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Chippewa Lake man in line for $75,000 in incentives upon leaving service
By Jim Carney
Beacon Journal
Published on Friday, Feb 22, 2008
MEDINA: Michael Namoski Jr. someday will be $75,000 richer because of his decision to join the Army.
Namoski, who left Wednesday for basic training at Fort Sill, Okla., is one of the first recruits in America to sign up for a new Army Advantage Fund enlistment bonus, which will give him $35,000 when his four-year enlistment ends to use to start a small business.
Namoski also will receive a $40,000 enlistment bonus.
The Northern Ohio area is one of five test markets in the country where the Advantage Fund is available. The other areas are Albany, N.Y.; Montgomery, Ala.; San Antonio, Texas; and Seattle, Wash.
The Advantage Fund money, which can be as high as $40,000 for a six-year-enlistment, can be used for a future small business or a down payment on a house.
So far, four people, including Namoski, have signed up under the new program in Northern Ohio.
Namoski, a 2002 Highland High School graduate who turns 25 today and is from Chippewa Lake, said he had worked as a cook and a bartender since grad
uating from high school.
When he walked into the Army recruiter's in early February, the office had just received the information about the new enlistment incentive.
After passing a battery of Army entrance tests and physical exams, Namoski signed up for a four-year active-duty enlistment as a cannon crew member.
''It seemed like a pretty good incentive for me to pick up on,'' said Namoski, who played basketball in high school.
In addition to his enlistment bonuses, Namoski will be eligible for Montgomery GI bill college benefits as well.
The Advantage fund is available only for select job classifications, said Greg Becker, chief of public affairs for the Cleveland Army Recruiting Battalion.
''This is a futuristic look at the youth,'' Becker said, because the young men and women who sign up under the program can plan to have money for a business or home ownership when they leave the service.
Becker said the program will be run for about nine months and then the Army will decide whether ''this is something America wants.'' If so, the enlistment plan will be opened up to the entire country, Becker said.
Namoski said he has no idea how he will use the money he gets to start a business, but he will be thinking about it during his time in the Army.
He said he had been thinking about the Army for some time before walking into the recruiting office.
''The Army is definitely the thing for me,'' he said Tuesday afternoon at the recruiting office.
Tuesday evening, he was taken to a Cleveland hotel. On Wednesday, he was sworn into active duty and was flown to Oklahoma to begin basic training.
Army recruiter Sgt. Tim Moore, one of the recruiters working in the Medina office, said he thinks the new Advantage Fund will take off.
''I think it's gonna be a good thing,'' he said.
On Tuesday, Namoski said he was excited about beginning his new life as a soldier.
''There is no better way to go see the world and serve your country at the same time,'' he said.
Namoski will make $1,245.90 a month as a recruit. His pay will go up to $1,347 a month after four months.
He hopes that during his enlistment, ''I'm gonna get out there and hopefully discover myself.''
For information on enlisting in the Army, go to http://www.goarmy.com/aaf.
Jim Carney can be reached at 330-996-3576 or jcarney@thebeaconjournal.com.
MEDINA: Michael Namoski Jr. someday will be $75,000 richer because of his decision to join the Army.
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