Some of these people don't know what they are talking about saying you get federal holidays off and weekends and crap. It really depends on what your MOS is and what unit you are in. You earn 2.5 days a month as someone else stated. You get other days off called DONSA's, just depends what holiday it is around and sometimes it has nothing to do with any holidays. No, there is not a holiday leave, no there is no bonuses neither, Christmas bonuses as what some jobs offer. There is not any overtime, "overtime" worked don't go towards having time off, as with some jobs. No it is not different for enlisted and officers. Even being stationed in a foreign country don't change your time off neither. That is why you accumulate leave time. If you want some time off, you ask for a leave form and go from there. The military, unlike some civilian jobs, you do get the 30 days, most jobs give 2 weeks a year of vacation time and then there is some sick time as well. You can not just call in sick like you would a civilian job. You would go to sick call in the morning before you are supposed to report to where you are working at and then go from there...When you do get a couple days off, whether is be the weekend or during the week around holidays or even DONSA's, you are permitted to travel up to 250 miles. Anything over that you need to get a pass and it will needed to be signed off by your supervisor and commander. There is some unchargable leave you can get as well, again it would be a pass where your supervisor and commander signs off on for you to get the time. Now....As far as getting extra leave days throughout the year...There is a way you get those. That would be from being deployed. I am not sure of all the time you have to be deployed to get the extra time, but it is from being deployed I do believe to a war zone or whatnot. You will accrue additional time, on top of the 2.5 days per 30 days. I think it may be after 12 months, you get so many extra for every 30 days after that. Not 12 months consequently but a combined time of being deployed. And your leave days accrued while being deployed are tax exempt. Meaning, if you take leave, how ever many days you take leave for, each day is a day you don't pay taxes on, like it would reflect normally.
Now, as far as becoming detached from the civilian world, yeah, it can happen...And it does happen alot. It will really all depend on how much you seclude yourself from the civilian world. But either way, there will be a little detachment, just how much is up to you. I am sure you can understand that the more time you put into being on base, participating with military only, hanging out with military only, the less you would be involved with the civilian life. And I will add, you don't have to be military to detach yourself from the civilian world. Someone who withdraws themselves from the outside world would become detached. But I am sure you would be able to find a balance. My husband is a Sergeant in the US Army. Whose been deployed 3 times now to Iraq, with an accumulated of about 41 months. We have been stationed in KY now for 7 1/2 years. My husband was previously enlisted, myself, new to the entire program. My husband is alot more detached from the civilian world then me. Even tho I am not the one that is enlisted is a little detached as well. I think and maybe know the reason being is because normally civilians don't know the ins and outs of the military and are not as understanding about the on-goings of it as well. So as with anything else, it is easier to turn to someone with knowledge of it, then someone without. But to wrap this up, with you being a prospective Army ROTC cadet, go talk to who would be your prospective Army ROTC instructor, I would think being a good teacher, they would be more than happy to answer your questions. Because as far as I know, they served in the military as well. If I remember right, they will have had to serve in the military and been discharged as either a Sergeant and gotten the job within 2 years of departing, or a Staff Sergeant. Don't quote me, but I think that is the requirement to apply to be a ROTC instructor. Good luck....
