Expert: Rod Powers - 11/6/2006

Question
Are you saying it was their option to send me, but since I did not sign another contract (as you would for getting the Army to pay for grad school), I am still able to bow out when it is best for me? My buddy said since the mil school was a few months, and in return, whether I knew it or not, I automatically owe them a few years! I never signed anything, and my civilian career -and this awesome potential promotion- is about to disintegrate. Thanks for your knowledge -- are there regs you're finding these answers in? (the Army makes it REAL easy to find FMs and TMs online, but they seem to have hidden everything regarding how an officer gets out!)
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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
I have had a great eleven years as an officer in the National Guard (including time in Iraq), but due to tremendous conflicts with my civilian employment, I need to simplify my life. I am a few years past my mandatory obligation service date, and want to resign my commission next year, but a friend told me I must have signed up for a few more years when I went to a military school last year. I never signed an extension contract, nor was I told that by going to a military school I was obligating myself.

1.) Is this true, that I agreed to serve? I was never told of this, nor did I sign a contract for more time.

2.) My state pushed me to go to this school, but never had me sign anything; can they say "Oh, well we assumed you agreed?"

3.) Who can help me sort out the process of resigning a commission? (my last commander got upset when a soldier left after learning she was pregnant!)

If this is true, I'm pretty ticked -- I put MY LIFE on hold to go to this school. Should I turn to my congressman for help?

Thanks for any info/advice.
-----Answer-----
Hi Jason,

Some military training schools mandate an increase in the military service obligation. However, rest assured -- had the school you attended required an additional service obligation, you would have had to have signed an agreement to this, before you would have been allowed to attend the school. Not all training requires an extension of the military service obligation.

Hope this helps!

Rod Powers
http://usmilitary.about.com


Answer
Hi Jason,

Some schools *do* add an additional service commitment. However, when such is the case, you are required to sign a statement acknowledging the additional service commitment before you are allowed to attend the course.

During your next drill weekend, your unit personnel office should be able to look on the "Alpha Roster," and tell you exactly when your current service commitment date ends.

Hope this helps!

Rod Powers
http://usmilitary.about.com