Need a local military mentor for potential new recruit!

[back2sa]

Originally Posted by gilbertj

Dear back2sa
This is my first time on this site and your comments on the Army, just blew me away, i served 21 years as a Combat Medic, and i loved every bit of it, it was exciting, demanding and if i had to do it all over again, i would be in Iraq. All the different branches of the Military are great, but to say that if you joined the Air Force is better is ridulous, let me tell you i just met a young Lady that has been in the Air Force for over 12 years as a Medic, she has to reenlist next month, she has been in Afganistan and IRaq for over 24 months attached to the Army, she is going to transfer into the UNITED STATES ARMY. So lets mentor this young recruit the right way, I love my Army, i learned how to be a Great leader and respect the Country i live in, and would still die for her today. Just because you join the Air Force doesn't mean your not going to be out of harms way. To the young recruit, just by joining is the greatest step you will take in your life, you are joining the ranks of the greatest Armed Forces in the world, every branch has its mission, I joined because i wanted to fight for my country, it wasn;t about the education, which i have a Bach. degree, and it wasn't for the money, even though i own my own home plus a couple of more on the side, i had no earthly idea what to expect, but the sky is the limit, i stand tall when i say i was in the Army, one thing i do, to this day, i don't watch things happen, i make things happen. GO ARMY. i love it. have a great career!

That's great for you. The point is, he said he want's to get schooling. To my knowledge it's much easier to go to school if your in the Air Force or Navy than the Army. I know it's different for different careers but *as a whole* it's easier to get your degree while in the AF than the Army.

I'm all for supporting the military and doing what needs to be done. My answer was based on what was presented. IF the question was "Which branch of the military would be best to get a full feel of the military life, blah blah blah" then I would have said Army.

[wCat]

Being an Air Force brat myself, I had forgotten about the inside competition that goes on within the millitary branches. I didn't mean this topic to be a battle of which branch is best. I know personally, that being in the "military" comes first. This young man also knows enough and has researched a great deal to understand that each branch has it's own purpose, and reasons for selecting a branch of service depends greatly on the individual.....as well as the needs of the military.

This young man is not in it FOR an education....he simply wants to serve this country. An education is important, but he is fully aware and willing to go to Iraq if necessary. He's spent 6 years preparing for this decision....and he's never wavered off that fact. For personal reasons, he narrowed it down to the Army or Navy.

BacktoSA...I have a question for you. You mentioned being a Rep for the U of Maryland while in Japan. Was that for an online degree? Was this for "active duty" while still in the military, or those about to separate? I know the U of Maryland is listed among those that offer online degrees.

RD....I have not had an opportunity to locate the name you sent. Thank you again for that help.

Tganna....ROTC is definitely a consideration. Thanks for that link!

gilbert.....thank you for your input on the Army. Since he is leaning that way, it's good to hear positive things regarding Army life!

Does anyone know how "online degrees" are regarded as far as education and a degree for qualification for OCS?

[ivan929]

I registered just to post to this thread.

I'm currently on active duty in the Army, and just moved to SA. wCat, if your young guy would like to ask specific questions, I'll give him the truth, as close to the bone as I can get. Good, bad, and ugly.

Bottom line- I love my Army, but people dealing with poor information can become disgruntled. That does no one any good.

[back2sa]

wCat

Sorry...I was under the impression that he was really wanting to get schooling and apply for OCS so that is way my first reply weighed heavily on the education part.

At overseas locations University of Maryland is the main contract school for the military branches to get their degrees. There's usually one or two main ones for undergraduate and one for graduate (usually either U of Phoenix or U of Oklahoma). I worked in the office getting people registered with the school, with their classes, paperwork, etc... U of Maryland offered the 8 week courses on site as well as online. Of course there are now many more options for online courses through a number of Universities.

So the base we were at was about 60% AF, 30% Navy, and 10% Army and Marines. So I knew how frustrating it was for the Navy guys only being allowed to take 1 class at a time because of funds. Actually, they could take more if they paid for it themselves.

For what it's worth my husband is in the Air Force and got his BA in just 3 1/2 years and has since got 2 Masters Degrees. He's been in the AF 17 years (this month) and deployed for the first time ever last month (to Iraq). He'll be there for 6 months.

[back2sa]

Oops...let me finish answering all of your questions!

Military members can get degrees through online or in class. The tuition assistance works the same. For the U of M overseas it wasn't just for Active Duty but for military spouses and children as well.

Going to school will also depend on his unit. THEY have to sign off on his paperwork allowing him to go. If there is something coming up in his unit they may not allow it.

[rd2007]

Online education can also cause some controversy, but it's mostly because some people are too ignorant to accept that online is the way things are going. I'm currently enrolled in an online degree program through the VA's vocational rehab program (which I HIGHLY recommend for any veteran that has a disability rating). I had a person in another section give me grief for this because they felt an actual school with buildings and crappy parking was the only way things should be.. I tried to explain things to him, but he wouldn't have any of it and all posts ended up getting deleted because a mod found it flaming..

but anyhow, it's the way things are going and soon enough they'll be just like any other degree. For now they probably won't have quite the same clout, but they are a billion times better than no degree at all.. and as long as the school is accredited then the service should accept it for a commisioning program. I'd recommend asking a recruiter though, because I'm just guessing..

[goodmanm]

Originally Posted by wCat

Does anyone know how "online degrees" are regarded as far as education and a degree for qualification for OCS?

The only thing anyone is going to look at is if the school is regionally accredited or not.

[wCat]

Originally Posted by back2sa

wCat

Sorry...I was under the impression that he was really wanting to get schooling and apply for OCS so that is way my first reply weighed heavily on the education part.

.

Back2sa....thanks for all the info re the U of Maryland etc.

I need to clarify....he IS wanting to get an education, but that is not the reason he is wanting to join the military. I realize there are some new recruits where that is a major draw to serving....but that isn't the case here.
His goal is a military career....which includes his higher education. Is that clear as mud now?


Ivan...thanks for registering to offer another pov. I'll be in touch!

Goodmanm and RD.....great info re the online schooling.

Thanks everyone!