Will $90,000 be enough???
After yesterday’s post and rereading of the Marine Corps Times article as well as other sites about the Post 9/11 GI Bill I started to wonder if 90 grand (the limit for re-enlistment bonuses) for FY-09 Marines will be enough. It is right there in black in white on the front of The Marine Times for June 30th “$80,000 Grand for every Marine FAT NEW GI BILL APPROVED”
MarAdmin 370/08 publishes the bonus amounts for FY-09. It states that the combined bonus can not exceed $90,000 in FY-09.
To get that 90G’s you are going to need to be in a Sgt or below (SSgt selectee’s are ineligible) in a combat arms MOS eligible for a $65,000 or more bonus or more AND agree to spend 2 more years in the OPFOR. Read the two more years OPFOR as at least 1 more deployment.
After a quick scan of the MARADMIN there are only a few MOS that rate the $25,000 SRB kicker to stay in the OPFOR, and only a handful of them have SRB’s high enough to get them to the $90,000 max out limit.
Now effective Aug 1st 2009 EVERY MARINE that gets out after their 4 year tour will be eligible for 80G and all they have to do is start going to school. That’s right no more formation, getting DD, field day, deploying to Iraq or Afghanistan, or getting shot at or blown up.
Now I know none of us do this job for the money (although it could be worse) but has the new GI Bill gone too far? Is it too good? Will it lead to decreased retention at all levels? How many young Marines are going to turn down 90G to get shot at when they can take 80G to go to school?
If this bill leads to decreased retention in the middle of a war what will the DOD do? What will Congress or the White House do? Will we see bonuses of 100,000 125,000 or will we see a repeal of the greatest benefit for American troops since the GI Bill was instituted after WWII.
I’m not sure what is going to happen but I have a feeling that things could get really interesting between now and the time that I retire.
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October 7th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
I think the new GI bill is a great idea. It gives people who did there time honorably, but can’t re-enlist for some mistakes they may have made, but are still people and want to do something better with their life. Also there are service members out here not getting a fair shake in the military or having an equal chance to get an education, which is why some of us joined. I personally want to re-enlist, but in my new command I am being treated unfairly and am now considering getting out.