MOSES LAKE — Sgt. Justin Morris wants people who are unable to enter the National Guard, because of limited education, to know they have an opportunity.

The National Guard in Moses Lake offers a special enlistment program, specifically designed for young people without a high school diploma or a GED. It’s called the Army GED Plus Enlistment Program and is geared toward people out of high school for six months or longer.

The program has been in place for around six months in Moses Lake, but Morris says many are unaware of its existence.

“I get people in here all the time and meet people on the streets that don’t know about it,” he said. “It’s not that these people necessarily didn’t want to finish their education, but most likely circumstances got in the way. If they knew about this program, they could enlist in the National Guard and maybe move on to achieve higher education.”

The GED Plus Program enables applicants to be sponsored by the National Guard to obtain a GED for enlistment purposes. The guard pays participants $1,500 to train for three weeks and take a GED test before going to basic training.

“What a nice deal it is to be paid for getting an education,” Morris said. “Most people have to pay to take the test any other place.”

The National Guard does not accept applicants without a GED, high school diploma or college education.

“The reason for this now is that we aren’t in dire need for recruits,” Morris said. “This restriction can adjust and change according to conditions.”

The Moses Lake National Guard has had three recruits complete the program successfully.

“We use to give people some time between taking their test and heading to basic training,” Morris explained. “But we noticed some would go home and fall through the cracks as they let fear of going to basic training get the best of them. Since the back-to-back switch, we’ve had a much higher success rate.”

Requirements to enroll in the program include being at least 18 years old, out of high school for at least six months and unable to return, must have finished ninth grade, able to provide a high school transcript, have good moral standing, meet a scoring minimum on the Armed Forces Vocational Aptitude Battery, possess a letter of enrollment into a GED program with a start and completion date, and not require a drug and alcohol waiver.

“Our intention is not for people to drop out of school and just do this,” Morris said. “We are focused on those that had to quit school for one reason or another and can’t go back. This is our way of helping them finish.”

Morris believes having a good education enables people to lead successful lives.

“I think a lot of times people don’t plan to fail, they just fail to plan,” Morris said.

“Education is a good choice that helps people focus on living a successful life. The army isn’t just about responding to natural disasters. We are also about helping people receive success and self-confidence through education.”

National Guard Armory is located at 6500 32 Ave. N.E. in Moses Lake.

For more information, call Sgt. Justin Morris at 509-766-2550.