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I'm enlisting in the Va ARNG. Is this the best choice? The ARNG site states I will get a 20k enlistment bonus for enlisting as a 31b on top of my drill pay, tuition assistance, and GI Bill benefits. Va also offers a state tuition benefit of up to 3k per year above the federal education benefits. It says I will get "Full medical through Worker's Comp" on the state benefits site @ http://www.1800goguard.com/VA/index.php. What does that mean? Also, I have a GED diploma and 70 college credit hours (will have ~90 at end of semester). Will I go in as E-3?

Would it be a better idea to wait until I graduate to enlist? I know you can go OCS with a B.S. degree but I wanted enlisted experience (and the bonus) first. Do I have the option of going OCS after enlisting? Also, I scored a 93 on the Navy ASVAB, will I have to take the ASVAB again?

Also, the ARNG has a program that will delay deployment for up to 2yrs while you finish school. Would this include graduate school as well? Thanks

2007-02-18 11:28:02 · 10 answers · asked by Brandon 3 in Politics & Government Military

10 answers

You've pretty much answered your own questions which shows research. Any enlistment is serious as the needs of the country come first. Deferment would include graduate school. Once you finish basic training you are eligible for OCS if you have the college credits. You do not have to take the ASVAB over if you don't want to; if you do and score lower that is your score. There is no such thing as a National Guard Officer; you will become an Army Reserve Officer assigned to the National Guard Burreau. This ups the ante a little. I did everything your doing except I had three years active enlisted. Good luck.

On the OCS test; only right and wrong answers are counted, not unanswered questions. Take it from there and once again, good luck.

2007-02-18 11:37:41 · answer #1 · answered by iguama808 2 · 0 0

Well, you've got a lot of open issues here. I wouldn't enlist after graduating college, that will be very frustrating for you, as you will be more experienced and advanced in many ways than your superiors. But yes you can go to OCS after enlisting, in fact that will be the only way for you to become an officer, although I'm not sure how that works coming from the NG. I guess I don't see why these particular benefits are so important at this point, since you are close to being finished with college. You are going to put in a hell of a lot of work, with basic training, AIT, drills, then OCS, which is no joke at all, all to get tuition assistance for something you've already finished, almost. I think the big decision for you is...do you want to join the military and if so for what reason? If you want to join for personal/patriotic reasons, thats great, but it doesn't appear to me that you need the benefits, especially given the amount of work you will put into this.

2007-02-18 19:48:40 · answer #2 · answered by The Scorpion 6 · 1 0

When enlisting in the armed forces, there has never been a policy to offer more rank based on educational levels. Is this a new policy the armed forces have stooped to in order to get people to enlist? If this is so, they are getting pretty goddamn desperate for new volunteers.

Maybe it's time to activate the selective service and quit prostituting the old and proven policies and standards that once were so important to enlisted people. The Pentagon sits around looking for new incentives to offer people, in order to get them to join up, unfortunately it is demeaning, time proven incentives, set aside for the everyday grunt who look for things, such as an advancement in rank, as a carrot for doing a good job. Now the Pentagon is using rank for college drop outs, as an incentive to join up.

Hell, the selective service is more efficient than any Pentagon policy in weeded out under achievers in colleges and universities.

Lets face it, it's time to give this so called volunteer military a break from the action. What kind of fairnness do you call it when people are asked to return to combat three and four times, or are called up from the inactive reserves, when there is no national emergency, to fill in the short fall of troops. I personally don't see the draft as political suicide, i see it as every citizens responsibility to do his fair share. Popular war or not, I will guarantee you that serving your country will get much more popular when these ragheads hit us again, and then, they better think about more body guards for the liberal leadership in the US.

If you're in it for the money ( the bonus), then don't complain when you are walking point as a PFC, when you can picking the next PFC to walk point, as a 2nd lieutenant!

2007-02-18 20:01:39 · answer #3 · answered by briang731/ bvincent 6 · 0 0

ok i was navy for awhile, anyhow that asvab score is extremely high it only goes to 99 so ur good on that. as far as enlisting and being able to go to ocs you have to serve your contract first you should be able to set that up at meps but im not real sure with national guard. as far as the delay in deployment, were at war. the millitary is a great experince but they dont tell you everything correct. i wasnt suppose to deploy for 3 months but left 3 days you see, i would finish school first that way you are at least an E-3. best of luck your making the right choice. the millitary is awesome

2007-02-18 19:49:52 · answer #4 · answered by usn 08-11 1 · 0 1

Don't do it!!!!

go AWOL if you do.

see my picture below to see why. You want to do this all day? Or worse?

Go to work son, be happy, go to college and learn about the exploitive job military is doing and ask why if it were so noble are virtually none of the masters in power's children over there OR EVEN DOING ANY work for the War or the troops? Why can't Bush Twins do some work for the troops? Because it is Imperialistic war not any defense of our freedoms, it is an attack, an aggression, and no man would sign up to that dishonorable task unless they were too dumb to have read the truth.

do that first.

2007-02-18 19:50:45 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

You ask a lot of questions. You are doing a great thing and thank you. I was active myself and loved every minute of it. I missed it so much I joined the guard a couple of years after I got out. You may certainly make a transition to OCS after your B.S. Worker's comp is a form of insurance and all you can get the better. You do need to work on getting the General score up on your ASVAB, there is a lot of web sights out there to help you exercise your brain. Best of luck and God Bless.

2007-02-18 19:37:19 · answer #6 · answered by Joe P 2 · 0 1

Brandon, I have read your question from cover to cover and I personally believe you have made a mistake. As I told a young man earlier:

If you are planning on enlisting for what you can give, you are on the correct track and it will be the hardest job you ever loved. If, on the other hand, you are enlisting for what you can get it will be the hardest job you ever hated.

From your question it seems to me you are looking for all you can get and not really considering what you may be ordered to do.

That is just one man's opinion but I do have some experience.

US Air Force Master Sergeant (Ret). 22 years Active duty, Vietnam Vet and other activities still classified.

I seriously encourage to revisit your decision, and I would like to wish you the best of luck regardless of what you decide.

2007-02-18 20:42:10 · answer #7 · answered by gimpalomg 7 · 1 0

The ASVAB expires after two years, so as long as you took it within two years, you won't have to re-test.

You can submit an OCS packet after you are in the national guard; if you are accepted, installments of your bonus will stop.

2007-02-19 02:02:12 · answer #8 · answered by DOOM 7 · 0 0

You have the opportunity to APPLY for OCS once you're enlisted, but paradoxically it's harder. They look over every last thing in your record, and all it takes is one stupid thing and you're screwed.

There is only one ASVAB, regardless of who administers it. The officer candidate test should be a completely separate thing.

2007-02-18 19:45:08 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0 1

Does it matter at all to you that you will be sacrificed on the altar of Bush's ego in Iraq?

2007-02-18 19:50:24 · answer #10 · answered by backinbowl 6 · 1 0

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