FYI: USMC Captain Recognition Bonus (MarAdmin 611/08)

[jarhead]

USMC Captain Recognition Bonus Link

Four grand for Captains to extend 12 months ... if you meet the criteria and have one of the "critical skill" MOS's.

I find it strange that 7523's are now a "critical skill" MOS. It wasn't a month ago that the fixed wing monitor said there were too many 7523's.

S/F

 

[mmx1]

The list covers all the selectable MOS's out of TBS, I think (except for SNA/SNFO, but all the platforms are covered), so what do they mean by critical skills? I may have missed a niche one, but they even include LAAD, which I though was a dying branch. Any notable exceptions? The only one I see is FRS V-22 pilot (7531), whereas the other FRS's are eligible. You'd think that it'd be the one FRS with the most Captains.

And yes, I did look up all the MOS codes.

 

[phrogpilot73]

Next step? Stop Loss... Make no mistake, the Corps is hemorrhaging Company Grade Officers - all the while trying to grow by 20,000. I saw this handwriting...

 

[snake020]

The economy is not exactly red hot right now; won't this help goals?

 

[squeeze]

Next step? Stop Loss... Make no mistake, the Corps is hemorrhaging Company Grade Officers - all the while trying to grow by 20,000. I saw this handwriting...

Who would have thought that deploying your people over and over, micromanaging them at home and abroad, treating them like children, cutting flight time, while increasing ridiculous 'ground training' requirements would cause people to want to leave? No way!

Edit: Also, I see no mention of how this might (not) affect the bonus system. I wonder if I jump on this, will they tell me in a few years "sorry bro, no bonus for you." It's not that I don't trust them, but it's.... wait, that is it.

Edit2: Wait... tax free if in a combat zone, so taxed at home. Just a quick crunch of the numbers, but assuming about a 30% chunk is gone to taxes, that takes it down to $2800. So let me get this straight. They're trying to buy another year of my life for one measly additional paycheck? I think I'll wait till I'm up for the bonus or they can stop loss me. Laughable.

 

[ArkhamAsylum]

Any word on how this affects the Aviation Career Pay? As in, will they still dangle that $10K in your face approaching your 13th(?) year of service?

 

[tlord82]

Any word on how this affects the Aviation Career Pay? As in, will they still dangle that $10K in your face approaching your 13th(?) year of service?

As the ACP works now, this bonus and incurred time would not affect when you could apply for and begin receiving ACP. ACP only requires that you :

"BE WITHIN ONE YEAR OF COMPLETING ANY ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE COMMITMENT (ADSC) INCURRED FOR UNDERGRADUATE AVIATOR TRAINING AND ANY ADDITIONAL OBLIGATION INCURRED FROM THE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, REF B, IF APPLICABLE"

So only your Wings and PLC are counted towards when you can apply for ACP. The questions remains about whether they will change this provision in the future to allow for Marines who took the 4 grand. I'm tax-free right now, so Im thinking about taking the bonus. But possible changes to ACP are holding me back.

 

[phrogpilot73]

Who would have thought that deploying your people over and over, micromanaging them at home and abroad, treating them like children, cutting flight time, while increasing ridiculous 'ground training' requirements would cause people to want to leave? No way!

Funny thing is, back in '05 right when we got back from Iraq - the Group CO calls all the Captains over to the base theatre and wants our honest assessment as to why Captains were getting out in droves, and what impact the bonus had. Most of my friends listed the same stuff you said, and wrote things along the lines of "there's not enough money in the US Treasury." About a year later, I was reading some thing about retention and the Aviation CO's agreed that the bonus was working for retention of officers. I guess the CO's just asked their Majors what the story was.

One paycheck is laughable. Even the $10K Reserve Affiliation Bonus I took is better, but after taxes it only worked out to be 3 paychecks.

 

[Harrier Dude]

AV-8B FRS students are on there as well (7507), not that they'll be eligible (I don't think).

If you're a pilot, you're going to be better off waiting on the pilot bonus. If you're a ground MOS (and are planning to stick around anyway), then go for it. There probably won't be a better deal coming for you anytime soon.

 

[skidkid]

It would seem from the MARADMIN that one could take the one year 4K then sign up for the long or short at the conclusion of the one year hitch. This thing smells of even more desperation than normal bonuses.

 

[7562Driver]

I contacted the POC on the MARADMIN on 27 Oct asking about the effect on the Aviation Retention Bonus. The response I received was no effect. That leads me to believe that we can apply for this bonus and still be eligible for the retention bonus on a normal timeline. Of course I'm still very young and naive in my Marine Corps career.

 

[Clux4]

$4K for what? Am I a Private or a PFC?

Unless you were planning on extending, the money is crap.

 

[jarhead]

come on Sqeeze, you can't tell me that it isn't worth the ~240 extra bucks a month, after taxes, for 12 more months of ...

... deploying over and over, being micromanaged at home and abroad, being treated like a child, cutting flight time, while increasing ridiculous 'ground training' requirements ...

S/F

 

[mjchilling]

tell us like it is

man thats very discouraging

 

[gaijin6423]

The consensus among some of us in the 'critical' control group MOS's is that it's at best an insult. $4k isn't going to influence my decision to get out or stay in, but it is influencing some of my peers in the exact opposite way the money is intended to. Most of the folks I hang out with are like me: prior-enlisted and either right over the halfway point or well beyond it. The Marine Corps isn't worried about losing us, which is a shame, because most of my group who commissioned at the same time have already gotten out. There are, even with 'troubled economic times,' good job opportunities out there. Not saying the grass is greener, or that there's no shit to be had in the civilian market. But I will bet that the shit is a different flavor. Wait a second...

Oh, and everyone's forgotten about the 42 (I counted) vehicle ORM package required for everyone. VA's going to shit themselves when they start cutting me disability checks for carpal tunnel.