I've had quite a few people message me and ask me if we know what our next move will be after Kansas. As of right now we have no idea. As most who are affiliated with the military know nothing is ever truly set in stone.
I thought I would break down exactly how this process works with the school that Kyle is attending.
From now until June, Kyle is attending what is called the United State Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC). It is comprised of four different schools and Kyle is in the Command and General Staff Officer College (CGSOC). It is a 10 month long school that is designed to prepare the next group of field grade officers for pivotal leadership roles in their career. This is the ideal next step for a Captain who has been selected for promotion to Major. While Fort Leavenworth is the resident location there are also satellite locations as well.
In the early stages of this school soldiers have the opportunity to apply for what is called the School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS). This school is for those who want to be highly specialized strategic planners within the military. There are only 120 spots available. Why do I mention this? Because this school is exactly why we have no idea what our possible next step could be. Kyle is in the process of applying, and if he is selected we will stay in Kansas for another year meaning a Summer 2019 departure.
Kyle has until September 6th to submit all of his documentation (which everything is submitted except for one document from his small group leader) and then he will go through an interview process. We won't find out if he has been selected until December 13th. Until then he will continue to receive emails from perspective units that might be a fit for him. He will also have the chance to meet with a variety of units that will come here for interviews as well as continue to talk to his branch manager.
We, of course, have our list of places that we would like to go and then there are those places that aren't ideal but would be good for him. At the end of the day I'll go anywhere as long as it's good for his career. I'm adaptable.
Here are our top choices:
1. Fort Bragg, NC.
Who wouldn't want to go back to the center of the Army universe?! ;) We spent the first 4 years of Kyle's career here and we absolutely loved it. I will be honest and say that we didn't make the most of our time here and we would do it differently if we are ever given the chance to go back. Kyle thrives on being in an Airborne unit (I will never understand someone who loves jumping out of a perfectly good plane haha) and he wants to get back into that type of unit.
2. Fort Lewis, WA.
Kyle did a lot of his ROTC training in College at Lewis (he attended Washington State University, Go Cougs!) and he loves the area. Beyond that he has a desire to work with the Corp that is there and it could greatly benefit his career. Plus, I have never been to this part of the country and it would be an awesome adventure.
3. Fort Hood, TX.
This is one of the posts that is not ideal for us but we would make the most of it. The reason it is even remotely on the list is because it's a BIG post and job opportunities for Kyle are abundant. Would I mind moving back to Texas? No, but it wouldn't be my first choice.
Of course, at the end of the day where we go is dependent on the needs of the Army and a wish list is just that. A wish haha.
There is never a dull moment when it comes to this life!
