OCTOBER 25, 2019 – United States Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne) has six Army Reserve Minuteman Scholarships remaining to award this year.
Army Reserve Soldiers and those planning to enlist can help pay for college through the Guaranteed Reserve Force Duty Scholarship Minuteman Campaign. It provides college students with an ROTC scholarship and eventual commission as an Army Reserve officer.
The GRFD Scholarship Minuteman Campaign covers four years of full tuition and fees or $10,000 for room and board at colleges and universities served by an Army ROTC program.
Scholarship recipients also receive a monthly stipend of $420, and a yearly book allowance of $1,200. In addition, GRFD Scholarship Minuteman Campaign recipients participate in the Simultaneous Membership Program, which gives them experience with an Army Reserve unit while earning additional money for their service.
Students can apply for spring 2020 benefits for the School Year 19-20 scholarship until Dec. 1.
“I support the program because it really is a great opportunity for some of our Soldiers who want to become officers to pay for their college,” said Maj. Gen. Darrell Guthrie, the USACAPOC commanding general. “As student loan debt has been in the news in recent months, this is an opportunity for Army Reserve Soldiers to minimize their college loans and have a part-time job waiting when they graduate.
To get started, current college students or high school seniors can contact the Professor of Military Science or Recruiting Operations Officer at the Army ROTC program that serves their college or university. There are 275 host programs that cover nearly 3,000 schools across the United States.
“I found out about the Army Reserve Minuteman Scholarship back in 2015 when the program started for the Army Reserve,” said Col. Douglas Kissell, the Deputy Chief of Staff – G8 at United States Army Reserve Command on Fort Bragg, and a former officer in USACAPOC. “I reached out to the program manager at Cadet Command and started to learn more about the scholarship opportunity because I knew my kids would potentially be interested in doing this when they graduated from high school.”
The application process takes some time and paperwork to complete, he said.
“My suggestion is to learn as much as you can about the program,” Kissell said. “Become the subject matter expert … Be persistent, prepare to actively engage ROTC, the Army Reserve Recruiter and Cadet Command.”
He also recommended working with an Army Reserve recruiter for students just entering the military.
The recruiter was essential in helping his children through the process, which can become complicated, he added. He become an expert on the program quickly and provide help to make sure all the paperwork got to ROTC Cadet Command on time.
“The Army Reserve has blessed me numerous times throughout my career and I’m the Army Reserve’s biggest fan,” Kissell said. “As a parent, I want my children to be part of a first-class organization that cares for them, will develop them into a stronger leader and will help them transition into adulthood.”
Applicants seeking a scholarship must meet the following minimum scholarship eligibility requirements:
- Currently in the Army Reserve or eligible to enlist
- U.S. citizen between the ages of 17-30
- Valid Chapter 2 MEPS physical
- Able to pass a valid Army Physical Fitness Test (required to sign contract and receive scholarship benefits)
- Score a minimum 60/60/60 on the Army Physical Fitness Test
- Be in compliance with AR 600-9 height and weight standards
- Official university/college acceptance letter
- Four-year scholarship for non-prior service applicants requires a 2.5 GPA, SAT-1000 and/or ACT-19
- Already in College: To receive a three-year or less GRFD Scholarship Minuteman Campaign you must have an established college GPA of 2.5 or higher and 2.5 in last academic semester.
- Participate in Simultaneous Membership Program
- Once commissioned, eight-year service obligation
- Graduate students can apply and receive up to a two-year scholarship
- Must be no older than 30 in the year of your commission
To find a program that serves your college or university, go to goarmy.com/rotc.
For questions concerning the GRFD Scholarship Minuteman Campaign, email the GRFD Scholarship Minuteman Campaign manager or call 502-624-7695 or 502-624-8237, or visit https://www.usar.army.mil/MinutemanCampaign/
Story by Lt. Col. Jefferson Wolfe
U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne)