Questions from a future poolee

[jmart1983]

Hello Marines, as a future poolee (I've been through MEPS, waiting for the first of the month to get my contract going) I have a few questions. Note, I'm asking all of this from the perspective of a 27 year old that has been married for two years.

1. This has been asked a million times on every forum I've been able able to find (including hours spent on this forum), and I have yet to get a concrete answer:

At what point will I receive BAH and when will my wife have access to it? Recruit Training? Job training? The answers vary from "as soon as you step on the yellow foot prints" to "not until you are sent to your first permanent duty station". I THINK I've mostly confirmed that as long as I have direct deposit set up, she'll have access to my normal pay (although it could take a few weeks for it to start rolling in), but please correct me if that's wrong as well.

2. Unaccompanied/Accompanied tours to Japan. How do they work? Basically what I'm confused about is the reference to 24 month unaccompanied/36 month accompanied tours. If given orders are you given that choice based on your marital status? The information I'm getting seems to vary based on what year it was given in.

3. Is there a specific time frame on how long your MOS training is that dictates whether or not your spouse is allowed to live with you? Again, I've searched multiple sources, and it seems 1 year is the cutoff, but I'd like an exact number if it exists.

4. Contracts. What can/should I make sure I get in my contract. I would love to get in Linguistics, but have not taken the DLAB yet. I did take the ASVAB and scored over 131 on all the line scores. Is it possible to have a clause in my contract that guarantees my a slot in a 267x field if I test high enough/am able to obtain a high enough security clearance? I know that typically you choose 3 fields and the Marines put you where they need you, but based on what I've read if you qualify on the DLAB you can specifically choose that MOS.

Thanks in advance for the help. I have asked my recruiter for some of these specifics as well, but he informed me he hasn't had any experience with married recruits.

[jmart1983]

Still looking for answers to the above questions. I have done more research but have yet to get current answers on anything. If I were single and going in I would pretty much let the chips fall where they may, but bringing a spouse with me I feel obligated to get a complete picture of the next 6+ years of our life.

[Sin]

Leatherneck's feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here:

Upon joining and actually going to bootcamp you will not receive your first paycheck for a little more than a month and it will be sent to an account at Fort Sill National Bank, or FSNB. You don't get the chance to have them direct deposit into your existing account and you won't get the chance to change that until you're on recruit liberty, which is where I changed mine back over to Navy Federal. I doubt she will have access to it and if you wanted her to that might be something you have to take up with Chain of Command in bootcamp. I'm sure that if her way of living is threatened enough you might be able to get some leeway and get her access to the account, no promises though.

I wouldn't really worry about bringing/not bringing your wife to Japan right now. I highly doubt you'll get orders straight there and junior Marines don't get that much say when it comes to initial orders.

I believe, as far as the DLAB is concerned, you'll take the test during bootcamp. I marked down a knowledge of German upon enlisting and didn't take the test until the 2nd month on the Island. As far as getting the spot right off if you score high enough, I don't see why not but I'm also no expert on the matter.

You're joining the Marine Corps, they're not joining you, so expect to get shafted if your coming in with plans to do this or that and those plans don't coincide with what the Corps has in mind for you.

MOS Training: I've heard that if it's over 9 months you can bring a dependant. I only knew a few Marines that actually did this though and, as a Marine that got married early in his enlistment I would advise against bringing her with you anyway. It's a huge hassle to move your dependants around, especially when it's every few months/years. Unless she has no place to stay and will be on the street while you're in school I would just consider having her come out to visit you on long weekends. Now, if you have children, that's a different story and I could understand wanting to drag them along. Can't promise that your command will be very fond of the idea though.

Couldn't tell you anything about contact clauses. Never heard of them in an enlistment package. I was an 03 though so my peer group was not the brightest all of the time.