Questions for a possible future infantry officer wife

[Teeny]

Hello everyone,

I really appreciate anyone who can answer my questions.
He's an infantry lieutenant officer and he is almost done with training. It has been hard as he is gone most of the time. I really love him and I want this to work out but I need to be realistic too. So my questions for you would be...

1) How many months in a year he will be gone? I mean in total.
2) How often will he be sent on deployments and how long are they?
3) Can he relocate after getting his posting? He might either go to Petawawa or Oromocto and I'm just worried if I can find jobs there as a nurse.
Or maybe I should find a job and live in Ottawa. Not sure if military men are used to driving for an hour or two to be with their families (kinda makes sense)
4) He says he doesn't know what will happen after he gets posted and that no one will tell him anything so I have no idea how this will work out for both of us. Is he saying the truth? Are they actually secretive in the military like that?
5) He insists that I move in with him even though my school will be a two-hour drive from his base and I'm not sure how it is doable.

 

[kratz]

Separation is hard on family life. It's part of the bargain with a military family.

I'm not combat arms, but to answer your questions in general.

The length of time away (in the field) will depend on where his unit training cycle is, and your husband's personal training requirements.
Remember that as infantry, his job is "out there, in the field doing his job". Current deployments are minimal for combat arms, but that can change in a week or month...another uncertainty that is part of military family life.  Postings have slowed down in recent years, and depending on some factors your husband may be at one base for 5 years or more. Spousal employment, or lack of opportunities is an ongoing issue with families.

Generally, things in the CAF can change quickly. It does make planning long term more challenging. Roll with them as they arise, don't sweat the small stuff and make it work. It's a fun experience most other Canadians know about.

 

[Teeny]

Thank you!

I was wondering if you knew about the usual hours of work when the training is done. Because of training he has been working at irregular hours but I was wondering if once he is posted it will more like a 9-5 pm regular hours kind of work for the most part  :nod:

 

[mariomike]

I really appreciate anyone who can answer my questions.
He's an infantry lieutenant officer and he is almost done with training.

This may help answer some of your questions ( in case you have not read them already ),

Infantry Officer
https://www.google.com/search?rls=com.microsoft%3Aen-CA%3AIE-Address&rlz=1I7GGHP_en-GBCA592&ei=BSjBW7_oJo7X5gLj_7CAAg&q=site%3Aarmy.ca++%22infantry+officer%22+&oq=site%3Aarmy.ca++%22infantry+officer%22+&gs_l=psy-ab.12...11333.12175..14162...0.0..0.94.500.6......0....1..gws-wiz.......0i71.sX-pm81LU2U

Is Infantry still a good career choice for a family man?
https://army.ca/forums/threads/114466.0

 

[Fitzzie]

I'm an infantry officer currently in Pet, I'll try to answer your questions from my point of view and experience thus far:

1. Months gone depend on what the unit is doing at the time. If he's in Pet and the unit decides to go out West to do training, expect a minimum of a month or two. All depends on what is going on.
2. The current rotation is probably one tour while he is at battalion (wherever his next posting is). Again, this depends on where he goes and what they are doing.
3. Once he is posted, he will most likely have to spend a minimum of a year at that battalion until he is a Captain. Once he's a Captain, then he may get sent to another unit to work there. Typically this is 1-2 years at Bn before posting out.
4. He doesn't know what he's doing because, if he's currently on Phase 4, his staff does not know/aren't aware of what each and every battalion is doing. He'll find out more once he knows where he's going, which they tell him the last few weeks of his course.
5. This is extremely personal and you have to do what is best for both of you. I know people that live in the shacks and commute 4 hours on the weekend to see their loved ones and I know others that live together in Pet. All depends on what works for you.

If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me a dm.

Cheers,

 

[Ayrsayle]

Military careers (and day to day military) are different for each member, which is why it is really difficult to pin down exactly what to expect.  I think everyone has given a good summary of possibilities but to some extent you'll need to come to terms with the fact some of it is never really known.

I'm from a Western Infantry Regiment, so things might be a little different out east. Until he has completed his Phase 4 training, he's not going to know for certain where he is being posted to and because they are never sure who will finish, there is no point is letting everyone know early (and have to rearrange things as people are unsuccessful later on).  This current group going through training is one of the largest Infantry Officer groups (Typically they finish about 30-40 at the end of the year, this year has about 65-70..), which means they might be more flexible with posting preferences.

1) How many months in a year he will be gone? I mean in total.

As a brand new Platoon Commander (if he is lucky) or a Administration Officer (if he has to wait), He's likely going to be in the field (ie, away from home) for about 2-3 months of the year - especially if he is posted to a Battalion where their training area is not near the Base itself. Some years it is higher, others less.

2) How often will he be sent on deployments and how long are they?

Currently, it is more likely then not he'll have one (6-10 months, approx).  Things can change with this however.  There is also the possibility of him going away for another course, etc, but these are usually shorter in length.

3) Can he relocate after getting his posting? He might either go to Petawawa or Oromocto and I'm just worried if I can find jobs there as a nurse. Or maybe I should find a job and live in Ottawa. Not sure if military men are used to driving for an hour or two to be with their families (kinda makes sense)

My wife and I ran into the same question with our current posting - Some will end up having their "home" in whatever city their spouse can find work and go home on the weekends - other military spouses will take lesser work (or none at all) to be closer to each other - It is a very personal question/concern and each family comes to its own conclusion.  During the work week he needs to be close to the base and there will be other periods where he will be unable to come home for the weekends, etc.  My wife and I ended up working in different provinces for a number of months, due to a lack of work where we were posted.  This time around we are both working out of the same area.

4) He says he doesn't know what will happen after he gets posted and that no one will tell him anything so I have no idea how this will work out for both of us. Is he saying the truth? Are they actually secretive in the military like that?

While he is on training he'll have very little idea what is going on at each of the 9 possible Battalions he might get posted to (the instructors are usually in the same situation due to distance, etc), He'll find out where he is going usually sometime about a month out from his course completion, and will have most of the details about what his Battalion is doing once he arrives til the end of the summer, if not later.  From what I've seen, typical first postings for us are anywhere from 2-5 years - He'll be a Captain before he is posted away however, exactly where is anyone's guess and he'll be moved around to fill CAF needs.  We get a say in that we can propose where we'd like to go, but we ultimately have no final say in the matter.

5) He insists that I move in with him even though my school will be a two-hour drive from his base and I'm not sure how it is doable.

Very personal decision - a lot of things CAN work, but ultimately comes down to what both people want and are willing to accept for the relationship.