According to SEC. 526, equal treatment will be given for individuals who graduate from a legally operating secondary school. I would think that would encompass state recognized charter schools, Home School, and other schools that don’t fit the old idea of a regular traditional public high school. It should take away the requirement for a 50QT minimum for Home School graduates. Gone should be the days when a recruiter would need to advise an applicant who graduated a non-traditional, state approved high school that their diploma wasn’t enough, and that they needed to go to college and obtain at least 15 college credits.

Well, hopefully.

As with just about all laws that are written, there are loopholes. Competing interests get involved, and those in congress try and make everybody as happy as they can be – a little give and take, as it were. This section mandates “Equal treatment“, but contradicts that mandate by allowing the services “[to] include the use of a noncognitive aptitude test, adaptive personality assessment, or other operational attrition screening tool to predict performance, behaviors, and attitudes of potential recruits that influence attrition and the ability to adapt to a regimented life in the Armed Forces.”

Tier Tweeners or Tier I½’ers. Whatever. We either trust the States or we don’t.

The Section in question (emphasis is mine);

SEC. 526. POLICY ON MILITARY RECRUITMENT AND ENLISTMENT OF GRADUATES OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS.

• (a) Equal Treatment for Secondary School Graduates-
• (1) EQUAL TREATMENT- For the purposes of recruitment and enlistment in the Armed Forces, the Secretary of a military department shall treat a graduate described in paragraph (2) in the same manner as a graduate of a secondary school (as defined in section 9101(38)) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801(38))
• (2) COVERED GRADUATES- Paragraph (1) applies with respect to a person who–
• (A) receives a diploma from a secondary school that is legally operating;
• (B) otherwise completes a program of secondary education in compliance with the education laws of the State in which the person resides.
• (b) Policy on Recruitment and Enlistment- Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall prescribe a policy on recruitment and enlistment that incorporates the following:
• (1) Means for identifying persons described in subsection (a)(2) who are qualified for recruitment and enlistment in the Armed Forces, which may include the use of a noncognitive aptitude test, adaptive personality assessment, or other operational attrition screening tool to predict performance, behaviors, and attitudes of potential recruits that influence attrition and the ability to adapt to a regimented life in the Armed Forces.
• (2) Means for assessing how qualified persons fulfill their enlistment obligation.
• (3) Means for maintaining data, by each diploma source, which can be used to analyze attrition rates among qualified persons.
• (c) Recruitment Plan- As part of the policy required by subsection (b), the Secretary of each of the military departments shall develop a recruitment plan that includes a marketing strategy for targeting various segments of potential recruits with all types of secondary education credentials.
• (d) Communication Plan- The Secretary of each of the military departments shall develop a communication plan to ensure that the policy and recruitment plan are understood by military recruiters.

The approved 2012 Military Pay Chart for basic pay, effective January 1, 2012.
The 2013 Military Pay raise estimation based on ECI - Title 37, US Code.

Prior to the Voelker Rule, Navy Recruiting Command’s December “mission day” fell on the last workday of the calender month; many times, recruiters would be making phone calls, prospecting for applicants on Christmas Eve, and even work late mission nights on New Years Eve – Future Sailors would ship to boot-camp during those same weeks. Recruiting, for a shore tour, is difficult duty – maintaining the pressures of a never ending goal 365 days a year, every year of a tour can take a toll.

The Voelker Rule helps mitigate some of those pressures.

CNRC has authorized a holiday leave period for recruiting activities beginning on close of business December 16 (mission day for December 2011) through January 3, 2012. During this period, no Future Sailors will be sent to Recruit Training Command. All official recruiting production will cease outside of training and qualification boards. The Navy Recruiting Command Waivers Branch will process all waivers submitted prior to this period. The PRIDE system, the system that maintains all the active duty Future Sailor contracts and jobs/programs available, will cease operations from close of business December 16 through January 3, 2012.

It is encouraged that Sailors who are serving on recruiting duty take full advantage of leave and liberty during this period, so for you college students out there who may be thinking about the Navy – don’t wait until this semester is over to seek information, do it today!

The approved 2012 Military Pay Chart for basic pay, effective January 1, 2012.
The 2013 Military Pay raise estimation based on ECI - Title 37, US Code.

Veterans with an RE-4 discharge code, if it was received solely due to DADT, will be treated the same as any other Veteran that received an RE-1/RE-R1; unless there was any other misconduct that was a basis for the discharge, and/or if the discharge was not characterized as honorable.

No preferential treatment will be provided. That means that just like all other qualified Veterans seeking reenlistment, the only approvals to come back into the service will be given based on the service’s openings/billets for the rating/MOS and paygrade the veteran may be eligible. Currently, the Navy is having a hard time getting any prior service back in. Right now, the most commonly approved Navy ratings/programs for reenlistment are in the Navy Special Warfare and Navy Special Operations programs.

If you are a Veteran discharged with an RE-4 due to DADT who does not want to seek reenlistment, but does wish to upgrade their RE-Code, I suggest applying to the appropriate service board of corrections once the repeal goes into affect. For the Navy and Marine Corps, make application to the Board of Correction of Naval Records.

The approved 2012 Military Pay Chart for basic pay, effective January 1, 2012.
The 2013 Military Pay raise estimation based on ECI - Title 37, US Code.

One such company is IAP Worldwide Services. IAP is currently seeking applicants for various positions within the United States and internationally. Here is a sampling of the positions IAP is looking to fill;

In the United States:

–Administrative assistant position in Fort Irwin, CA. You would need to be able to get a secret clearance, the job pays $28 an hour.
–Director, Operations and Power Systems position in Panama City, Florida.
–HVAC/Controls Technician position in Annapolis, MD.
–Electrician position in Washington, DC. You would need a top secret clearance.
–Maintenance Carpenter position in Jacksonville, FL.
–Maintenance Plumber position in Patuxent River, MD.
–Information Technology Program Analyst position in Fort Gordon, GA.
–Tractor Operator position in Jacksonville, FL.

International positions:

–Auto body and paint repair position in Afghanistan, you would need a secret clearance, and the job pays $155,000.
–Dining Room coordinator position in Iraq, secret clearance required, and the job pays $110,000.
–Executive Chef position in Afghanistan, secret clearance required, and the job pays $160,000.
–Finance Officer position in Afghanistan, secret clearance required, and the job pays $170,000.
–Housekeeper position in Iraq, secret clearance required, and the job pays $95,000.
–Information technology Specialist position in Iraq, secret clearance required, and the job pays $170,000

Those are just a sampling of the jobs available. If you are interested, go to IAP’s website http://www.iapws.com/, click on the CAREERS tab, create a new account/profile, and post a resume for a position that fits your qualifications. If you have any questions, contact Mr. Joseph Clay by email, Joseph.P.Clay[at]iapws.com, or by phone at, (321) 205-4004.

Another company that you may not have heard of, The Associated Electric Cooperative, Inc. is currently seeking applicants to fill positions at their Thomas Hill Power Plant in Clifton Hill, MO, and other locations. Here is a link to their available positions http://www.aeci.org/Jobs.aspx.

Even the Navy Exchange has positions available. From this link – https://www.mynavyexchange.com/work4us/index.html, you can search and browse the various openings. Here in the Memphis area, for example, there are positions from Barber to Specialty Sales Clerk available.

For those who do not have a military background, the Navy is hiring! If you meet the basic eligibility requirements, I suggest you seek out a local recruiter because there are thousands of enlisted positions in various ratings available right now! Military service provides competitive pay, benefits and of course the experience civilian organizations seek.

The approved 2012 Military Pay Chart for basic pay, effective January 1, 2012.
The 2013 Military Pay raise estimation based on ECI - Title 37, US Code.

North Carolina image cut from Google Analytics for NavyCS on August 27, 2011

The approved 2012 Military Pay Chart for basic pay, effective January 1, 2012.
The 2013 Military Pay raise estimation based on ECI - Title 37, US Code.

Bechtel has 100’s of openings, many in the field of Nuclear Power generation, and they are aggressively seeking the usual suspects; US Navy nuclear propulsion trained Petty Officers (E-6 and up) qualified in Submarines (i.e., Engineering Lab Technicians [ELT’s], Machinist Mates [MM’s], Electronic Technicians [ET’s]) (AS degrees preferred); US Navy nuclear propulsion trained officers (ranks of O3 – O5 preferred); US Navy nuclear submarine qualified officers (ranks of O3 – O5 preferred); US Navy nuclear propulsion trained Warrant officers – submarine or surface ship; US Navy nuclear aircraft carrier nuclear propulsion trained officers; US Navy nuclear propulsion trained US Naval Petty Officers (E-6 and up) surface Navy (i.e., ELT’s, MM’s, ET’s) (AS degrees preferred); US Navy nuclear propulsion prototype instructors (officers and enlisted); US Navy nuclear propulsion power school instructors (officers and enlisted); US Navy Engineering Officer of the Watch (EOOW) nuclear propulsion trained – submarine or surface service; US Navy Reactor Operators (RO); and US Navy Shutdown Reactor Operators (SRO) – submarine or surface.

Starting base salaries can range from $95K to $155K and up, not to mention the potential for bonuses, depending, of course, on your qualifications and the position you fill.

Interested? I highly recommend that you contact Erik Plesset, a Senior Recruiter at Bechtel directly at Hotjobs[at]becthel.com, or if you are on Linked-In, hit him up there at – http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=3742469&trk=tab_pro

The approved 2012 Military Pay Chart for basic pay, effective January 1, 2012.
The 2013 Military Pay raise estimation based on ECI - Title 37, US Code.

I ask that you take nine minutes, 44 seconds of your day to watch the video of Major Chuck Ziegenfuss describe the genesis of the Valour-IT project. Less than 10 minutes of time that will change your life’s prospective, and possibly, with your help, change the life of thousands of Warriors for the better.

Now that you have seen it, I hope it compels you to help. Even if you can not donate, it doesn’t have to be a large sum – every dollar counts, you can still do your part by passing this message along to all of your friends and family, please.

To date, over 6000 Warriors have benefited from this 100% tax deductible program of Soldier’s Angels – thousands more could benefit if only more funds were available.

Hit the donate button;

Let us leave no Warrior behind.

H/T-ChuckZ

The approved 2012 Military Pay Chart for basic pay, effective January 1, 2012.
The 2013 Military Pay raise estimation based on ECI - Title 37, US Code.

Having a mechanical background is NOT required.

The locations for employment include, Montana, Nebraska, Wyoming, Minnesota, and Kansas.

Expected starting salary range is $57,400 to $67,800 plus an annual benefits package valued at about $22,000.

To apply, applicants MUST fill out a complete profile and application at www.bnsf.com/careers – (Make sure to also complete the MILITARY section of the application!)

As soon as the application is complete, or if you have additional questions, immediately send an email to John Wesley telling him the application is complete at john.wesley2@bnsf.com

BNSF Railway

The approved 2012 Military Pay Chart for basic pay, effective January 1, 2012.
The 2013 Military Pay raise estimation based on ECI - Title 37, US Code.

Duties include:

• Repair body or structure of aircraft according to specifications
• Reinstall repaired or replacement parts for subsequent riveting or welding, using clamps and wrenches
• Read work orders, blueprints, and specifications or examine sample or damaged parts or structures to determine repairs or fabrication procedures and sequence of operations
• Locate and mark dimension and reference lines on defective or replacement parts, using templates, scribes, compass, and steel rule
• Cure bonded structures, using portable or stationary curing equipment
• Communicate with other workers to fit and align heavy parts or expedite processing of repair parts
• Clean, strip, prime, and sand structural surfaces and materials prior to bonding
• Repair or fabricate defective sections or parts, using metal fabricating machines, saws, brakes, shears, and grinders
• Remove or cut out defective parts or drill holes to gain access to internal defects or damages, using drill and punch

Qualifications:

• 4 years of experience as an Aviation Sheet Metal Mechanic is required
• Must be able to accomplish any and all repairs, modifications, E.A.´s, etc, with very little to no assistance
• Must be able to perform flight control and engine throttle rigging
• Must be able to use the FAA approved data proficiently (i.e., IPC, M/M, OHM, SRM.)
• Knowledge of design techniques, principles, tools and instruments involved in the production and use of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models
• High School Diploma or equivalent
• A valid drivers’ license

To be considered for this position, you must have the above qualifications.

Send your resume to ctravis[at]mcgrathsystems.com.

The approved 2012 Military Pay Chart for basic pay, effective January 1, 2012.
The 2013 Military Pay raise estimation based on ECI - Title 37, US Code.

On May 17, 2011, Navy Recruiting Command released a new version of the Navy Recruiting Manual; today, I completed the painstaking page by page update.

Where there was a bunch of small changes, there is nothing Earth-shattering to report.

The approved 2012 Military Pay Chart for basic pay, effective January 1, 2012.
The 2013 Military Pay raise estimation based on ECI - Title 37, US Code.