Talking Through It

JT was reading some forums yesterday trying to get some answers on programs he's looking at when I saw multiple posts by different people saying the exact same thing.
"The hardest part about being in the military is if you're the spouse/family."
I'm beginning to really understand that now.

I've accepted the fact that JT's joining whether I like it or not. But it's the thought of us being separated for about two years right off the bat that throws me off. From what I've been told, if he takes any leave while in his schools he's kind of in an IOU system at that point since you don't get leave until you're based. While I'll have spring break and summer to go see him there's awful long gaps between seeing him. I know he'll change but what if he changes for the worst, instead of the better? What if I don't recognize my own husband anymore? How can I spend the first two years of our marriage not really married and with him...if that makes any sense...

As of right now JT is thinking about taking the November 4th boot camp date. If he has any time between boot camp and A-school (it differs for everyone) he might be able to help me move up to school. He'll miss Thanksgiving and Christmas but he wants to be there to go to Seattle with me (IF I GET IN!!! Must not jinx it!). He said he'll have more information on whether he'll leave November or not tonight, after talking to his recruiter (who I will call Josh, though JT calls him Josh AND Petty Officer Birkshire which confuses the crud outta me).

Last time JT went to MEPS (he's going back up tonight to finish his physical tomorrow since they messed up his ear and need to fix it) he talked to Josh about a ton of different things Nukes do I guess because he came home looking up all these different things.

First there's NuPOC which is the Nuclear Propulsion Officer Candidate Program. I'm skipping over a ton of stuff (JT will probably go into it more later because he's talking to Josh about all of this tonight) but basically NuPOC is a bachelor degree completion program. From what I understand he would go to A-school and Nuke school (I THINK) and would then go to college to finish his degree. They only have so many openings for this program and you HAVE to maintain a 3.75 GPA. If you don't, whether you graduate or not, you get kicked out of the Nukes program and get stuck in general Navy stuff. Not good.

Than there's Stay-21. It's a different bachelor degree completion program. Except in this one I believe it's before Power school and you have 3 years to finish your degree. You also don't have a GPA minimum to maintain.

With both of these (again, I THINK) there's a possibility of his contract being extended since he'll be an officer after finishing his degree. No degree = enlisted. Bachelor's degree or more = officer. Since most people who get recommissioned (which means they have a new contract) were on a 4 year contract they generally have to add 2 more years. But since JT is a Nuke his contract is already 6 years, so we don't know yet if he'd get his contract extended or not.

He's gonna figure out more while he's up there tonight and hopefully we'll know more about his decision on when to leave for boot camp and what all we're doing. But right now we're still in upheavel with no clue where to go next.