Married, A-School Questions

[mpanz3]

Hello all.

Enlisted in Feb. and I'm finally getting shipped in 2 days. I've been waiting long enough and I'm thankful that it's finally here. I am married, and I've submitted all necessary paperwork (including marriage certificate) proving so. She wants to come with me to Charleston in hopes that we can live together while I go through my training down there.

It is my understanding that currently, "something" is wrong with the Prototype reactors in Charleston and that if it is not fixed by the time I get to Prototype Training, then I will be going up to Ballston Spa. This is no issue. Our plan was to live in Charleston together and then she will go live with her parents if I need to go to Ballston Spa. We'll just roll with the punches.

Now my recruiter is telling me that she will not be able to move down with me to Charleston at any point during my training there. He says that I will not be able to live on or off base with her. I will be required to live in the barracks for the entirety of my stay in Charleston. I've read different on these forums and I've heard different from other people, but the latest posts on these forums regarding marriage and A-school are from 2009. Any information on this subject would be greatly appreciated.

[patrickodang]

I believe you have to live in the barracks during A school. My old roommate was married then moved out the day he graduated A school.

You can live in on base housing, which is about half a mile from the school.

By the time you finish power school, prototype will be fine, so you could get either charleston or ballston spa

[SpaceJustice]

This might be dated (2007-2009 timeframe), but when I went through married people were able to live off base.  It usually didn't happen until partially through A-school because it's hard to find time to get the paperwork taken care of and the spouse moved across the country. 

[imthehoopa]

I know that people who were married in A-school lived in base housing and not barracks. Many of my friends avoided the entire "phasing up" process because of it. Let her know in her moving down there that it's going to be a lot of time you're not going to be together. Be clear ahead of time that the pipeline has to be your priority. That's your ticket to do well in the life you've chosen.

With all of that being said, had I been married I would've brought my wife down there even knowing I might move to NY a year later. I spent 1 year in SC and another full year (due to hold and shutdowns) in NY. That would be a long time away from what I assume is your main support system. You have the ability to bring her down there and to NY if that's where you end up (base housing is your only option as far as I'm aware in both places) so do it. They'll even help you do it when you show up for indoc. Plan ahead and tell her to pack up the stuff she doesn't need on a daily basis while you're in boot camp. Good luck

[HeavyD]

Less than 5 minutes on Goggle provides this link:

http://www.netc.navy.mil/nnptc/ombudsman.html

There is a phone number, e-mail address, and a Facebook page listed in the bottom right corner.

As to one of the earlier replies; if I remember correctly, base housing doesn't exist at the Ballston Spa prototype site.  That facility is NOT run by the Navy but by Kesselring. 

Now, that information may not be valid now; I retired in December 2011 and things can and do change.

Let her know in her moving down there that it's going to be a lot of time you're not going to be together. Be clear ahead of time that the pipeline has to be your priority. That's your ticket to do well in the life you've chosen.

This statement cannot be emphasized enough.  Your primary responsibility, in the Navy's eyes, are those that you have voluntarily taken upon yourself by signing a contract to be a nuclear trained MM, EM, or ET. 

Best of luck and thank you, to both of you, for volunteering to serve!

[imthehoopa]

As to one of the earlier replies; if I remember correctly, base housing doesn't exist at the Ballston Spa prototype site.  That facility is NOT run by the Navy but by Kesselring. 

Now, that information may not be valid now; I retired in December 2011 and things can and do change.

The Navy Support Unit in Ballston Spa has base housing available in the typical townhouse style homes. It's a very small community (basically just big enough to support married staff and students from prototype) and from the ones I saw it's decently well kept up. It's only about 10 minutes from the Kesselring site and you get the usual base comforts like being close to the commissary, mini-nex/uniform shop, and the only Navy Federal that I know of anywhere up there.

[song of the south]

I start A school tomorrow and the married people in my class have already moved in with their wives in on-base housing. I believe we have some off-base couples, too. You will find that recruiters tend to be full of crap.