HAAP not being honored

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 11:47:46 -0500

I understand HAAPs are not 100% guaranteed. Coming off of a special duty assignment, the BM took my requests (realistic ones) but said there was no availability. However, if i agreed to a one year unaccompanied tour to Korea he would give me HAAP to JBLM. I agreed and got the HAAP in black and white. The new branch manager replied to my status check for orders with "sorry we are not able to honor your HAAP. Requisitions for JBLM have been reduced. Pick 10 places you want to go and be realistic". I have never queationed an assignment ive been given. For the first time in my career i may go to my 1sg and CSM for assistance. Before i do, does anyone have experience with HAAPs that may help? Thanks in advance.

Response by SFC James Baber made Feb 26 at 2014 12:57 PM

SFC James Baber — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 12:57:14 -0500

All I can say is that your current CDR in Chief along with the criminals in Congress and the sell out SECDEF, who have all had a hand in the problems that all SMs are now suffering and dealing with. If they would stop funneling money to welfare, illegal aliens benefits along with money and aid being sent to countries and entities that hate us, then our defense budget would be where it should be for our nations defense, and none of these broken, black and white contracts and promises to you, SMs and veterans would be occurring.

I thank you for your service and apologize on behalf of all your fellow veterans for the sorry state that you are suffering with currently.

Response by 1SG Edward Tushar made Feb 26 at 2014 2:00 PM

1SG Edward Tushar — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 14:00:16 -0500

I have been pushed into assignments I did not want even with a HAAP in place. Thankfully I did enough constant talking to my branch they gave up once and sent me back to my former duty station after a 1 year unaccompanied tour in Korea. The last one they thought they were doing me a favor even though I did not ask for one. I am sure a SROTC position is great but if you have moved as many times as I did why try to force it on me when I had submitted my retirement packet? Then in spite they cancelled that assignment to try and send me to one at Fort Sill being a liaison with the Canadian Artillery people because I wasn't "grateful" and then played with my retirement date telling me they could make me retire immediately for not accepting an assignment but then saying we took care of you because we allowed you to then end of June so I could hit the 23 year mark. Bottom line is the fact it is not a guarantee. Hope you get one of your top choices.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 26 at 2014 2:10 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 14:10:24 -0500

I hate to say this but branch is doing this to alot of people. Telling them to do a full tour in Korea and promising them a preferred assignment. I only say that because I had two Soldiers with the same issue and seen a post on RallyPoint as well about similar situation. Branch managers may be doing this to fill in the slots they need. I put in a recruiter packet and branch told me I was DEROS driven and they couldnt release me but they accepted my The Old Guard packet. My orders from Drum to Myer were changed 2 weeks before I PCS'd. I would talk to the Branch CSM after talking to your 1SG and CSM. My CSM couldnt do anything with my situation because Branch has the final say so with your career.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 27 at 2014 12:43 AM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 27 Feb 2014 00:43:41 -0500

Ten choices? Why stop there. He should have just said give me a list of your top fifty to help him with getting his intent, which is obviously "needs of the Army".

But yeah, every time I have gone overseas, it was with the knowledge that the HAAP wasn't guaranteed. Matter of fact, my first tour of Korea, my HAAP did change midway through (Campbell in lieu of JBLM).

I was DA select for recruiting, and when I came off that significant emotional event, I called branch and they said the only thing I could do was Korea (which I thought was crazy going from recruiting to unaccompanied tour). I asked for a HAAP to Lewis which was honored.

Recruiting was the worst three years of my career, and had they not honored my HAAP I most likely would have been furious (which wouldn't have changed me going wherever they were going to send me).

Regardless, I hope you get one of your top choices out of the ten you were told to request.

Response by SFC Steven Harvey made Feb 27 at 2014 1:16 AM

SFC Steven Harvey — Thu, 27 Feb 2014 01:16:03 -0500

I think you better start planning SFC Holm, I love you like a brother and hope to get stationed with you again but out of 13 NCO's that have PCS'ed from Korea only 3 of them got their HAAP and it was Fort Hood. Everyone else went somewhere different, and every cable dog in the company got orders to Fort Gordon.

I've already come to the conclusion that if I request anything it's going to have to be Fort Gordon and that is only because there should be hundreds of slots for us there. Something happened this past year because when Branch came to come speak with us at my old unit they prioritized;

-Deploying Units

-Airborne Units

-Korea

They specifically said if you volunteer for one of these three you can get a HAAP of choice but to be quick about it because it won't last long. I'm not ignorant, I knew I wouldn't get whatever I wanted but Fort Lewis shouldn't be overly difficult to get.

Did you see if you could extend in Korea for a few months to get a slot at a future opening? That's probably not what you want to hear but it could be a realistic solution and your wife get's another 300 bucks to spend for you!

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 27 at 2014 1:48 AM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 27 Feb 2014 01:48:33 -0500

SFC Holm,

Last week I wrote my branch manager about my HAAP and they said the same exact thing to me. Here is the email

"

With all of the downsizing it is not going to be
available for your timeframe. What
are your top ten assignment both CONUS and OCONUS and we'll try to make dreams come true, or at least manage
expectations! Please feel free to contact me anytime!"

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 27 at 2014 11:21 AM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 27 Feb 2014 11:21:50 -0500

My HAAP is to Carson, I don't expect it to hold water, but it's not for 18 months. Have you contacted the CSM of 51st? I think it is still CSM Henry Montoya. If it is, send him an email, if he looks at your NCOER/ERB and liks what he sees he may call branch and say he wants you. Since you already have your broadening time, say "I need more PSG time", maybe he will help you out. Also ask branch about extending you in Korea to wait for a slot... If you could contact someone inbound to lewis maybe they would swap with you, it they still do that.

All that being said, at the end of the day, the Army's priority is the Army, as it should be, so BM may not have any control, she's gotta fill slots.

If you can pass the test for 25D, they will probably pick up 100% of eligible SFCs for MSG the first few boards. FMSweb is starting to reflect their MTOE slots, it's looking like there will be a good number of MSGs. 25D school would mean you could go to Gordon while your wife stays in WA.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made May 29 at 2014 12:40 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 29 May 2014 12:40:01 -0400

Not sure what happened to you about this but seeing as how I am currently at JBLM and I am about to PCS to Korea. I think i can comment on this, because of MTOE changes and the loss of 4-2 SBCT a lot of slots are gone. I'm a 25W and they lost 3 of the 10 available slots that were here so I had to go and I just hit two years here.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made May 30 at 2014 12:30 AM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 30 May 2014 00:30:32 -0400

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 13 at 2021 12:44 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 00:44:42 -0400

No experience but my branch manager told me the exact same thing. Told me to call him when my ASK-EM choices came out. I'm due for retirement during my next assignment and he told me that since I wanna retire in GA that I should choose Korea next and I would get a HAAP to GA afterwards. I ain't falling for that jazz. Made my choices which were realistic ones and placed Korea as like number 40 out of 51 choices. Hopefully it works out in my favor and get one of my top ten at a minimum. Best of luck to you, 1SG.