Second-year English student David Moss dropped out of AACC at the end of the spring semester, but he’ll be back in a year. At that time, the Army National Guard will pay his tuition.
Moss, 19, started a 10-week basic training this summer in Fort Jackson, South Carolina, where he learned soldiering skills like discipline, teamwork and physical readiness. He expects his first assignment to be as a helicopter mechanic trainee in Fort Eustis, Virginia.
“I decided that I would like to join the army now and [that] would give me the financial assistance that I would need [for college],” said Moss, who will enter the military with a rank of private first class.
Plus, once he finishes bootcamp, he will be a part-time soldier in the Maryland National Guard, which will allow him to return to AACC and eventually enroll in a four-year university in the state.
Shaikh Ali, the former president of the AACC chapter of the Student Veterans Association, said one of the major reasons why college students join the military is because the army pays for their education.
Moss said his parents are supportive of his decision because they both served in the army.
“So my entire life, the army was kind of the option that they were telling me to go to,” Moss said.
His friends, on the other hand, are not as supportive.
“They think that I am not making the best decision as I am leaving for [nine] months,” Moss said. “And then just come right back.”
But Moss said he made up his mind about joining the military when he was in the sixth grade.
“What I wanted to do or what branch even, that was quite literally not decided on until I signed on the dotted line back in February,” Moss said.
Moss’ plan after bootcamp is to come back to AACC.
“The plan is I’m just going to keep coming to class just as normal, except with the added benefit of being in the army, being paid by the army, having my education all paid for and having a whole other support system,” Moss said.
As a National Guard member, Moss could be called to help with domestic disasters like, for example, the collapse of the Key Bridge in Baltimore.
Moss, whose initial contract with the military is for three years, said he would like to stay in the National Guard for 20 years so he can get full retirement benefits and he hopes it will change him.