Posted on 03/30/2006 1:37:22 PM PST by GottaLuvAkitas1
My daughter is talking to RECRUITER for military service, and we have someone coming by from the Army tonight.
Can you please help me with questions to ask?
We plan to talk to all branches before she decides. Thank you for any help.
Some quota-seeking Army dood will show up knocking on your front door. That person will be COMPLETELY unprepared for what is about to happen.
By all means, sign EVERYTHING that dood puts in front of you and your daughter.
My bad...
My head is swimming with information that I won't fully process until I get some rest I am sure, but here goes some stuff that stuck out during the talk with the Army Reserves guy.
1st my daughter is 17 years old and is in 11th grade. She is thinking of being a nurse, but is not sure.
-The prgram that the recruiter talked to my daughter about in school, and on the phone was a SPLIT ENLISTEMNT.
The means that she would go to basic training this summer for 9 weeks then return a week before school starts and next year after she graduates from high school she would be in the Army Reserves. 1 year out of six down with doing nothing, but basic training.
Not a bad deal
-The recruiter said that her MOS would be based on what is available at the time, and how well she does on her ASVAB.
When I asked him if she has any guarentee on what she would be offered he said no. He said there is no way to tell what will be open until the day she sits down with that paticular person who helps her pick her MOS from the list that's open at that moment. Then he went into talking about it being only 1 weekend a month and would it be so bad not to get the best MOS as long as she gets the money to attend college.
**That scares me.**
-It also worries me that she does not have much time to make up her mind since she would be going to basic in June if she picks this branch.
Now I have to get to the other branches quicker in order for her to weigh her options before time runs out on this one.
-Right now she really likes everything the recruiter had to say. Actually, my husband & I were inpressed as well, but like I said before she will be talking to all branches before she makes up her mind.
I can't think of the other things I wanted to bring up right now because like I said my head is full. As I think of them I'll post them.
BTW, you guys have been great! You really helped us out a lot and I am sure I will have more questions as I can think of them.
Thank you, thank you for your help!
"you now know that the recruiter cannot 'promise' her anything.
"If you qualify and the vacancy exists..."
Yes, that is what he said exactly.
She took her ASVAB practice test and did well, but she wants to make at least an 80 so she needs to work on her math skills before she takes it for real.
As it is now the only thing she missed were a few math questions.
The recruiter gave her a website to brush up on her math and practice on the ASVAB. He said she could go up 20 points with the proper amount of practice.
I hope this is true.
"Get it in writing, that if Hillary Clinton is elected POTUS, your daughter gets an early out."
LOL that is not going to happen. Not with FReepers at work.
Out of curiousity, does she know what she wants to do with her life? If she's a motivated enough and has clear goals, ROTC + college might be a better option.
Does she have a preference as to which branch of the military she wants to go in to?
She is thinking of nursing.
She has no preference yet of which branch that is why she wants to talk to them all.
Great! They can tell me about how tough weekend duty was and how tough Jack (their CO) was on them for not having the latte prepared properly.
Or how tough inspections were if the duvet wasn't folded properly and the fuzzy slippers weren't aligned just right.
That 'quota seeking Army dood' also knows that the process, which you do not. He isn't expecting to 'go all the way' on this first meeting.
By all means, sign EVERYTHING that dood puts in front of you and your daughter.
WOuldn't it be hard to buy a car if you didn't sign a credit check or loan app?
You're suggesting that she not even qualify herself.
My bad...
Of course it was, and I'm completely convinced of your sincerity. You just didn't know any better.
I think I heard they discontinued that program a while ago........
The Army used to have a 91C MOS which was essentially LPN training.
They may have combined the 91B and 91 C courses now, I'm not sure.
If nursing is in her mind, there are several options: enlist for any job that sounds interesting and has a college fund on top of the GI bill. Then she can do 2-3-4 years active, then go to college with substantial money (and more maturity and focus).
Or she can enlist in a medical related field, see if that is really what she wants in life, then later make a choice whether to pursue a military medical career or get out and go to college with at least GI Bill.
Or she can go reserves, take a medical field if one exists in your area (reservists are somewhat limited to what reserve units exist in your area), have money for college while in the reserves, and if she gets her BSN she'll be sought after for the miltary as an officer.
Also....look at the National Guard. Some stated will flat out pay in state college tution for Guard members.
And yes, ASVAB practice tests can help.
Read #72, it's important to know........
What is STOP LOST?.......I believe they meant STOP LOSS. It's when ther is a critical need for a particular job in the armed forces and there are no one new to replace you when your enlistment is up they can basically tell you that you have 2 more years inactive reserve time to fulfill (4 years active + 2 inactive) so they say guess what? You've just been made ACTIVE for 2 more years! Get Back To Work!................
The WOFT (Warrant Officer Flight Training) program is still going strong at Fort Rucker. It has changed, however, in the way it is managed. Previously, the Warrant Officer training and the flight training were done simultaneously, while now the candidate must finish Warrant Officer training and then goes through the flight portion as a Warrant Officer.
And I'm sure that the WOFT program is every bit as competitive as it was back in 'my day'.
The idea of a typical high school graduate getting in is rather ludicrous.
I think it must have been the Marine Corps program that was discontinued........I distinctly remember seeing on some news program that the guy they were interviewing was the last warrant officer left.........
You only get a guarantee after you do all the testing to make sure you qualify for the specialty you want.
Also, when I was in boot camp, they came to me and noted that my test scores were so high they wanted me out of boot camp and go to officer school and the academy - once you are in it is easier to get to the academy if, she wants to be an officer.
Ask all you want about issues but understand what she wants first then work with the military to get it. Does she want to travel and live abroad for a few years? What foreign bases require the specialty she wants, can her rating qualify her for embassy work? Is that what she wants.
Well, of course. Everything hinges on your test scores.
One other thing.
GO NAVY!!!
HAHAHAHA
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