Daughter Interested in National Guard, Coast Guard or Air Force Reserve? (Army, reserves)

[sheena12]

Hi! Since I posted a year ago my daughter has gone through several phases since I posted. Now her she is considering all of these majors - Physician's Assistant, Architect, Registered Nurse( BSN) Dental Hygienist, Nurse Practitioner MS. The last one would require 2 year after her BS/BA. She would like to serve her country and I am proud of her. She is an Honers Student , and she is a responsible person. We are moving to Ohio and she will attend one of the State Universities in OH.

1. Does she enlist before college? If how is she involved with the military while in college? When does training begin?

2. A recruiter in the mall told us that college benefits are more limited now. I knew people in the 80s who entered after graduation and the service took care of their loans. Is this still true?

3. I read that now women serve equally in combat situations. I had though that they were already doing this. I am confused. What is the difference now?

4. As I understand it upon graduation she would be an officer. Is this still true?

5. Is there a branch of the service where she can serve while in college, one weekend per month?

6. Do any of the branches pay her while in college?

&. How long in her term of service? Does she immediately need to know how long she wants to enlist for or can she re enlist every several years?

Thanks in advance and I apologize if I have used any incorrect terms.

[suzy_q2010]

Has she looked into ROTC scholarships? The nursing and physician assistant programs might be attractive majors.

Getting ROTC Scholarships for College

CollegeData - Pay Your Way - ROTC Scholarships

Nursing | GoArmy.com

[curtisc83]

Originally Posted by sheena12

Hi! Since I posted a year ago my daughter has gone through several phases since I posted. Now her she is considering all of these majors - Physician's Assistant, Architect, Registered Nurse( BSN) Dental Hygienist, Nurse Practitioner MS. The last one would require 2 year after her BS/BA. She would like to serve her country and I am proud of her. She is an Honers Student , and she is a responsible person. We are moving to Ohio and she will attend one of the State Universities in OH.

1. Does she enlist before college? If how is she involved with the military while in college? When does training begin?

2. A recruiter in the mall told us that college benefits are more limited now. I knew people in the 80s who entered after graduation and the service took care of their loans. Is this still true?

3. I read that now women serve equally in combat situations. I had though that they were already doing this. I am confused. What is the difference now?

4. As I understand it upon graduation she would be an officer. Is this still true?

5. Is there a branch of the service where she can serve while in college, one weekend per month?

6. Do any of the branches pay her while in college?

&. How long in her term of service? Does she immediately need to know how long she wants to enlist for or can she re enlist every several years?

Thanks in advance and I apologize if I have used any incorrect terms.

Any medical profession in the Army would be a great way to go. In my opinion a PA would be ideal. The Army has a habit of using PA's like MD's so if she went that route she be in the Army but live and work in a normal medical facility. Worse case she would work at a TMC at a small base. But anything at COP's, PB's, FB's and VSP's would be enlisted medical personal. She would never be a ground pounder. Combat medics are enlisted.

She will need to join ROTC in order to receive a commission once she graduates. From what I know if she was in ROTC the drills in college would count towards her service requirements prior to her graduating. She would have to serve a required amount of years as a officer before she could get out once she gets her commission. I'm not sure how many years and I'm sure it differs for each MOS.

She should talk to the Universites ROTC program for more info. ROTC programs are ran by military personal.

[GeorgiaTransplant]

Originally Posted by sheena12

Hi! Since I posted a year ago my daughter has gone through several phases since I posted. Now her she is considering all of these majors - Physician's Assistant, Architect, Registered Nurse( BSN) Dental Hygienist, Nurse Practitioner MS. The last one would require 2 year after her BS/BA. She would like to serve her country and I am proud of her. She is an Honers Student , and she is a responsible person. We are moving to Ohio and she will attend one of the State Universities in OH.

1. Does she enlist before college? If how is she involved with the military while in college? When does training begin?

2. A recruiter in the mall told us that college benefits are more limited now. I knew people in the 80s who entered after graduation and the service took care of their loans. Is this still true?

3. I read that now women serve equally in combat situations. I had though that they were already doing this. I am confused. What is the difference now?

4. As I understand it upon graduation she would be an officer. Is this still true?

5. Is there a branch of the service where she can serve while in college, one weekend per month?

6. Do any of the branches pay her while in college?

&. How long in her term of service? Does she immediately need to know how long she wants to enlist for or can she re enlist every several years?

Thanks in advance and I apologize if I have used any incorrect terms.

1. She can either:
-join right away, called 'enlisting': then she'll have to train in a specialty and finally serve in a Guard or Reserve Unit part time (usually about a weekend a month and 2 weeks per year) as an enlisted soldier.
-join ROTC, a college elective-type program that results in an officer's commission and can be thought of as a really, really intense and physical minor.
-combine the two-you can be enlisted Guard/Reserve and simultaneously do ROTC.

2. It can still be true depending on your component (active/Guard/reserve), but it's an application process. It's not a guarantee and it isn't offered to everyone. It usually comes with an obligation for more service (e.g., every 1/3 of your loans = 1 more year of obligated service).

3. Women can now serve in direct combat specialties-positions and jobs coded and expected to conduct combat as the most important and primary part of the job. Infantry close with and destroy the enemy, they don't fix vehicles at other than a trivial level, pack parachutes, or issue supplies.

Previously women could be in some (not all) kinds of combat units-organizations conducting combat, but the women would primarily have a noncombat specialty. Didn't prevent them from engaging in combat, but in an ideal world, your supply sergeant or chemical specialist or mechanic isn't pulling a trigger, they are working the supply room, issuing masks, or fixing vehicles-and fighting directly only when necessary.

4. If she joins ROTC, applies for and goes to Officer Candidate School, or accepts a Direct Commission (medical folks sometimes get these offers). All are competitive, require effort on the part of the applicant, and are not guaranteed programs. If she doesn't do one of those, she won't be made an officer simply by having a degree. Plenty of enlisted soldiers have degrees.

5. Any of the Guard or Reserve formations: Army Guard, Air Guard, Army Reserve, Air Reserve, Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, etc. Active duty, it is a full-time gig.

6. Based on the route she chooses, there are more or less required amounts of service. Enlisting in Guard is, I believe, 8 years of Guard service. Going active after ROTC, 3 or 4 years of active officer service followed by 2 years of Guard/reserve service and 2 years of inactive service.

Enlisted soldiers can reenlist every few years until the 'big one' mid-career-indefinite reenlistment.

Officers don't reenlist, they just are offered the chance to continue in service and have to actively leave the service when their obligation is up.

[Poncho_NM]

Originally Posted by sheena12

Hi! Since I posted a year ago my daughter has gone through several phases since I posted. Now her she is considering all of these majors - Physician's Assistant, Architect, Registered Nurse( BSN) Dental Hygienist, Nurse Practitioner MS. The last one would require 2 year after her BS/BA. She would like to serve her country and I am proud of her. She is an Honers Student , and she is a responsible person. We are moving to Ohio and she will attend one of the State Universities in OH.

I would suggest one of the medical fields. RN is a good career. All the Military Army and Air Force Nurses I have met were commissioned officers, and I have met a few who were former military and working as civilians...

Originally Posted by sheena12

1. Does she enlist before college? If how is she involved with the military while in college? When does training begin?

That really depends. I can't really come up with a good answer except that training begins when you enter ad it never really ends...

Originally Posted by sheena12

2. A recruiter in the mall told us that college benefits are more limited now. I knew people in the 80s who entered after graduation and the service took care of their loans. Is this still true?

There are a lot of programs. Many people (to include me) never used up their education benefits. My wife who was a civilian Federal employee even took some Army correspondence courses, and attended some military classes. A common question on Military promotion boards is what are you doing to improve yourself...

Originally Posted by sheena12

3. I read that now women serve equally in combat situations. I had though that they were already doing this. I am confused. What is the difference now?

They were not allowed have have some "Combat" jobs, but they served in combat zones...
FROM: Women in the U.S. military and combat roles: Research roundup – Journalist's Resource: Research for Reporting, from Harvard Shorenstein Center
In about 10 years of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, over 283,000 female members have been deployed. Over 800 have been wounded. Over 130 have died. Women have been recognized for their heroism.

Originally Posted by sheena12

4. As I understand it upon graduation she would be an officer. Is this still true?

Depends on what course she is accepted into, how well she does, etc...

Originally Posted by sheena12

5. Is there a branch of the service where she can serve while in college, one weekend per month?

Some reserve units. Some people enter the military, stay a few years, get out and stay in the Reserves (Or National Guard).

Originally Posted by sheena12

6. Do any of the branches pay her while in college?

Depends on what program she is in. In 5. above, thos people who get out get VA Benefits, which includes education. We have bought houses over the years that were VA Guaranteed Loans. No down payment (There may be closing costs), No PMI.

Originally Posted by sheena12

&. How long in her term of service? Does she immediately need to know how long she wants to enlist for or can she re enlist every several years?

Everyone entering the U.S. Military has an eight year obligation. If they are enlisted and sign up for four years, they get out of active duty, but technically they are in the reserves for four more years. That can be active or inactive reserves.

Originally Posted by sheena12

Thanks in advance and I apologize if I have used any incorrect terms.

Want to see some military related jobs here on City-Data? Look through this thread: https://www.city-data.com/forum/military-life-issues/655505-lets-thank-our-vets-all-them-2.html

[oldsoldier1976]

Hi I am a career guard here. The recruiters are right money is tighter. They still provide tuition assistance and soldiers are eligible for GI bill education money.

1) If yoour daughter goes guard in Massachusetts (I dont know about all the other states but I suspect most do) state schools are tuition free. The GI bill will cover living expenses and books.

2) Women are now allowed to join in combat arms units like infantry and armor. These positions were restricted. Women are in combat all the time. The difference is these roles are the agressive roles. Some combat vets have an expression for it as seeing the elephant. Killing a man face to face is a life changing event.

Officers are in essentially for life though they have options. Medical as in nurses and doctors are officers. Once they have completed training in their core she will need to go to officer school. There are other things and I am not a recruiter so I do not have all the details.

it is good that she is doing this. I have had a great career. It is long and hard but guard doctors and nurses are not full time positions. Only active duty positions have them. It is though a great leg up on the competition. They get good training and valuable life experiences.

Originally Posted by sheena12

Hi! Since I posted a year ago my daughter has gone through several phases since I posted. Now her she is considering all of these majors - Physician's Assistant, Architect, Registered Nurse( BSN) Dental Hygienist, Nurse Practitioner MS. The last one would require 2 year after her BS/BA. She would like to serve her country and I am proud of her. She is an Honers Student , and she is a responsible person. We are moving to Ohio and she will attend one of the State Universities in OH.

1. Does she enlist before college? If how is she involved with the military while in college? When does training begin?

2. A recruiter in the mall told us that college benefits are more limited now. I knew people in the 80s who entered after graduation and the service took care of their loans. Is this still true?

3. I read that now women serve equally in combat situations. I had though that they were already doing this. I am confused. What is the difference now?

4. As I understand it upon graduation she would be an officer. Is this still true?

5. Is there a branch of the service where she can serve while in college, one weekend per month?

6. Do any of the branches pay her while in college?

&. How long in her term of service? Does she immediately need to know how long she wants to enlist for or can she re enlist every several years?

Thanks in advance and I apologize if I have used any incorrect terms.