A question about military leave

[manyeyedhydra]

Hi, another question that hopefully those of you with backgrounds in the US military can help me with.

I have a story centred on a squad of soldiers on leave in a hotel when a catastrophic event happens (something like the The Mist, if anyone remembers the movie/story)

It's not full leave as much, which I'm assuming refers to when a soldier can return home and spend some time with family. It's more a one week/two week (short) break for a squad in a stable region adjacent to a hostile zone. Is there correct terminology to describe this? R & R is the slang I've seen used in war movies, and it's that kind of thing I'm looking for - a short break that keeps the soldiers together outside of the conflict zone.

The other question concerns what weaponry the soldiers would be carrying with them. Would they still have full kit including automatic rifles, or small arms at most? (the place they're currently staying is considered perfectly safe - off base, in mainland US.)

thanks
Many-Eyed Hydra

 

[Jenny_Jackson]

Try here --> Vhttp://www.opm.gov/oca/leave/HTML/military.asp

Every soldier gets 15 days leave per fiscal year. It can be taken all at once or in bits. Leave can be taken anywhere, anytime, except as ordered or restricted by need or at the whim of the commanding officer.

In addition in some cases, such as a sinking of a sailor's ship during war time or the survivors of a massicured company, there is an additional 30 days "basket" leave while recuperating.

 

[Weird Harold]

Hi, another question that hopefully those of you with backgrounds in the US military can help me with.

I have a story centred on a squad of soldiers on leave in a hotel when a catastrophic event happens (something like the The Mist, if anyone remembers the movie/story)

It's not full leave as much, which I'm assuming refers to when a soldier can return home and spend some time with family. It's more a one week/two week (short) break for a squad in a stable region adjacent to a hostile zone. Is there correct terminology to describe this? R & R is the slang I've seen used in war movies, and it's that kind of thing I'm looking for - a short break that keeps the soldiers together outside of the conflict zone.

The other question concerns what weaponry the soldiers would be carrying with them. Would they still have full kit including automatic rifles, or small arms at most? (the place they're currently staying is considered perfectly safe - off base, in mainland US.)

thanks
Many-Eyed Hydra

The correct term is "Rest And Recuperation" but nobody ever refers to it except as "R and R."

During Vietnam, the US used two types of R&R. A 72 hour, "in country" R&R to a relatively secure location like China Beach and a seven day out-country R&R in Thailand, Japan, or Hawaii. China Beach was "a check your weapons at the door" R&R facility; weapons were stored in an armory if soldiers arrived with their personal-issue weapons. Weapons were left behind inthe Unit Armory for out-country R&R.

The whole point of R&R, as it was conceived in Vietnam, was to get the soldiers away from their weapons and combat stress. It also served to get soldiers away from seeing the same faces every day so it would be unlikely for a complete unit to go on R&R and they definitely would not carry their weapons on R&R.

It would be believable that a close-knit squad would go "out on the town" together while pulled back for refit or reassignment at a rear area, but their weapons would stay in the barracks or armory.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

On the other hand, if correctly viewed, anything is a weapon so a little research into improvised weaponry will fully arm your team. There have been a whole lot of ways that combat soldiers have been organized into fighting teams. If you give me the number of soldiers you're thinking of, I can probably cobble together their type of unit.

BTW, in the U.S. Army the allocated leave is 30 days per year, not 15.

 

[oggbashan]

If you want them to be armed, the team on leave could commandeer arms from a police station, National Guard base or gun store.

A lot can be done with a military bearing and bluff. During 1940 a British Army Major removed Belgium's Gold Reserves from under the noses of the advancing Germans. He had no authority for his actions but he just did it...

He left an IOU.

Og

 

[voluptuary_manque]

If you want them to be armed, the team on leave could commandeer arms from a police station, National Guard base or gun store.

A lot can be done with a military bearing and bluff. During 1940 a British Army Major removed Belgium's Gold Reserves from under the noses of the advancing Germans. He had no authority for his actions but he just did it...

Og

No being on the planet is so underhanded, conniving and sly as a British gentleman of the Old School doing what he sees as his duty.

 

[manyeyedhydra]

Hehe, thanks for the answers.

The R and R scenarios Weird Harold mentioned fits what I'm aiming for. The need to be away from familiar faces aspect is something I hadn't thought of. The horror/sci-fi elements of the story might give some justification for overlooking that.

 

[sxyoldguy]

Hi, another question that hopefully those of you with backgrounds in the US military can help me with.

I have a story centred on a squad of soldiers on leave in a hotel when a catastrophic event happens (something like the The Mist, if anyone remembers the movie/story)

It's not full leave as much, which I'm assuming refers to when a soldier can return home and spend some time with family. It's more a one week/two week (short) break for a squad in a stable region adjacent to a hostile zone. Is there correct terminology to describe this? R & R is the slang I've seen used in war movies, and it's that kind of thing I'm looking for - a short break that keeps the soldiers together outside of the conflict zone.

The other question concerns what weaponry the soldiers would be carrying with them. Would they still have full kit including automatic rifles, or small arms at most? (the place they're currently staying is considered perfectly safe - off base, in mainland US.)

thanks
Many-Eyed Hydra

If they are home from someplace like Iraq, and off base in the US they would not have weapons, Since you memntion they are in a stable zone next to a combat zone then can one assumed the CZ is in the US, or Canada or Mexico? If so then all bets could be off.

Cover it by saying that they had been authorized to carry weapons in case of attack. Remember it doesn't have to exact, just plausible.

 

[Guest]

Hi, another question that hopefully those of you with backgrounds in the US military can help me with.

I have a story centred on a squad of soldiers on leave in a hotel when a catastrophic event happens (something like the The Mist, if anyone remembers the movie/story)

It's not full leave as much, which I'm assuming refers to when a soldier can return home and spend some time with family. It's more a one week/two week (short) break for a squad in a stable region adjacent to a hostile zone. Is there correct terminology to describe this? R & R is the slang I've seen used in war movies, and it's that kind of thing I'm looking for - a short break that keeps the soldiers together outside of the conflict zone.

The other question concerns what weaponry the soldiers would be carrying with them. Would they still have full kit including automatic rifles, or small arms at most? (the place they're currently staying is considered perfectly safe - off base, in mainland US.)

thanks
Many-Eyed Hydra

Okay. Soldiers accrue 30 days of leave at the rate of 2.5 every month. We typically (unless deployed) spend those in two separate 14-day blocks, called (you guessed it) "block leave". One in the summer, and one at Christmas.

Rest and Recuperation (R&R) is something granted deployed service members (and, more fittingly, personnel on a ship) and is usually 3-5 days. The rest of us simply call it a "pass" in the states. However, the term "pass" refers to a mileage pass. it allows you to go outside of a set limit (and limits are different depending on the whims of the commander and the post, though typically at 250 miles). Other than that, Soldiers are allowed to pretty much go where they choose.

We don't have to sign out, and simply get our ID cards scanned coming back in to post. If in the states I can leave post wander off to Walmart or the bar, and simply check back in. no pass, R&R or leave required.

if I want to go to...say....Las Vegas from Fort Irwin, well then that is outside the mileage limits (not really but an easy example), and I would have to request a pass. If I wanted to go somewhere close (say, Los Angeles), and spend the night, no pass required. I just have to be back for work.\

And, for the record, we do not carry weapons on base or off. they are locked up in an arms Room under surveillance and guard. atrocities committed on installations are typically with private weapons. We have to sign our military weapons out, use them in a controlled environment and then return them clean before anyone can go home. Remember, we are talking about the states here and not a deployment.

On deployment, I held my weapon damn near 24/7. Exceptions being when I had someone watch it while I showered or signing it in to the TOC to go work out. I was responsible for the maintenance, care and accountability of it, and this was enforced through weekly inspections (I had the authority to not need it done daily, though I checked my soldiers weapons daily before guard mount.)

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

 

[Guest]

If you want them to be armed, the team on leave could commandeer arms from a police station, National Guard base or gun store.

...

Og

My belief is (because of vaults in the case of the National Guard and armed guards in the case of the police station) that the easiest place for his characters to get new weapons would be a pawn shop.

Gun stores typically remove the firing pin from display pieces to discourage thieves, but pawn shops have no such oversight (at least that I am aware of). I bought my first pistol outside of Fort Polk in 2000, and I took it from the counter to behind the store to test fire it. The only thing stopping a thief was a guard dog and a security door.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

My belief is (because of vaults in the case of the National Guard and armed guards in the case of the police station) that the easiest place for his characters to get new weapons would be a pawn shop.

Gun stores typically remove the firing pin from display pieces to discourage thieves, but pawn shops have no such oversight (at least that I am aware of). I bought my first pistol outside of Fort Polk in 2000, and I took it from the counter to behind the store to test fire it. The only thing stopping a thief was a guard dog and a security door.

During a particularly ugly bank robbery some years ago, that's pretty much what the police had to do. The perps had acquired body armor that was more than the standard LAPD side arm could handle so the cops had to run to the nearest gun store and borrow something more substantial from the owners. It's not something that the anti-private-firearms political command structure of the PD want to get out but it's in the old news broadcasts from the time if you listen real close.

 

[Weird Harold]

Rest and Recuperation (R&R) is something granted deployed service members (and, more fittingly, personnel on a ship) and is usually 3-5 days.

Almost forgot.

R&R is (or was during Vietnam) requested and processed, paperwork wise, the same as routine leave but is NOT charged against the 2.5 days a month regular leave accrued. 72 hours of R&R is NOT the same as getting a 72 hour pass, although they're functionally very similar.

The Army and Marines have different rules about off-duty restrictions than the Air Force and and Navy do. More relevant to your scenario, Air Force and Navy personnel generally only see personal-issue weapons once a year when they're required to qualify with them, Security and Military Police, excepted. Even in a combat zone. (in one year in Vietnam, I held a weapon a total of five days and two of those were on a detail tasked with checking and cleaning the contents of two cargo containers converted to gun-lockers for the squadron's "last stand" weapons.)

 

[R. Richard]

In many big city environments, a guy with the 'proper look' can buy weapons outside a pawn shop or on a street corner not being used for drug sales. The weapons available range from .357 magnum revolvers through fully operational AK-47s. However, most of the available weapons have had no maintenance and no repair. The weapons offered typically are sold with a full magazine. Trying to obtain more ammo is a problem and obtaining spare magazines is next to impossible.
The quickest way to obtain a loaded, maintained weapon, with spare rounds is to mug a scumbag. However, you won't believe the trouble that results and you're left with a chickenshit 9mm with very little penetrating power.

 

[manyeyedhydra]

Thanks for the information.

In the story the situation deteriorates rapidly with protagonist captured in the first third. I wanted to make sure if I should have him going down guns blazing, or swinging whatever blunt/sharp makeshift weapon was at hand.

Looking for the nearest gun shop/pawn shop/hunting supplies provides some nice motivation to move the story along though.