In my routine check-up on my ERB (Enlisted Record Brief), I happened to notice one very irritating change. It would be a lie to say I didn’t expect the change, but seeing it in print still annoys the hell out of me. Kyle (aka greenfly) might want to edit truck_ets to 13 JUN 2008 instead of my original ETS date. All in all, things could have very easily been worse – the date could be even deeper into the future.

There is of course some usefulness to this displeasing update. Once a stoploss is initiated, and the deploying unit is given orders to theater – ETS dates are changed where necessary to reflect the duration of the ordered deployment, plus 90 days of stabilization. A little math gives me a small level of confidence that at least the current order only has us gone for a year, as opposed to the rumored 18 months. My best guess based on my new ETS date says I’ll go mid-March, and return a year later. Given my current lack of leave days available, I’m probably looking at a best-case of 20ish days of terminal leave when I return from Iraq. Rest assured I’ll be taking them as soon as I finish processing out of the Army.