A FAQ about us

Nate, proprietor of the Dungan Domain sent me an email asking several questions. As I began to write a response, I realized that it might be beneficial to many of the readers to see the answers. So here are the "frequently asked questions" about the recent events.

Are you on a military base?

Sorta is the short answer. Because Sarah and I are married, we qualify for housing, so we live in an apartment a short distance away from the base (about a 10 minute drive). However, due to the training schedule, there will be days where it is not conducive to go home. For these times, we have a residence at the BOQ, or Bachelor Officers Quarters. This allows us the flexibility to have a family life and continue training.

Are you paid to attend this school or do you have to get jobs as well?

Military schools are full-time jobs. Generally we're working 0700-1600...and other times, we stay all night in the field. We receive active duty wages (salary) during training (which can be looked up online if you're bored).

How long until you are done?

The Basic School is 6 months. Due to rules at TBS, Sarah and I cannot train in the same company, so I must wait until the next class starts sometime in October, while she will begin her training in a week when she picks up with Fox Co.

Then what?

We will go back to Mike Co (a holding company) and wait for our MOS (military occupational specialty...or job) school to pick us up.

You go back to everyday living and do your reservist stuff each month until they need you somewhere?

After our MOS school, yes. Now there is some talk of a required year of active duty after the completion of training. This has to do with how Officer promotion boards work and is aimed at keeping us competitive with our active-duty peers.

I am kind of uneducated in this whole thing.

You aren't alone. There are many who don't really know what military training is really like. People usually refer to the boot camp portion of "Full Metal Jacket" for their concepts of military training...which is an awkward way to look at it. Most training outside of OCS and Boot Camp are far less...um...intense (with a huge exception for various special forces and SERE (POW training) courses). To put it in perspective, military courses do usually have a civilian counterpart that will transfer to college credit. My old MOS, 0612 Field Wireman could be transfered as a Basic Telecommunications credit. At TBS, this course actually can be transferred as leadership credit in some Masters degree programs...a fact I plan to use to my advantage when I finish my training time.

Hope this helps some. If you have any questions, just let me know, and I'll do my best to answer them.