer required to take the advancement exam for E7 and their records are automatically sent to the selection board.

Hope this info helps.

Answer 4

Ma'am, first and foremost, your daughter is still in the Navy. She has been detailed to the Army to perform a critical skill that the Army needs to be filled. I doubt that she had to go out and buy new Army uniforms, but rather chose to buy them so that she will fit in better with the Army unit that she will be supporting. As far as her 2 overseas deployments (4-6 months each), they were probably on a carrier (floating city with everything that she could need or want) and out of harms way. From an Army standpoint, I can tell you that she will be well taken care of by her brothers and sisters in arms from whatever branch they serve as she is not used to conditions that she will be in. My hat is off to her and I wish her good luck.

Answer 5

During times of conflict all military personnel serve "at the convenience of the government". I do not understand why she would need to purchase new uniforms as though she will be sent TDY (Temporary Duty) to the Army she is, and always will be a member of the U.S. Navy. The Army should provide her with any uniforms she needs if they require her to wear Army uniforms while on TDY assignment. Obviously your daughter's job is what is precipitating her temporary transfer to the U.S. Army. I live across the bay from MacDill AFB which is where the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are run from and it is the home of SOCOM (Special Operations Command) which consists of Navy SEALS, Army Green Berets, Rangers, USAF Pararescue (PJ's) and Delta Force. Since the early 80's I can recall Army detachments at various AFB's. I don't know what you want to accomplish but if need be get in touch with your state's U.S. Senators/Representatives (preferably ones on the Armed Forces Committee) to see if something can be done regarding her deployment. If she has already done 2 tours in "war zones" then perhaps you can request on her behalf to get her orders changed. Whether or not it will be done is doubtful. As far as I can ascertain is her best bet will be after this deployment to request assignment as an instructor wherever she received her radar technician training. I had a friend who joined the Coast Guard during Nam assuming he would not go to Southeast Asia... WRONG... they dropped his cutter into the Mekong River. Best of luck to you and thank you to your daughter for her service to our country.

Answer 6

There are a lot of benefits and pride that comes with joining the military, and with that comes challenges and an iffy time line that you have to plan your life around. This is the career she has chosen and knows very well by now that she has to be more flexible than the military has to be with her. She is serving her country, the military is not expected to serve her other than fulfilling the contractual obligations of fair pay, good health benefits, and wonderful educational opportunities. Your daughter has been in for a long time, it's not like she hasn't had the chance to get out.

Yes, you are a scared and angry mother, but realize that this is a choice your daughter has made, whether it seems like it to you or not.

Answer 7

When any of us sign up to enlist, we sign up to go wherever and whenever the government asks us to. Just because she signed up for the Navy doesn't mean she's exempt from doing so.. My husband's been in the Navy for 18 years. He'll be reporting to train to go to Iraq in less than two months. Neither of us expected that his shore duty, after 6 consecutive years on an aircraft carrier would mean a 12 month deployment to a war zone... but that's the way the cookie crumbles. Just make sure she gets all her NKO courses knocked out before she goes.

Answer 8

what question do you have? that was all an incoherent ramble as far as I could tell.

oh and by the way, unless your child is 17 when they enlist.. Mom and dad don't have to sign anything. besides, it's THEIR choice to enlist, your wishes don't matter one iota.

she's been in for 7 years according to you. she's an adult and signed a contract to do whatever was required of her by her superiors. she has re enlisted at least once, so she obviously knew the risks and chose to stay in.

and for the record, I think it's great that the Branches have such respect for each other that they are willing to help out in times of need.

I say this as someone whose Naval Officer husband may very well be on a plane to the Sandbox himself sometime soon

Answer 9

Cross branch TDY has been going on for a lot longer than 8 or 9 years. You go where you are told, when you are told or you get out. It is that simple.

It sounds that your concerned that the the downgrade in chow and facilities is the problem.

With 7 years she should be a 1st Class and able to handle herself @ 25.

SSG US Army 73-82

Answer 10

Yes it happens. Get over it. Not just in USA either. I am Russian Infantry. You know what? I have Naval men serving as rifles, air force types doing patrols and Rocket Force Base Security Forces(they main job is to guard Nukes) doing convoy escorts with me in Chechnya.

Get over it, in any country, all the branches are friends and comrades. Even if there is some playful rivalry, we are all comrades and brothers and sisters, we fight, bleed, kill and die along side each other.

Answer 11

This is what happens when the "all volunteer Army" doesn't have any volunteers.

If you go into the Air Force right now for example it will most likely be "security forces", and guess what. That means that you will be pulling Army duty in Iraq protecting convoys.
BTW, my daughter (in the Air Force) has now completed three tours in Iraq.
(flies medical evacuation)