Single Moms in the Military

I'll be turning 18 next August and I'm pregnant rightfor six weeks.
now. I was thinking of joining the Air Force sometimeToday's IT personnel are the modern incarnation of
next year so I can have some sort of stable careeryesterday's administrative personnel. There are those
to care for my child. I was thinking about joining in awho specialize in computers and network
career of information systems. Do you have anymanagement, but the majority is your clerk/typists
advice?that fill the much needed administrative support role
Answer. You will need to check with a recruiter toin every squadron. There are approximately 10,000 in
make sure you meet all the requirements forthe Air Force, of which half are regularly
enlistment, as you have many more hoops to jumpnon-deployable due to a variety of medical problems
through before you are accepted.or other constraints. This means that, when a
Because you would be deployable at any time, youdeployment requirement comes up, half the people
have to keep on file with the base personnel office,have to do twice the work. Yes, you will be
three different dependant care plans: Immediate,deployed, and I guarantee it will be within months of
short term and permanent.getting fully qualified in your job. That means that
The immediate plan is for when the phone rings andyou won't have that much time getting settled into
they need you to come to work immediately. Youyour first permanent duty station with your child
need to have someone available 24-hours a day, tobefore you have to hand him/her over to your
be able to take care of your child for short periodsshort-term sitter and go off on deployment.
of time, up to a day, for the times you need to fill inEvery career field deploys these days. Some more
for someone else who was unable to work.than others, but everyone gets their time in the
The short term plan is for when that same phone"desert". Granted, of all the armed forces, the Air
rings; although this time you are being deployed forForce deploys less to the "hot" spots. The Army and
an extended period of time, anywhere from a weekMarines spend the most time in Iraq, while the USAF
to three months. You need to have someonedeploys more to support locations, such as Kuwait,
available and willing to take on that responsibility.Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
The final plan is the permanent plan: If the unthinkableYou need to look at your finances and see if the pay
happens, and you are killed in the line of duty, youscale will meet your needs. As an E-1, Airman Basic,
need someone willing to adopt your child. This iswith less than four months in service, you will be
usually a blood relative, mother, sister/brother, andearning $1,178 a month (current pay, due to go up
aunt/uncle. Again, this has to be someone willing toroughly 3% next year). After four months that pay
take on this lifetime responsibility.goes up to $1,274 a month. An E-2, Airman, earns
I know these aren't things happy to think about, but$1,427 a month. An E-3, Airman First Class, earns
they are required by military regulations, and you will$1,595 after two years of service.
be required to revalidate these plans annually. MostRealize the Air Force will provide housing (or the
people choose friends and/or neighbors for thefunds to acquire housing), so that will offset your
immediate and short term plans, and relatives for themonthly costs. Probably the single biggest "bonus" is
permanent plan.that all medical needs for you and your child will be
During the period of Basic Training and your techprovided for while you are on active duty. If you
schools, your child will need to stay with relatives.stay in and retire, the current plan provides medical
Your time and efforts will be devoted to learninginsurance for you and all your dependents for only
your basic military and technical skills, and you will not$460 a year.
be provided with any time to yourself for child care.There are many other things to consider.
In Basic, you will be under supervision 24-hours a day