Any Army Reserve recruiters? Or maybe reservists can help too

[Kyle G]

I was active duty Navy. I did 4 years and got out in May 08. I am still IRR until Oct 11. I am starting to consider joining the Army reserve. Naturally Navy was my first choice; it's familiar to me and something I know. However, I couldn't get anywhere with the recruiters I talked to. I was a sonar technician and I knew that I had no interest in re-enlisting as a sonar technician. I hated it. The recruiters told me there was no way they could let me cross rate bc the navy spent too much time training me as a STG. So that is the stalemate.

Since I separated I have been going to school with the GI Bill. I am studying international studies with a concentration in the middle east. I am taking Arabic and as I am nowhere near proficient enough in it I have a semester down and I do have my feet wet at least. That being said I would really like to work in intelligence. I know that it is a very hard community to break into but I think that it is attainable. I just need to really get my ducks in a row. Serving as an Intelligence Analyst (35F) would only help.

My question though are: what would happen with my GIBill? Right now I am using ch33 would I have to switch to TA if I became a drilling reservist? How about my rank? I separated as an e-5, could I keep that? Is the fact that I already went to extensive training in the navy going to bar me from getting more training in the army? Will I have to do army boot camp? Most importantly what kind of a deployment rotation would I be looking at?

I know I should probably just talk to a recruiter, but I have had bad experiences with them in the past and sometimes some may be inclined to tell you what you need to hear. Plus I am just in the information stage of this decision. I don't want to deal with any potential pressuring. I would rather have my mind made up by the time I go to the recruiting office ( if I do go).

Any info would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

// Kyle

[SHH 1313]

richard.s.teunis%40us.army.mil

You can try and e-mail my buddy, he is a recruiter in Ca. He will be able to direct you to a location near you if he has time to reply. If not google recruiter's in yor city and state.

[CES31A]

Hi Kyle,

Google "army blue to green enlisted" and you'll find more info. (Wanted to post link, but this site won't allow new users to post URLs. You should be able to keep your rank and retrain in a different Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) --Army for rating. You do attend a boot camp of sorts: Warrior Transition Training: "Army 101." Army has more MOSs than the Navy and more flexibility in moving between them, so you're able to learn a new skill; I don't believe that your sonar technician training will be a bar to that as obviously the need in the Army for sonar technician is limited. Deployment rotation depends on your MOS and your unit.

Where are you located? I can help you find a Military Intelligence unit in your area who can get you more details on if they have 35F slots, if you'd be interested in talking to them. Army Reserve is more geographically-based than Navy Reserve, so unless you relocate, the available jobs depend on location. Any other MOSs in which you're interested? I believe MP is hiring.

(I transferred from the Navy Reserve to the Army Reserve as an O3 --it's doable, and I understand it's easier on the enlisted side as they have developed a better process.)

Not sure about your GI Bill questions. Have you called the VA? Sometimes it's a wait to get through, but they've been very helpful to me in the past. You can get numbers off their Website if you Google "GI Bill."

Shoot me an email if you have any questions.

Best wishes,

MAJ Schultz

Corey Schultz
MAJ, MP
Media Relations Officer
Office of the Chief, Army Reserve
corey[dot]schultz[at]us[dot]army[dot]mil

[jbadoef0607]

Kyle G

First things first

Thank you for your service Brother!

Although I'm not too entirely familiar with all the specific MOS's out there for the Army but here's a couple of things you could bring into mind when making your decision, this is based on my nearly 8 years of service (currently still enlisted) and 2 deployments under my belt (Afghanistan 2006 and Iraq 2009).

We have several former Navy personnel that are currently in my unit which is a National Guard infantry unit. So the transition wasn't too terribly difficult for them. Although drastically different in style than the Navy, all of them turned out to be great soldiers. Now onto your questions.

There are two reserve components of the Army, National Guard and Reserve, both of whom ultimately are ran by the army, who their commander-in-chief is can be slightly different. For the National Guard its the state governor and for the reserve its the POTUS (President Of The United States). So deployment rotation wise for the reserve its entirely dependent on the nearest Division's personnel numbers, you could in theory be called at any time should a unit need bodies. But once your deployment is over there is a mandatory "reset" period to get the unit back to deployable status again. In a sense the National Guard is the same way, however, it is up to the state to determine the strength needed to accomplish the mission. And unlike the Reserve, the National Guard can be called up for National level and state level emergencies at any time (Katrina for me, literally got called in to report the next day). My state's regulations say that we have a minimum 18 month rotation period before we are ready for deployment again.

Now for your rank. NCO's in the army are based on a point system, I'll let you do the research yourself, but typically its based on available slots and the points you have that are transferable to the Army from the Navy, but you can expect a grade drop from e-5 to e-4, if only for a short period of time, my former squad leader went from e-6 marines to e-6 army almost the day he signed up. it was a rare case at the time.

Now onto the training, like Major Schultz already mentioned, you will go through WTT, its Army wide for either National Guard or Reserve, and depending on the MOS you're going for it is usually about 2 weeks for familiarization with the Army, but I can only speak for infantry. Its where you will learn the tasks and skills needed for your specific job, for the infantry after your two week period to familiarize yourself with the army then you go for 5 weeks of infantry training.

Now onto jobs. Perhaps the recruiters aren't very good or are too lazy to do the research but going from sonar tech to something similar in the army shouldn't be too difficult, but perhaps the state that your applying for doesn't have that specific job, so if that's the case then good luck. However, there are still jobs that the training you received from your sonar tech job can translate to a job where your skills can be an asset to a unit commander, such as a radio tech, patriot missile operator, ect. Intel is a good area but you already nailed it that its really difficult to get into but if you push hard enough (and have an ASVAB score high enough) you can get in.

So do your homework to find out what jobs you would be interested in, go to nationalguard.com or Army.com/reserve but don't stop there, google the job for the army and see what you could be doing in those jobs.

now your GI Bill. I'm VERY familiar with this area as I'm already a college student. the GI Bill is a "Use it or Lose it". Basically you only have a certain amount of time to use it or you lose those benefits all-together. Typically 10 years after you ETS. So if your using Active Duty Gi Bill (CH33), it will switch to either REAP (Chapter 1607 Reserve Educational Assitance Program) or Chapter 1606 (Standard GI Bill). Plus you'll have the added benefit of using the Federal Tuition Assitance, if you've already got Grants then that's just extra money in your pocket that you can use for whatever you need, so its a HUGE plus. I can only speak for the National Guard but the Guard has the added benefit of using State TA in conjunction with Federal TA, basically speaking that if your tuition for a university is more than what the FTA will pay for (usually only up to $4500 per year) then the state will take up the rest of the bill. Its a nice bonus to say the least. But you can also apply for the new 9/11 Gi Bill, which gives you Tuition, Book stipend, and BAH at the E-5 with dependents rate (regardless of rank), as you know with BAH its based on your ZIP code.

Sorry for this being so long but I hope this helps in making your choice, and again thank you for your service.

SPC Justin Baughman
C Co 1-186 INF BN 41st IBCT

[Piggy]

I was at Army Recruiting Command in Dec.

From what I understand, the Army is...or will be changing the recuriting rules. They were going to start requiring recruits to complete basic training regardless of prior service. The only exception was the Marine Corps. I don't know if it has officially changed or not but it was coming down the pike.

[armydiver]

I was at Army Recruiting Command in Dec.

From what I understand, the Army is...or will be changing the recuriting rules. They were going to start requiring recruits to complete basic training regardless of prior service. The only exception was the Marine Corps. I don't know if it has officially changed or not but it was coming down the pike.

Prior service recruits go through a mini basic training known as Warrior Transition School. Just basic brush up on weapons, D&C, military courtesy, rank structure, and a pt test. Too easy. Depending on how long you've been out and what MOS you switch to, you may get to do this. Or, you could get stuck going through basic training all over as part of your OSUT training. If you're going Intel, this is probably not going to happen.

You likely won't keep your rate. Bringing in someone completely new to the Army, in a completely new MOS, and putting them in at a rank of a NCO/Supervisor just doesn't work. You will likely take a bump to E-4. Not the end of the world. You'll have to go through PLDC/WLC and the board to get your 5 back... once your command feels you deserve it.

Contact a local Army Reserve recruiter and see what units are in your area. You may have to travel quite a bit to find an MI unit. Good luck.

[Piggy]

Whatever the change was, it just happened the first part of December. I guess I should have paid more attention.

[armydiver]

Whatever the change was, it just happened the first part of December. I guess I should have paid more attention.

If there's a new change since Dec, I don't know about it. The info I supplied may very well be incorrect if something new has been passed down. That's the way it has been for a while, with minor alterations to the length of training and what it consists. Last I heard, they wanted to add an additional week for UCT.

Either way, it's good for you. You can never have too much training.

[Brandon.Glidden]

I can cover your question on education. Youll get to keep your GI Bill, youve earned it. On top of the GI Bill, youll get TA which covers 4500 dollars per YEAR, not semester. TA will pay 250.00 per credit hour, anything more than that youll pay out of pocket. TA Will pay for your vocational classes along with regular 3 credit and 4 credit hour classes. You can combine your gi bill and TA, I dont care if anyone tells you anything different than this because i know for a fact you can use your TA and Gi Bill, because I do. If youre getting the post 911 gibill, youre lucky because the gibill will pay your tuition, and your TA will pay your tuition as well but there will be an over payment to your college, which will result in the money being refunded directly to you. You must maintain a C average to avoid paying back the Army, and believe me, the Army will take money out of your pay until its paid off in full if your fail to achieve a grade of C. As far as your gi bill goes, if you Deploy for active duty youll get a % of the Post 911 GI Bill, but it might not work out for you because you have to decline one type of GI Bill for another. But if you do deploy youll be eligible for a % of the post 911 for sure, 1 year deployment will earn you atleast 40% of the 100% Tuition and book stipend 911 GI Bill. It is possible to keep your E5, but its unlikely. More than likely youll come in as an E4. One thing you could consider is joining the Reserve, and then joining ROTC at your college.

[Brandon.Glidden]

I also forgot to state my credentials. Im a Soldier in the Army Reserve, ive been using TA for a year now, and ive been using my fathers Gi Bill, and ill use mine once his is exhausted. If you need help with TA let me know. Ive helped my fellow buddies set up their go armyed accounts along with giving them college advice. My MOS is 92A which is logistics, this is a great field to get into.

[retdetsgt]

Great info. Too bad the guy asked the question 10 months ago.

[Brandon.Glidden]

Yeah, I Just realized that. Ill be sure to read the post dates from now on.