Lifestyle

You keep talking about this on other pages...What is a Power of Attorney?

A Power of Attorney is a "legal instrument that is used to delegate legal authority to another".
Your Marine can get them done up at the JAG office. You should always keep a current,
notarized Power of Attorney on hand. In most situations, having the POA means that in effect,
you ARE him. You can do whatever needs to be done, in his name.

There are two kinds of POA's that will matter to you. One is the General POA, which means that
you can use it for anything. The other is a Special POA, which can only be used for the purpose
written on it. (IE, if you are going to buy a vehicle while he's gone, he can do a Special POA that
states you can use it for vehicle purchase, and related activities like thenecessarycredit check.)

Do we get to choose where we're stationed?

In short, NO. His MOS Monitor will determine where your Marine is stationed. The Monitor is
responsible for making sure that all the slots for that particular MOS are filled. You can find out
who his monitor isHEREbut I wouldn’t suggest contacting them. That's for your Marine to
handle. You may want to keep an eye on the HOTFILLS. If his MOS is urgently needed
somewhere, he can inquire with his Monitor if it is a position he could fill.

Can he get a non-deployable position?

What is a B Billet?

There are 3 different B billets (job slots). They are special duty jobs, and odds are your Marine
will have to do one at some point if he plans on making the Corps his career. You cannot do two
B billets back to back. The 3 positions are Instructor (does not include I&I), Recruiter, or MSG
duty.

So if I&I duty isn’t considered instructor duty, what is it?

I is Inspector/ Instructor duty for the Marine Corps Reserve. Know anybody in the Marine Corps
Reserve? They go to "drill" once a month, right? Well, the place they go to is called the I&I.
Sometimes it's attached to a "real" base, but more often not. There are I&I's all over the country,
several in each state, so it can be easier to get closer to "home".

The staff at I&I consists of active duty Marines on I&I duty, or Active (full-time) Reserve Marines.
The I&I staff generally work 40 hours a week, plus drill weekends and their 2 week annual
training. They deploy with their reservists, or occasionally get ‘borrowed’ by another unit.

I&I duty has some advantages. You may have the opportunity to be stationed closer to your
families than if you were on a Marine Corps base. You may wind up in a small town, a big city, or
on a non-Marine base. Being away from a base has its advantages. If you want to work there's
not that famous competition from all the other base spouses. Also, if you're more than 50 miles
from a base hospital, you go on Tricare Prime Remote and go to civilian docs. You'll live out in
town and receive BAH. You'll shop on the local economy. Therefore where you are stationed and
the cost of living there will make or break your finances.

The downsides of I&I are the cost of living in some areas, and a feeling of isolation. An I&I can
consist of as few as 8 full-timers... that doesn't make for a lot of support. There's also nothing in
the way of the normal base support services. No mom's groups, MWR, etc. You really have to
get involved with the community to do the kind of stuff you're accustomed to having around on
base.

As with everything else, your monitor will assign you based on rank and MOS... wherever there's
a slot open that fits your Marine. You can request I&I or have it thrust upon you. Or your Marine
may finish his career never coming near I&I duty.

Additional duties for Marines on I&I include Toys for Tots, funeral details, casualty notification,
and Young Marines.

This is the duty I know most about, as my husband has had two I&I rotations. I love it, but it's not
for everyone.

Getting back to the topic of B Billets…What about Recruiting?

Recruiters work tons of hours, and it tends to be pretty stressful on the marriage. However,
recruiting duty may allow you to be stationed closer to home or out in town. It has most of the
advantages of I&I duty, plus no deployments, but all of the disadvantages of I&I too.

What about the B Billet of Drill Instructor Duty?

Drill Instructor school is 3 months long. The course is both physically and academically
challenging. Families are not permitted to move with the service member until the school has
been completed. Upon completion of school, the service member is authorized 30 days of leave
to take of family/moving/checking out of prior unit.

DI Duty hours are an average of 18-20 hours a day, 7 days a week for 3 months. After a
completed cycle (3 months), the DI may have 1-2 weeks off. This is a 3 year duty. During that 3
years the DI may be sent on quota. This is a billet within a billet ie., swim instructor, martial arts
instructor, or Special Training Platoon DI. Quota is anywhere from 3 months to 1 year.

DI's receive Special Duty Pay. The rate for DI is paid at a Category V ($375) per month. However,
the duty is very expensive. Uniform maintenance is one of the most expensive things while on
the duty. There are lots of items that need to be purchased for throughout a cycle. Although you
will receive Special Duty Pay, in reality it is not saveable income.

Special thanks to Shae for this section.

What is the B Billet MSG duty?

MSG is Embassy guard duty. Here are the qualifiers for MSG… your Marine will need to talk to
his Monitor for more information. This information was emailed to me, but I'm pretty sure it
came from an official USMC site. If you know where it came from, please email me so I can
credit the information appropriately.

MOS monitors usually prefer Marines to be on station for at least one year prior to going to MSG
duty.

Aside from the MSG Battalion and your MOS monitor, nobody can deny your request for orders to
MSG Battallion (Bn).

There is no minimum rank requirement for MSG School. Marines who complete MSG School
and still hold the rank of PFC will be automatically meritoriously promoted to the rank of Lcpl.
MSG Bn no longer accepts Marines above the rank of GySgt.

Marines holding the rank of Sgt or below must be single with no dependants. However, those
Marines who have children but are not the primary care takers are not immediately disqualified
(i.e. paying child support or alimony is not an immediate disqualifier). SSgt's and GySgt's may
have up to four dependants to include spouses.

A final SECRET clearance or open NACLC is required.

Drug waivers do not disqualify Marines for MSG duty.

All MSG students will have their personal and financial backgrounds thoroughly screened to
ensure each student is fiscally responsible and mature.

Tattoos that are racist, sexist or vulgar in any way will not be accepted.
In order to be eligible for a pre-screening interview, you must have no NJP's within the past year.

The minimum requirement for the MSG program is 90. However, Marines with scores lower
than 90 are, in most cases, eligible for a waiver. Furthermore, Marines may re-take the ASVAB in
order to achieve a higher score.

In order to obtain a TOP SECRET clearance, one must be a U.S. citizen. Marines may be
screened for MSG duty as soon as they become a U.S. citizen, no sooner.

All spouses must be US citizens, but dual citizenship is allowed.

As long as Marines fall within USMC height/weight standards, they are eligible for MSG duty.

MSGs will now complete three posts, each twelve months in length. Detachment Commanders
will continue serving two posts, each eighteen months in length.

Will it be hard for me to find a job?

It depends on where you are stationed. Locations like Jacksonville, NC (Camp LeJeune) are
notorious for having few employment opportunities. You may want to consider registering with
temporary services, working on base, or taking the time to further your education. Due to the
circumstances, there are a lot of stay-at-home wives in the military, so you'll have plenty of
company if that is the path you choose.

Keep in mind that your next duty station may have less job opportunities than where you are
now. So maybe you don't want to commit to that new car payment, and should think about a
used vehicle instead. Be cautious with your financial commitments, and mindful of the ever-
changing lifestyle you're a part of now.

In short, no. While Congress has approved transferability of GI Bill benefits for "selected
MOS's". HOWEVER, they have not yet specified what those MOS's are. So while this benefit
exists in theory, it has yet to make it into the realm of practical use-ability. Check HEREfor
updates.

I don't understand him when he talks! What do all these abbreviations and weird words
mean, anyway?

There is a good "glossary" HERE. Some things are a little off, so our own glossary is under
construction.

I don't understand what he's talking about with the different Units, Battalions, Wings,
Regiments, etc. Where can I learn about what's under what?

There's a good resource HEREthat breaks it down.

I keep hearing things about KV's, Key Wives, KVC's, etc. What the heck is it, and why should
I care?

Key Volunteer is mandated by Marine Corps Order. All KVC's and KV's attend training for their
positions. The system works something like this:

The boss of your Marine's group has news that should be delivered to the families. He calls the
KVC (Key Volunteer Coordinator).

She, in turn, calls the KV's and passes the message on. Each KV is responsible for a list of
families to contact. This keeps the actual Marines from having to take the time/manpower to do
it, and keeps the families from worrying (hopefully) if there's no communication available with
their Marine.

In many commands, families who have questions or concerns can go to their KV for guidance.
Some commands have KV's that plan social events. It really varies by where you are. Some
places are extremely effective, and a great source of support. Some are panic (and gossip)
inducing.

Having realistic expectations about your KV network is critical. By realistic, I mean realizing that
these women have their own families, lives, and usually jobs, and their function is not to provide
the other unit wives with a social life.

Look HEREfor more info. On the left is a menu bar where you can choose LINKS... But there's
a ton more info on that site that will be useful, so take some time to explore it.

I keep hearing about payroll nightmares, what's the scoop?

Here's our "down and dirty" pay manual, completely unofficial and authored out of hard-won
experience. (Thanks Leah!!)

Your Pay and how to get it!!!!

Here is how pay works with in the Marine Corps. You get paid on the 1st and the 15th of every month. You take your total base pay plus any entitlements add all together subtract taxed and allotments, divide in two and you have your pay for each payday. Easy enough right? Well the Marine Corps isnt that simple.

Your orders will generally begin on the 1st of the month. They will try to get you a paycheck on the 15th but dont count on that. What happens is roughly 5 days prior to payday the cycle is run for pay. (Editor's note: this is referred to as "running the unit diary". Any corrections or additions to pay must be made before they run the diary for that pay cycle, otherwise it won't hit till the following pay cycle.)

If all of your info is not in the system including your direct deposit you will not receive a paycheck on the 15th. What you need to do at this point is contact your admin section and request that a QUAD be run. This will override the system and get your info in right away. They can direct deposit the Quad or they can cut a hard copy check. You should receive this within two to three days of the QUAD being run.

There is zero reason for you to have to wait for one month or more for your pay to begin. Every Admin section is aware of their ability to do this but will not unless you request it. At this point all of your info is now in the system for DFAS and pay from this point should work as normal. This will show on your LES as a special payment. You may be missing some entitlements out of the initial pay so be sure to request from the admin section a break down of his pay, so you know exactly what you got paid for. It is better to make them aware of any missing entitlements right away so you dont have to try to fight to get them later. (Editor's note: You might think it is the unit's responsibility to make sure you get paid, correctly, and on time. But it's YOUR responsibility to monitor it, and keep knocking on doors until you get results.)

For those of you that are not full time AD (active duty), but are being recalled from IRR (inactive ready reserve), are reservists on TDY, TAD, ADSW, (forms of temporary duty) or for Presidential Recall to AD when your orders expire this is info you need to know. Your orders will more than likely end on the 30th or 31st of the month. This may differ and we will get to that in a moment. If your orders end on the last day of the month you will not receive a paycheck on the 1st. It will take roughly 4 6 weeks before you will get your final pay called a settlement check. This check will include your last days of pay, any entitlements for that time period as well as any per diem earned, mileage, or leave that you have sold back. If your orders end between the 1st and the 14th of the month you will not receive a paycheck on the 15th however you will receive a paycheck on the 1st. Again your settlement check will come in roughly 4-6 weeks and will include all of the things listed above according to what you rate.

Your LES for the next month is available on or after the 21st of every month. Be sure that you check this to insure that your tax withholding information is correct. Whatever you have listed on your W-4 is in fact what is being taken out. This is easily overlooked and once tax is taken out you are pretty much out of luck until you file your taxes. You can request that your Admin section run a liquidation of assets however not many will do this because it can tend to cause problems for you when you file your taxes at the end of the year.

For those of you who pay child support: The Marine Corps will pull out ½ of your support on the 15th and half on the 1st. They pay out child support once a month on the 1st.

Example: John is ordered to pay $ 200.00 per week in child support. The Marine Corps takes 200 x 52 / 12 / 2 = 433.33 per paycheck John began active duty orders on June 1st so on June 15th 433.33 came out of his pay and again on July 1st 433.33 will come out. On July 1st the Marine Corps will pay out 866.66 for child support due in the month of June.

IF CHILD SUPPORT DOES NOT COME OUT AND THERE IS A WITHHOLDING ORDER, CHECK WITH YOUR ADMIN SECTION RIGHT AWAY! You may end up with the Marine Corps coming back at the next pay period and pulling the missed payment out of your next check. It is imperative that you check with your admin so you dont over pay or under pay your support obligation.

I keep hearing "Selected Reserve", "Ready Reserve", "Active Reserve"... What is the
difference?

Directly transcribed from the Marine Corps Reserve Handbook, here are some definitions that
might help to better understand!

1. Ready Reserve:The Ready Reserve consists of units and members of the Marine Corps
Reserve subject to recall for active duty in time of war or national emergency, or when otherwise
authorized by law. There are two subcategories in the Ready Reserve, the Selective Marine
Corps Reserve (SMCR) and the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR).

(a) Selected Marine Corps Reserve. The SMCR consists of three elements ---- SMCR units,
Individual Mobilization Augmentees (IMA) and the Active Reserve (AR).

(1) SMCR Units.SMCR units make up the 4th Marine Division (4th MAR DIV); 4th Force Service
Support Group (4th FSSG); the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing (4th MAW); I Marine Expeditionary Force
Augmentation Command Element (I MACE), Pacific; and II Marine Expeditionary Force
Augmentation Command Element (II MACE); Atlantic.

(2) Individual Mobilization Augmentees (IMA). An IMA Marine is a member of the SMCR, but is
not a member of an SMCR unit. The IMA program provides a source of trained and qualified
individuals to fill a time-sensitive portion of the Active component wartime structure. Most IMA
Marines are attached to active duty units in support of the nine operational Commander-in-
Chiefs (CINCS) and governmental agencies.

(3) Active Reserve (AR) The AR program consists of Reserve officers and enlisted Marines who
serve in designated, full-time active duty billets. The program, established in 1994, evolved from
the former Full Time Support (FTS) program and currently employs nearly 2, 400 Reserve
Marines. AR Marines support the organization, training, instruction, retention, and administration
of the Marine Corps Reserve. The AR program provides qualified Marines an opportunity to
serve on active duty and qualify for retirement benefits after 20 years of service, AR Marines are
assigned to major Marine Corps bases and stations, headquarters, and reserve unit locations.

(b) Individual Ready Reserve (IRR). Members of the IRR have opportunities for paid temporary
active duty and non-paid inactive duty. The IRR consists of Marine in the Ready Reserve not
affiliated with the SMCR who:
(1) have not completed their Mandatory Service Obligation (MSO); or
(2) have completed their MSO and are in the Ready Reserve by voluntary agreement; or
(3) have not completed their MSO (are mandatory participants), but are transferred to the IRR.

(c) IRR members may also serve at a Mobilization Training Unit (MTU).An MTU is an
administrative organization of enlisted (sergeant and above) and officer IRR members who
work on projects to support and enhance the combat readiness of the Marine Corps. MTU's
provide a means of increasing the mobilization readiness of IRR members. In practice, MTUs
meet, confer and carry out duties and projects for Operational Sponsors.

2. Standby Reserve. The Standby Reserve consists of Marines not in the Ready or Retired
Reserve who are subject to recall to active duty in time of war or a national emergency declared
by Congress.

Marines are assigned to the Standby Reserve for a variety of reasons. Those who hae
completed their initial (MSO) may request assignment in the Standby Reserve. Marines who are
key employees (e.g. members of Congress, federal judges, and heads of departments
confirmed by the Senate) are transferred to the Standby Reserve during the time of such
employment. Also, those Marines who are unable to maintain active participation in the Marine
Corps Reserve (i.e. attending school, new job, etc) experience a temporary physical disability, or
fail to obtain a physical examination as required, may be assigned to the Standby Reserve.

(a) Active Status List. In part, the ASL consists of Marines who have not completed their
statutory MSO. The ASL also includes those key employees who have sought to remain active
int he Marine Corps Reserve while employed in a key position. In addition, the ASL includes
marines who have fulfilled their statutory MSO and are temporarily assigned for hardship or
other reasons, Marines on ASL may also be members of an MTU.

Marines on the ASL are afforded opportunities to remain contributing members of the Marine
Corps Reserve. While in the ASL, Marines may not be assigned mobilization positions;
however, they can participate in training activities without pay. Marine on the ASL are eligible for
associate and appropriate duty orders. ASL members may earn retirement points by
participating in training activities while on associate or appropriate duty orders. Marines
assigned to the ASL will be considered for promotion to the grade of colonel and below.
Marines assigned to the ASL may be reassigned to the Ready Reserve after demonstrating the
reason for their assignment to the ASL no longer exists.

(b) Inactive Status List. The ISL consists of Marines who have completed their statutory MSO
and are not required by law or regulation to remain members of an active status program, or
Marines who are required to be transferred to the Standby Reserve (key employees, e.g.
Members of Congress and special agents of the FBI) and have not requested assignment to
the ASL. Members of the ISL are prohibited from participating in training, may not earn
retirement credit or receive pay and are not eligible for promotion.

Marines assigned to the ISL may be restored to an active status at any time they demonstrate
the reason for their ISL assignment no longer exists; however, a Marine restored to an active
status from the ISL will not be considered for promotion for one year after restoration. Each
member on the ISL, unless sooner removed, will be offered the following options upon
completion of a three-year assignment to the ISL:

(1) Return to an active status in the Ready Reserve, if physically and otherwise qualified.
(2) transfer to the Retired Reserve, if qualified; or
(3) retention on the ISL (in rare instances).

3. Retired Reserve

(a) Fleet Marine Corps Reserve (FMCR). The Fleet Marine Corps Reserve is composed of
enlisted personnel who have completed 20, but less than 30 years of active service and are
receiving retainer pay. After 30 years of service, members of the FMCR are transferred to a
retired list.

(b) Retired Reserve Awaiting Pay (Gray Area Retiree).This category consists of eligible
Reserve Marine who have completed at least the required 20 years of qualifying service, and
have requested transfer to the Retired Reserve with pay. Retirement pay begins upon
application by the member at age 60.

(c) Retired Reserve in Receipt of Retired Pay.This category consists of Reserve Marines with
at least 20 years of qualifying service who at age 60 applied for and are receiving retired pay.
Members are placed on the Retired List of the Marine Corps Reserve.

4. Active Duty Special Work (ADSW).The ADSW Program is designed to provide the Marine
Corps a means to utilize Reserve personnel, through short tours of active duty, to provide
necessary skilled manpower assets to support existing or emergent requirements. It provides
opportunities for Reserve Marines in the SMCR and IRR to support short-term requirements,
special projects, exercise support participation for both the Active and Reserve forces. ADSW
Marines are assigned to major Marine Corps bases and stations, headquarters, and reserve
unit locations as needs are identified by OpSponsors.