Troi Smith, a senior at Northmont High School, has already enlisted in the Army, but he can’t be deployed until after he graduates from high school.
Smith said he’s interested in serving in Syria due to his family’s influence.
“It’s a place that my cousin, who was also serving in the Army, ended up being deployed at and he talks about how his experience was and how he enjoyed it,” Smith said.
The military was something he was interested in for a long time, Smith said. He investigated enlisting in the Marines before ultimately deciding on the Army.
Smith said he signed a six-year contract and will consider what he wants to do after that contract ends. He’s considering going into welding or another trade, or attending college to be a mechanical engineer, and he’s hoping he can use GI Bill money to pay for his school.
Military members who have been deployed for at least 90 days can be eligible for the GI Bill, which pays for tuition at a university, college or trade school using federal funding.
According to the U.S. Army website, depending on rank and how long the person has served, the minimum a private with less than two years of service would earn falls between $20,340 a year and $39,531 a year.
Under Ohio law, veterans get a preference in many jobs, including many of the skilled trade jobs as well as firefighting and police positions.
“The military is something that I’ve wanted to do since I was 10,” Smith said. “I’ve been talking about it a while. The second I was 17, I went down to the recruiter’s office and signed up with it.”
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