Military Education Benefits

Every year, newly graduated young adults struggle with the idea of what they want to do for the rest of their lives. Many chose to go to college, some chose to go straight to work, and some will join the military. For those who join the military, they have several diverse reasons on why they chose to join, with attaining the benefits for their college education and on the job training being among the top two reasons (Wang 398). With this in mind, it is important for all service members to be aware of what those benefits are and how it will impact their higher learning. Along with these educational benefits, there are also other areas in which the military makes certain service members are prepared to take on the daunting task of going to college;

from daily tasks and progression training, to reaching out to other agencies ensuring the soldiers are being properly taken care of and their needs catered too. Ultimately, the Army prepares its service members and veterans for furthering their civilian education through its educational benefits, collective support from outside agencies, and on the job training.
There is a plethora of benefits that the Army has to offer, ranging from giving money for classes to paying for both the educational cost and a stipend to assist with living costs. The Montgomery GI Bill was first introduced in 1984 and has come a long way since, being overshadowed by its newest form, the Post 9/11 GI Bill. Under this benefit, soldiers are entitled to receive up to $1,075 monthly, for up to 36 months, in an effort to obtain a master's or bachelor's degree. This entitlement will be eligible for up to 10 years after initiating its use or after completion of active duty service (Wasley A1). If the service member decides to use their GI Bill after leaving the service, they can also be awarded a living stipend to assist with the cost of going to college full time. This stipend varies to the actual location and is derived from the cost of living in that specific area. For example, a soldier going to a college based out of New York will have a significantly higher stipend than one attending a college based out of Montana. Tuition Assistance (TA) is another great program obtainable by the military. According to the 2011, DOD Education Benefits from the United States Government Accountability Office, in fiscal year 2009, the Department of Defense Military TA program provided $517 million in tuition assistance to over 337,000 service members (GAO 3). Members who took advantage of the TA program were entitled to $250 per credit hour at a maximum of $4,750 per year, without ever using or initiating their GI Bill. These are just two of the great programs offered by the Army to assist in the continued education of its service members. Although these programs are designed to assist in the financial destitution of getting an education, the stigma and adversity of a military student still exist.
A military student, according to Sarah Fishback, could mean "a member of the active duty, Reserve, National Guard, or retired military population, a spouse or primary dependent of one of these students, or all of the above" (Fishback 91). The majority of programs accessible to the military have also been extended to the families of the service members. What’s interesting is a college campus has a great deal to gain from having a "military student" enrolled in its educational programs; therefore, many have developed a Veteran Friendly campus. The need for veteran friendly campuses derives from the low completion rate of veterans due to the culture shock and isolation some feel while transitioning from the military to college (Cunningham 16). It is imperative to show veterans that their sacrifice has not gone unnoticed, and the benefits they were promised will be there for their use and attainable. Trying to navigate the excessively complicated administration of both the VA and the school can be very intimidating to an individual who is use to a specific type of structure (Cunningham 14). School campuses have been working tirelessly with the VA, DOD, and the Senate to establish programs and guidelines available for campuses to be more appealing and hospitable to the veteran population. This includes such programs like the Vet-2-Vet Peer Mentoring Program, Student Veterans Alliance, and dedicated military program counselor to help guide them through their academic journey (Wilson 57). These programs are just a glimpse of what many schools have to offer their veteran population, but the eagerness to learn and grow does not start at the college campus, but in the soldiers themselves.
Every day a veteran is leaving the military service, thankful for the training and benefits received while on duty, ready to take on new challenges with their education.

On the same note, every day there is a civilian signing a piece of paper, joining the force, preparing to receive world class training and doctrinal lessons on how to be a good leader, as well as, a good subordinate. While on active duty, service members are subjected to continuous training opportunities and experiences. The Army promotion system is a rigorous platform system that requires certain benchmarks in their military education and time in service. These benchmarks ensure that the best available candidate moves forward and takes the sought after position, demanding the highest level of mental fortitude and discipline. These traits, along with others, are some of the ways the Army prepares vets for ensuing education. The Army has established training requirements that ensure soldiers are active in their decision making and critical thinking skills and are taking classes’ equivalent to that of a civilian. The longer a soldier is enlisted, the more training and formal education they will receive to assist in their departure from the military. The Structured Self Development (SSD) created by the Army has allowed many soldiers who were uneasy with or procrastinating continuing their education a chance to ease into it or see what it would be like in a distant learning situation. This training is necessary for promotion to certain echelons and is intended to emulate college level classes, but of the military genre. Currently, many schools accept military training as transferable credits through the Army American Council on Education Registry Transcript System (AARTS). The AARTS program allows a suggested transfer credit registry for military training, occupational skills, leadership courses, and other military specific training that directly correlates with civilian education (Wilson 57). With

all of these combined, service members have a great head start on their education, as long as appropriate educational goals are set.
In conclusion, the amount of preparation the Army affords its service members are of immense value if used properly and if soldiers are appropriately educated on their entitlements. From the day soldiers join the service they are provided countless opportunities to build and reinforce their general education. Tuition Assistance, GI Bill, SSD, and Army fostered courses are just a few of the opportunities that allow soldiers to construct a transcript through AARTS and receive incessant development in their undergraduate, graduate, or masters degrees. While not all college campuses project their zeal in fostering a military friendly campus, there are hundreds of colleges that have gone great extents to ensure an easy shift from the military to the classroom. Taking advantage of these benefits will ensure a well rounded Army leader transitions into the civilian workforce with less hardship and more of an impact within their positions.