National Guard Responsibilities

Hey,

My hubby is in the Guard. That's how they roll. Complaining about how they work is heavily frowned on. But they should also have a financial advisor to talk to. Can you put the expenses on a credit card and then when you get paid back, pay your credit card bill?

Also, if your husband doesn't have a civilian job, has he checked out working for the Guard? Those jobs are easier to get right now than civilian because of the economy. My husband works full time for the Guard. It is much nicer because after drill weekend, he gets Mondays off, and whenever he has to go away to classes and stuff, it is no problem.

Also, one weekend a month plus two weeks a year is such a joke! Hahahahahahaha! No one but Guard families understand that there is a ton more time that goes into. And the higher up in rank he gets, the more classes and training he will have to go to. My hubby had to leave for 7 months last year.

Try not to complain to your hubby. The guard is really stressful and he needs your support! Hoo-ah!

My dad was in the Nat'l Guard in Tucson, AZ for 25 yrs and I remember not only the drill weekends, but also the training classes he was required to go to (sometimes out of state) with very short notice. I recall a time when he was sent to a training course in Texas for a MONTH and they only gave him 2 days of notice! I emailed my mom after reading your post and she said that they did have to foot the bill and then wait to be reimbursed. She mentioned that depending on where my dad was sent, that he could often get lodging on the base which was much less costly so you may look into that. If he can't stay on base, a lot of motels/hotels offer a 10-15% discount for military.

Have you tried your local church? Many of them have programs to help out in the short term. Can you borrow from your bank?

No National Guard experience here. But that is pretty much how all business type travel is done, so I'm not surprised at all that he needs to pay, then get reimbursed.
Just wanted to let you know that you are wrong about credit. The reason you have only been able to obtain a secured credit card is most likely because of past credit issues (either with you or hubby). The idea of "credit" is largely an American myth. If you have decent credit you can get an unsecured credit card pretty easily! You can also get a mortgage with absolutely NO credit history other than rent paid on time or early for a period of time. You might want to check your credit report to see what exactly is stopping you from getting credit.

Paying up front and being re-imbursed after the receipts and travel vouchers are filed is pretty standard in the Service and in Civilian life. I used to travel all the time for business with three different companies, all operated the way you describe.

I'd suggest getting a credit card used only for the travel expenses. You can delay payment for 30 days...or AMEX which you can delay even longer. It's usually enough time to travel, file for reimbursement and receive the check.

GL!

Take it from first hand experience... the only way to deal with the UCMJ is through a military lawyer... as in "Hello Jag-corps."

Be prepared however, for the consequences of doing so. The military has about 1000 ways of making life truly miserable, from someone who ended up stuck in one of "those" commands... the only way to effectively deal with a bad command is to get orders OUT of it. Of course, that too, has consequences in your next command... but they are usually worth it. This is assuming it's a "bad" command... and not just a time commitment thing.

I avoid military news by and large... but the few NGs I know are still out in the big sand trap. Have been for quite some time.