2 Next
Topic: Enlistment Bounuses?
Army_Strong's photo
Tue 01/13/09 08:58 PM

Army_strong you are correct in questioning what your recruiter tells you... They are not suppose to lie to get you to sign, but a few have been know to stretch the truth sometimes. With that said the quickest way to find out is to call a different recruiting office and ask. You choice of 11B is interesting... as a former 11B and still a soldier after 24 years... there is no other MOS that has the comradely or cohesion (well not in the Army) being a grunt is the cloest thing you will find to being a marine. Having spent my entire career in the Army and can honesty say that there is no tighter group than the Marines. If you are truely from MI, then 11B is also a good choice. MI has alot of 11B reserve/guard positions. If you are looking for bonus $ call a guard recruiter and ask about active 1st program. I think the signing bonus is up to 60K. There is merit to taking a MOS that offers a career after military, but any job in army offers leadership and self discipline required by todays employers, not to mention you get military points/preference on civil servant jobs like police/fire. And there is always the college fund to get a degree afterwards. If you are interested in college I would recommend going for a ROTC scholarship before you enlist. it's a lot to think about and a large choice in life, but in the end only you can make it.. dont let others pressure you too much and take your time and think it through... Good Luck..

Yeah. He's not technically a recruiter.. I guess.. I dunno.. Anyways, he's been pushin' for me to go gaurd.. and if I do I'll go active first. Was 10 points away on my ASVAB to be elidigible for the 60K.. But, still elidigible for something.. I hope. Yeah, being an officer instead of an enlisted solider or however they look at that would be cool, but it wont happen. Oh well I'd be happy with being a E-7 8 w/e I can top out @.

Army_Strong's photo
Tue 01/13/09 08:59 PM



haha no not scared easily. And, things that go boom could be fun.. Hmm Like I said hopin to retire out can always change my MOS after my first few years.


Lol they tell you that but truth of the matter is once trained into your MOS usually won't change it until reelistment. Also only if it has an opening. Only thing you can trust is what Duck said: if it's in writing on the contract.

Best of luck.


LOL that's what I meant.. But, I cant spell to save my a$$ so I didn't want people talking about it lol

Army_Strong's photo
Tue 01/13/09 09:01 PM

I got a $2,000 enlist bonus back in the 80's
91-A Field Medic, then 4 yrs later 91-D Operating Room Specialist.
Paid $1000. after Basic Training and AIT.
Then the last $1000. after 2 more yrs.
When I got to my unit one of the folks screwed up and it was late by about six months.
As it turns out that was pretty typical of our unit.
Sgt Mckay,Sgt.Ritter and Sgt Hussong, who was the NCOIC (In Charge)ran the Admin. Our paperwork got screwed up to the point they called that office the
"Hussong Triangle" Paperwork was submitted but would mysteriously disapper.

Better yet, orders would would show up, but they didn't know about them untill the last minute.

Yeah well you might think differently after a few years about being a "lifer" get some training that you can use when/if you get out.

Good Luck.


*shrugs* If I get in.. Pretty sure it's what I was "made" to do.. We shall see. Thanks though.

PacificStar48's photo
Tue 01/13/09 09:31 PM
With the current attitude to squeeze every penny out of government employees I have the sneaking feeling that fewer and fewer soldiers are going to be allowed to retire. When a soldier's enlistment runs out he is going to be out of luck if an even remotely qualified person is available to replace him. (I use soldier and him as generic terms.) Even when soldiers are highly rated if they have profoundly disabled dependents or disabilities of their own they are partially compensated and selectively RIF'd (Reduction in Forces) and because you can not sue the Federal Government they get away with it. This hurts retention but retention long term is no longer the goal if it ever was. Military service is a poor employment program and most people get that.

I tend to believe with the current costs that business are being forced to absorb for soldier's in arms they are going to make it clear to the bean counters and politician's that they don't also collect bonuses for job's they volunteer for. The average tax payor do not see the majority of military assignments as any more dangerous than many stateside jobs or living in many stateside communities that are starting to feel like war zones. I tend to agree. The death and injury statistics seem to bear that out.Even if that is not true the anti-war machine has done a better job of making people believe that. Part of that is the government cut their own throat. Because when a soldier is dead or catestrophiclly disabled they are more or less "hidden" or deployed. With the ne w permissive military the dominant image of soldier's are the few loud mouth party animals that constantly want special treatment and excessive gratitude. It is patently unfair to what is the real deal for soldiers that work long hours, have been repeatedly been recycled through combat deployments, often forced into bankruptcy because military houseing has more or less been abandoned, and gotten marginal and questional medical care.

I truely believe that Obama will re-deploy the existing troops to posts;in particularly in Europe and the conflicts in Africa but I don't see him getting involved in playing Commander in Cheif of the military to the degree that Bush has the conflicts will be more effective and come home.

As a soldier I would think long and hard if I want to be a temporary warrior and then basiclly only have job skills that can be sold to corporate mercaneries that see me as a very disposable commodity with no long term benifits.

Any way that is a theory.

Aquila_'s photo
Tue 01/13/09 09:33 PM
Edited by Aquila_ on Tue 01/13/09 09:34 PM

it's a bonus if you don't enlist

sad2 grumble

My dad is military.


To Army_Strong. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: Thank you


Army_Strong's photo
Tue 01/13/09 10:32 PM
Well said.. Messed up isn't it? But, yeah.. No matter what any place I could come out and work at, would see that I had X amount of time in the service and see that I had an honerable discharge.. Plus I've got experiance in everything from auto/diesel repair to culinary skills. I did everything I could in school, never commited to just one field of study. I learned as much as I could. Even coming out of the military, I'll take w/e job I can get so it really doesn't matter if I go into a field that I could come out and do. I don't have the test scores for most of the professions. Most of them you've got to be good in math at the very least. I'm horrible at math.. By horrible I mean I've just recently *as in the last year or so* been able to do math in my head.. Things 5th graders should be able to do. And, yeah worse comes to worse.. I go back to turning my book into a series of children's books. So, no worries my friend.. I'm not going in nor coming out lacking any skills :-)


With the current attitude to squeeze every penny out of government employees I have the sneaking feeling that fewer and fewer soldiers are going to be allowed to retire. When a soldier's enlistment runs out he is going to be out of luck if an even remotely qualified person is available to replace him. (I use soldier and him as generic terms.) Even when soldiers are highly rated if they have profoundly disabled dependents or disabilities of their own they are partially compensated and selectively RIF'd (Reduction in Forces) and because you can not sue the Federal Government they get away with it. This hurts retention but retention long term is no longer the goal if it ever was. Military service is a poor employment program and most people get that.

I tend to believe with the current costs that business are being forced to absorb for soldier's in arms they are going to make it clear to the bean counters and politician's that they don't also collect bonuses for job's they volunteer for. The average tax payor do not see the majority of military assignments as any more dangerous than many stateside jobs or living in many stateside communities that are starting to feel like war zones. I tend to agree. The death and injury statistics seem to bear that out.Even if that is not true the anti-war machine has done a better job of making people believe that. Part of that is the government cut their own throat. Because when a soldier is dead or catestrophiclly disabled they are more or less "hidden" or deployed. With the ne w permissive military the dominant image of soldier's are the few loud mouth party animals that constantly want special treatment and excessive gratitude. It is patently unfair to what is the real deal for soldiers that work long hours, have been repeatedly been recycled through combat deployments, often forced into bankruptcy because military houseing has more or less been abandoned, and gotten marginal and questional medical care.

I truely believe that Obama will re-deploy the existing troops to posts;in particularly in Europe and the conflicts in Africa but I don't see him getting involved in playing Commander in Cheif of the military to the degree that Bush has the conflicts will be more effective and come home.

As a soldier I would think long and hard if I want to be a temporary warrior and then basiclly only have job skills that can be sold to corporate mercaneries that see me as a very disposable commodity with no long term benifits.

Any way that is a theory.

Army_Strong's photo
Tue 01/13/09 10:33 PM


it's a bonus if you don't enlist

sad2 grumble

My dad is military.


To Army_Strong. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: Thank you




Thanks! But, don't thank me I havent done anything.. Thank the boys and girls that have paid the ultimate sacrifice for they're country.

2 Next