I am currently a reservist. I have been accepted to the school of my choice for admissions and I would be contracting ROTC. I ran into some financial problems (monthly bills) that are no longer allowing me to entertain attending the school I planned to go to. I have gone through every option to conquer the problem and have found no immediate solution.
I am considering going from reserve to guard. There is an aviation unit that my buddy is a black hawk mechanic in. He was also in ROTC with me at the school I was transferring from. I am also in touch with a former USAREC Command Sergeant Major who is a recruiter for ROTC now and has been a big help. I want the MOS 15P, and I am wondering if I went guard, if I could have it.
I heard it is a solid back door for flight school and if I went guard I would stay with the school I was at where I know the cadre, I would contract with them... have a new MOS and I would have little problem I'd think getting into flight school with both ROTC and branching guard on my side, and already being in the unit as a 15P.
My options are:
Go active duty, pay off my debt but with no guarantee on an MOS and most likely spend 2-3 years and THEN come back to school. ( I will be 25-26 )
or
Go guard from the reserves, as a 15P... contract ROTC even though it's not the school I wanted/planned. And possibly get an flight school slot as my branch considering the circumstances. and finish school when I'd JUST be getting off active duty.
Either way school has to be finished. And I doubt going from reserve to active I can load a job before I get to MEPS.
That's obviously a tough decision... I can only share the path that worked for me:
I went active duty for four years and got the GI Bill + college fund.
ETS'd after OIF1 and went to college.
Now I'm looking at going back in through the WOFT program.
One other thing that I think is important to note: I finished a History degree in three years with a 3.94 GPA because of the self-discipline I learned in the Army and the assistance of the funds for college. Had I tried to go to school when I was younger (I started when I was 25) I wouldn't have had the motivation or determination to do it properly. Just something to consider.
As far as 15P being a backdoor to flight school... I don't know much about the guard or reserves, but you can go to flight school on active duty right now through the WOFT program. If you have an aviation unit near you as you described, you could also finish your degree and then become an Aviation branched Commissioned Officer through that unit.
Ask your school about SMP I think it stands for Simultaneous Military Placement. Basically the jist of it is you are a Cadet and in the NG. You drill on the weekends as a cadet. You are technically in the NG but don't have any obligation to them after you commission unless you take a NG scholarship. So what basically happens is you will be contracted with ROTC and you will get that stipend. You will also be contracted with the NG and you will get 100% tuition assistance and drill pay as an E-5 (and gi bill if you go to basic). So you will have to pay the rest but that is nothing a 20hr a week job couldn't probably cover. You can then assess for active duty and aviation. Of course it is harder for active to get it than guard, so if you want to be sure you can request a NG scholarship and be paid for college but you have to go NG after that. Oh and you can also do the SMP thing for a while and persue an ROTC scholarship and then stop the SMP thing.
You also have to think about it in this respect... Do you want to fly. And fly period?
If you get commissioned and are lucky enough to get branched Aviation. Once you make Captain... flying gets limited as you start to focus more on "management" and you can def. throw actual "flying" almost out the window after you to to Captain's Career Course.
It's funny to hear the Battle Captains complain "I don't get enough hours." NOBODY likes a BN commander that's a stick pig... but everyone respects him because guess where your OERs end up? lol
