Hello all, there seems to be a lot of misinformation being spread onto this wonderful site, however, we should all be aware of all options available to students.
The post 9/11 Gi Bill, also known as Chapter 33 benefits is an incredible opportunity for those who are struggling to pay for school and otherwise might not have the opportunity to pay for and or attend college.
If you serve for 4 years, on Active Duty you are entitled to this benefit. There are so many websites explaining all of the benefits, including a book stipend, housing costs & certification costs.
So, if you are a parent whose kid is struggling and would like options, the military is not a terrible choice. When I served I lived overseas for 3 out of my 4 years and created lifelong friendships that last to this day.
Please, any questions on statistics, and negative stereotypes can be asked and answered without judgment. I have been counseling young vets for years now.
The purpose/attraction of the GI bill is to substantially pay for a college education in exchange for enlisted service. No one takes advantage of this benefit without understanding the payback, so both the enlistee and the military receive their due benefits.
Also note that the GI bill is a veteran’s benefit, not just anyone can apply:
Am I eligible for Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33) benefits?
You may be eligible for education benefits if you meet at least one of the requirements listed below.
At least one of these must be true. You:
Served at least 90 days on active duty (either all at once or with breaks in service) on or after September 11, 2001, or
Received a Purple Heart on or after September 11, 2001, and were honorably discharged after any amount of service, or
Served for at least 30 continuous days (all at once, without a break in service) on or after September 11, 2001, and were honorably discharged with a service-connected disability, or
Are a dependent child using benefits transferred by a qualifying Veteran or service member
Note: If you’re a member of the Reserves who lost education benefits when the Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP) ended in November 2015, you may qualify to receive restored benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
TransferTaco: there seems to be a lot of misinformation being spread onto this wonderful site
What “misinformation” are you referring to?
My brother is career Air Force and a recruiter. He and his co-workers would like people to understand some basic facts about the armed services: The military is not a scholarship service and it’s not a one stop solution for people struggling with mental health disorders, behavioral issues, or lack of direction about their future careers. The military is a career and the only people who should join are those who actively want a career in the armed forces.
I am an Air Force veteran, my entire family served as well. The common misconception is that the military is only for a career in the military.
One of the many benefits is that you can be trained in a variety of career choices that will translate beyond your enlistment. In fact, the military encourages you to pursue opportunities once you leave the service.
One of those opportunities is the post 9/11 GI bill. So no, not a scholarship service but if you give this country 4 years, this country will then give you an opportunity to pursue a college degree.
Coming from a vet who served with so many different types of amazing human beings, no, not everyone who serves is there for a sense of patriotism. It takes ALL kinds and yes, there is a hefty percentage serving who needed an avenue to succeed and the military provides guidance. It provides structure and provides and sense of belonging.
If you survive? I don’t understand why you think the military is such a violent place.
I went into the Air Force after my sophomore year in college both because I was running out of money, and because I was burnt out on school. I had no intention of making a career out of the military, although I knew if I liked it I could stay. I just stayed for four years and then went back to finish school. Only a small percentage of people that enlist make it a career.
Probably assuming getting into a war. However, the risk level varies depending on the type of war, the adversary, and the branch of service.
https://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=psc_working_papers indicates that for US military service members in Iraq in 2003-2006, the overall death rate was 2.78 times that of US civilian men age 20-34. However, Marines had a 6.01 times higher death rate than the civilians, Army 2.79, Navy 0.83, and Air Force 0.28 (yes, Navy and Air Force service members had a lower death rate than the civilians).
Of course, future wars are not entirely predictable, nor do they necessarily have similar characteristics of past wars.
Did you miss the Time magazine cover story, that more American children were shot to death in public schools in 2019 than Service members died from Active Duty? Yes, it was a particularly bad year for school shootings, but I do think you significantly overstate the current risk level of military service.
To answer some of the questions above, yes, the Coast Guard receives this benefit. In addition, at least for dependents, some private colleges have a yellow ribbon program that helps with the costs while using the GI Bill. We researched the yellow ribbon at all the schools our kids were considering. The kids ended up at very different schools but ones that were very generous so that our out of pocket expenses were extremely low for the semesters when we used the GI Bill. However, there are a lot of education benefits for military families and they change occasionally, so you need to do your own research based on your own situation.
Thanks for the info., @ucbalumnus. Actually, I was referencing OP’s original suggestion on another thread that the military is a good suggestion for a clearly troubled young person struggling with depression. When someone on that thread mentioned that it isn’t a great idea to hand a gun to a young person who’s having issues managing those symptoms he created this thread and again suggested the armed forces for “kid(s)” who are “struggling.” Kids who are struggling with depression need counseling, not access to weapons.
@Counselmom, thank you for providing answers to the questions asked. I hope this thread can stay on track and provide helpful information to families that are thinking about the military and college. I don’t understand why this useful thread has to be cluttered with unrelated chatter. The military is certainly a viable option for many that may have trouble affording college in other ways.
First off, I wasn’t referring to kids with unresolved mental health issues. “Struggling” is referring to kids who aren’t the best students yet, don’t know what they want to do as a career yet, or are looking for other options in life. Struggling to find their place in the world.
Secondly, please stop denigrating military personnel as violent gun crazy people. Access to weapons is very, very limited to only a select few. Like less than 2%. Please, I know there are a lot of ideas as to what we do based on news and movies but most of the time it’s not an accurate depiction on our daily jobs.
Thirdly, most of the time if you’re one of the very, very limited number of personnel who carry a weapon while stateside. It is highly likely that your weapon won’t have any ammunition.
So, yes, the military is a fantastic option for young men and women who might be struggling with direction in life. Struggling with finding their voice in life and just plain wanting something different than that of their peers. The GI bill is an amazing benefit and the opportunity to live overseas, like Italy, Germany, Japan etc on the government’s dime is a highly attractive option to a prospective person.
Yea, you will work hard, but you get 30 days paid leave a year, health insurance, and you’re set up with OJT and (depending on career field) a high level security clearance.
Here is a little bit of information about instate tuition for veterans using the GI Bill.
make sure that all students contact their prospective schools to ask about in-state tuition for veterans because there are two rates that the GI bill pays for, they have a cap for private school tuition around 22,000 a year and public school cap is the highest in-state tuition for the state in which they are attending.
For example, if you are attending a school and you are paying out of state tuition the GI bill may not cover the entire cost if the school doesn’t have a correlating yellow ribbon scholarship to reduce costs.
However, if you are within 3 years of your separation date, by the time you enroll, it is a federal law that the student will receive in-state tuition for that school.
I know its confusing, or maybe I am not being clear, but I hope this helps. I learned the lesson the hard way on some bad advice and had to take out loans for a year. This is why I am transferring.