Is the army recruiter lying to my son Help this worried mom?

Question

son is 20 recruiter told him 20,000 bonus took the test said he made to low has to go in as a reserve and then when he completes boot camp he will then be active duty.What is his chances of going to war zone What is the difference in active duty and reserves.Is this a trick to keep him from getting the bonus he is very smart and i dont' beleive he made a poor score also he has bronchial asthma when he gets a cold and has to use an inhaler will they find out hope so

Answer 1

Army recruiters always lie, its their job
His changes of going into a war zone are high, you should always join the army with the assumption you will see combat

Answer 2

Depending on his MOS, if he qualifies he will get half the bonus up front with the other half filtered into his monthly pay. The recruiter is lying in that Active/Reserves/Guard all have the same ASVAB score requirement to join. Also he can't go to boot camp as a reservist and end up active when he graduates. Now what he may mean is that when he graduates he can volunteer for active duty this is a possibility. If he has bronchial Asthma he would automatically be disqualified for enlistment into any branch. If he did not disclose it to the MEPS personnel, he can and will be charged with false enlistment, which at the minimum will be either a general or bad conduct discharge or the max he could do some jail time, just depends on the commanders mood basically. Hope this helps and everything works out for your son.

Answer 3

I don't know about joining as a Reservist and then automatically being made Active. That doesn't make any sense, unless the recruiter said that it's LIKELY he'll go to a Reserve unit that has been activated for the war. The only reason I can think of that would keep your son from getting a $20,000 bonus is if he didn't qualify for the MOS (or job) that the bonus is offered for. For instance, if he wanted to be a medic and there was a $20,000 bonus given to all new recruits who signed up to be a medic, but he failed in the areas of testing that showed he was skilled enough to be one, he'd have to chose a different job that maybe didn't offer such a high bonus, or any bonus at all.

As far as the difference between Reserve and Active--Reserve soldiers work one weekend a month and an additional two weeks every year. They are only paid for that time. They are supposed to be reserves, as in, back up. However, there are apparently quite a number of Reserve units that have been made Active for the war effort.

Active duty soldiers are on the payroll 24/7 and their schedule is like a full time job. Normal duty hours are usually something like Mon-Fri, 6:00 am-5:00 pm, approximately, with some variations for duty, training, etc.

It sounds like you don't have all the information. Talk to the recruiter yourself.

Answer 4

Yup, they'll probably find out about the Asthma or he might admit it. If not, then he showed signs of it later them he will be punished by the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Either way, active or reserves, war is possible. He can just retest after 6 months and get a higher score to avoid going to the reserves although I think that he probably was talking to a reserve recruiter. Active duty is a full time job where he is required to do his military duties 24/7. Reserves is a type of enlistment where you go through all the training but you go home after. They require you to attend drill training 1 weekend a month or 2 days a month and a 2 week annual refresher training. Active duty gets stationed anywhere in the world while reserves stay in their hometown unless called upon by the government. The pay is obviously different. It is normal for parents to worry about their children but wishing them to fail is a selfish thing. Just my opinion.

Answer 5

There are a lot of bonuses out there, especially in the Army, but you both will have to ask a lot of questions...get a second opinion from a different recruiter.. Every new recruit will go thru a physical and that's when the asthma will be discussed. The military need recruits so bad it's not even funny, because of this war in Iraq/Afghanistan... the Army has to get a goal of 80,000 for this year so you know they'll try to talk to anyone and everyone even people who aren't citizens and all. Your son needs to find out what exactly he wants to do and that includes talking to all different branches of the military, if all he's interested in is the bonus then he must be ready for what's ahead it may not be to his liking....

Answer 6

Were the recruiter's lips moving? Then he was lying!
I know that's the same as the old lawyer joke of the same line, but it applies to recruiters too.
As far as I know (I was in the Guard for 8 years) the Reserves/Guard have the exact same standards ar active duty. Whenever they tell you something that sounds unusual, check it out with another recruiter in a different town. Or go to a reserve unit and talk to the Unit Administrator (company clerk). My recruiter messed up my paper work, and I was almost discharged before I went to basic training.
When I took the ASVAB test, they had to show the kid next to me how to sign his name. He got in too, though thankfully not in my unit.
What are you meaning when you wrote "20,000"? Are they trying to tell him that is an enlistment bonus? I've never heard of that high of one before. But it could be any number of things. Maybe how much they would pay for college, life insurance, guaranteed miles traveled in one year?
The asthma could be a problem for him. I would recommend that he disclose it immediately. The consequences are not worth the risk. And by that I mean that if they find out about it the hard way later down the line, he could be prosecuted for lying about it. I had light astma and a heart murmur, and they let me in. Something like that doesn't fall under the "don't ask; don't tell" policy.
You need to get behind him and support what his descission is. He will need his family for moral support.

Answer 7

Ok getting a low score on the ASVAB doesn’t usually warrant the reserves that doesn’t make much sense to me but you can always ask for a copy of the test. If he has asthma as long as they don’t find out before he enters he will be alright.

Now for Iraq
Joining the Army no matter what branch puts you at risk for going to a combat zone its a guarantee. Either way this is his decision and one you should let him make joining the Army is a huge deal and you should as his mother make sure he understands that.

The Bonus's only apply to certain Jobs in the army called MOS's if his test scores did not meet the requirements for the bonus he doesn’t get it.

Answer 8

In order to get the bonus, that might be his only choice to qualify for it. Reserve, Active Duty, National Guard, it doesn't even matter anymore. He has a very HIGH chance of going somewhere. I'm in the Reserve and everyone in my unit has been deployed, even some of the Privates. We all have a different combat patch. If your son has a medical condition like you said they will find out in MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station). If he can't go they will void the contract
hope this helps.

Answer 9

No he's not lying. If you score too low on the military ASVAB test, you don't have much of a choice as far as military jobs. Most likely he will go to an infantry unit. As for the $20,000 bonus. That bonus is based on what military occupation your son goes into. If he goes into a combat occupation he would be able to receive $15,000. The other $5,000 depends on if your son would choose to do a "quick ship" to basic training. If he chooses not to do that then he would only get $15,000.

If he has to use an inhaler, and has documentation of the asthma then, he most likely would not be able to pass the PT test, and would not be able to join the military.

Answer 10

He can retake the ASVAB to get a higher score for the job he wants. If he goes active duty he will be stationed on a military base and that will be his full time job. If he goes reserve he will go to train once a month for the weekend and two weeks in the summer. The rest of the time he will have a civilian job or go to school or what ever he wants to do. He has a chance to deploy whichever way he goes, it will depend on the job he has and how much it is needed oversees.

Answer 11

Okay, for those who say all recruiters are liars, honestly- your idiots. Ive enlisted two times and always knew what I was doing........ I READ THE CONTRACT BEFORE I SIGNED IT! I DID MY RESEARCH- and both times the recruiter had told me exactly what was going to happen- and it did as long as I fulfilled my end of the deal. You can get a 20000 bonus-- I got one on my 2nd enlistment just earlier this year in january-- and Im a combat soldier (used to be infantry, now Im a forward observer) and thats a PRIOR service bonus, let alone an initial entry bonus which are usually higher. If your son scored low on the ASVAB, he needs to retake it AFTER he studies and applies him/herself- most schools want a GT score of 110, standard. Low scores will get him in the infantry- but he probably wont make it long, you do have to have a brain to be an infantryman, despite popular belief.. Whens the last time YOU let an idiot handle a handgun, let alone grenades/claymores/AT4/ as well as a multitude of other weaponry?

As far as the reserve part, you probably meant delayed entry program- until he can get better asvab scores.