GIs in Iraq Choosing to Re-Up

GIs in Iraq Choosing to Re-Up
Army Exceeding Retention Goals as Recruitment Suffers
By Ann Scott Tyson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, December 18, 2005; Page A27

BUHRIZ, Iraq -- It was nearing midnight as Pfc. Nicholas Outen and his platoon moved silently down an alley in this Sunni enclave of canals and palm groves, on a night of raiding houses with the Iraqi police. The patrol paused, and Outen had just crouched at a street corner when a large blast threw him backward.

"I saw a flash and a boom and was smashed against the wall," recalled Outen, 20, of Baltimore. His shoulder was ripped by shrapnel from a bomb that exploded 15 feet away, killing an Iraqi policeman. Five in Outen's platoon were wounded, including his team leader, Sgt. Nathan Rohrbaugh, who lay bleeding on top of him.

The Nov. 17 attack would draw together an already tightknit platoon, now on its second tour in Iraq. For Outen, it was doubly significant: On the same day that he became eligible for a Purple Heart, he reenlisted in the U.S. Army.

Across Iraq, U.S. soldiers risking their lives daily in combat are also re-upping by the thousands, bolstering the Army's flagging manpower at a time when many young Americans are unwilling to serve. Since 2001, the Army has surpassed its retention targets by wider margins each year, showing an unexpectedly robust ability to retain soldiers in a time of war. While the force is facing a shortfall in recruitment of new soldiers, it raised its retention goal this year by 8,000 people and still exceeded it, with nearly 70,000 soldiers, or 108 percent of the target, choosing to stay in the Army.

(more)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/17/AR2005121701042.html?nav=rss_world

Same great family
Re-enlistment bonus for continued service in the National Guard Family
By On Guard Staff Report
National Guard Bureau

ARLINGTON, Va. – A substantial increase in enlistment and re-enlistment bonuses for Army National Guard Soldiers has begun to pay big dividends to the National Guard and its Soldier’s families who conitinue to serve their .

The Army Guard is offering a six-year, prior-service enlistment bonus of $15,000 with a payment schedule of 50 percent at the time of enlistment and 50 percent at the fourth-year anniversary.

The Guard is also offering a two period, three-year enlistment option of $7,500 for the first three years and $6,000 for the second three years. The payment schedule is 50 percent at the beginning of the three-year commitment and 50 percent upon completion of that commitment.

The Army Guard is offering a six-year reenlistment, or extension, bonus of $15,000 payable in a lump sum upon the re-enlistment or extension. It is also offering a two period, three-year reenlistment, or extension, bonus of $7,500 for the first three years and $6,000 for the second three years. The payment schedule for that option is a lump sum upon the reenlistment or extension. Soldiers with no more than 16 years of service are eligible for this bonus.

The Army Guard is also offering $2,000 bonuses to Soldiers who agree to retrain into a critical military occupational specialty (MOS) to meet the Army Guard's needs. The payment will be made in a lump sum upon completion of the training in the new MOS. This bonus cannot run concurrently with any other incentives that the Soldier has.

There is also incentive for new people to join the Army National Guard.

It is offering non-prior service enlistment bonuses of up to $10,000 for a six-year enlistment. The Guard will pay 50 percent of that bonus upon successful completion of individual advanced training and the other 50 percent at the end of the fourth year.

Here is the breakdown:
$10,000 for enlisting in one of the Army Guard's 10 most critical military occupational specialties. Those are infantryman, cannon crewmember, combat engineer, military police, light-wheel vehicle mechanic, motor transport operator, health care specialist, automated logistical specialist, food service specialist, and unit supply specialist.
$6,000 to non-prior service Soldiers who choose to train in a MOS that is considered critical to the readiness of that Soldier's state. States cannot exceed 30 MOS's.
$2,000 bonuses to non-prior service Soldiers who agree to perform their initial One Stop Unit Training during the off-peak months of October through May.

http://www.ngb.army.mil/onguard/34/05/article.asp?aid=1485