I am so jealous, my Soldier/Daughter just got stationed in Germany
 

My dear daughter, who graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Theater and then spent two years in NYC waiting tables and hoping for a break, finally gave up last year and decided to join the Army. She did this for several reasons, but one was for the faint hope that she would get to travel to somewhere other than the Middle East. Instead of going with Broadcasting, because she scored so high in the entrance exam, she got her pick of assignments. So she went with Military Intelligence (WHATT?)

Her dream was to be permanently stationed in Europe, yeah good luck. Well, she did fantastic in basic training and is essentially the top of her MI school. Yesterday she got her orders - 3 years stationed in Germany. Yes, she can still end up going to Iraq or Afghanistan, but due to her job she is put in the most secure location on the post, if deployed.

So now I'm trying to figure out how to arrange it where she actually adopts my wife and I as her "children". See, if I can pull that one off then the Army will actually pay for us to move to Germany and provide us housing. Then we can spend the next 3 years just enjoying ourselves. I just don't think they are going to go for the concept.

:-)

dave

Let me know if she comes down to Garmisch on a visit, and I'll say howdy.

s

That's wonderful! Let us have her address and we can look her up and perhaps get adopted as well! :)

There is a wonderful military resort in Germany. Go visit!
http://www.edelweisslodgeandresort.com/highlights.html

FYI - The resort usually does a hiring tour in the US early winter. Mostly low level jobs and requires a commitment of 13 months. They provide housing at the resort.

Thanks Swandav and adrienne. She'll be at Weisbaden, but not sure which actual post. She reports sometime between the first of November to early December - Yeah just in time for the Christmas Markets! I already told her to plan on us being there next year, as we plan on doing a month in Germany in December 2012, doing the markets from Munich to the northwest.

She loves Europe and has traveled there often, mostly on her own, and this gives her a ton of time to really experience it.

dave

Ky, yeah we actually looked at the Edelwess before she even joined. What a place huh?

dave

I am pleased for her. You must be very proud of her accomplishments.

Logos, I haven't a clue what you mean by your post, who will retreat and from where?

They come through my area every winter recruiting employees for Edelweiss. If you click around on the link, it shows the military resort in Hawaii too.

daveesl - I guess congrats to your daughter AND you. What a great excuse to go to Germany for a month or two. Wish her well!

Logos, having been an ex-pat living in Germany for a few years, I understand your feelings. At this juncture the American military presence in Germany has a very different mission than it did several years back. In fact there are significanly fewer soldiers as well. At this juncture it feels like it is more of a staging role to support wars in the Mid-East (which I do not support)....So, all said, look at the up side, US soldiers equal money for the German economy.

dave - good for her, be proud and enjoy every minute with her!!!!

Oh, and one more thing, before you come up with some stupid comment about how we must not be educated enough to get a real job. Read the part on her graduation level, 1st in her class. Going for her Masters while in the Army and then planning on her PhD after she gets out. I have multiple graduate degrees. My father, brother and both sisters all have/had degrees, including MD and PhD.

I sold my software company at the age of 45 and essentially retired. Now I do things because I enjoy them.

dave

Dave, if your daughter is interested in theater in Wiesbaden my friend who lives there is involved in an English langauge theater group. It's sponsored somehow by the US military R&R services although there are others involved who are not military at all. I know they have a lot of fun. If she would like to be in touch I could get the information for her. Email me at lpetersen the number 3 at sbcglobal DOT net.

Thank you Laurie Ann. Yes, she is definitely interested in continuing. I had sent her the link that I found on the Weisbaden site, but I'll also have her get in touch with you.

She looks at the Army as a means to an end. She went to college under a full scholarship due to her high school grades. She knew that acting is almost impossible, but she has loved it since she was a little girl. She spent 2 years waiting tables in NYC and auditioning. She then decided to join the Army for several reasons.

First, she wanted to do something different, totally different and what she training to do now is about as far away from acting as possible. But she figures it will do nothing more than expand her horizons and experiences.

Second, she intends on earning her MA or possibly MFA while in the Army. This allows her to do this at no cost.

A biggie was that she wanted to be able to spend a SUBSTANTIAL amount of time overseas, primarily Europe. The Army and her job were perfect for that. So she'll be there for at least 3 years. Think about it, she gets to live in Germany for free and has a pretty good income and gets to travel all over. Before she ever joined, she had already decided she was going to do two enlistments, of between 5-7 years. This was to give her enough time to earn her first graduate degree without stressing on it. At the same time, she gets the GI Education Bill, which then allows her to earn her PhD when she gets out, once again, for free.

That means she'll be out sometime in her late 20s or early 30s. With either an MFA or PhD in Theater, she has the ability to try to land acting roles, but more important, she can be a professor at the university level.

And with the job she is doing, which I cannot discuss, she can actually earn a nice 6 figure salary working for any number of government or private companies. I personally think it is a brilliant choice.

Is there the possibility/probability she will have to go to either Iraq or Afghanistan? Yes, but her main station is Germany and with her job she would be in the most protected area of a post. And she isn't concerned. As she said, working in NYC during "Gang Initiation Week" is way more dangerous than anything in the Middle East.

dave

Dave: Congrats to the kid. She sounds like a smart one who just needed the right springboard. Wish I could coax my recent college grad onto that particular board as well. It's hard to understand opposition to US military presence there. Our folks there have always been a shot in the arm to the German economy and for decades, at great expense, helped keep the Iron Curtain off their backs. And considering the fact that there are 100,000 US troops buried in Europe principally because of Germany's past, and the fact that this contribution helped make Germany what it is today, I think a limited semi-permanent presence there isn't unreasonable.

Hope it works for her - and that you get in a visit or two.

Logos, if you are implying this young woman will " lose her dignity" by pursuing a military career, well, you don't deserve a response.

Dave, Don't dignify his or her idiotic posts with further justifying your daughter's decision. I am no flag waver but I am proud of the young people who serve. Your daughter has a wonderful future ahead of her and will be an asset to the country.

Without going into the argument, it is sensible to remember that the presence of the US forces in Germany isn't universally welcomed by local population, and logos999's view is by no means unique. While the commercial benefit of having bases is appreciated by those who profit from it, there is a strong and vocal pacifist movement in Germany that is critical of continuing deployment of US forces on German soil.
While I wish daveesl's daughter all the very best for her coming assignment, I'm sure she will be reminded of the need to show sensitivity to local opinions as part of her induction processes.

Alec,

I understand that, but it is no excuse for his/her remarks directed at this young woman.

If he/she wants to discuss concerns or issues about US bases in Germany, and I am sure they exist, then let's discuss them intelligently, not take random pot shots and make snide remarks comparing serving in the forces to losing one's dignity.

Alec, I totally agree with what you say. Regardless of where American military presence is located, one of the primary goals should be to work WITH the local community. Not just supply jobs, but to actually become community members. Sadly, in many cases, this just doesn't happen.

In my daughter's case, I'm sure it will. The reason she hoped for such an extended stay in Europe is not to be a "tourist", but to actually learn about the variety of cultures and ideas/ideals. She, like her dad, is a big history and culture buff and where else can you understand the foundations of the USA more than experiencing the countries from where the majority of its citizens came.

Americans, especially young ones, do not have the luxury of being able to spend several years in Europe to gain this knowledge, except with the military. EU laws simply do not allow it. Sure apply for a student visa, but the cost of university attendance would be astronomical.

All militaries have their "gung-ho" people, but there are also a substantial number in their group that are not like that. During Vietnam, I had no problem being stationed aboard a missile sub - believing that our presence would actually stop a nuclear war (seems to have worked), while at the same time I marched in protest of the war in Vietnam.

So hopefully, since we are involved in such major budget cuts and the military is becoming more selective, we will have more highly educated soldiers and sailors, who will look at things in a different light. She wants to become part of the community, not some arrogant jerk.

dave

Dave:
Please have your daughter contact me when she has settled and has enough time to plan a trip to Dubrovnik. This young lady is a person I would be proud to know and give her the experience of seeing Dubrovnik from the perspective of a Croatian/American expat. She would be a very welcome guest here and we would make sure she becomes part of the local community. She can contact me via dubrovniktravelady at gmail dot com.