Veterans Thread Forum

[AJordan]

I can't wait until I can stop seeing military acronyms everywhere. People are posting about ASW and my brain goes to Anti-Submarine Warfare.

I have been out for over 20 years, and still, everytime I see a KIA on the road, my mind goes to Killed In Action.

PS

Anti-Submarine Warfare might be useful for some of the coastal schools...

What else does KIA mean?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kia_Motors

[dannyswo]

I can't wait until I can stop seeing military acronyms everywhere. People are posting about ASW and my brain goes to Anti-Submarine Warfare.

I have been out for over 20 years, and still, everytime I see a KIA on the road, my mind goes to Killed In Action.

PS

Anti-Submarine Warfare might be useful for some of the coastal schools...

What else does KIA mean?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kia_Motors

Sounds like a warning.

[haus]

I can't wait until I can stop seeing military acronyms everywhere. People are posting about ASW and my brain goes to Anti-Submarine Warfare.

I have been out for over 20 years, and still, everytime I see a KIA on the road, my mind goes to Killed In Action.

PS

Anti-Submarine Warfare might be useful for some of the coastal schools...

What else does KIA mean?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kia_Motors

Sounds like a warning.

Exactly (why can I not get the folks at the rental counter to understand this?)

[Wipfelder]

I can't wait until I can stop seeing military acronyms everywhere. People are posting about ASW and my brain goes to Anti-Submarine Warfare.

I have been out for over 20 years, and still, everytime I see a KIA on the road, my mind goes to Killed In Action.

PS

Anti-Submarine Warfare might be useful for some of the coastal schools...

What else does KIA mean?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kia_Motors

Sounds like a warning.

Exactly (why can I not get the folks at the rental counter to understand this?)

Anecdotally, we don't use (ir didn't back in my day) KIA anymore. For various weird reasons, we had to use other euphemisms.

[onecallthats all]

Hoping someone here can help me out i this. I have 7 years enlisted experience in the ARNG and just commissioned through state OCS a few months ago in August. I go to BOLOC in about 2 weeks and will start law school in the fall. I want to go to CU-Boulder since ultimately that is where I want to live and work, but would have to fly back once a month for drill to MN. I don't want to do an IST to CO until after law school because honestly the MN ed benefits are phenomenal and it would be crazy to give those up (They'l give 36k a year for tuition), and I plan on staying in the guard until I hit retirement or am forced out. I'm wondering how feasible people think it would be to fly back for drill once a month while in law school (most of the drills are just sat/sun) since plane tickets are dirt cheap or if I should just see if my unit would allow me to drill quarterly or something like that. I've been accepted to MN and IA as well so far, but I really want to live and work in CO, and from what I hear with the regional schools wherever you go to school is where you should expect to live and work. Any help at all is extremely appreciated in trying to analyze this situation and figure out a COA to take.

PLEEEASE please please can we bump this! ++++1

[CenterFringe]

Hoping someone here can help me out i this. I have 7 years enlisted experience in the ARNG and just commissioned through state OCS a few months ago in August. I go to BOLOC in about 2 weeks and will start law school in the fall. I want to go to CU-Boulder since ultimately that is where I want to live and work, but would have to fly back once a month for drill to MN. I don't want to do an IST to CO until after law school because honestly the MN ed benefits are phenomenal and it would be crazy to give those up (They'l give 36k a year for tuition), and I plan on staying in the guard until I hit retirement or am forced out. I'm wondering how feasible people think it would be to fly back for drill once a month while in law school (most of the drills are just sat/sun) since plane tickets are dirt cheap or if I should just see if my unit would allow me to drill quarterly or something like that. I've been accepted to MN and IA as well so far, but I really want to live and work in CO, and from what I hear with the regional schools wherever you go to school is where you should expect to live and work. Any help at all is extremely appreciated in trying to analyze this situation and figure out a COA to take.

PLEEEASE please please can we bump this! ++++1

They're trying to sell me on USMC-R by telling me I can do all my drill in a one month period over the summer. Supposedly all that matters is that you get your days in, and it doesn't matter how it gets split up. I'm not interested in the reserves and I was just listening to be polite, but that's one mostly useless anecdote for you.

[BlendedUnicorn]

Hoping someone here can help me out i this. I have 7 years enlisted experience in the ARNG and just commissioned through state OCS a few months ago in August. I go to BOLOC in about 2 weeks and will start law school in the fall. I want to go to CU-Boulder since ultimately that is where I want to live and work, but would have to fly back once a month for drill to MN. I don't want to do an IST to CO until after law school because honestly the MN ed benefits are phenomenal and it would be crazy to give those up (They'l give 36k a year for tuition), and I plan on staying in the guard until I hit retirement or am forced out. I'm wondering how feasible people think it would be to fly back for drill once a month while in law school (most of the drills are just sat/sun) since plane tickets are dirt cheap or if I should just see if my unit would allow me to drill quarterly or something like that. I've been accepted to MN and IA as well so far, but I really want to live and work in CO, and from what I hear with the regional schools wherever you go to school is where you should expect to live and work. Any help at all is extremely appreciated in trying to analyze this situation and figure out a COA to take.

PLEEEASE please please can we bump this! ++++1

Unfortunately the answer is going to depend heavily on the command and yourself. If you can read on a plane and your leadership is willing to be flexible around exam time, it shouldn't be a big deal. Honestly as long as the economics work out once you factor in plane tickets I don't see how it would be that different from any other reserve experience- you're spending time in an airport instead of driving. Definitely worth seeing if they'd let you do the one month drill/year instead of monthly though.

E. Also non-plane transportation costs might add up in a hurry if you have to rent a car or take taxis. Not sure what they'll reimburse you for in that scenario.

[AJordan]

Hoping someone here can help me out i this. I have 7 years enlisted experience in the ARNG and just commissioned through state OCS a few months ago in August. I go to BOLOC in about 2 weeks and will start law school in the fall. I want to go to CU-Boulder since ultimately that is where I want to live and work, but would have to fly back once a month for drill to MN. I don't want to do an IST to CO until after law school because honestly the MN ed benefits are phenomenal and it would be crazy to give those up (They'l give 36k a year for tuition), and I plan on staying in the guard until I hit retirement or am forced out. I'm wondering how feasible people think it would be to fly back for drill once a month while in law school (most of the drills are just sat/sun) since plane tickets are dirt cheap or if I should just see if my unit would allow me to drill quarterly or something like that. I've been accepted to MN and IA as well so far, but I really want to live and work in CO, and from what I hear with the regional schools wherever you go to school is where you should expect to live and work. Any help at all is extremely appreciated in trying to analyze this situation and figure out a COA to take.

PLEEEASE please please can we bump this! ++++1

Unfortunately the answer is going to depend heavily on the command and yourself. If you can read on a plane and your leadership is willing to be flexible around exam time, it shouldn't be a big deal. Honestly as long as the economics work out once you factor in plane tickets I don't see how it would be that different from any other reserve experience- you're spending time in an airport instead of driving. Definitely worth seeing if they'd let you do the one month drill/year instead of monthly though.

E. Also non-plane transportation costs might add up in a hurry if you have to rent a car or take taxis. Not sure what they'll reimburse you for in that scenario.

I'm curious as to how being an officer would impact this as well. I know from the enlisted side that it may be possible to get an answer before signing a contract as it's not uncommon to get location specific information from an RC career counselor. My MOS can deal with an NCO missing a drill weekend, for instance. Not sure how it would be looked at if an officer tried it. My mother was an RC officer and, at a certain point, it was more like a full time job than a part time one. I honestly have no clue but if I had to hazard a guess it wouldn't be an optimistic one.

[laqueredup]

Question for you all: Does anyone have an example of what the language for a scholarship to housing stipend conversion might look like? One of the schools I've been admitted at is willing to work with me on reclassifying the remainder of a scholarship that goes over full tuition when combined with GI Bill/ YRP, but they don't seem to know what is required, so i was hoping to find some language to propose to them.

While this thread is what gave me the idea to ask in the first place, I've searched and can't find any specific language.

[Dcc617]

Question for you all: Does anyone have an example of what the language for a scholarship to housing stipend conversion might look like? One of the schools I've been admitted at is willing to work with me on reclassifying the remainder of a scholarship that goes over full tuition when combined with GI Bill/ YRP, but they don't seem to know what is required, so i was hoping to find some language to propose to them.

While this thread is what gave me the idea to ask in the first place, I've searched and can't find any specific language.

I think that the key language is that it not be classified for tuition. A general or living stipend scholarship would not be subsumed by the GI bill.

[CenterFringe]

Just received my Certificate of Eligibility for the GI Bill, and I saw that I'm not eligible for the YR until I officially separate.

I'm going on Terminal from 8 July-6 October, but was planning to start classes at Harvard on 30 August. I knew I wouldn't be eligible for BAH, but no YR is throwing a giant wrench into everything. I called the VA, and they told me even if the school doesn't bill me until midway through the semester (after I'm separated) the VA still wouldn't cover the tuition under YR.

Has anyone figured out a way to get the yellow ribbon while still on terminal leave?

[AJordan]

Just received my Certificate of Eligibility for the GI Bill, and I saw that I'm not eligible for the YR until I officially separate.

I'm going on Terminal from 8 July-6 October, but was planning to start classes at Harvard on 30 August. I knew I wouldn't be eligible for BAH, but no YR is throwing a giant wrench into everything. I called the VA, and they told me even if the school doesn't bill me until midway through the semester (after I'm separated) the VA still wouldn't cover the tuition under YR.

Has anyone figured out a way to get the yellow ribbon while still on terminal leave?

No idea about receiving benefits while on terminal leave but have you considered applying for early separation? I know it kind of sucks to lose those leave days by selling them off but the Army at least has a program designed to allow early separation for this very thing.

If you're Army the publication concerning this information is AR 635-200 and specifics are found in par 5-16

[Dcc617]

Just received my Certificate of Eligibility for the GI Bill, and I saw that I'm not eligible for the YR until I officially separate.

I'm going on Terminal from 8 July-6 October, but was planning to start classes at Harvard on 30 August. I knew I wouldn't be eligible for BAH, but no YR is throwing a giant wrench into everything. I called the VA, and they told me even if the school doesn't bill me until midway through the semester (after I'm separated) the VA still wouldn't cover the tuition under YR.

Has anyone figured out a way to get the yellow ribbon while still on terminal leave?

You may be better off calling back and seeing if you can talk to someone else. I've seen people get YR even when their terminal leave extended into the semester. The VA is generally awful and its people make stuff up when they don't know. I've had issues where I've called five times and gotten five different answers, so you can't really trust one call.

[CenterFringe]

Just received my Certificate of Eligibility for the GI Bill, and I saw that I'm not eligible for the YR until I officially separate.

I'm going on Terminal from 8 July-6 October, but was planning to start classes at Harvard on 30 August. I knew I wouldn't be eligible for BAH, but no YR is throwing a giant wrench into everything. I called the VA, and they told me even if the school doesn't bill me until midway through the semester (after I'm separated) the VA still wouldn't cover the tuition under YR.

Has anyone figured out a way to get the yellow ribbon while still on terminal leave?

No idea about receiving benefits while on terminal leave but have you considered applying for early separation? I know it kind of sucks to lose those leave days by selling them off but the Army at least has a program designed to allow early separation for this very thing.

If you're Army the publication concerning this information is AR 635-200 and specifics are found in par 5-16

Early separation in the Marine Corps is only authorized for enlisted. I've got a separate request in anyway, but I'm not optimistic.

[CenterFringe]

Just received my Certificate of Eligibility for the GI Bill, and I saw that I'm not eligible for the YR until I officially separate.

I'm going on Terminal from 8 July-6 October, but was planning to start classes at Harvard on 30 August. I knew I wouldn't be eligible for BAH, but no YR is throwing a giant wrench into everything. I called the VA, and they told me even if the school doesn't bill me until midway through the semester (after I'm separated) the VA still wouldn't cover the tuition under YR.

Has anyone figured out a way to get the yellow ribbon while still on terminal leave?

You may be better off calling back and seeing if you can talk to someone else. I've seen people get YR even when their terminal leave extended into the semester. The VA is generally awful and its people make stuff up when they don't know. I've had issues where I've called five times and gotten five different answers, so you can't really trust one call.

That's what I've heard about the VA. Ultimately, just going to try it and see what happens, worst case I pay out of pocket. I was just wondering about the specifics that worked before. I'm going to call the Certifying official at the school and see what they say. With ~50 vets at the school, surely I'm not the first one to be on terminal leave when classes start.

[mrushing10]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for some insight from those that have deployed during law school, or anyone else that has any wisdom regarding the issue.

I plan on starting law school in August but just found out we are likely to deploy next summer/fall (wheels up around Oct '18). I've heard chatter about deployments in the past but this seems different. I read an email directly from the BN commander, and the CO commander gave a speech about the deployment, which hasn't happened on the past.

Assuming the deployment is about 75% likely, here are my options:

Option A: Go to school like normal and complete what I can. If we deploy, take a break and come back when deployment is over. If we don't deploy, keep on keepin' on with school.

Option B: Delay start to school and focus on likely deployment. Go to Ranger School in the fall (already have a slot reserved if I want it). Work with family business unrelated to law until deployment. If we deploy, I've set myself up to properly prepare. If we don't deploy, I can start school next fall.

I am 26 so I'm trying to lose as little time as possible regarding starting school. But as a PL/XO, I know the ramp up towards a deployment is going to require a lot of my attention.

Thanks in advance to anyone who reaches out!

[laqueredup]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for some insight from those that have deployed during law school, or anyone else that has any wisdom regarding the issue.

I plan on starting law school in August but just found out we are likely to deploy next summer/fall (wheels up around Oct '18). I've heard chatter about deployments in the past but this seems different. I read an email directly from the BN commander, and the CO commander gave a speech about the deployment, which hasn't happened on the past.

Assuming the deployment is about 75% likely, here are my options:

Option A: Go to school like normal and complete what I can. If we deploy, take a break and come back when deployment is over. If we don't deploy, keep on keepin' on with school.

Option B: Delay start to school and focus on likely deployment. Go to Ranger School in the fall (already have a slot reserved if I want it). Work with family business unrelated to law until deployment. If we deploy, I've set myself up to properly prepare. If we don't deploy, I can start school next fall.

I am 26 so I'm trying to lose as little time as possible regarding starting school. But as a PL/XO, I know the ramp up towards a deployment is going to require a lot of my attention.

Thanks in advance to anyone who reaches out!

I think a lot of this depends on your goals after law school. If you are gunning for biglaw, a deployment could really hurt your 1L grades and summer associate opportunities. I'm facing the same decision with deciding whether to try reserves after leaving active duty for law school, and am leaning against it.

[mrushing10]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for some insight from those that have deployed during law school, or anyone else that has any wisdom regarding the issue.

I plan on starting law school in August but just found out we are likely to deploy next summer/fall (wheels up around Oct '18). I've heard chatter about deployments in the past but this seems different. I read an email directly from the BN commander, and the CO commander gave a speech about the deployment, which hasn't happened on the past.

Assuming the deployment is about 75% likely, here are my options:

Option A: Go to school like normal and complete what I can. If we deploy, take a break and come back when deployment is over. If we don't deploy, keep on keepin' on with school.

Option B: Delay start to school and focus on likely deployment. Go to Ranger School in the fall (already have a slot reserved if I want it). Work with family business unrelated to law until deployment. If we deploy, I've set myself up to properly prepare. If we don't deploy, I can start school next fall.

I am 26 so I'm trying to lose as little time as possible regarding starting school. But as a PL/XO, I know the ramp up towards a deployment is going to require a lot of my attention.

Thanks in advance to anyone who reaches out!

I think a lot of this depends on your goals after law school. If you are gunning for biglaw, a deployment could really hurt your 1L grades and summer associate opportunities. I'm facing the same decision with deciding whether to try reserves after leaving active duty for law school, and am leaning against it.

I'm not going for big law. Government is what I'm leaning towards. I was really excited to start this fall but if a deployment happens I'll feel bad for turning down Ranger School (almost feels selfish to go to Law School). Unless you've got a lot of active time under your belt and are trying to maximize retirement, I wouldn't pursue the reserves. I'd just focus on school

[AJordan]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for some insight from those that have deployed during law school, or anyone else that has any wisdom regarding the issue.

I plan on starting law school in August but just found out we are likely to deploy next summer/fall (wheels up around Oct '18). I've heard chatter about deployments in the past but this seems different. I read an email directly from the BN commander, and the CO commander gave a speech about the deployment, which hasn't happened on the past.

Assuming the deployment is about 75% likely, here are my options:

Option A: Go to school like normal and complete what I can. If we deploy, take a break and come back when deployment is over. If we don't deploy, keep on keepin' on with school.

Option B: Delay start to school and focus on likely deployment. Go to Ranger School in the fall (already have a slot reserved if I want it). Work with family business unrelated to law until deployment. If we deploy, I've set myself up to properly prepare. If we don't deploy, I can start school next fall.

I am 26 so I'm trying to lose as little time as possible regarding starting school. But as a PL/XO, I know the ramp up towards a deployment is going to require a lot of my attention.

Thanks in advance to anyone who reaches out!

I think a lot of this depends on your goals after law school. If you are gunning for biglaw, a deployment could really hurt your 1L grades and summer associate opportunities. I'm facing the same decision with deciding whether to try reserves after leaving active duty for law school, and am leaning against it.

I'm not going for big law. Government is what I'm leaning towards. I was really excited to start this fall but if a deployment happens I'll feel bad for turning down Ranger School (almost feels selfish to go to Law School). Unless you've got a lot of active time under your belt and are trying to maximize retirement, I wouldn't pursue the reserves. I'd just focus on school

I have/had thoughts about this I thought about posting but IANAR and therefore my advice is probably stupid. I will say that the successful ones I know pretty much ONLY want to be Rangers or GOs or both. You can deploy without being a Ranger. Also, with that speculation, "this hasn't happened before bla bla bla" it tends to fall on deaf ears for many a salty NCO. I heard for years how I was going FOR SURE THIS TIME U GUISE only for things to be pushed to the right indefinitely. When I finally did get sent I got an email on Wednesday that my bird was leaving the following Tuesday. Trying to plan these things too much is a fool's errand. Until you have TCS orders I wouldn't even worry about it.

[mrushing10]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for some insight from those that have deployed during law school, or anyone else that has any wisdom regarding the issue.

I plan on starting law school in August but just found out we are likely to deploy next summer/fall (wheels up around Oct '18). I've heard chatter about deployments in the past but this seems different. I read an email directly from the BN commander, and the CO commander gave a speech about the deployment, which hasn't happened on the past.

Assuming the deployment is about 75% likely, here are my options:

Option A: Go to school like normal and complete what I can. If we deploy, take a break and come back when deployment is over. If we don't deploy, keep on keepin' on with school.

Option B: Delay start to school and focus on likely deployment. Go to Ranger School in the fall (already have a slot reserved if I want it). Work with family business unrelated to law until deployment. If we deploy, I've set myself up to properly prepare. If we don't deploy, I can start school next fall.

I am 26 so I'm trying to lose as little time as possible regarding starting school. But as a PL/XO, I know the ramp up towards a deployment is going to require a lot of my attention.

Thanks in advance to anyone who reaches out!

I think a lot of this depends on your goals after law school. If you are gunning for biglaw, a deployment could really hurt your 1L grades and summer associate opportunities. I'm facing the same decision with deciding whether to try reserves after leaving active duty for law school, and am leaning against it.

I'm not going for big law. Government is what I'm leaning towards. I was really excited to start this fall but if a deployment happens I'll feel bad for turning down Ranger School (almost feels selfish to go to Law School). Unless you've got a lot of active time under your belt and are trying to maximize retirement, I wouldn't pursue the reserves. I'd just focus on school

I have/had thoughts about this I thought about posting but IANAR and therefore my advice is probably stupid. I will say that the successful ones I know pretty much ONLY want to be Rangers or GOs or both. You can deploy without being a Ranger. Also, with that speculation, "this hasn't happened before bla bla bla" it tends to fall on deaf ears for many a salty NCO. I heard for years how I was going FOR SURE THIS TIME U GUISE only for things to be pushed to the right indefinitely. When I finally did get sent I got an email on Wednesday that my bird was leaving the following Tuesday. Trying to plan these things too much is a fool's errand. Until you have TCS orders I wouldn't even worry about it.

Ranger is by no means required for deployment or career progression, but it does add a lot of valuable experience for both leadership and career progression. If I go to school this fall and we deploy, worst case scenario is balancing 1L and deployment prep. If I dont go to school and we dont deploy, worst case scenario is I missed a year of school and delayed entry into the legal workforce. It's just a tough call

[Wipfelder]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for some insight from those that have deployed during law school, or anyone else that has any wisdom regarding the issue.

I plan on starting law school in August but just found out we are likely to deploy next summer/fall (wheels up around Oct '18). I've heard chatter about deployments in the past but this seems different. I read an email directly from the BN commander, and the CO commander gave a speech about the deployment, which hasn't happened on the past.

Assuming the deployment is about 75% likely, here are my options:

Option A: Go to school like normal and complete what I can. If we deploy, take a break and come back when deployment is over. If we don't deploy, keep on keepin' on with school.

Option B: Delay start to school and focus on likely deployment. Go to Ranger School in the fall (already have a slot reserved if I want it). Work with family business unrelated to law until deployment. If we deploy, I've set myself up to properly prepare. If we don't deploy, I can start school next fall.

I am 26 so I'm trying to lose as little time as possible regarding starting school. But as a PL/XO, I know the ramp up towards a deployment is going to require a lot of my attention.

Thanks in advance to anyone who reaches out!

I think a lot of this depends on your goals after law school. If you are gunning for biglaw, a deployment could really hurt your 1L grades and summer associate opportunities. I'm facing the same decision with deciding whether to try reserves after leaving active duty for law school, and am leaning against it.

I'm not going for big law. Government is what I'm leaning towards. I was really excited to start this fall but if a deployment happens I'll feel bad for turning down Ranger School (almost feels selfish to go to Law School). Unless you've got a lot of active time under your belt and are trying to maximize retirement, I wouldn't pursue the reserves. I'd just focus on school

I have/had thoughts about this I thought about posting but IANAR and therefore my advice is probably stupid. I will say that the successful ones I know pretty much ONLY want to be Rangers or GOs or both. You can deploy without being a Ranger. Also, with that speculation, "this hasn't happened before bla bla bla" it tends to fall on deaf ears for many a salty NCO. I heard for years how I was going FOR SURE THIS TIME U GUISE only for things to be pushed to the right indefinitely. When I finally did get sent I got an email on Wednesday that my bird was leaving the following Tuesday. Trying to plan these things too much is a fool's errand. Until you have TCS orders I wouldn't even worry about it.

The "patch chart" is more of a guess turned into a speculative course of action by some overworked staff Major crunching numbers at FORSCOM. No one, GO or otherwise, really knows if you are going to deploy a year and a half from now. I would not consider the deployment "likely", more like "possible". I would also not plan the next few years around this possible deployment.

OTOH, Ranger school is a good learning experience. I don't see much, if any, downside in delaying entry into law school for a year. This might be your "good ole' days" moment. Seems like you would be doing things that would help you grow and mature, which is a win in my book.

[mrushing10]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for some insight from those that have deployed during law school, or anyone else that has any wisdom regarding the issue.

I plan on starting law school in August but just found out we are likely to deploy next summer/fall (wheels up around Oct '18). I've heard chatter about deployments in the past but this seems different. I read an email directly from the BN commander, and the CO commander gave a speech about the deployment, which hasn't happened on the past.

Assuming the deployment is about 75% likely, here are my options:

Option A: Go to school like normal and complete what I can. If we deploy, take a break and come back when deployment is over. If we don't deploy, keep on keepin' on with school.

Option B: Delay start to school and focus on likely deployment. Go to Ranger School in the fall (already have a slot reserved if I want it). Work with family business unrelated to law until deployment. If we deploy, I've set myself up to properly prepare. If we don't deploy, I can start school next fall.

I am 26 so I'm trying to lose as little time as possible regarding starting school. But as a PL/XO, I know the ramp up towards a deployment is going to require a lot of my attention.

Thanks in advance to anyone who reaches out!

I think a lot of this depends on your goals after law school. If you are gunning for biglaw, a deployment could really hurt your 1L grades and summer associate opportunities. I'm facing the same decision with deciding whether to try reserves after leaving active duty for law school, and am leaning against it.

I'm not going for big law. Government is what I'm leaning towards. I was really excited to start this fall but if a deployment happens I'll feel bad for turning down Ranger School (almost feels selfish to go to Law School). Unless you've got a lot of active time under your belt and are trying to maximize retirement, I wouldn't pursue the reserves. I'd just focus on school

I have/had thoughts about this I thought about posting but IANAR and therefore my advice is probably stupid. I will say that the successful ones I know pretty much ONLY want to be Rangers or GOs or both. You can deploy without being a Ranger. Also, with that speculation, "this hasn't happened before bla bla bla" it tends to fall on deaf ears for many a salty NCO. I heard for years how I was going FOR SURE THIS TIME U GUISE only for things to be pushed to the right indefinitely. When I finally did get sent I got an email on Wednesday that my bird was leaving the following Tuesday. Trying to plan these things too much is a fool's errand. Until you have TCS orders I wouldn't even worry about it.

The "patch chart" is more of a guess turned into a speculative course of action by some overworked staff Major crunching numbers at FORSCOM. No one, GO or otherwise, really knows if you are going to deploy a year and a half from now. I would not consider the deployment "likely", more like "possible". I would also not plan the next few years around this possible deployment.

OTOH, Ranger school is a good learning experience. I don't see much, if any, downside in delaying entry into law school for a year. This might be your "good ole' days" moment. Seems like you would be doing things that would help you grow and mature, which is a win in my book.

I spoke with the school to see how they handled breaks and they seem to be really flexible. The dean of students' husband is deploying in a few weeks so she said she completely understands. They said I can jump into spring or possibly summer classes if I were to return sometime after fall start. Now I've just got some serious thinking to do. And I agreee about the patch chart stuff. A lot of speculation at this point so it's hard to make a plan for every possible scenario.

[MichiganHoosier]

Ranger ranger ranger ranger. As I'm sure you know, when planning for ranger school, plan for 6 months. Everyone wants to be a 62 day ranger, but the best ones stay a little longer and perfect their soldiering by re-doing phases....

[dannyswo]

a) I'd go to Ranger school. You can go to law school when you're 40. Fuck no, I'm not jumping out of an airplane or going on another deployment now.
BT
For everyone:
b) You may not be able to get early separation if you're an O, but with terminal leave, plus 2 weeks of out processing time, you can start inching towards clearing out some days. I'd also look at community separation guidelines. I got up to 30 days TAD because I was retiring from overseas, you probably get two weeks TAD for househunting at least.
c) Come up with a creative solution and just ask. Especially if you're going to be going to school near your final duty station, or you can travel back. Ask to go no-cost TAD, offer to stand weekend duty in exchange for the week off. Take weekend duty and run your leave M-F instead of terminal and you get 28% more time off.
d) Whenever someone tries to fuck me over, I break out a variation of, "The CNO is always talking about taking care of our people. I'm one of your people. I've been looking after my sailors for 5/10/20 years, now I need an assist/waiver/favor." Point out that the rest of the ship/company/unit will see this as leadership taking care of people.
e) If you can't come up with something creative, tell your boss you don't have an answer and you need help. "I've read the regulations, I can't find a loophole, I really need someone smart to help me work through the system to start law school in August. You're the smartest officer I know, can you help me?"
f) Keep working up the chain. LTs and Captains can say no, but you can always take it up. You only need one yes.

[Hate me]

I have seen it asked, but no clear answer. What is the maximum amount of student loans you can borrow when using the gi bill? Is it COA-(scholarships), COA - (scholarships+GI bill covered tuition), or COA - (scholarships+Gi bill covered tuition + Gi bill stipends)?

Example: Tuition 30k, COL 20k, scholarship 10k, 100% GI Bill

Can I borrow 40k, 20k, or less?