Problem military neighbor ...?

We've been living in this complex for about 6 months or so and since day 1, the neighbor upstairs has been making all kinds of noises ... they stomp around all the time, their tv is always blasted even til late at night, their dog just runs back and forth, constantly dropping stuff on the floor because we always here the loud bangs in our ceiling when they do ... and on top of that, there's always water pouring down from their balcony into ours every morning. The second time we complained to the front office about it, we told them that the noise was unbearable and to call the police after 10pm if it happens again and they will send a letter. A few days later about 9pm, I was out in the balcony on the phone and they guys just pulled up, parked his car and started screaming at me from the parking lot to the balcony for about a good to minutes. Every timee I tried to say something he would tell me to shhhh!!! and listen ... I felt really threatened because I know my husband wouldn't be screaming at his wife if it was the other way around. In the end he said now that they received a letter when we complained, he's going to do his part which i'm not sure what he meant. I reported it to the front office the very next morning and they said that the next time he does that just call the cops and they will call me back if they hear from him.

He is in the military and so is my husband and a friend of ours said that we can find out which command he's in and file a complaint through them. I guess I am trying to find out what I need to do (the right thing to do) is it worth filing acomplaintt about him through his command or do we just let it go ?

The military can do nothing about it unless you have proof (videos, etc) that he is doing this. Even then, all the can do is advise him to stop.
I would talk to his commander, anyway - just to make a point.

Complain to apartment management and call the civilian authorities.
Since you have done that, move to the lawsuit threat level.

I would have called the police when he started yelling at me. I'm not to sure how military law works (they're like their own society, aren't they?) but I do know that what he did to you constitutes terroristic threats and warrants an arrest.

Tell the landlord he has 30 days to correct the problem. Failure to do so will result in a "breach of contract" law suit.

Well first off let me ask you this. If he worked at the local grocery store, would you file a complaint with his supervisor at the store? Don't involve his employer in this. Simply talk to the apartment manager, then the police. That is all you can do. You may also try talking to him directly with the apartment manager present to witness. The other issue is the lack of insulation on the apartment builders fault. They build these stick buildings with as little cost as possible. Try earplugs when you go to sleep. I lived in an apartment and we did make noise occasionally. Our downstairs neighbor would bang a broom on her ceiling when she thought we were being noisy. Sometimes we would just walk in to the apartment and she would start banging. She did that until one day she had a flat tire in the parking lot and I changed it for her. She found out I was not being noisy just to be malicious, it was mainly the construction of the building. I could not stop the floor from squeaking or having little insulation.

Now it is a wait and see thing as they have recieved a letter.

Get yourself a noebook and write down everything that happens and who you speak to about this. His command will want some sort of timeline and proof.

If it continues call the police at every step. They would be very interested about someone yelling so they will knock on their door to make sure all is well. Your husband can say that he is concerned about your safety. The police are usually military freindly. If the TV is way loud they will show as well. Odds are they will start toning it down because the police keep coming around.

Register your complaint again with the apt. managers. Make it very clear that if this continues you will have no choice but to take further measures. People tend to be afraid of the military since they really don't understand it. If you have a record of complaints you can actually have someone from the military come out and pry. Put that person in uniform in the managers office and they get nervous. In some cases the military will deem that an apartment complex is no longer able to rent to military.

Your husband could do this himself. He could go have a chat with these people upstairs. Be nice but firm.

Try that and if it does not work your freind is correct. Once you have some sort of track record your husband can go to speak to legal and they will take it from there.