kt3of3
11-09-08, 11:13 PM
Greetings to all,
I am currently in the process of becoming becoming a reservist, though I really prefer to take a military leave of absence from my career and go AD. After speaking in-depth with my recruiter, I came to the reserve decision for several reasons. However, I want to exhaust every available resource to find answers to my questions from Marines who have experienced similar circumstances before I complete the process. I don't want to commit to the reserves only to find out later that I could just as easily gone AD.
Here goes:
1) I have a home mortgage and auto loan. If I were to go AD, I would not be able to afford my monthly payments. As I interpret it, under SCRA the lenders are required to reduce my interest rates to 6% (my auto loan is actually less) and I am still required to make the payments. However, I hear mixed interpretations. I've been told that under SCRA, the lenders are actually required to suspend my payments if I can't afford to make them, and I would be able to pick-up where I left off once I fullfill my contract obligations, even if that means not returning to civilian life for 4+ years. I want to go AD, but I don't want to lose everything I've worked so hard for either. Is there anyone on this site who is currently excercising this right in a similiar capacity? Or anyone with intimate knowledge that can elaborate?
2) I'm old as dirt (29). I was told by the recruiter that age cutoff for AD AND reserves is 27 so I'll need a waiver for my age, and that I would have a better chance getting the waiver approved for the reserves than I would for AD. Particularly because the waiver would need to go ALL the way to the top of recruiting to be approved and the General (west recruiting) is not very lenient, if at all, when it comes to approving age waivers for AD. Since I'm on the east/west recruiting border, I've been told that should I be turned down because of age, it's possible to go to a recruiting station next door in Indiana and I would have a better chance at having my age waived for AD since it's a different, more 'lenient' General in east recruiting. Are there any old farts like me in the west that could not get an age waiver approved, recently? Any that did? Any other thoughts?
3) Should I elect to stay on the reserve path, my job schedule requires me to work every other weekend (friday-sunday and occasional over-time on my weekends off). Though the corporation will grant leave and supplement my pay so that I make the same amount of money I normally would for the 2 week (or however long) training session, they will not supplement my pay for the weekend drill sessions. These weekends amount to 43% of my total bi-weekly paycheck. If a drill session is scheduled on a weekend that I'm required to be at work, I am granted a leave of absence, but not supplemental pay. Is it possible to make-up the session with a unit that is drilling on my weekend off, if there is one?
4) The nearest reserve unit to me is located down the block, literally (Co E, 4th Recon Bn). The only open MOS is 0321, reconnaissance man. I understand that selecting 0321 only gets me a seat at the indoc after SOI and that failure would most likely land me as 0311 in a reserve unit that isn't so close to home. I also understand that it's an extreme challenge. I'm reasonably certain that I've read most if not all the posts on this site regarding poolee's and the like opting for the 0321 MOS, but I'm going to pose the question anyway. So, as far as reserve duty and my situation is concerned, is taking a shot at recon a common step for a recruit without prior experience? Or, eventhough it's technically feasible, would I be over stepping a boundary that's normally set for Marines with prior experience?
Regards and thank you,
Kevin
I am currently in the process of becoming becoming a reservist, though I really prefer to take a military leave of absence from my career and go AD. After speaking in-depth with my recruiter, I came to the reserve decision for several reasons. However, I want to exhaust every available resource to find answers to my questions from Marines who have experienced similar circumstances before I complete the process. I don't want to commit to the reserves only to find out later that I could just as easily gone AD.
Here goes:
1) I have a home mortgage and auto loan. If I were to go AD, I would not be able to afford my monthly payments. As I interpret it, under SCRA the lenders are required to reduce my interest rates to 6% (my auto loan is actually less) and I am still required to make the payments. However, I hear mixed interpretations. I've been told that under SCRA, the lenders are actually required to suspend my payments if I can't afford to make them, and I would be able to pick-up where I left off once I fullfill my contract obligations, even if that means not returning to civilian life for 4+ years. I want to go AD, but I don't want to lose everything I've worked so hard for either. Is there anyone on this site who is currently excercising this right in a similiar capacity? Or anyone with intimate knowledge that can elaborate?
2) I'm old as dirt (29). I was told by the recruiter that age cutoff for AD AND reserves is 27 so I'll need a waiver for my age, and that I would have a better chance getting the waiver approved for the reserves than I would for AD. Particularly because the waiver would need to go ALL the way to the top of recruiting to be approved and the General (west recruiting) is not very lenient, if at all, when it comes to approving age waivers for AD. Since I'm on the east/west recruiting border, I've been told that should I be turned down because of age, it's possible to go to a recruiting station next door in Indiana and I would have a better chance at having my age waived for AD since it's a different, more 'lenient' General in east recruiting. Are there any old farts like me in the west that could not get an age waiver approved, recently? Any that did? Any other thoughts?
3) Should I elect to stay on the reserve path, my job schedule requires me to work every other weekend (friday-sunday and occasional over-time on my weekends off). Though the corporation will grant leave and supplement my pay so that I make the same amount of money I normally would for the 2 week (or however long) training session, they will not supplement my pay for the weekend drill sessions. These weekends amount to 43% of my total bi-weekly paycheck. If a drill session is scheduled on a weekend that I'm required to be at work, I am granted a leave of absence, but not supplemental pay. Is it possible to make-up the session with a unit that is drilling on my weekend off, if there is one?
4) The nearest reserve unit to me is located down the block, literally (Co E, 4th Recon Bn). The only open MOS is 0321, reconnaissance man. I understand that selecting 0321 only gets me a seat at the indoc after SOI and that failure would most likely land me as 0311 in a reserve unit that isn't so close to home. I also understand that it's an extreme challenge. I'm reasonably certain that I've read most if not all the posts on this site regarding poolee's and the like opting for the 0321 MOS, but I'm going to pose the question anyway. So, as far as reserve duty and my situation is concerned, is taking a shot at recon a common step for a recruit without prior experience? Or, eventhough it's technically feasible, would I be over stepping a boundary that's normally set for Marines with prior experience?
Regards and thank you,
Kevin