OCONUS (thing)

See also: CONUS - Continental United States

In the US Army, an Active Duty soldier is required to serve one tour of duty overseas, or OCONUS.

The Pacific (i.e. Hawaii), Latin America, and Europe are considered OCONUS tours. Hawaii and Alaska are also considered OCONUS, being that they are seperated from the continental mainland.

OCONUS tours, namely tours like Korea, Afghanistan, and Iraq, are considered hardship tours. Soldiers get paid Save Pay, which is an extra sum paid due to the fact that living conditions and amenities are typically sub-standard. Here in Korea, no family is allowed. You can't drive your own vehicle, and there are mandatory curfews and dresscodes, in addition to all the other rules and regulations that come with a frontline deployment.

Soldiers also recieve COLA, which is the acronym for Cost of Living Allowance. In addition, in declared combat zones, the soldier recieves combat pay, or imminent danger pay.

In Korea, a soldier is afforded a mid-tour leave. At the 6th month mark, a soldier may opt to take leave, but must pay for that leave out of his allotment. A soldier accrues 2 and-a-half days per month. In combat zones, the soldier is usually not given leave, due to the fact that many might not return. Prior to deployment to a combat zone, soldiers are usually given leave, which does not count against their accrued leave time.