Assignment Travails

This is an update – but first, the background.

I wound up here in the UK in Jan 2008. A rather short notice move because of a domino effect involving a number of other people and their short notice re-assignments.

Ok, I am an Army officer. That means I salute the flag pole and move on with my life. Never mind that it means that most days the family is scattered across four countries.

My moving in assumption was that I would be here for 3-> 3 & 1/2 years to put the job back on a summer cycle. Coincidently, it would also match up with being able to hang up the kevlar and move on to new challenges.

Come last summer, my job magically appears on the “open for bid” list. Checking with the branch people, I remind them that I will not have 12 months remaining prior to retirement (criteria for re-assignment) by the time my son graduates so we had all agreed that I would not move summer 2010.

Well, gee, it seems all bets are off. Since then – like Sept – I have been in various negotiations with different of the powers that be about job choices, various possibilities, and what I want to do if I grown up.

That particular thought took only a few minutes – not ready to grow up yet.

Upshot of the whole mess is that it is now April, I leave the UK sometime the end of August and have no idea where I am going next. As of yesterday, I can officially drop my retirement papers.  Since we do not do “garden leave” it means that I would need to move everything back to Germany then go to Ft Benning en route to Afghanistan for six months.

The other option looks like it might be to extend for a couple of years, move to Monterey, drop off my stuff, go to Ft Benning en route to Afghanistan (see above) and return to work there for a couple of years.

Hummmm – no job and seeing the DH on the rare days he is in town? Job where I can toss a couple of offspring in University at in-state tuition and enjoy the California coast?

Decisions, decisions….