Uncle Sam wants you even if you're 42 years old
Via ArmyTimes.com:
Most of this we've read about before, but the increase in age is new and I hadn't heard of the referral bonus ($1000 or $2500).
Here's my take on the age increase: it won't have a significant impact on non-prior service enlistment, imo. Those are folks who have never served in the military. Why? Because by age 42, most folks have established a life: job, home, automobiles, children, and all the bills, payments and insurance that goes with it. There may be some patriots that just cannot resist the call the serve and some that see it as a last chance to do something they missed-out-on/decided-against when they were younger, but I just don't see a 41-years-11-months old guy packing it in and heading off to basic training... not many of them, anyway. Those that do, good luck. Your maturity and experience will go a long way towards evening up the odds with those young pups you'll be training with.
The main advantage, especially for the Army, is that this gives prior service folks 7 more years to get back in and restart their careers. As it is now, a prior service applicant adds the number of years he/she served to 35 and that becomes his/her age cutoff. For example, Snuffy serves 4 years, gets out and goes to college. Later, Snuffy wants back in. He has until age 39 to re-enlist under the current rules. But with the proposed change, he has until age 46 (cutoff 42 + 4 years of previous service). That's a pool of folks worth going after. Prior service, so they don't have to go through full basic, just the new "Warrior Transition Course" and then maybe a MOS refresher (doubtful in most cases, though) before off to a unit (or back to the home unit for Army Reserves and National Guard).
The referral bonus? I don't see that getting much play, but you never know. Some things have a way of taking off on their own and this may do that, too. After all, what better advertisement for the Army than a OIF and/or OEF veteran telling his friends and family about serving our country?
What's your take?
Oh, something else I thought of about the age 42 thingee: expect to see more "parent/child" enlistment stories. There's a few now, but a nearly 42 year old divorced mom enlisting with her 24 year old son or daughter is quite believable. She needs to change everything about her life to erase the memories of a bad breakup, child (who happens to be an adult) just got kicked out of the basement because mom and dad sold the house in the divorce...
Shoot, this has "After School Special" written all over it! Hollywood, here I come!
Outside the Beltway
[...]
The Pentagon's request to raise the maximum recruit age to 42 is part of what defense officials are calling a package of "urgent wartime support initiatives" sent to Congress Monday night prior to a Tuesday hearing of the House Armed Services military personnel subcommittee.
[...]
Most of the initiatives in the package were previously requested by the Bush administration as part of the 2006 defense budget, which is pending before Congress. They include raising the maximum re-enlistment bonus to $90,000; maximum hardship duty pay to $750 a month; special pay and incentive bonuses for nuclear qualified officers to $30,000; assignment incentive pay to $3,000; and increasing accession and affiliation bonuses for reservists.
[...]
The administration also asked for an Army-only test of a $1,000 referral bonus that would be paid to current soldiers if they get someone to enter the Army and make it through basic and advanced training. Now, the Pentagon wants that payment to be $2,500.
The request also includes a new Army initiative that officials are calling the Army Home Ownership program. It would set aside money for new recruits that could be used to buy a home at the end of an enlistment, an idea that Army officials believe will help convince parents and other "adult influencers" of service-age youths about the benefits of joining the military.
Most of this we've read about before, but the increase in age is new and I hadn't heard of the referral bonus ($1000 or $2500).
Here's my take on the age increase: it won't have a significant impact on non-prior service enlistment, imo. Those are folks who have never served in the military. Why? Because by age 42, most folks have established a life: job, home, automobiles, children, and all the bills, payments and insurance that goes with it. There may be some patriots that just cannot resist the call the serve and some that see it as a last chance to do something they missed-out-on/decided-against when they were younger, but I just don't see a 41-years-11-months old guy packing it in and heading off to basic training... not many of them, anyway. Those that do, good luck. Your maturity and experience will go a long way towards evening up the odds with those young pups you'll be training with.
The main advantage, especially for the Army, is that this gives prior service folks 7 more years to get back in and restart their careers. As it is now, a prior service applicant adds the number of years he/she served to 35 and that becomes his/her age cutoff. For example, Snuffy serves 4 years, gets out and goes to college. Later, Snuffy wants back in. He has until age 39 to re-enlist under the current rules. But with the proposed change, he has until age 46 (cutoff 42 + 4 years of previous service). That's a pool of folks worth going after. Prior service, so they don't have to go through full basic, just the new "Warrior Transition Course" and then maybe a MOS refresher (doubtful in most cases, though) before off to a unit (or back to the home unit for Army Reserves and National Guard).
The referral bonus? I don't see that getting much play, but you never know. Some things have a way of taking off on their own and this may do that, too. After all, what better advertisement for the Army than a OIF and/or OEF veteran telling his friends and family about serving our country?
What's your take?
Oh, something else I thought of about the age 42 thingee: expect to see more "parent/child" enlistment stories. There's a few now, but a nearly 42 year old divorced mom enlisting with her 24 year old son or daughter is quite believable. She needs to change everything about her life to erase the memories of a bad breakup, child (who happens to be an adult) just got kicked out of the basement because mom and dad sold the house in the divorce...
Shoot, this has "After School Special" written all over it! Hollywood, here I come!
Outside the Beltway
posted by JACK ARMY at 11:52 PM
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