The Greenpages Process

A good friend of mine described the Greenpages process to me the best and she said it is kind of like facebook in a way. You make a list of where you want to go next, then you make a list based on which locations are available/open to you at the given time. Then the commanders of said locations review your profile/resume and if you are lucky, they pick you back. However, if you don't both pick each other does NOT necessarily mean that's where you will end up, but it doesn't hurt either.

We got "the list" of what is available this week and we meet with the branch rep. Oct. 3. We have been throwing around places that we would like to end up next since we got here in June. Obvs my list is location based (Italy, Germany, Colorado, Washingtion, Virginia) and his is job based (Texas, Washington, Virginia). It really doesn't matter where you want to go because the places that you want to go to may not be availble.

Informally, in passing conversations, we have been making verbal lists of what we want, don't want, locations of what we would be okay with, but aren't ideal, lists of pros, lists of cons. We have also built quite an Army network and we have been asking our friends for there input as well.

*Our #1 factor is the opportunity for Company Command. Chris doesn't want to sit on staff for more than a year.

*He has been throwing around going to a combact unit since he's done the construction bit already, but the more people he talks to that have been in a BCT, he has decided to stay construction.

*We would prefer not to be in the middle of nowhere, be close enough to family but not close enough that they can show up too often and travel/adventure opportunities.

We would be fine with Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Lewis, Washinton; Fort Richardson, Alaska; Fort  Bragg, NC; and Fort Drum, NY.

We do not want to stay here, but we really do not want to go to Korea, or Polk!

Our list to pick from is SUPER weak and the 27 spots need to be filled by the 27 guys not staying for the degree program. The options are:

1 spot in Little Rock, AR
1 spot in Fort Stewart, GA
3 spots in Fort Polk, LA
5 spots here in Fort Leonard Wood, MO
2 spots at Fort Bragg, NC
1 spot at Fort Drum, NY
1 spot at Fort Dix, NJ
3 spots at Fort Hood, TX
1 spot Fort Bliss, TX
2 spots at Fort Lewis, WA
3 spots at Fort Richardson, AK
4 spots in Korea
Allegedly, It sounds like we will be hearing where we are going by the end of October (I HOPE I HOPE I HOPE!!!!). Chris had his meeting to discuss his career aspirations with a counsel or, and then we got the above list to go over, research etc., then we picked our top 5, and our bottom 2 posts.

Our top picks are Fort Hood, TX and Fort Lewis, WA.

It is so exciting to be starting this process, this is the first time I have actually been a part of it. Chris hasn't done this process since he graduated college where his number one choice of branch was engineering and his number one location was Hawaii. The Army Gods must have liked him because he got BOTH of his number one picks, which is SUPER rare. I hope he is still on good terms with the Army Gods this go around =)

Though we are really pretty open to going most anywhere, we know we don't want to go to Korea. Chris said he would rather stay here or go to Polk before Korea because it isn't an engineering job and it would be a waste of his time. He also said if we got Korea, he would go solo, which would only be for a year vs me going we would have to be there for three years. Chris has a lot of things he wants to do post command, so Korea would really screw things up for him.

What is interesting is how you play the picking "game". There is a strategy to how you pick, but the problem is it really depends on how others pick, which you cannot really predict. For example, If we put Polk in our bottom 2, and someone else chose it as their number 1, then basically it was a waste of a "bottom 2" pick on our part. If we put Fort Hood, TX five times (which apparently you can not do), and there just aren't enough spots, then they will place you wherever because they don't know your #2 choice. It's a known fact that everyone and there mom picks Hawaii, Carson, and Lewis as their tops and the Army tries super hard NOT to send you back to wherever you have just been/already have been.
With that being said, here is how we played the game:
We made Fort Hood, TX our 1st and 3rd pick
We made Fort Lewis, WA our 2nd and 4th pick
We made Fort Bragg, NC our 5th pick

Our bottom picks are:
Folk Polk, LA and Korea
But truth be told, I wouldn't mind Hawaii again down the line, but I am excited for our next chapter and possibly buying our first house at our next location.

The best advice I have gotten during this process is that "wherever you end up, you have to make the best of it and it's not about the location it's about the people you meet and the attitude you have going into it."