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On this day, August 14, 1872, Chief Joseph met in council with some 40 settlers in the Wallowa Valley and ordered them to leave the Indian land.
Also on this day, August 14, 1933, A wildfire began in Tillamook, Oregon. It was extinguished on Sep 5 by rain. Some 311,000 acres burned in the wildfire.
Also on this day, August 14, 2020, federal authorities gave wildlife managers in Washington, Oregon and Idaho permission to start killing hundreds of sea lions in the Columbia River basin in hopes of helping struggling salmon and steelhead trout.
Also on this day, August 14, 1848, The Oregon Territory was established.
Increased bonuses are highest levels in recent memory
According to the Oregon Air National Guard and the 173rd Fighter Wing, the National Guard Bureau has
now increased bonuses to the highest levels in recent memory for certain career fields to help alleviate recruiting and retention shortfalls. The new bonus structure took effect the first of March 2024.
Master Sgt. Jesse Olhiser, the 173rd Fighter Wing Retention Office Manager, explains that the highest bonus is $90,000 for a fully-qualified reenlistment in the munitions or fuels career fields—paid over five years—an annual recurring payment of $18,000.
“Never in eight-plus years of doing this have I seen anything even close to this,” Olhiser says. “These are by-far the largest bonuses I’ve seen.”
As of March 1, 2024 the National Guard Bureau has increased Air National Guard bonuses to the highest levels in recent memory for certain career fields to help alleviate recruiting and retention shortfalls.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Other bonuses include $50,000 for a new enlistee headed off to basic training or bonuses in differing amounts for cross-trainee’s or for those interested in other critical career fields.
He adds that these rates are temporary, saying, “We are not sure when it will end; no guarantee it will extend even to the end of the Fiscal Year.”
He encourages those who want to take advantage of the program to contact a recruiter a soon as possible.
Olhiser explains that the program is to help bolster recruiting numbers following years of lower than desired numbers. He adds that hopefully this may help alleviate potential shortages in the near future.
Some basic qualifications include taking the Armed Service Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test, have a high school diploma or equivalent—although high school students in their senior year can enlist—be drug-free and have no criminal record.
Prospective enlistees will undergo screening arranged by a recruiter to determine fitness for duty.
--Ben FisherPost Date: 2024-03-15 14:43:14 | Last Update: 2024-03-15 17:31:57 |