How do things work?

[UNM NROTC Lobo Mom]

My son did not attend an academy, but went through AFROTC. He commissioned in December and will be reporting to his first base in the end of May. Does anyone have any information about what to expect- does he need to have housing secured before he reports or will the base provide temporary housing? We have been getting conflicting information and are completely clueless. He has asked some friends who commissioned before him, but none went to the same base and they reported different experiences. I asked him if he had a "mentor" or similar assigned and he said he has not.

Thanks in advance for any guidance.

 

[Nomad@heart]

He should have a “sponsor” for his gaining unit. Some are great and some end up being MiA. Primarily they will help get him checked into his building with a badge and will possibly help him get a work computer, etc. He will need to find housing himself and may be able to stay at the on base hotel for a few days… but it is not free and often if not scheduled far in advance, they can be full. He will be expected to report on time… and be expecting to do everything himself. There will be no hand-holding etc. Often bases will have social media pages where you can ask questions for apartment recommendations, nice areas to live, etc.

 

[Stealth_81]

The base should have link on their website for newcomers. There should be information on contacting the housing office on there as well as other base information. It’s up to him to take the initiative to use those resources. As said above, he should also be assigned a sponsor before reporting.

Is it a UPT base? If so, his UPT class should have a social media group of some sort set up that can help with reporting.

 

[Mallard Duck]

Tell him to contact his unit, get a hold of his commander and a senior enlisted NCO, especially one he will be in charge of. Most of these types of people are invaluable in a situation like this. After doing this and he is on board tell him to return the favor to any of the enlisted people coming aboard in the future. They need the help more than officers realize many times.