Dilbert_X wrote:
We know with him and many others it wasn't about 'serving' it was about getting access to college.
The college money I received was simply deferred salary.
Everyone that joins the military has access to the basic GI Bill. This used to just be a flat $625 a month while attending school that you had to use to pay for books, tuition, rent, food etc. Not a whole lot in the grand scheme of things. But here's the thing though: if you actually want the GI Bill you have your wages garnished for the first year you serve. They take out $100 a month for the first twelve months (out of our already meager $1200 a month minus taxes salary) of service in order to fund it. The GI Bill is not funded by the taxpayers, it's funded by other soldiers. So you paid in $1200, and got back $20,000 on the other side. That right there should show you how often ex-military actually attend college. I know of three other people out of my company of 120 that actually attended or are attending school.
Now, on top of that, you could have a bonus inserted into your contract that raised the amount of money you received when you attended college. Just like a signing bonus you would take at any other job, this was offered to me. I took it, and it upped my GI Bill coverage from $20,000 to $50,000. Instead of $625 a month, I received $1,562. High roller amirite? And again, just like with the pure GI Bill, the vast majority of soldiers never touch the money so sticking that in the contract as a lure is a win for the government.
So call me a leach if you want Dilbert. I really don't care. In fact, I find it amusing
Now you know more about how the system worked and can try to use it against other ex-military. Good luck with that.