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It’s rare I decide to weigh in on a topic but the well-intentioned but misguided post referencing NTC and AIM2 preferences deserves a response. An assignment to NTC is incredible for professional development but has many pros and cons to be considered and is not for everyone:
NTC’s location is both good and bad. On 4 days you can go to very cool locations. You& #39;re near Vegas, LA, San Diego, Hoover Dam, the Grand Canyon. You& #39;re in the middle of everywhere. You& #39;re also 40 miles from Walmart. You& #39;ll do most of your daily shopping at the commissary and PX.
For a home body that never leaves it probably doesn’t matter. If you are one for getting out on adventures, it’s a great place. If you are the type that likes to eat out all the time and can’t survive without Applebee’s down the street, you will have a rough go of it.
This separation made the community one of the more tightly knit I’ve experienced in 19 years in the Army. Neighbors are far more helpful than anywhere else I’ve seen. This does, however, come with the drawbacks of a small community where everyone knows everyone.
Specialized medical care is a challenge at NTC. Most EFMP, specialized medical care, and high risk prenatal care is 70 miles away in Victorville. Some highly specialized treatment may require going as far as Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego.
Rotational calendar makes experience at NTC like dog years. In a two-year assignment you could easily see 17 rotations. The RTU is different every time, so you will see something different every time. No matter your role, 11th ACR, 916th SPT BDE, or Ops Grp, you& #39;ll learn a TON.
The small community comes into play here as well. With approx. 4,000 Soldiers assigned to NTC, you develop a reputation across the post quickly. If you are good everyone will know. If you are not so good, everyone will also know.
The on-post schools are very good. I can’t say enough great things about them. However, they only cover through the 8th grade. If you have kids in high school, they will have to go off post and it’s nearly an hour bus ride.
I had HS kids there and it was very tough on them. They were on the bus at 6am and had a long day. If they have activities, it’s even harder. I personally would not recommend people with HS age kids go. It sucks to see kids carrying pillows to the bus stop at 0530.
The post works hard to hire spouses on post, but there are only so many jobs and if your spouse has some sort of professional career, they& #39;ll take a hit. There is no way to sugar coat that. You are 40 miles away from the nearest small town. This is a strong area to consider.
The schedule is predictable months out. It& #39;s easier to make plans for trips and vacations. Scheduling military schools is easier because TDY can be planned around it. I& #39;ve never been anywhere before where I felt comfortable buying tickets to Disneyland 5 months out.
My assignment to NTC was very rewarding. It was one of the best professional development experiences I’ve ever had and has definitely given me advantages over my peers in some areas. It was also very rough on my wife and teenage kids.
For those that are interested and are in a place where it won’t be a major strain on the family, I recommend it. If it will be bad for your family or if you have EFMP members, there are numerous other incredible broadening assignments out there.
Tagging some people in in case they have opinions and would like to weigh in. @NCFranklin @102ndblackhawk6 @WeGettinItDone @turtleofatropia @mil_LEADER @alexbridgeforth @TradocDCG @simmering216 @CavRTK
