Getting Settled in the Military – The Essentials

Considering military enlistment? Just graduated from basic training? Congratulations, and welcome to the armed forces – and a new home, new rules and new routines.

Get up to speed on your new military life and community. With your military enlistment, Military OneSource stands ready to connect you to the lay of the land, along with information, resources and benefits you’ll need to launch into your new military life.

Here are the essentials to get you started.

Put your best foot forward for boot camp.

When it comes to basic training with any service, you’ve got to pack the right stuff and prepare yourself mentally and physically for what’s ahead. Here’s what you need to know.

Relevant Articles:

• 10 Tips to Take to Basic Training
• What to Pack for Basic Training
• Army Basic Training and Officer Candidate School: What to Expect
• Marine Corps Boot Camp and Officer Candidates School: What to Expect
• Navy Boot Camp and Officer Candidate School: What to Expect
• Air Force Basic Training: What to Expect
• The Military’s Elite Forces: How to Become an Army Ranger, Navy SEAL or Air Force Fighter Pilot
• Meeting Fitness Standards
• Managing Your Money as a New Service Member
• Military Pay 101: Basic Pay, Allowances and S&I

Relevant Resource:

• The Friends & Family Connection eNewsletter – A regularly emailed newsletter written for the friends, extended family and loved ones who make up a service member’s support network.

Here’s how military housing and health care work.

Welcome to your first assignment – now it’s time to understand room and board, along with the military health care program, TRICARE.

Relevant Articles:

• Housing Options for Service Members and Families
• TRICARE 101: Military Health Benefits Basics in Five Minutes or Less

Relevant Resource:

• MilitaryINSTALLATIONS

Take advantage of your installation’s commissaries, exchanges, recreation services and more.

Installations offer you more than just barracks and mess halls. In fact, most military installations have a lot of affordable resources for service members and their families, like deeply discounted grocery and department stores, called “commissaries” and “exchanges.”

You’ll also find libraries, golf courses, recreation areas and special events – many available on-base for free or at greatly reduced prices.

Relevant Articles:

• Commissaries and Exchanges
• Military Housing: Living on an Installation for the First Time
• Explore the Library
• Morale, Welfare and Recreation Programs and Eligibility
• Information, Tickets and Travel: Your Key to Fun

Relevant Resource:

• MilitaryINSTALLATIONS

Get paid – and make the money work for you.

Every month, you’ll get your Leave and Earnings Statement – a form that tells you how much you got paid and where that money went (besides your bank account).

There’s lots of different types of pay and tax-free allowances you can earn during your service, and the military’s retirement savings program can set you up for life. Our free financial consultants can help you figure out your finances – from paying down that credit card debt to putting a down payment on a car, and even free tax help.

Relevant Articles:

• Your Leave and Earnings Statement
• Military Pay 101: Basic Pay, Allowances and S&I Pay
• Managing Your Money as a New Service Member
• Thrift Savings Plan Options: Making Your Retirement Dollars Work for You
• The Military’s A+ Financial Benefits to Protect Your Future
• On Your Side: Military Financial Support

Relevant Resources:

• Financial Counseling Services for a Secure Future
• MilTax: Tax Services for the Military
• 11 Calculators to Help You Scope Out Your Personal Finances
• Introduction to the Blended Retirement System – Webinar

Military OneSource is the best military service — helps a soldier out a lot, especially an enlisted soldier like myself! Thankful for every service — translation, health care info, tax issues and more.

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