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Other popular Guard benefits
include:
- Life Insurance
All Guard members are automatically eligible
for the Soldiers Group Life Insurance program. The plan offers term
coverage of up to $200,000 for only $9 per $100,000 of coverage per
month. Rates do not go up with age, and you are always eligible as long
as you remain in the Guard. You may also opt for lesser coverage at a
lower cost.
Discount Shopping
If you have friends in the military, you've no
doubt heard them talk about the fantastic deals they get at the PX and
the Commissary. Guard members are also eligible for these same on-post
shopping benefits, including wholesale-priced groceries. And in our
area, Dover Air Force Base and Aberdeen Proving Grounds both offer PX
and Commissary facilities!
As a military member, you also have access to special savings from
better retailers. For a partial list visit:
http://www.military.com/deals/index.htm
Retirement Pay
It's never too early to think about! And with
military retirement benefits available after only twenty years of
service, retirement isn't necessarily that far off! After serving twenty
satisfactory years, Guard soldiers are eligible to receive a percentage
of their Guard pay each month upon reaching the age of 65. Do you know
of any other part-time job with a retirement plan like that?
Scholarships for military
children
High school students of active
duty, reserve component, and retired military members can win
scholarship awards worth at least $1,500 each thanks to the new
Scholarships for Military Children program sponsored by the Defense
Commissary Agency (DeCA) and the Fisher House Foundation. The American
Forces Press Service reports that students need a minimum 3.0 high
school grade-point average to apply and must write a short essay on
"What Being a Military Dependent Means to Me." Completed applications
and essays must be returned to the student's local commissary before
Feb. 15, 2001. Store officials will validate applications. More than 280
awards totaling over $400,000 in college money will be presented under
the program. Interested students can pick up instructions and
applications at commissaries or download them from the DeCA Web site at
http://www.commissaries.com |