By SSG Jared Leimeister

Contact: jared.p.leimeister.mil@mail.mil

Do you know The National Guard is an organization that works one weekend a month and two weeks in the summer? Do you know The National Guard offers over $100,000 in college benefits? As a teacher myself, I saw what a huge benefit having the Guard pay for me to go to school rather than taking out loans.

GI Bill is $384 per month times 36 months = $13,284

GI Bill kicker is $350 per month times 36 months = $12,636

EAP (education assistance program) is $3,858 per semester times 10 semesters = $38,580

Student loan repayment program is $50,000

When we add all of these up we get $114,500 in education benefits.

Soldiers can also take advantage of free testing: CLEP, Dantes, ACT, SAT, Praxis-teachers, GRE and others. We also gain varying amounts of credit for the training we perform.

An additional benefit is that high school juniors can enlist and attend basic training the summer after their junior year. They come back disciplined and ready to rock their senior year. They would then attend job training their senior summer and would most likely return before the fall semester to start college with the rest of their graduating class. Seniors can also qualify for College First, a program where a student is not deployable for 2 years in college.

I have used many of these programs to earn my masters plus 30. I have not needed to take out student loans thanks to these benefits. Please contact me so we can set up a time we can discuss things further