Military leave is similar to vacation time in the civilian world. It is one of the benefits provided by the armed forces that allow service members to enjoy some well-deserved time off each year. However, there are alternatives to military leave that permit service members to purchase discount airline tickets or jump in the car and head off base for a while.
A pass is time off that is not charged against accrued military leave. When military personnel are on regular off-duty time, this is considered a Regular Pass. In the early days, service members were required to receive permission to go off-duty and leave their base. Now, the military ID card serves this purpose and in most cases, separate permission is not required.
The base first sergeant, supervisor, or commander is authorized to issue special passes such as the three-day pass. These are typically provided to reward excellent performance and entitle the recipient to some off-duty time. Special passes usually may not be used in conjunction with scheduled leave or a weekend.
If service members want to attend a professionally beneficial class or conference and the military will not pay for it, the base commander may authorize Permissive TDY to attend. This time off is not deducted from accrued military leave and travel pay and reimbursement are not provided. However, service members can save money by using military discounts for airline tickets.
The Hometown Recruiter Assistance Program is one type of Permissive TDY. It allows recruits to return home to help a recruiter for as long as 20 days, based on service. This time is not deducted from accrued leave but the travel costs are not paid by the military. With a military discount, airline ticket prices home become less expensive. Click here to find the great deals that are currently available.