Making the Decision
January 13, 2008
I was raised an Army brat. My father is still active and going on 31 years this July! I am the true definition of an Army brat, I joined! But why?
My father was hell bent on trying to get me to enlist the end of my senior of high school. I would have none of it naturally. I can’t pinpoint exactly why I refused to; I believe it was just because I was 17 and not wanting to listen to my father.
Two years later, I was singing a different tune. I was on scholarship while attending Texas Christian University but still had to take out loans to cover all the costs. Transferring to Nebraska for in-state tuition didn’t make too much of a difference.
Studying abroad for a summer only added to my pile of loan money. I didn’t want my parents paying for my education but I didn’t want to either. That’s when I contacted several recruiters.
I spoke to a Navy, Marine Corps, and Army recruiter, trying to decide what was the right path for me. It was obvious, I knew the Army, it’s how I was raised. After surprising my parents with my decision (and mine alone!), I enlisted in the Army at the age of 19.
Taking that oath meant more than what I imagined. This was going to change my life. For the next year, I continued to pursue my college education. I was in what is called the Delayed Entry Program. That meant I didn’t ship to basic right away.
There were some negatives to that decision; my bonus was not nearly what many of peers would receive but I was okay with that. The Army was going to pay up to $10,000 of my student loans, pay $4,500 a school year on tuition and fees, send me a check once a month of $417 called the Montgomery GI Bill, pay me around $150 for a weekend of drill a month, and I got a bonus of $4,000 for enlisting.
To some this isn’t a lot. To me it was huge. I now am getting my student loans repaid so I’ll no longer be in debt. I only pay $425 a semester to be a full time student, much better than paying over $2,500 a semester!
My GI Bill check helps me pay my rent, electric, and cable bills every month. I get paid to work at my unit. Not only am I financially better off than I was two years ago, joining the Army was the best decision I ever made.
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