Military Moms: May - June - Page 7

[MarineWife]

I wonder if the CYS (is that the childcare on the army base?) has to follow state law since it's on federal land. Does the federal government have any laws about vax exemption? Seems to me that it's unconstitutional to require a statement from a religious authority.

[gagin37]

It seems like I have heard stories about them jerking people around like this before, basically making it impossible for non vaxers to use their services.

[LeslieB]

Originally Posted by gagin37

It seems like I have heard stories about them jerking people around like this before, basically making it impossible for non vaxers to use their services.

Yeah, it just totally put me off. I don't even want to use the childcare or the schools. I wanted to sign John up for gymnastics or karate. They don't require vaccinations at places off-post for that. It's ridiculous.
I'm sure other installations might be easier to get an exemption if they have a philosophical exemption in that State, but North Carolina doesn't, so it's harder.

[~Katie~]

I haven't used it either, I've heard 10 different things in regards to non-vaxers. It seems as though it is ultimately up to them how much of a pain they want to make it for you and there's nothing you can do about it. It is unconstitutional to make someone prove how religious or what religion they are in regards to vaxing, but NY exemptions aren't allowed without a form specifically doing just that. It doesn't make any sense and I have no idea how they get away with it.

[MarineWife]

Originally Posted by KatieJD

I have no idea how they get away with it.

Probably because no one has challenged it in the courts yet. I'd do it if I had the time and money. The ACLU would probably be the place to go for help with that but I'm not confident they'd be interested in helping. There's a lot of hostility toward non-vaxers. I'd love to be able to use the base athletics program but they require vax records. It's not that important to me to hassle with it. I can use the city and county services without providing vax records or an exemption statement. One thing about NC is that it is an all or nothing state. You can't follow a selective or delayed vax schedule without a medical exemption.

[KittyMM]

Thank you ladies so much. I guess I will have to jump through the hoops they want me to jump through. I called today and the woman I spoke with said that they can do it because they are covered by federal law, not NC law. And, I won't bore you with the other details, but the lady at the front desk told me so many wrong things about how to fill out the form, and I had to ask to speak to someone more knowledgeable who confirmed that the front desk lady had no clue what she was saying. And she is the one who the public comes into contact with? Nice.

Anyway, thanks again. I appreciate your willingness to help a new member out.

Have a great night!

[MarineWife]

Originally Posted by KittyMM

I called today and the woman I spoke with said that they can do it because they are covered by federal law, not NC law

Did yo get into what the federal law is? I'd love to know.

[appifanie]

Originally Posted by MarineWife

I wonder if the CYS (is that the childcare on the army base?) has to follow state law since it's on federal land. Does the federal government have any laws about vax exemption? Seems to me that it's unconstitutional to require a statement from a religious authority.

Hi Kitty! I'm on Bragg too. I was having similar issues with my daughter - she's 3 and vegan - imagine their horror! I was told to get the special SNAP diet statement filled out, and our old veg-friendly doc in Maine couldn't do it, so we saw a doc here who signed the form but refused to check one of the 3 boxes they're supposed to check (medical, medical, religious). I was messing around with that then I contacted a local (seventh day adventist - they're vegetarian) church, but they backed out and said the wouldn't fill it out cause we're not actually SADs. But the pastor gave me the name of a lovely lady named Mabel who mentioned someone in registration could better help - her name is Cassandra. Mabel told me all I needed to do was write a letter that basically says "look, this is my kid, and this is what I say" - I realize it might be more complicated with vaccines, but maybe if you ask for Cassandra?

We delay vaxed too - we just happen to be all caught up by now, except for Hep B which we just started. The nurse at Womack was so confused about how to vax my kiddo for that because she'd never seen a kid that old w/o hep b vaccines.

Also, side note - would it kill them to put more parking spots at the Soldier Support Center and Womack? GEEZ!

[AileenM]

Hello, ladies...I always forget about this tribe, and then it'll pop up in the main page and I'll go "Oh, duh...how could I forget there is a military wives tribe?!?!"

Let me reintroduce myself...My name is Aileen and I'm married to a Marine. We're polar opposites on a lot of issues, but luckily he leaves a lot of 'that weird stuff' to me. We have an (almost) 3 year old daughter named Hannah, and a son who should be here any day now, due April 5th. My husband is currently deployed to Afghanistan, and I hate the looks I get when I say that, since I am so obviously pregnant. We live in Southern California, stationed at Camp Pendleton, for the next couple of months. We'll be making a move to Memphis very VERY soon after he gets home, to go on I&I duty (working with reservists). (We are NOT happy about this, but at least he's not deployable for a while!) DH has been in for about 15 years now, and we are eagerly awaiting retirement.

Let's see....anything else...Um, we're both 34, and we have 3 furbabies as well...2 cats and a dog. I guess that's it, and hopefully I'll remember to check on this thread more often!

[KittyMM]

Originally Posted by appifanie

Hi Kitty! I'm on Bragg too. I was having similar issues with my daughter - she's 3 and vegan - imagine their horror! I was told to get the special SNAP diet statement filled out, and our old veg-friendly doc in Maine couldn't do it, so we saw a doc here who signed the form but refused to check one of the 3 boxes they're supposed to check (medical, medical, religious). I was messing around with that then I contacted a local (seventh day adventist - they're vegetarian) church, but they backed out and said the wouldn't fill it out cause we're not actually SADs. But the pastor gave me the name of a lovely lady named Mabel who mentioned someone in registration could better help - her name is Cassandra. Mabel told me all I needed to do was write a letter that basically says "look, this is my kid, and this is what I say" - I realize it might be more complicated with vaccines, but maybe if you ask for Cassandra?

We delay vaxed too - we just happen to be all caught up by now, except for Hep B which we just started. The nurse at Womack was so confused about how to vax my kiddo for that because she'd never seen a kid that old w/o hep b vaccines.

Also, side note - would it kill them to put more parking spots at the Soldier Support Center and Womack? GEEZ!

HI! This has become so frustrating for me. I went to the Chaplain today and he was very understanding. I gave him the statement I had written and that he is supposed to sign and notarize (per the lady at CYSS). He said he would get to it in the morning. Who knows.

I don't get ruffled easily, but this situation has really become emotional for me. NO ONE at CYSS says the same thing about how to go about getting the religious exemption. So, I am prepared for them to say that the information I bring in tomorrow to not be what they need. I might lose it right there in the office.

I am going to call the CYSS office tomorrow and I will ask for Cassandra. Hopefully she will have a good understanding of their exemption process. Thank you for giving me her name.

And, when I called yesterday and the front desk person told me they fall under Federal law, she did rattle off some numbers and letters, but at that point, I was so annoyed I didn't write it all down. I do, however, have the name of a person at the NC Immunization Department to make sure that what CYSS is doing is correct.

Why does it have to be so hard?

Thanks again for all of your help ladies!

[appifanie]

Originally Posted by KittyMM

HI! This has become so frustrating for me. I went to the Chaplain today and he was very understanding. I gave him the statement I had written and that he is supposed to sign and notarize (per the lady at CYSS). He said he would get to it in the morning. Who knows.

I don't get ruffled easily, but this situation has really become emotional for me. NO ONE at CYSS says the same thing about how to go about getting the religious exemption. So, I am prepared for them to say that the information I bring in tomorrow to not be what they need. I might lose it right there in the office.

I am going to call the CYSS office tomorrow and I will ask for Cassandra. Hopefully she will have a good understanding of their exemption process. Thank you for giving me her name.

And, when I called yesterday and the front desk person told me they fall under Federal law, she did rattle off some numbers and letters, but at that point, I was so annoyed I didn't write it all down. I do, however, have the name of a person at the NC Immunization Department to make sure that what CYSS is doing is correct.

Why does it have to be so hard?

Thanks again for all of your help ladies!

It really is a pain in the butt. Also, when I went and asked for Cassandra it was a Monday, and I guess they make their admission decisions on Mondays? Anyway, they called me into this room where there was a committee of people - 6 or 7 - just sitting around this big group of tables. My daughter was with me and it totally freaked us out. They questioned us about our diet and what they should do about it, blah blah blah.

I'd say go off post, but it seems kinda scary out there (especially since I moved here right as the Shaniya Davis thing was happening).

[appifanie]

Originally Posted by AileenM

Hello, ladies...I always forget about this tribe, and then it'll pop up in the main page and I'll go "Oh, duh...how could I forget there is a military wives tribe?!?!"

Let me reintroduce myself...My name is Aileen and I'm married to a Marine. We're polar opposites on a lot of issues, but luckily he leaves a lot of 'that weird stuff' to me. We have an (almost) 3 year old daughter named Hannah, and a son who should be here any day now, due April 5th. My husband is currently deployed to Afghanistan, and I hate the looks I get when I say that, since I am so obviously pregnant. We live in Southern California, stationed at Camp Pendleton, for the next couple of months. We'll be making a move to Memphis very VERY soon after he gets home, to go on I&I duty (working with reservists). (We are NOT happy about this, but at least he's not deployable for a while!) DH has been in for about 15 years now, and we are eagerly awaiting retirement.

Let's see....anything else...Um, we're both 34, and we have 3 furbabies as well...2 cats and a dog. I guess that's it, and hopefully I'll remember to check on this thread more often!

is camp pendleton in oceanside? if that's the one - my cali knowledge is weak - my best friend is there!

[sapphire_chan]

Hi! Got another question for mamas who know about the military.

Dh just got an email from his unit saying they're sending him for a commissioning physical at the end of next month.

They also want to know if there's anything he'd like to have included in the letter of recommendation.

Any advice?

(He's very , needless to say, he'd been figuring on going for officer after a couple years in, and he just got back from BCT and AIT in December.)

looks like the colorblindness is going to bite him in the rear again. Annoyingly, he can see vivid red/vivid green every where we tried it out, but couldn't do it for the Falant machine at MEPS.

[~Katie~]

Is the recommendation in order to direct commission instead of going to OCS?

Originally Posted by sapphire_chan

Hi! Got another question for mamas who know about the military.

Dh just got an email from his unit saying they're sending him for a commissioning physical at the end of next month.

They also want to know if there's anything he'd like to have included in the letter of recommendation.

Any advice?

(He's very , needless to say, he'd been figuring on going for officer after a couple years in, and he just got back from BCT and AIT in December.)

looks like the colorblindness is going to bite him in the rear again. Annoyingly, he can see vivid red/vivid green every where we tried it out, but couldn't do it for the Falant machine at MEPS.

[sapphire_chan]

No idea. That would be good since he does meet the reqs for direct commissioning and wouldn't qualify for OCS.

[~Katie~]

Originally Posted by sapphire_chan

No idea. That would be good since he does meet the reqs for direct commissioning and wouldn't qualify for OCS.

That is what I was thinking since you said he already has a graduate degree (psych I think you said?) He would make captain almost instantly. Is he planning to work in mental health, because that is in extreme high demand. Just as an example, if I chose to work for the Army with my degree I'd make as much as 50 grand a year more than my DH does. What did he go to AIT for?

I don't know the process but I'd advise him to learn more about it from his unit and what kinds of things he can request, chances are they won't give him the details if he doesn't start asking about it if they're anything like my DH's unit.

[sapphire_chan]

Sadly it's someone else's dh who has the psych degree. Dh just has a bachelors.

Thanks for the advice to ask his unit!

Does anyone know if there's a reason *not* to be an officer? Even though there's some question about whether he'll pass the physical with the color blindness problem, he's concerned about going to take the physical without being 100% sure that he wants to take that path.

[~Katie~]

Originally Posted by sapphire_chan

Sadly it's someone else's dh who has the psych degree. Dh just has a bachelors.

Thanks for the advice to ask his unit!

Does anyone know if there's a reason *not* to be an officer? Even though there's some question about whether he'll pass the physical with the color blindness problem, he's concerned about going to take the physical without being 100% sure that he wants to take that path.

Did I at least get his major right? Sorry about that

My DH said it really depends the unit but there tends to be a lot of BS to put up with, I'm sure that's the case whether you're an officer or not. Otherwise he enjoys it, it certainly has lots of benefits. This may be an opportunity for him to ask around about what people do and what they think. As far as the color blindness, DH asked around and everybody said it didn't matter. He works with officers who are color blind. I know you can't be in aviation if you have it, the Army pretty much does everything in black and white anyway .

[MarineWife]

Originally Posted by sapphire_chan

Does anyone know if there's a reason *not* to be an officer? Even though there's some question about whether he'll pass the physical with the color blindness problem, he's concerned about going to take the physical without being 100% sure that he wants to take that path.

I only have personal experience with my dh being a Marine Corps officer so take my perspective fwiw. I don't have any experience with the
Army. Relatively speaking, there are perks that come with being an officer. Obviously, there's the pay. It's significantly higher. Many enlisted families qualify for food stamps and WIC because their pay is so low. I have a friend who enlisted in the Navy with a BS. She could've been an officer but chose to enlist instead for the MOS. I don't know exactly what it was. It had something to do with linguistics. She wouldn't have had the same job if she had been an officer. There's a greater degree of professional and personal responsibility that comes with being an officer that maybe doesn't come with being enlisted. I think it's probably a decision that has to be made on an individual basis based on what you want to do and what's available for an officer vs. enlisted. Your dh may be able go in enlisted and become an officer later if he chose. Would it be a problem for him if he didn't pass the officer's physical? Would that preclude him from going enlisted if he didn't pass?

[LeslieB]

Originally Posted by sapphire_chan

Does anyone know if there's a reason *not* to be an officer? Even though there's some question about whether he'll pass the physical with the color blindness problem, he's concerned about going to take the physical without being 100% sure that he wants to take that path.

I don't know much about being an officer, except that the pay is extremely nice. My dh chose to enlist as opposed to being an officer. I do know that by going in as an E-4 he had a lot more control over what he wanted out of the Army. He's been able to reclass, go to language school, get a huge reenlistment bonus, and they just offered him another one (although, he won't be reenlisting this time around). The higher up you go (senior NCO, as well), the less flexibility you have . He would never be where he is now if he had gone in as an officer. There are many times I wish he HAD gone in as an officer, though. The pay is horrible for enlisted; it almost makes me sick. I really don't understand the pay discrepancy. Not saying that officers shouldn't make more; they have a lot of responsibility. I think they should make more, but the difference in pay is just too large of a gap, IMO.
I think one of the downsides to going enlisted, if you're older, like my dh, is that he has to work with so many super young people. He's 38, and he's working with guys in their early 20s. It's just a totally different level of maturity.
I think it really depends on what your dh wants to get out of the Army as to whether to go enlisted or officer. I think both have perks and disadvantages, just like any other job.
Good luck with what he decides!