Mil to Mil spouses , Colocation

by Jilltayhart

Oct 18, 2014

So my husband is active duty stationed here in Hawaii and we love it. However, before he enlisted I was going to enlist in the military. Currently my husband is deployed, but supports my endeavors to still enlist in the military, specifically the Navy because that is the branch he is in (obviously).  I have talked to a recruiter here in Hawaii, but I scored pretty well on the high spectrum for the ASVAB so I feel like he wants me to "rush" into the navy process. My question, however, is there anyone out there who was married to an active duty sailor before enlisting in the Navy for themselves? If so, did that help at all with the Mil to Mil colocation process due to having your file for the navy say "married to active duty" before even reaching BMT?

Any advice would help.

Respectfully,

Jillian

  • Anti M

    If you read the co-location regulation, you will see there is no guarantee for the first tour out of A school.  Once at your first command, you can request yo co-locate after a year, but if the billet cannot be filled or gapped, you're stuck.   So best case is you DO get co-location out of school, worst case, you're apart for up to four years (assuming a long A school and a three year tour).  

    Then they have to match PRDs, sea/shore.  It gets complicated.

    However, the Navy is better about co-lo than they used to be.  When my husband and I  married, we were already both ET1, and did the same job.  Near impossible to get orders together.  I saw him a grand total of 28 days the first two years we were married.  He finally got orders near me, and I was up for re-enlistment.  I could only be guaranteed another year in that location, then be sent back to the West Coast.  There simply were no billets open.  As a junior enlisted, there would be more duty station options.   I cut my career short at nine years.

    There are others on this board who are/were dual military who successfully had full careers.  Still it isn't easy!  

    The trick is to not be in the exact same rating we your spouse, bit also not in one so different you'd never be on the same base.  Subs and aviation do not mix, for example.  Shoot for something versatile, ETs are everywhere, for example.  Any of the service ratings, although with a high ASVAB, maybe not a good fit got you.  Be sure to look at stuff such as the sea/shore rotation of the ratings which interest you, be sure they align with your spouse's rating.

    Good luck.

    Oct 18, 2014