I'm a 26 year old guy with some college under my belt. I currently work, but I am planning on quitting my job to pursue college full-time for the 2010 school year. I wanted to move to Hawaii and go to school at UH Manoa.
I was thinking of joining the Coast Guard Reserve while I am in college. I have always had some desire to join the service and I feel like this might be my best option while still allowing me to pursue my education. The more I read though, the more it seems that getting deployed is a real possibility. I know people can't give me a percent chance or anything, but is there anything I can do maybe in terms of job selection that could help minimize the odds of me being deployed? It's not that I expect to join the service and not have to actually do anything. My main focus right now more than anything is completing my college education.
Has anyone here been deployed while in college? How did it affect your schooling? Were you able to transition back into being a student after the deployment?
My second question regards where I would report to. I currently live in Michigan. My plan was to move to Hawaii and join the reserves there. Would it be best for me to wait until I have relocated to Hawaii before I enlist in the reserves? Would it cause some issues if I were to enlist while in Michigan then attempt to relocate to Hawaii?
I know this is long, thanks for reading and I appreciate any wisdom you guys can share with me.
I went into the Reserves while I was in college, and it worked out fine for me. But that was 18 years ago.
I fully understand that you main focus right now is to finish your college education, and I agree with you that it should be. Therefore, if I were in your shoes, I wouldn't join the reserves until you were finished with college.
I prefer to use the word "activation" rather than "deployment," but regardless of which term is used, the chances of getting pulled away from school (or work) for a stint on active duty are significantly greater now than the were eight (or eighteen)years ago.
So, if you are not in a place in your life where you can walk away from your "normal" life at work or school for somewhere between 3o days and two years, I'd think really hard before going to the Reserves.
As it is now, there are too many Reservists who want to show up two days a month, wear the uniform, get paid, and collect benefits, then ***** and moan when/if they get called up for active service. I'm not saying that you will be that type of Reservist, I'm just saying that we already have too many of those types.
I'll be honest, as just about any rate except for PS (soon ME) at a PSU, your chances are very low. It can happen at any time but and if that is a deal breaker then don't join, but the actual chances of a involuntary recall is low.
That said, remember that if it does happen there are a large amount of protection you get and most employers and schools will work with you beyond the legal minimum (my employer paid me like I was there even for my two weeks of ADT).
Originally posted by rvacoast: I'll be honest, as just about any rate except for PS (soon ME) at a PSU, your chances are very low. It can happen at any time but and if that is a deal breaker then don't join, but the actual chances of a involuntary recall is low.
That said, remember that if it does happen there are a large amount of protection you get and most employers and schools will work with you beyond the legal minimum (my employer paid me like I was there even for my two weeks of ADT).
If I'm correct your company HAS to pay you for the 2 weeks ADT that you are required to do. Isn't that a law? I'm having a brain fart and can't remember what Act or Law that might be. Beh....
I guess it's still something for me to think about.
Can any of you guys comment on when I should enlist if I choose to do so? For example, if I enlist while still living in Michigan am I going to have a lot of hassle to come right out of basic and try to move to Hawaii?
I planned on making the move to Hawaii at the end of the summer anyway and as I understand it CG basic training takes place during the summer. I was thinking maybe I could do basic training then move to Hawaii and do the split program where I would attend the A school the following summer.
Edit: Do colleges usually allow a no-record drop and tuition refund in the event you are activated?
JekelKat: You're thinking of the "Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)". They have to let you go, but they don't have to pay you. You might want to take a spin through the ESGR website: http://www.esgr.org/site/
Ah thanks. I just asked my company POC and they have great support for those still in the Reserve component. Leave of absence (no used vacation or sick time) and they will pay the salary difference IF there is one.
My main point is that nobody should join any reserve or national guard component unless they are prepared to, at some point, be yanked from their life into some period of active duty. Accept it from day one as a real possibility, and if/when it does happen to you, don't act surprised and complain that you are in the middle of a quarter, or that you just started a new job six months ago.
I moved to Hawaii with a job and then decided to join the military because waves were too crowded near the surfboard factory. I did, and enjoyed good surf afterward without crowds at great spots.
After a 4-year active duty enlistment, I used GI Bill Educational Benefits to attend college, and also joined the USCGR. A few months after starting college, I was recalled to active duty for a 3-month contingency. That worked out well since I was not doing so well in Accounting 101. The state not only paid back my tuition but also took the potentially bad grade off the books. A few months later, I was back in school and studied a little harder.
Several years later, I had a U.S. government job that required a long wait for a security clearance. The USCG called me up to work for them. After a few months, my clearance came through and I went back to work as a GS employee.
Add a few years after that -- it was time to go to war. I got notice about a real one for six months. My regular job was okay but not too exciting. The USCG sent me to Iraq, where we sometimes felt like cast members of Apocalypse Now. Can't tell you how many jokes I heard about "What is Coast Guard doing in Baghdad -- patrolling the Tigris?"
Afterward, I returned to my normal job with a few extra days of leave, new GI Bill benefits, and membership in the USCG Combat Vets.
To make a long story short: yes, join the Reserve in Hawaii during or before college. You will not regret it, you don't want to miss opportunities that you would have during the next two decades, and believe me the U.S. Coast Guard is a quality group full of the finest you'll ever meet.
