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I recently turned 17 and want to join to the reserves. My plan is join reserves now so next year when I go to college I'd have access to gi bill and tuition assistance and in college do ROTC. I am meeting with my recruiter next week (possibly for the last time before I sign) and was wondering what questions I should ask him. If you could leave some questions or anything I should know it would be appreciated.
Reserves
ROTC
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 16
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I would get an ASVAB study guide if they are available. A word of warning. I scored high enough for every MOS in the army, but my recruiter said tank mechanic and infantry were only available at the time. I said bullshit and they gave me 17 MOSs available. It would behoove of you to come back here to tell us what has transpired before signing.
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LTC (Join to see)
MAJ Ken Landgren - everything, repeat everything, depends primarily on the needs of the Army. I had bad knees for years, multiple surgeries and struggled with the run. I could never seem to get a permanent P2 profile, there was always some excuse as to why it couldn't be done. My unit "needed" me to go to Ft. L-Wood for MP conversion school so I could be mobilized as an MP officer. I saw my chance and told the XO that I couldn't go because I wouldn't be able to pass the APFT due to my knees. That was on a Thursday afternoon. Friday morning, 2 medical officers (LTCs) drove 3.5 hours from Montgomery to our Armory in Athens to "evaluate" me. I had a P2 no-run profile in hand less than 30 minutes after they arrived. Nearly 3 years trying to get a profile with no luck but done in less than an hour when it suited the "needs of the Army". LOL
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GySgt David Weihausen
To the MAJORS AND MSGT above, as a former recruiter, I want you all to know that your statements are both offensive and pure bullshit. While I will stipulate that I have no right to comment on Army recruiters, in my experience and IMHO, Marine recruiters are some of the hardest working and strongest leaders out there. In my entire time on the street, I never once considered "my career" above the desires and needs of the prospect across the desk for me. In fact, one of the things that made me successful was the fact that I focused on their needs and NOT mine. Obviously, none of you have ever been on recruiting duty. While the needs of the Marine Corps always factor into what's available as far as MOS choices go, I found as long as you were honest with the situation and explained what the prospect's choices were, it usually worked itself out. While I do not try to deny that there are sleazy and dishonest individuals out there, by far and large, today's recruiters do a hell of a job in maintaining our country's manpower with integrity and diligence. Try a stretch on the duty before you start firing shots at these hardworking soldier, sailors, airmen, and Marines. SFMF
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MAJ Ken Landgren
GySgt David Weihausen - "They are LIKE used car salesman sometimes as they care about their needs but not necessarily yours." It should be THEY CAN BE LIKE used car salesmans." I grant you that.
I can shoot the shots due to my experience of being excessively lied to by E-6, E-7, E-8 recruiters who tried to trick me into a couple MOSs. My empirical data exists to prove my point. I don't need to be a recruiter to know what bad recruiting procedures are.
I have every right to chamber a round and fire it.
I can shoot the shots due to my experience of being excessively lied to by E-6, E-7, E-8 recruiters who tried to trick me into a couple MOSs. My empirical data exists to prove my point. I don't need to be a recruiter to know what bad recruiting procedures are.
I have every right to chamber a round and fire it.
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GySgt David Weihausen
MAJ Ken Landgren - I had a recruiter that didn't "lie" flat out but the omission he made might as well have been. That being said, today's recruiters are by far much more professional. So to slander the entire group is a disservice and disrespectful. If you had used the word "some" in your statements I could have given y'all a pass as every group has it's 10 percent. Now, as a used car dealer/salesman, I have issue with your next statement as well. Y'all need to stop painting groups with such broad brushes and limit your comments to your personal experiences. I have always tried to find my customers needs and first and foremost and I believe that is why I have had so many repeat buyers year after year. I do know that there are disreputable dealers out there who just hunger for their next dollar, but we're not ALL that way. Semper Fi and good luck to you all.
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If you join the reserves and then commission through ROTC, they may not allow you to commission active duty. I would ask about that. Have you thought about just applying for rotc and trying to get scholarship through rotc? They will pay all tuition, books, and monthly stipend if you get it
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Matteo Milazzo
LTC Eric Udouj I'm slightly confused by your comment, my apologies. From my understanding, if I sign an rotc contract I wouldn't be out of the reserves until that contract is up, but I would be excluded from having to be deployed if my reserve unit were to have to be.
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LTC Eric Udouj
I will try to make it easy sounding - vs what the Regs say in detail that are anything but easy reading even for those who understand what they are saying. When you contract for the ROTC Advanced course.. you are an officer cadet. So even if you were an E4 in your USAR unit - or E5 - you now are placed in an officer position of leadership. If you are scholarship - different story in the timeline and you are transferred from the TPU you are in to the ROTC Control Group (let ROTC explain that in detail how such occurs and when it will occur if you are wanting to go scholarship). Usually the Advanced program is MSIII as far as SMP and GRF scholarship is concerned. What governs everything is AR 601-210 para 9-14.
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LTC Eric Udouj
I do not want to sound to technical - only to provide you some further questions to ask, and letting you know that all such questions are governed by regulation... Your recruiter can walk you through your questions by using that paragraph as well - which he/she will probably know very well in all its aspects.
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COL Jon Thompson
Matteo Milazzo - Be advised. If you are enlisted in the Army Reserve and do ROTC, there are limited scholarships available for you if your end desire is to do active duty. As a Soldier in the USAR, you can compete for a GRFD scholarship which locks you into reserve forces duty and takes active duty off the table. If you want to compete for an active duty scholarship, the USAR would need to release you. Otherwise you would have to select a non-scholarship contract.
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Which branch are you looking into? What job are you looking to get? The Army doesn’t have Combat jobs in the Reserves only support jobs. The Army Guard has Combat jobs. The Air Force Reserves have almost every job as the active duty side. I am not sure what jobs are available for the Navy and Marine Reserves.
First of all, if you go Reserves, you need to find out where exactly your Reserve unit is located. Is it close to your home or 3 hours away? When I left active duty and joined the Reserves, I was promised by the recruiter that my unit was an hour from my home. Turns out it was 3 hours away.
I would also ask how many times had your potential unit deployed in last 10 years? That might give you a idea of future deployments. The military is very Dependent on its reserve forces. The chances of being deployed (thus interrupting your school work) is much higher than it used to be before 9/11.
If you have the opportunity, I would go ROTC. Being an officer is always better than being enlisted. Plus the military will pay for 100% of your education up front.
Also, have a career field in mind before you see the recruiter. Do your homework. There is plenty of information available online about different military careers. Also, know that each month recruiters are given a list of jobs that need to be filled that month. They will always steer you towards those jobs first even if you are not a good fit.
Look into more than one branch of the military. Each has unique things to offer you. I was active duty Army, then Air Guard, and now the Air Force Reserves. Each service has its pluses and minuses. I also wouldn’t discount the Guard. Both the Army and Air Force have Guard unit’s. I enjoyed my time in the Air Guard. Over half of my unit was prior active duty Army soldiers and Marines. We found the Air Force lifestyle much better than our previous branches.
Good luck!
First of all, if you go Reserves, you need to find out where exactly your Reserve unit is located. Is it close to your home or 3 hours away? When I left active duty and joined the Reserves, I was promised by the recruiter that my unit was an hour from my home. Turns out it was 3 hours away.
I would also ask how many times had your potential unit deployed in last 10 years? That might give you a idea of future deployments. The military is very Dependent on its reserve forces. The chances of being deployed (thus interrupting your school work) is much higher than it used to be before 9/11.
If you have the opportunity, I would go ROTC. Being an officer is always better than being enlisted. Plus the military will pay for 100% of your education up front.
Also, have a career field in mind before you see the recruiter. Do your homework. There is plenty of information available online about different military careers. Also, know that each month recruiters are given a list of jobs that need to be filled that month. They will always steer you towards those jobs first even if you are not a good fit.
Look into more than one branch of the military. Each has unique things to offer you. I was active duty Army, then Air Guard, and now the Air Force Reserves. Each service has its pluses and minuses. I also wouldn’t discount the Guard. Both the Army and Air Force have Guard unit’s. I enjoyed my time in the Air Guard. Over half of my unit was prior active duty Army soldiers and Marines. We found the Air Force lifestyle much better than our previous branches.
Good luck!
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Matteo Milazzo
I'm definitely more interested in army than anything else. Currently, the ROTC application is national based for scholarship until I get to college, then is granted locally through the college. The national is every person my age across the country, and is incredibley competitive. It would be hard for me to get it and already being apart of the reserves would increase my likely of getting it. Also, from my understanding, if you are in rotc on scholarship you will not deploy with your reserve unit if that were to happen.
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