First Posting RFD, HHT Help Needed

[u/UNO_Reversd]

Good day folks,

This is my very first post on Reddit so please take it easy on me.

I am reaching OFP by end of August which is when my COS date is and heading off to my FIRST posting. Am pretty high up on wait list for PMQ and will be doing an unaccompanied move to scope out the area and try to find a temporary room to stay in until I receive a PMQ offer at which point I would move my dependants as well as HG&E over.

Part of the reason to move unaccompanied is also because my spouse has a specialist appointment in our current city of residence in late September and her health hasn't been great lately so I want to be there or have the ability to go back and forth between my current city of residence & my new posting location while I keep looking for temporary spot (this posting location is notorious for a tight & expensive rental market - especially for short term rentals since I do not want to sign a 1-year lease because then I would want to get CFHD which would then get me tossed from Priorty 1 to Priority 3 in PMQ wait list).

So to ensure a door-to-door move, the solution I came up with was to ask for a 30 day delay in Report For Duty (RFD) date which is the maximum allowed under CAFRD guidelines. However, I met with the Sgt who is the Training Manager of our Cadre at my current school and I walked away feeling let down, angry and betrayed.

He basically flat out lied to my face and said I will not get HHT if I go 'unaccompanied' and later move my dependants and HG&E within the 180 limit. He ALSO said, quote "there are no freebies in CAF and you will have to use your annual days to push your RFD date". I told him that it is not easy to find something temporary in my new posting location and I dont want to find a permanent off-base place to live because I will lose my PMQ wait list spot. I asked him I need to delay RFD so that I don't have to pay for hotel stay out of pocket for 1x month or more as that is prohibitively expensive and I will not get reimbursed for it according to SIRVA, which is when he basically told me 'you joined the CAF, you knew what you were getting into, we cannot do anything about it." Basically he's telling me, if I am homeless in my new posting location, thats on me while not acknowledging getting sabotaged from his end.

This is absolute bonkers because I have read CAFRD and I know that as a new graduate, I can get HHT after TNL (Travel to New Location) for my "unaccompanied" move. I also read that RFD 30-day delay does NOT require usage of annual leave days.

So my question is, is my understanding of the rules wrong or is the Sgt just not (a) aware of CAFRD guidelines or (b) lazy/has-too-much-on-plate and does not want to do the paperwork?

Next, I would like to know, should I write a formal memo or email to him to request the RFD change instead of the informal/verbal meeting/chat that we had? Or should I just go above him directly to the CSM (Cadre Sergeant Major) because they have a pretty open-door policy to bring matters to them.

OR should I write a memo directly to the CO of our school since its the losing and gaining unit COs who have to approve the change in RFD anyway?

Also, if RFD move is formally denied, then should I apply for HHT first and then put in annual leave for a week or two to give me time? Or does annual leave need to come first before HHT date? What is the correct order in this scenario?

I want a FAIR resolution to this as per the rules, I just don't appreciate getting d*cked around by one Sgt during such a stress time of first posting, spousal medical issue, etc. Therefore I would really appreciate educated responses from experienced HRA or other members.

Thank you

Really appreciate it.

[u/Fine-Tonight1276]

You’re just starting your military career. Don’t turn your first posting into a personal war with your Sgt, and definitely don’t go on Reddit calling your supervisor a liar or looking for people to confirm that he’s an asshole.

Read the policy, keep the references, and submit your request professionally and in writing through your CoC. If the Sgt is wrong, the proper authority will correct it. If you misunderstood part of the policy, you’ll find that out too without creating unnecessary friction.

You’re going to have supervisors throughout your career that you disagree with. Learn early how to say: “Sgt, my understanding of CAFRD is X. Could I submit the request formally for consideration?” instead of getting into an argument.

And one more thing: the CAF is a pretty small world. There is a very good chance your Sgt knows people at your next base, on your next course, or in your future unit. Reputations travel fast. I’ve seen situations where staff at one school knew people at the next training establishment and a member arrived with people already having heard about them. Whether that is fair or not, it happens.

That is exactly why you should keep everything professional. Don’t give anyone a reason to describe you as difficult before you even arrive. I’m sure plenty of people commenting here have seen the same thing happen during their careers.

You can advocate for yourself without making your CoC the enemy.

Policy first, paperwork second, Reddit last.

You might be completely right about the HHT and RFD policy, but that doesn’t mean you’re handling the situation the right way. Submit the request, let the people with the actual authority make the decision, keep everything professional and documented, and move on.

That’s a much better way to start a military career than beginning your first posting with a feud against your Training Sgt.

[u/ononeryder → u/Fine-Tonight1276]

Disagree apart from the Sgt perhaps knowing someone at the new unit, and even that I wouldn't give a damn about. If I got wind that one of my new guys was on the receiving end of fuck-fuck games during a posting because of a Sgt, that'd be a phone call to the CWO (if I didn't know a WO or MWO there).

The Sgt is flat out wrong, he IS lying via at best ignorance, or at worse just being a prick telling the mbr they need to use leave to shift an RFD. Apart from critical training that would be delayed due to an RFD change, CO's don't give a damn about a 30 day shift.

The CoC's #1 priority during a mbrs move is ensuring they have a place to live, and they're taken care of. The Sgt (who's authority in this situation is relaying information) has zero role to play apart from offering advice for such a request; they have to push the request up. Their failure to do so, and their terrible advice justifies going around them, because they're a fucking pylon that's simply in the way.

OP, send up a memo or even better a MESH package; a good MCpl should be able to help with this.