Re-up bonuses cut for some Marine specialties

[USMCRET6391]

Career Marines face summer deadline to collect extra cash

By Jeff Schogol, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Thursday, June 1, 2006

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Marines are ending re-enlistment bonuses for several specialties, but career Marines in those jobs can still get the bonuses if they hurry, said Maj. Jerry Morgan, who runs the Selective Reenlistment Bonus Program.

Career Marines — those who have re-enlisted at least once — have until June 30 to get re-enlistment bonuses for 123 Military Occupational Specialities that have met their annual retention numbers.

Career Marines have until Aug. 31 for the 86 MOSs that have not yet met their retention goals, Morgan said.

Marines on their first enlistment are ineligible to collect re-enlistment bonuses for 148 MOSs that have met the quotas in their zone, but have until Aug. 31 to get bonuses for the 46 MOSs that have yet to meet the goals, Morgan said.

Marines can receive up to $45,000 in one lump sum to re-enlist for four years depending on specialty and years of service, Morgan said.

The affected MOSs are listed in a Marine administrative message dated May 26, available at www.usmc.mil.

But there’s another twist for first-termers, and they might want to hurry: The Marine Corps has a fixed number of “boat spaces,” or numbers of Marines re-enlisting for the first time per MOS, said Maj. Trevor Hall, head of enlisted retention.

Once those spaces are full, Marines who want to re-enlist for the first time have to move to another MOS, Hall said.

This fiscal year, there are just 176 boat spaces remaining for Marines looking to re-enlist for those 46 MOSs that are still open, Morgan said.

“Once those 176 boat spaces have been filled, then we’re done with the first-term plan,” Morgan said.

However, Marines approaching the end of their first tour have the option of declining a re-enlistment bonus and re-enlisting for two years instead, Morgan said.

“If a Marine is sitting on the fence right now trying to decide whether to re-enlist or not, the two-year re-enlistment option allows them to obligate for only two years obligated service versus four, and the ‘however’ is that these Marines will not rate a bonus or PCS [Permanent Change of Station] option,” he said.

For a complete list of affected MOSs, see MARADMIN 249/06 at: www.usmc.mil.