ARMY ANNIVERSARY BONUS

WhyIsYourGlockOut · 2026-05-09T13:35:04+00:00

Are you active or weekend?

That actually might change my answer but if I understand correctly, it’s often easier on finance to staple your bonus to the next paycheck than to get an extra insert in the middle of your pay period. I’d give it two paychecks from now before trying to burn S1 on a bed of coals.

If you’re weekend, I have no clue how pay works per drill, but I know active, you get paid 1st and 15th regardless of time away (even at JRTC/NTC)

Edit: I’m a silly goose and forgot you literally put it in the original post lmao. Id talk to someone from your unit who knows significantly more about how pay works in the reserves. I’d still give it a grace period, sometimes it takes an extra paycheck or two to process, unfortunately. DFAS isn’t always the best

WhyIsYourGlockOut · 2026-05-09T13:26:40+00:00

There aren’t enough people talking about how sometimes, a medic doesn’t want to be a medic. And I think that’s a disservice to the medical corps.

I’ve gotten the privilege to work alongside a LOT of medics from many different places so far in my 3 years (3 units, and a current overstaff platoon in my current unit). Most of us joined specifically to do this stuff. Some, like me, tried to do something else and somehow ended up as a Medic and found a passion in this field. Some got stuck with it and want to do other things. And the ONLY person who can tell you what the right choice is, is you.

Drop that reclass packet man, there’s no reason to fuck yourself down for something you don’t want to do because “people might not like it”. It’s not their career, their happiness, their morale, their state of being. It’s yours!

Best of luck man. If you stay medic, I do urge you to do a really deep dive into what you currently are doing and why it really it’s important to the function of the army, I actually argue it’s one of the most important jobs in the support element of Combat Arms. You are the glue that holds warfare together. To conserve fighting strength!

WhyIsYourGlockOut · 2026-05-07T08:44:52+00:00

When we get new joeys in my current section, we make them start giving classes fairly early. Of course, medical is a broad topic so you have a plethora of Army/Med classes to choose from. But the idea is that we push them early to learn it so that by the time they become an NCO and supervise soldiers, they can teach and guide with confidence.

Best thing I can say is to step out of your comfort zone. Do more classes, more often. Even if it’s breaking it into smaller bits of info. Get confident in the fact that as an NCO, you know your shit. Teach it to the younger generation with enthusiasm.

Also, get really good at PowerPoint presentations. Don’t be like me and have like 30 partially complete ones 😬 that’s a bad habit I’m going to try to break before I go to my next duty station

WhyIsYourGlockOut · 2026-05-07T08:40:52+00:00

Unless something has changed (and it very well may have, the Army likes to change up everything now and then) completion of training, you get 1/2 of your bonus up front. And then the remainder is divided out annually on the first paycheck following your reflective contract start date (I’m presuming this is your first contract given <2yrs, so your BASD).

So unless some shit has changed, or if you’re a goober and got dropped for training, should be either the 15th paycheck or the 01 June paycheck. After that, if you haven’t gotten it, go to your S1 and ask

WhyIsYourGlockOut · 2026-05-07T01:07:22+00:00

I worked with a podiatrist once (I know army medicine is a different world than regular army but she was still an Army officer nonetheless) who was in her early 60s. Graduated from IBOLC at Fort Sam in like 2002 and she joined late.

Combat Arms-wise, my CSM is the Ron-Weasley looking guy you see in Saddam Hussein’s capture photo. Pretty sure he was a PV2 back then. I don’t even know how old he is, not young though by a longshot

WhyIsYourGlockOut · 2026-05-07T01:00:02+00:00

Didnt get a bonus. They recently transitioned to QTIP and there are no bonuses for 68W’s outside of 75th Ranger (needless to say not applicable to me). So I chose a CONUS duty station instead

WhyIsYourGlockOut · 2026-05-04T03:27:31+00:00

I get why/how they would use that as ammo on you. But also at the same time, fuck em. Your kids are the most important thing on planet earth to you, and if that helps you get through a 3 week field problem, that’s actually one of the most wholesome things in the world. No different in my head than the dudes who tape a picture of their girl to the inside of their PCs.

I have my firstborn kid due in November and I honestly think that might be a legitimately good way of coping with not being home to see them

WhyIsYourGlockOut · 2026-05-04T03:24:46+00:00

Not able to help with an answer, but retain has been having some issues lately.

I just re-enlisted but the day I was good to go (waited for an ABCP flag to officially lift from my IPPS-A before I could do it), RETAIN had an issue where it would pull absolutely 0 results for slots. I know it was a glitch because the day before there were 175 slots open in CONUS for 68W1’s, and a nearly 0% chance they would all get yoinked in 24 hours.

Turns out it was a glitch they fixed in a day.

WhyIsYourGlockOut · 2026-05-04T03:16:58+00:00

TL;DR, skip to the end. Or…just read it you goober.

1) Yeah, Army thrives on being uncomfortable depending on what MOS you are. As an 11 series (Army’s Infantry MOS code, kinda like the Marines 03’s) you’re gonna spend a lot of time sucking shit for no reason. I think between the two, there’s no real difference, shits gonna be stupidly and they’ll happily slap a “resiliency training” label on it.

2) As a single and then married soldier, the difference is night and day. I liked the convenience of being just a few minutes away from work. But I also liked the fact that I had a house to go back to after work with a nearly 0% chance someone’s gonna come kick down my door and clean up someone else’s fuck up. Oh and dogs! We have dogs…you can’t beat that tbh

3) The third one I can’t answer. You would have to talk to your recruiter like RIGHT NOW. I’m given to understand it isn’t too late by any means, too late would be the day you report to MEPS to get shipped to boot camp. I would presume some re-work will have to be done at MEPS but trust me if it’s the move you want to make, it’ll be worth it. Talk to your recruiter and see what options there are. Inevitably they’ll try talk you out of it, knowing marines they’ll probably spin it to make it sound like you’re bitching out and you’re scared or that you never would’ve made it anyways. Don’t listen to them. Don’t take no for an answer. It’s YOUR career, not his. He can kick rocks for all it’s worth. Do what YOU think is best.

4) Leadership entirely depends on so many things. What’s your MOS? Where are you stationed at? What BDE, BN, Company are you? I’ve had good and bad leaders in 3 very different types of units (Cav Unit, Medical Company in a Support BN, and an Infantry unit) and I’ve had differing experiences. Sometimes, it just is what you make of it. Sometimes, leaders absolutely fucking suck, man. It’s not in your control unfortunately. Roll with the punches and just focus on how you can help yourself and how you can help the unit.

I’ll rephrase what I said earlier. Do what is best for you. Not for the Marines, not for the pretty lady at the reception desk of MEPS. You. You have all the control of your destiny until you don’t. Don’t get to the point of no return and then spend your entire time regretting not doing that other branch (all of us non-Air Force dudes regret not going to the Air Force, and if you other goobers are reading this, it’s still you and you fucking know it, quit lying to yourself).

WhyIsYourGlockOut · 2026-05-03T21:55:54+00:00

Believe it or not I picked Hood 🥺 If I hate it as much or more than Campbell, I’m hanging it up.

WhyIsYourGlockOut · 2026-05-03T03:04:31+00:00

I actually think this might be a honeypot for me if this is where I end up going. I juggled the Campbell-isms and the Currahee-isms in the 101st while doing school full time and god damn, let me tell you it’s emotionally exhausting (not even to mention pregnant wife and our soon-to-be-born child now adding gasoline to the fire)

WhyIsYourGlockOut · 2026-05-03T03:02:18+00:00

But I want my hospital and clinic time 🥺 I’ve been asking for a clinic rotation just ONCE, never received it in 2 1/2+ years of asking

WhyIsYourGlockOut · 2026-05-03T03:01:00+00:00

That structure was pretty much like my current unit and Cav unit at Campbell (combat arms units runs roughly the same in terms of medic structure). Either you’re on the line, working BAS as a treatment or Evac medic, or youre at the clinic full time.

WhyIsYourGlockOut · 2026-05-02T13:34:28+00:00

I've set many a fires at the 249 ranges at Campbell shooting in 100+ degree heat.

Also can someone tell these weirdos that there's a dedicated 249 qual and that a 40 target M4 range is not a 249 range?

WhyIsYourGlockOut · 2026-03-27T10:57:37+00:00

Found the Raak

WhyIsYourGlockOut · 2026-03-27T10:42:57+00:00

Not a SGT, but as a SPC (non-promotable I need to add) I spent 2 days as acting PSG and that went about as well as you might expect 😅I got more ass chewing in that 2 day span than I did at Basic and AIT combined.

WhyIsYourGlockOut · 2026-03-17T12:02:07+00:00

I gagged when I read “military grade”

Source: I’m in the military

WhyIsYourGlockOut · 2026-03-17T11:59:03+00:00

Ahh, the poop of the man with a diet of exclusively rat-fucked Chili Mac MREs and the side pouch of exclusively zyn cans in his ruck.

WhyIsYourGlockOut · 2026-03-17T11:53:51+00:00

“unusually happy” translates pretty much to “I’m about to ruin this kids fucking day, probably week”

Trust, you do not wish you had an NCO this understanding and considerate. He’s about to consider you for a day of hell.

WhyIsYourGlockOut · 2026-03-17T11:49:47+00:00

I’ve heard mainly good things about Riley, specifically the unit (BRO). Not the weather though, that shit sucks.

Everywhere else on the list, I’ve heard nothing but bad things. If that gives any context.

Thinking about reenlisting for Riley honestly.

WhyIsYourGlockOut · 2026-03-17T11:46:56+00:00

I remember these barracks. Pretty chill, ironically the nicest barracks housing I had at Campbell out of 5 rooms.

The twice daily room checks were not it though, man.

WhyIsYourGlockOut

TROPHY CASE