Hey fellas, OUSOONER inbound to PCola with questions

[OUSOONER]

Long time....good to be back.

I commission on June 5th and I believe I'll have 4 days of proceed time to get down to PCOLA.

I think I'm going to just check in at the BOQ and start looking for a place to live. I'm looking at places in Perdido or I've heard the Governor's Gate apartments are pretty nice.

When I get there around the 10th, do you think it's going to be virtually impossible to get a place with all the USNA and ROTC rush?

I plan on finding a place pretty quick and then just throwing all my shit in the apartment and take a weeks leave and go back to Oklahoma to see fam and friends.

Is there a better way of going about this?

 

[desertoasis]

...take a weeks leave...

Good luck with that. They will want you to be completely ready for API before you start taking leave.

I recommend Perdido Sands Realty (NOT his old company, TOPGUN Property Management) if you're looking for a good house. Ted is a great guy, and he'll work with you. Don't know much about the apartment scene in Pensacola, but if you want a house, he's your guy.

I doubt there will be a huge rush before about the end of June, the rumblings are that thats when the USNA folks will start trickling in. I know some of my friends from A&M are showing up June 5, so my guess is that people are already starting to arrive. It shouldn't be a big rush though.

Congrats on commissioning and welcome to PCola!

 

[OUSOONER]

Good luck with that. They will want you to be completely ready for API before you start taking leave.

What exactly entails "ready for API"? I don't need IFS, what other things would I need to check off before I would realistically be granted leave?

I think I'm just going to stick to one roommate and an apartment, since I'm SNA I don't know how long I'd be staying in PCola before I leave that it would warrant getting a house.

I could be wrong, which is why I'm taking in all advice that comes my way.

Thanks.

 

[abracadabra11]

What exactly entails "ready for API"? I don't need IFS, what other things would I need to check off before I would realistically be granted leave?

I think I'm just going to stick to one roommate and an apartment, since I'm SNA I don't know how long I'd be staying in PCola before I leave that it would warrant getting a house.

I could be wrong, which is why I'm taking in all advice that comes my way.

Thanks.

If I remember correctly, the only other requirement other than IFS was BOLTC.

 

[desertoasis]

What exactly entails "ready for API"? I don't need IFS, what other things would I need to check off before I would realistically be granted leave?

I think I'm just going to stick to one roommate and an apartment, since I'm SNA I don't know how long I'd be staying in PCola before I leave that it would warrant getting a house.

I could be wrong, which is why I'm taking in all advice that comes my way.

Thanks.

Not needing IFS is a big hurdle, so that makes it much more likely. You'll have to be NOMI-cleared, complete DIVOLC, and make sure all your paperwork is in order. That shouldn't take more than about 3 weeks.

 

[LazersGoPEWPEW]

If you think you'll be at whiting I'd go with Kings Mill. That's where I live and it's pretty much right smack in the middle of NASP and Whiting.

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

Who are you?

 

[Casual]

Regarding your leave situation, if your orders are anything like mine were, you'll get a report NLT date a ways out from your commissioning date. I graduated at the end of November, and didn't have to report until Jan 8. Now, that's probably due to the holidays to an extent, but I'd think you'll get at least a couple weeks. Take leave in transit, then you don't have to deal with the API leave nonsense.

This was back in '07, so maybe they're running a tighter ship up in Newport by now...

 

[KCOTT]

For housing:
http://www.pensacolamls.com/

Just use that site. I tried working with Top Gun Property but they suck. They sucked at returning phone calls, were hard to get a hold of for some reason, and when I finally decided on a place and called to reserve it, I got a call the following day saying they made a mistake and somebody else had already got it. I was like wtf, I just wasted a week and a half working with you guys and researching places.

Right now I rent through Mark & Downey Associates. Not a bad group. No issues whatsoever. I found a place I liked online (through Pensacola MLS website), and on the same day I arrived in Florida I was able to tour the place. By the next day, I was moved in. Real nice house; 3 bedrooms, fenced in backyard for my dog, master bedroom/bath, huge living room with a vaulted ceiling, all for only $995 a month.

Just browse that website and find a couple places you're interested in and call them up. Then check it out when you get here. I lucked out and had to stay only one night in a hotel, I was able to wrap up a place in one day because I looked up these places ahead of time.

Good luck on getting leave right away. There's so much admin stuff and pre-API stuff to do that it almost takes 2-3 weeks. The PSD brief is only once a week, same with the check-in brief, and those are on different days. Flight physical takes like a week to do, then you have to do your flight suit fitting, anthro measurements, dental if needed, and oh yeah you'll probably be assigned a stash job, too on top of it. And also, they would like you to be DIVOLTC complete, too before taking leave.

 

[Godspeed]

Regarding your leave situation, if your orders are anything like mine were, you'll get a report NLT date a ways out from your commissioning date. I graduated at the end of November, and didn't have to report until Jan 8. Now, that's probably due to the holidays to an extent, but I'd think you'll get at least a couple weeks. Take leave in transit, then you don't have to deal with the API leave nonsense.

This was back in '07, so maybe they're running a tighter ship up in Newport by now...

I concur 100%. My report NLT date was over a month out from my OCS graduation date. I took a full 32 days of leave, it was MONEY. Way better than having to deal with all the paperwork and I just did all the in-processing when I returned from leave.

You're graduating from OCS, take some time off (my philosophy).

 

[desertoasis]

I took a full 32 days of leave, it was MONEY.

Wow...and I thought I was pushing it with my three paltry days. My compliments!

 

[Morgan81]

If you think you'll be at whiting I'd go with Kings Mill. That's where I live and it's pretty much right smack in the middle of NASP and Whiting.

That was what I thought when I signed a lease in Governor's Gate. I ended up going to Corpus so all I did was screw myself for two months with a long commute. Unless things have really changed, Countrywood was just as nice (I thought) for a cheaper price and much much closer to base.
Congrats on making it through OCS dude, but don't expect much time for leave. I was IFS complete and spent 4 days in A-pool (before you needed BOLTC but that would have only added a week).

 

[Godspeed]

Wow...and I thought I was pushing it with my three paltry days. My compliments!

Pushing it? I was following my orders... To a T

Congrats on making it through OCS dude, but don't expect much time for leave. I was IFS complete and spent 4 days in A-pool (before you needed BOLTC but that would have only added a week).

You also could've taken as much leave as you wanted (as per your report NLT date)... All you guys were afraid that not checking in RIGHT away would have it's consequences. The good news is that when your pour souls were slaves of your systems books, I said a (quick) prayer for you (I was balls deep in a Texas Holdem tournament in the Bellagio at the time).

 

[torpedo0126]

I think the OP has it right. Assuming you have orders to NASP right away, you'll need ~2-3 weeks to be API ready (since your IFS complete). Then you will have plenty of time to take leave.

If you want, you could get TAD orders cut to some recruiting station by your house. Then you won't lose any leave, and usually they don't make your work day very strenuous, if anything. I only say this because it saves up some leave for the holidays.

 

[dexter]

I think I'm going to just check in at the BOQ and start looking for a place to live. I'm looking at places in Perdido or I've heard the Governor's Gate apartments are pretty nice.

I lived in governors gate from july 07 until june08. It was a good place. I thought the management was pretty good. They took care of maintenance issues quickly and I had no problem with the lease and the military clause. They were flexible with the whole 30 day notice thing because they understand we don't get orders for advanced until the very end of primary.
That being said, the location was ok, but not great. If I had to do it again I would look for a place off Scenic Highway. It's closer to town/the beach and you take I-10 and not hwy 90 to whiting. Hwy 90 sucks. There were 24 lights between my house and the vt-6 lineshack.