VTIP no go

In early August, I requested that my branch manager include me in the 16-01 assignment list, thinking that -- if I didn't like my assignment -- I could always VTIP into FAO sooner rather than later.

That calculation didn't work -- according to the VTIP announcement that came out on the 20th, 2009 year group officers may not VTIP into the Foreign Area Officer branch in this round.

So now I have a difficult decision to make. Do I accept whatever the 16-01 assignment cycle gives me, or do I go back to my branch manager -- hat in hand -- and try to extend in Korea until the next round comes up?

If I get my first choice -- Camp Zama, Japan -- I'll get a chance to spend up to three years in Japan, which is where I would want to be as an FAO anyway. The only difference is that it would be as a logistics officer, and it would delay my ability to transfer by about two years.

If I get my third choice -- Rock Island Arsenal -- I'd get a chance to return to (roughly) the general area where I went to elementary school. I'd be able to re-acclimate to life in the continental U.S. (Sunday football!), be closer to my family, and learn about the wider world of logistics. Yet I would still have to wait about a year before I could transfer.

By extending, I would stay in Korea until about summer (and the kids would stay in the same school), but my branch manager might not like that. They did me a favor my moving me to the 16-01 cycle, and may not be happy about me trying to get out of the deal. Personally, I'm not excited about extending either, since it would most likely mean sitting on staff somewhere, just killing time.

In addition, this past week's event along the DMZ have made my wife very nervous about staying in Korea. The thought that she might have to evacuate with the kids while I stay behind greatly unnerved her. Not that she's all that excited about going to Japan since the 2011 Fukushima disaster, but the residual radiation seems to be a lower risk right now.

So it's a difficult choice. I'll have to wait until Monday to contact my branch manager and ask what he thinks.