Double Time

Back in the day, our deployment rotations were only three months, followed by fifteen months at home station. As the operations tempo increased, we went to four month rotations, followed by sixteen months at home. A couple years ago, we moved up to six month rotations with a year at home.
This week, we got final word that everyone in civil engineering is on a one-for-one rotation, meaning we'll be deployed for six months, then home for six months. To me, this is just absurd. I mean, I know what I signed up for, but such a hectic schedule seems excessive, especially since we're drawing down forces in Iraq.
On top of this, I was originally in the middle of my rotation right now, so I told potential visitors to wait until January to schedule tickets to Italy. Now, I'll be on a rotation leaving in December, forcing people to push plans back another six months.
Now, it's not guaranteed that we'll deploy every time. There are plenty of factors to consider, so I don't really expect to be in the desert for half of the rest of my career. And I know there are tons of people, especially in the Army, that have it much worse. It's just frustrating, and I'm sure I'll get over it eventually.
My consolation is that our shop is basically divided in half. MSgt Hammes put the list together, and I really can't complain about the people with whom I'll be deploying. The main factor in what makes a good deployment is the other people in your shop, and I'm with the cool kids.