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[quote=Anonymous]I am a 19 year USAF spouse, I have maintained my career throughout my husband's service which has included multiple deployments and we also have kids with special needs. This was not our original plan, but it ended up working for us. Here is why:

-I have a job that can be very geographically flexible- I am an outside consultant. This could work for other flexible jobs like healthcare or nursing.  I still make more money than my DH, but his retirement benefits are better.
-My DH loves his job- he was enlisted and then went back to college to get his commission- then he went to school at night while serving to get his PhD in his job- and that type of commitment makes the hard parts easier to bear
-We are both committed to serving our country, we value it and are proud of the service our family provides. Again that is a values judgment- I don't think we would have made it if money was the only driver.
-We know that the needs of the AF will trump any of our personal needs, so I am prepared to step back at my job or have my parents move in to help or whatever has to happen to support deployments, extended training periods etc- that is just part of it- you have to be flexible, resilient and have a sense of humor
-The healthcare benefits are excellent- we can compare them to my civilian job and they have real monetary value
-The retirement benefits are really good since he will make 20 years
-The GI bill benefits he has will pay for 1 child's in state tuition- that is big for us because we are paying out of pocket for a lot of therapies for our kids and college savings is minimal right now
-My DH will still be able to have a second career after he retires and that will help up shore up college savings for 2nd child
-I was a child of expats, so moving doesn't really phase me.  We consider our relocations as ruling out many places we do not want to retire. You have to be willing to be far away from family and just figure it out.  We look at that part as an adventure.
-Once we determined that we had kids with special needs and that stability/ continuity of treatment was critical, then my DH's career choices became about making that happen.  There are many possible assignments in the DC area, but the AF really hates it when people look like they are "homesteading" so there are no guarantees that would work for you. We chose to live apart in some cases so we could maintain services for our kids.

These are things for you to consider:
-The tests that you need to pass aren't that difficult, but if you are truly a terrible test taker you should practice.  It is competitive to join the USAF, so be prepared.  There are lots of contracting jobs, but those can deploy.
-Do not believe the recruiters when they tell you a role does not deploy.  They don't know that and will tell you what you want to hear to meet their numbers. 
-The retirement system is changing- you need to get the details on the new plan to determine its impact on you.  It will be more like a corporate 401K which is good if you don't intend to stay for 20 years.
-I am not sure what is happening with the GI bill- you need details on the current program to determine its value for you.
-You should try to get into a field where there are civilian opportunities in case you can't stay for 20 year. Get a security clearance, do cyber intelligence work.
-How flexible/ resilient are your kids?  For some kids this lifestyle really isn't a good fit and that will make your lives 1000% harder.

-I also agree with the PP that you have to want to be a leader.  You may be asked to lead people into harm's way- that is even harder than going yourself.  If you are not prepared to do that, then you need to rethink joining any branch of the military. [/quote]

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