@AF6872 Been there, done that, as a JO and dual military spouse - best training I ever had for later XO/CO billets, and major staff/Pentagon duty. But also exhausting and definitely un-fun at times.
This is why I asked JOs, and now ask our sponsor alumni, as they debate staying or going (as they should at that career stage), “Do you have the burning in your gut for command? If you do, stay, and do the slog through this kind of work, and ensure your spouse is fully onboard. If you don’t, there is absolutely nothing wrong with serving honorably and separating to pursue a civilian career and a different balance to your life priorities.”
It does not get any easier. A standard Pentagon joke is “a half-day is only 12 hours.”
No doubt JOs in Alexander the Great’s army dealt with the same things. Military life, the onerous, ridiculous, QOL-and-soul-grinding parts of it, have been the subject of military humor for as long as folks in uniform have put up with them.
The system is designed to shed people along the way. If it didn’t, promotions would bog down.
Your DD is in an ideal position to take advantage of the SACC, Military MoJo, Corporate Gray and all the veteran career transition groups out there.
I do hope she has done the research on her GI Bill benefits and will stay long enough to get 100% of the benefit. That is well worth it. If she decides to go to a full-time Master’s program, she should look for DOD-designated Yellow Ribbon schools who offer in-state tuition and scholarships to help make up any gaps in what she needs. Almost all universities have a dedicated Military/Veterans Affairs group that helps with applying benefits and other support, plus a chapter of Student Veterans of America.
A personal favorite recommendation of mine:
https://ivmf.syracuse.edu/
If she is interested in Federal service, which is nicely portable for military spouses and for which she gets veterans’ preference, most military bases offer Fed resume boot camps.
She will be a valuable commodity in the job market. If she leaves while she still, in her heart, loves her Service, she will continue to be an advocate for it and her SA and a good influence on those she might meet. Could be a BGO one day!
