Marriage Advice for US Soldier?

I was wondering what would happen to me if I was to take leave and go to the Phillippines and merry my fiance. Im currently stationed in Korea and want to take leave around April. My problem is my chain of command are trying to tell me that I basically need there permission to merry someone. I was thinking about saying screw them and go there on leave and merry her. I told my Sgt about this and he said that they would more than likey chapter me out if I was to do that. I really don't know what else to do..I already went ot legal and they are trying there very best to persuade me not to do it. My lawyer made me promise that I don't merry her just go there and visit. I think its all a bunch of bullshit. I love this women and just want to merry her. What can I do.Marriage Advice for US Soldier?
Pick ONE!





Military Service





- OR -





Marriage





In my view, unless you work at like the Pentagon and never travel, your marriage won't work out. If you're away from home for more than a week, your wife will get a boyfriend or a f***-buddy (if she doesn't already have one).Marriage Advice for US Soldier?
Marriages outside the US do require command approval. Sure, you could marry her but the military or the US might not recognize it and then where are you? You are legally married according to Korean or Philippine laws, but not according to US law....thus no military benefits, no US marriage benefits as far as taxes, her getting the 'green card' and so on and so forth.





You know, the JAG people have been there and done that, and they are giving you some good advice. You just need to find a different way to do it which is acceptable to the Armed Forces and the USA.
You can do what you want! They will mess with you though! You should go to the IG! If you go to the IG and they cannot help you go to the Command IG and they will help you!





But think about this! If you get a bad discharge then you will NOT be able to get a decent job and then your new bride with live with you in poverty or more often then not she will leave you! Do your due diligence investigate this and check with the IG!





You should just think about this and ask yourself -%26gt; ';Why does she want me?';!





Just think about it!
I think you need a new lawyer. My husband is in the military and I've never heard of anything like this. Research it as much as you can, but I don't think they have the right to tell you who you can and can't marry.
Don't marry her dude, you life will be screwed big time. Even if you don't tell them, they will find out. You might be talking to a buddy and it slips out, BAM! It's over. You are kicked out of the military and you will have no future but Wal Mart.
Someones messing with you... Unless you are a secrect service\navy seals\James bond, you can mArry who you please...
Don't get married.
Okay, now that you have heard from the peanut gallery here is the deal. First of all, unless things have changed in the past 12 months, the Philippines is off limits to all US military personnel unless they have family there or on official orders due to mission requirements. Since ';she'; is not family, you would be advised not to disobey a direct order and take leave in an off limits area as defined by the government. It has nothing to do with clearance. It has to do with perceived safety of your person; especially in areas south and west of Davao. Unless you can get official permission and a fiance visa to bring her to Korea, you are screwed. BTW, it's for your own protection.





Now, I put ';she'; in quotes because, I am betting you met this girl in Korea and she was there on an entertainment visa. If that is so, you may be getting set up to be scammed or worse yet, you truly love this girl and you will be marrying the entire family. Your little E-4 pay won't go too far. Also, you are currently stationed in Korea and they are NOT going to give her a visa to come back with you based on a marriage license you got in the PI, so she will still be stuck there. Which gets you back to the problem you created for yourself by disobeying a standing order. Your unit is only going to help get you locked up down in Humphries.





Unless you like the inside of jail and still have no girl, DO NOT DO IT!
You do not want to merry her you want to mArry her. Merry means joyful, happy, etc... Yes if you are marrying a foreign national you must have permission from your command first and foremost. Otherwise you can get in serious trouble including being chaptered out.





The reason they are not wanting you to do it is to make sure that this marriage is about love not about her getting out of the Philippines. Unfortunately this is what happens sometimes so in the end you or the system or both get screwed with.





If you do get permission to marry her it can take up to 2 years for her to be allowed to immigrate to the US so this is another thing they are looking at. The military will not be able to to help you with her paperwork or anything else so you have to do it on your own. It costs over $1200 US for her to file for a Green Card. That doesn't include the cost of medical exams, travel, etc... so it can add up to quite a bit.
depending on where she lives.. you could get into major trouble. certain areas of the PI are off limits. and it's MARRY, not merry.





If you have a Clearance, yes you do need their permission to marry a Foreign National. there are MANY hoops to jump through to marry a FN even if you DO NOT have a clearance, and yes you can get into major trouble for not doing things properly.





basically,you have been told to NOT marry her. they will slap you with an Article 15 should you come back married.. because you will have disobeyed a direct order.





gotta ask yourself.. WHY are they telling you no? what are they telling you you have to do before they give permission? just do whatever they tell you to do. or wdop you want to be discharged with an RE4?
First of all, it's MARRY, not merry.


Secondly, you are wanting to marry a foreign national and it is and has been military regulation policy that you need permission to marry a foreign national and you won't get that permission until she has been investigated.


Many GI's have been married by foreign nationals only so they can get a green card, move to the US, divorce their husband and then begin bringing their families over from whereever.


You need to seriously consider what you are planning to do, as you will be separated from the military and she won't get the green card if you fail to follow regulations.


As for the nice lady who told you to get a lawyer, forget it, the regulations have already received Supreme Court approval, many years ago, and you would just be wasting your money.
Your chain of command is telling you the truth.


My wife now, my former fiance was also from the Philippines and I met her while stationed in Japan. I was a Chief (E-7) and my first wife had died. I thought it was pretty ridiculous also to request permission to get married at my pay grade and being 38 years old.





But it is in the regulations and you could go to article 15 if you don't go with the program. My advice is to do the paperwork and come over and get married. If you decide to stay in the Army in Korea you will need everything to be legal to get Command Sponsorship to bring her over there or at the very least collect BAH.





By the way I was approved and never heard of anyone getting a disapproval to marry a foreign national. Yes they tried unsuccessfully to discourage me too and also at the US Embassy when I was doing her immigration paperwork.





The Philippines is NOT off limits to servicemen. All you need to do is to attend a opsec brief prior to comming here. There was a joint exercise off of Panay Island last month with the US and we still maintain a SOFA agreement with the Filippine government. I know better, I have lived in the Philippines since January 2002.