Soldiers need to think ahead about re-ups

Photo By Sgt. Spencer Case | Col. Victor Maccagnan, the commander of the 16th Corps Support Group, administers the enlistment oath to Spc. Mark Schneider, a Blackhawk repairs specialist of the 16th CSG at Tallil, Dec. 1. Photo by Spc. Spencer Case.  

12.29.2005

Courtesy Story

207th Public Affairs Detachment

For junior enlisted Soldiers, now is the time to plan for the future, said Staff Sgt. Brian Crist, a career counselor for the 16th Corps Support Group.

Whether Soldiers plan to stay in the military until retirement or pursue a civilian career once their expired term of service dates have passed, it is best to think a step ahead, Crist said.

"When they are about a year or a year and a half away from their ETS dates, that's when they need to be thinking about their future," Crist said.

If Soldiers decide early whether or not they are going to re-enlist, they may be in a better position to take advantage of bonuses. This is especially true for Soldiers who are deployed to combat zones. For instance, an active duty Soldier who re-enlists for a $10,000 bonus in the U.S. would pay at least $2,800 in taxes, but the same Soldier would keep the full $10,000 if he re-enlists in Iraq.

"It paid"literally"for me to plan ahead and know what I'm going to do," said Spc. Mark Schneider, a Black Hawk repairs specialist for the 16th CSG, who re-enlisted in Iraq on Dec. 1.

Soldiers should also be aware of common myths about re-enlisting, Crist said. One of the most common is mistaking re-enlistments with contract extensions, which are occasionally granted to help Soldiers go to certain schools, get assignments they want or get a promotion.

"A lot of Soldiers don't realize that when they re-enlist, it doesn't start at their expired term of service date, it starts immediately," Crist said. For example, if a Soldier re-enlists for four years with eight months left on contract, he would have four years left in service, not four years and eight months.

Soldiers should be aware, however, that that policy is about to change. A fragmentation order has been issued that states the new policy is for re-enlistments to begin at the end of the ETS dates, though it has not yet taken effect. The best way to make sure when a re-enlistment starts is to look for the words "immediate re-enlistment" in the top right hand of the re-enlistment papers.

Crist said that re-enlistment is not for everyone and advised Soldiers who intend to leave the Army to start preparing for a civilian career before their contracts expire. Soldiers rely on civilian jobs that fall through and then re-enlist because they have no other options.

Crist encouraged Soldiers to start working on a civilian resume a year and a half before their ETS date to avoid getting trapped into re-enlisting.

As a precaution, it is best for Soldiers to maintain their Soldier skills until their contract expires. This is because oftentimes, Soldiers who initially do not intend to re-enlist change their minds at the last moment but are then unable to re-enlist because they cannot meet standards on a physical training test or have not maintained their weapons skills.

"Even if you know you're going to get out, prepare as if you were not going to get out," Crist said. "You can always say "no." You can't always say "yes.""

• Date Taken: 12.29.2005
• Date Posted: 12.29.2005 08:40
• Story ID: 4206