Expert: Rod Powers - 4/18/2007

Question
QUESTION: I SIGNED UP FOR THE ARMY HAS A FIREFIGHTER AND THE SHORTEST ENLISTMENT I COULD GET WAS FIVE YEARS I HAVE BEEN IN FOR THREE AND NOW THERE TELLING ME I HAVE TO BECOME A PLUMBER IS THIS SOME KIND OF BREACH OF CONTRACT
ANSWER: Hi Timothy,

I'm afraid it's not, and many people misunderstand the contract guarantee, when it comes to "enlisted job guarantees."

Your enlistment contract only required the Army to provide you training in a specific MOS (job). This, they did. There is no guarantee in your contract that you would continue to work in that MOS for your entire enlistment contract.

A while ago, I read a story in the Army Times about an entire Army Engineering Platoon who were retrained to be 11B (Infantry), while they were in Iraq (apparently, this was a milestone, because it was the first time in many years that people were awarded the 11B MOS outside of the Infantry School at Fort Benning). I would venture to guess that many of these individuals didn't want to become infantry.

I read another article, where an armored divsion was deployed to Bosnia (without their tanks) and spent a year performing duties manning military check points (a usual MP job).

Hell, I've received some emails from Army enlisted who graduated AIT, then never got to work a day in their chosen field (instead, they spent their enlistment doing such tasks as drivers in the motor pool).

In short, it's not a "breach of contract." The contract only required the Army to provide training in your "guaranteed" MOS. This, they did.

Rod Powers
http://usmilitary.about.com


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: but i enlisted under program 9A which guarantes me in regulation that my five years is guarranteed firefighter and if not refer to regulation 635-200 which states if my job is changed at no fault of my own i have the right to seperate

Answer
Hi,

I'm afraid that's not what option 9A guarantees. What it guarantees is that you will be trained in the MOS guaranteed in your enlistment contract, and you can be separated, if the training is not completed, due to reasons, not your fault.

Nothing under Optin 9A requires the Army to leave you in that job for your entire enlistment contract.

Hope this helps!

Rod Powers
http://usmilitary.about.com


It *does not* guarantee that you will spend the entire enlistement doing that job, and it does not guarantee that you can't be re-trained before the end of your enlistment period.