LEBANON, Mo. - On Oct. 10, John Weaver, of Phillipsburg, became the Missouri National Guard's first enlistee under the new "Active First" recruiting plan.
Weaver, a Lebanon High School graduate, said he was drawn to the program because the Army would give him the opportunity to see the world and earn a degree. He had previously considered enlisting in the regular Army, but changed his mind when he heard about "Active First."
"Active First" gives recruits the chance to serve 30, 36 or 48 months in the Active Army before completing the rest of their enlistment in the National Guard.
"This way when I get to my Guard unit after serving a few years in the regular Army, I'll have had more day-to-day military experience," Weaver said.
After completing basic training at Fort Jackson, S.C., Weaver will head to advanced individual training at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. While there, he will train to be a diesel mechanic. Weaver enlisted in the regular Army for 48 months, after which he serve out the remainder of his contract in the Guard.
In addition to the $40,000 enlistment bonus, Weaver will get from the Active Army, he will collect a $20,000 signing bonus when he rejoins the National Guard at the end of his Army tour.
Weaver was introduced to the Guard by Pfc. Matthew Caudle of Lebanon. The pair became friends when Weaver began dating Caudle's sister, Angie, nine months ago. For signing his friend up, Caudle, a utility equipment repairman with the 935th Aviation Support Battalion in Springfield, will get a $2,000 bonus as part of the Guard Recruiting Assistant Program.
Sgt. 1st Class Josh Wood, the recruiting and retention noncommissioned officer for south central Missouri, said that he thinks "Active First" has a lot of potential.
"I think it's going to help the Guard a lot," Wood said. "We get beat by the Active duty recruiters a lot because they can offer bonuses and incentives that we can't, but this program will help even the playing field."
For more information about the Missouri National Guard, please call 1-888-GoGuard or visit www.moguard.com.