I am currently deployed, set to go home around the end of Oct. I really want to reenlist, but I am a inital-term soldier(who can only reenlist in a combat zone where your ETS does not matter), and the Army has already met its goal for FY06. My career counselor told me to wait until after 01Oct. I am worried that I will not be able to reenlist before I leave. Is it a "automatic" thing that the retention budget will be renewed? Will the window for initial-term soldiers open back up? Please post any info you may have. Thank you in advance.

Of course no one can see in the future (if they could, wouldn't they know the numbers for PowerBall?) ....

That being said, bonuses will still be in effect or be back in October (just an educated guess).

The Army, as a whole, has made mission for initial term Soldiers by draining the FY06 bonus budget.

Why would you want to reenlist now versus in October?

When do you (and your Career Counselor) actually leave country?

i know that soldiers from our unit are being ask to reenlist after oct 1 because it will count towards mission for next year, now...

you can reenlist as late as on the plane and still get whatever bonuses are still around in the combat zone so if you stay on top of your retention they will get you reenlisted after oct 1... and before you go home...

I was told that if im going to reenlist i should do it before 1 Oct because there might be a chance the MOS i get into will not have a bonus still. And also the MOS might not be on the BEAR program anymore??? hmmm

Who told you this? Was it a Career Counselor or was it a "Barracks Reenlistment NCO"?