ROTC NG Scholarship

[Ryan]

If I were to recieve a scholarship for the National Guard am I required to serve in the state in which I recieved the scholarship? I only ask because I was/am under the impression that the funds come from the individual state.

Thanks in advance,
Ryan

[Captain Irvin]

In most cases you will be require to attend college in the state that you are serving. In order to know for sure you will need to speak with your Educational Officer or your full-time Admin NCO. Also you can go to our site and look at our state pages. http://www.1800goguard.com/service/service_where.php and then choose you state. If you have any other questions feel free to email me at herooncall@1800goguard.com.

[groundup]

You can also do what is called IST or "InterState Transfer." It is a very simple process. Talk to your recruiter about it and talk to a recruiter in the state in which you plan to transfer to.

[Ryan]

Just to clarify... I'm a sophomore in ROTC and I'm going to LTC this summer. My goal is aviation in the National Guard. I have no intention of enlisting in the National Guard, but rather to enter after college. My main concern is that the 2-year National Guard ROTC scholarships are issued from each state individually, as far as I was informed anyways. The question, again, is whether or not you are required to serve, after graduation, in the state that you recieved the scholarship.

Thanks again,
Ryan

[AbnMtn]

Just to clarify... I'm a sophomore in ROTC and I'm going to LTC this summer. My goal is aviation in the National Guard. I have no intention of enlisting in the National Guard, but rather to enter after college. My main concern is that the 2-year National Guard ROTC scholarships are issued from each state individually, as far as I was informed anyways. The question, again, is whether or not you are required to serve, after graduation, in the state that you recieved the scholarship.

Thanks again,
Ryan

No. The funding for ARNG ROTC is at the national level. Your obligation is to the Guard as a whole not to the state, so you must serve eight years in the ARNG in any state or combination of states. Your service obligation is eight years of drilling starting on commissioning day. You should apply for a scholarship from the state OSM that you plan to serve in after commissioning, which may or may not be the state where you attend college, but if in doubt, apply through the state where you attend college. This question is similar to one answered at the old forum.

[KYRecruiter]

I am a NG recruiter assigned to an ROTC at The University of Kentucky...

You stated you weren't interested in enlisting prior to...is there any particular reason why not? We have many students whom like yourself aren't interested in becoming enlisted guardsmen, but enlist under an SMP contract to gain the experience and the education benefits prior to their commission.

[two2fly]

Ryan,
The posts that answered your question are somewhat diverse. But AbnMtn gave the best reply and KyRecruiter is right about the Simultaneous Membership Program (SMP). The SMP program did not use to be open to scholarship recipients but that my have changed. If you have a 2-yr ROTC scholarship, and intend to receive a reserve commission, you are commissioned without assession (meaning that an army branch such as aviation is not picked for you). During your senior year, you gain sponsorship from a unit in any state that has an opening. Let's say you are from Florida and the UH-60 unit out of Clearwater has an opening, you could gain sponsorship from that unit. Upon commissioning, you'd join that unit and the state would be responsible for sending you to your Basic Course (and flight school in the case of aviation).

Under SMP, you'd already be assigned to a unit as a cadet (paid as an E5), without obligation to join that unit, I believe. You gain experience, pay, and time-in-service credit. Most SMP students attend drill at a unit near their school.

If you have a 4-yr ROTC scholarship, neither option would apply, as you would have to serve an active duty obligation to compensate for the scholarship. But, with a little bit of work, you could gain active status in a reserve or NG unit. I recommend you talk to the unit you are interested in, wherever that is, and they can guide you to making the right decisions.

[Ryan]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

Now to change the topic slightly... how hard is it to land an aviation slot in the National Guard? Are there many available? If it makes any difference my dream aircraft is the AH-64 or the OH-58 and/or all of the variations of each.

Also I plan to go to graduate school after graduate, possibly law school... but located somewhere other than the NE United States. Anyways, how does one go about finding a unit? Just call and ask? Where do you get the numbers to call?

Thanks again,
Ryan

[matthew.ritchie]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

Now to change the topic slightly... how hard is it to land an aviation slot in the National Guard? Are there many available? If it makes any difference my dream aircraft is the AH-64 or the OH-58 and/or all of the variations of each.

Also I plan to go to graduate school after graduate, possibly law school... but located somewhere other than the NE United States. Anyways, how does one go about finding a unit? Just call and ask? Where do you get the numbers to call?

Thanks again,
Ryan

Not every state has every airframe. I know that Florida, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Arizona have Apaches, and I'm sure others do as well. States vary widely as to the need for pilots. In Virginia we're actively seeking Blackhawk pilots, since we forecast a number of retirements in the next two years. Speak to your state's OSM, who can assist you in this process.

[Ryan]

Sir, I have decided to enlist in the NY National Guard as an SMP cadet. There is an aviation (medivac) unit close by and hopefully I'll be able to get in to that. You said that you are actively recruiting blackhawk pilots... for what type of units may I ask?

On a side note, I cannot contract until our PMS returns in mid August but look forward to contracting GRFD with a scholarship.

Thanks,
CDT Ryan

[matthew.ritchie]

Sir, I have decided to enlist in the NY National Guard as an SMP cadet. There is an aviation (medivac) unit close by and hopefully I'll be able to get in to that. You said that you are actively recruiting blackhawk pilots... for what type of units may I ask?

On a side note, I cannot contract until our PMS returns in mid August but look forward to contracting GRFD with a scholarship.

Thanks,
CDT Sajdak

Virginia needs Blackhawk pilots. Call us when you're 12 months away from graduation, and we'll hook you up with a slot.