You must have older kids. But surely you're moving again after AWC, why not bring wife and kids with you? Military schools are usually some of the better assignments, especially with a spouse. Plus you're hanging out with a higher class of officers.

My time at the Army War College was a long time ago (Class of 2000), but it was one of the best years of my military career - both for me and my family.

Back then (can't speak for what they currently have for a daily schedule) there was lots of down time (usually in class in the morning - afternoons were for the most part free) which allowed for catching up on good family time. There were also lots of social events, both with your seminar and also with the entire AWC class. We also played sports (softball, volleyball, basketball) as seminars, which included a lot of socializing, and kids were usually a big part of that. We made some great friends there, as did our kids. We lived on post (Smurf Village) and virtually every day we had an informal social gathering with our neighbors and their kids on the back porches. Again, a LOT of time to socialize and catch up on family time. My wife and I took a ball room dancing class (along with several other AWC couples), we joined an on post bowling league with neighbors, and we had a lot of parties with our neighbors and AWC seminar mates at each others houses. I also got back in shape there, as I had the time to run and hit the gym almost daily at Carlisle.

We also had many "roadrunners" whose families lived in D.C while they were at AWC. They usually had the time to drive home to D.C. Friday afternoon, but in some cases they did miss out on some of the informal social activities over the weekend. But the ones I knew who did that always managed to find a "balance" and were still an integral part of the seminar, the social events, and the overall war college experience. You would not be alone if you chose to keep your family in D.C while you attended AWC. There will be others there who are doing the same thing.

I had just come back from a deployment when I went to Carlisle, so it could not have been timed better for my family and me. Its still considered one of the best years of my career by my entire family. I highly recommend you make the most of it, as it truly is a great year. Have great year at Carlisle! And win Jim Thorpe Sports Days!