Expert: MARK A. HOWELL - 8/21/2009

Question
I am in the air force stationed in germany, it is my first base and i have been in for about a year. . i desperately need to get out, i feel like i made a mistake joining and want to get back to doing what i was doing before i joined and finish my degree bc the military doesnt offer the classes i desire. . i have already told upper management and my first sergeant my situation and that i want to get out. . and i have been getting in some trouble lately because im so stressed . . i already have an LOR, and just accepted an article 15 and am on extra duty for 30 days, . is there any way i can get out ASAP on relatively good terms without getting kicked out? I do not want to get kicked out but if that is my only option i will, my upper management and first shirt do not really take me seriously and just say all i can do is serve my time. . . please help

Answer
Jonathan,
Sorry to hear you're disappointed with the Air Force.  Many AF folks would kill to have an assignment to Germany.  However, military life just isn't for everybody, and that's OK.  

Basically what your first shirt is telling you is correct.  You signed a contract when you joined promising them you'd serve a certain number of years in exchange for being clothed, fed, and paid, etc.  So basically he's right, you're stuck.  You don't want to get yourself kicked out because that will follow you around for the rest of your life and has some bad repercussions, like getting a decent job.

So now that you know you're stuck, what can you do to make your remaining time more bearable?
Ask yourself these questions:
What/who is making my life more miserable?
How can I avoid these kinds of disappointing situations?
When you say the military doesn't offer the classes you need, you might be looking in the wrong place.  The military doesn't teach anything.  All the classes are offered by private or state colleges and universities and the AF just allows them to teach on base.  Have you checked out on-line schools like American Military University at http://www.amu.apus.edu
Also the University of Phoenix and the University of Maryland are big in Germany.  Check with your local education office for specifics on what they'll pay for.

Do you get out of the dorm and go downtown with your buddies?  I've had many troops assigned to an overseas base who griped and moaned the whole time but never once ventured off base to see what the local life was like.

If you don't have any friends that do that, dump them and strike out on your own, or go to your MWR and sign up for one of their day trips or weekend bus tours to a nearby town or country.  MWR trips are also a great way to meet new people and make friends.  Sometimes single AF women will get together and take a bus tour solely to meet AF men.

Also, do yourself a favor and go talk to a chaplain on base.  Whether you're religious or not, the chaplain can be a powerful ally.  All commanders know, "you don't [mess] with the chaplain."
Whatever you tell him is kept strictly confidential and sometimes it's just good to "let it all out" before you burst.  If the chaplain thinks you have a good case he'll go to bat for you and talk to your commander about releasing you early.

Also, talk to a doctor and tell him you're depressed.  That'll get you out quick.  When you say depression the first thing they think of is suicide and they don't want that on their hands.

Try not to let it get to you, but by all means talk to a chaplain first, please.  He's got lots of experience with this and can shield you from repercussions.

Thanks for serving your country.
Colonel H