The United States has had military troops in Syria since 2014. The American-led intervention in the Civil War in Syria includes troops from the United Kingdom, Jordan, Turkey, France, Australia, Canada, and other nations. These troops joined to support the Syrian opposition to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the al-Nusra Front.

The Syrian Civil War began in 2011, and the U.S. initially supplied Free Syrian Army rebels with non-lethal aid including pickup trucks and food but started providing selected Syrian commanders with training, intelligence, and money. The Obama administration began surveillance missions in September 2014 focusing on the ISIL’s positions and the U.S. was joined by other nations in attacking ISIL forces inside Syria shortly thereafter.

Details of the U.S. Presence in Syria

In mid-January of 2018, the Trump administration announced it would maintain an open-ended military presence in Syria to help oust Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad and to counterattack Iran’s influence. By December of 2018, President Trump ordered the withdrawal of about 2,500 American ground troops from Syria, with those troops ordered home to be home in 2019.

In January 2019, President Trump said America must “stop the endless wars” and has started withdrawing U.S equipment and troops from Syria. The president said the withdrawal of troops was long overdue, and despite bringing troops home, the U.S. is hitting the few remaining ISIS remaining targets.

U.S. troops have spent more than four years in Syria, but not all troops will leave the country until ISIS has been defeated and the allies are protected, according to John Bolton, the national security adviser. The United States has had seven servicemen killed while serving in Syria. There have been about 560,000 people killed in the Syrian Civil War including government forces, civilians, and rebels from 2011 to 2018, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Thanking our Military

Associated Training Services (ATS) appreciates our veterans. Offering a variety of programs, we accept military assistance. In more than half a century of the school’s history, more than 2,000 veterans have undergone training to start careers after their military service. To learn more about ATS, call today.

Associated Training Services would like to thank all military personnel and Veterans and wish you all a Happy Veterans Day.

Happy Veterans Day!

If you have served in the military, you have a GI Bill that is available to cover the cost of training at higher learning institutions that don’t offer college degrees. This allows a veteran to get trained to perform work such as truck driving, heavy equipment operator, mobile crane operator, certified as a rigger/signalperson, and horizontal directional drilling operator.

The amount of funds available depends on the specific GI bill that is being utilized and the kind of non-college-degree school or training that you are pursuing. Payments will be issued on a monthly basis after you have completed training with the monthly entitlement being based on the clock hours that you attended training for each week of the month. The Post-9/11 GI Bill pays the actual net costs of in-state tuition for non-degree granting schools or the national maximum, whichever is the least amount. There is a monthly housing allowance based on the school’s location and up to $83 is available for books and supplies monthly.

You can use your GI bill or educational benefits from your military service toward various vocational training and non-degree programs. If you need a CDL to drive a truck for a living, your VA benefits can help you cover the cost of the specialized truck driving school that you attend. You should check with the financial counselors at the school you plan to attend to learn about your benefits would come into play while you are attending a program there. That way, you can properly plan for the cost and know how much – if any – you would be responsible for.

Training for Career Opportunities

Construction workers and truck drivers are in demand. These are two growing fields in need of skilled employees. Because this is a growing field, you could benefit significantly from specialized training. You could use some VA or military benefits for training at ATS. The mission of ATS is to be an industry-leading educational institution that offers effective vocational training while maintaining the highest standards of quality and integrity. ATS trains veterans to go into various positions and fields in the workforce.

Your VA or military benefits can be used to participate in any of the many programs available at ATS. Educational opportunities are available in mobile crane operation, horizontal directional drilling, rigger/signalperson certification, heavy equipment operation, or truck driving. If you would like to learn more about the educational programs available at ATS, or how you can use your GI bill toward funding your career goals by participating in ATS educational programs, call (800) 383-7364.

If you are a veteran of any US military service, we want to say “thank you” for the sacrifices you have made. Well over two thousand military veterans have gone through our training programs and we are impressed with you all. Here are ways Veterans benefit.

Standard Military Benefits

ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Training School is qualified to provide training under a number of federal and state programs, so make sure you ask about the Military and Veterans Benefits available to you. Our financial assistance department is experienced in all the paperwork that is involved and can help you figure out how to pay for your training here.

No matter which branch you served with if you are active or a veteran, there may be a benefits program available to you. It’s a good reason to explore your options!

A Military Benefit You Only Will Find Here

Another benefit available to some veterans is exclusive to ATS. Since the middle of September 2014, Associated Training Services has added a housing voucher to cover the full cost of a double room at the ATS dormitory. This is our housing facility and it is a great place to stay during your training.

To qualify, you’ll need to be honorably discharged and submit your Form DD214 to the School Registrar. It’s one more way we can thank those who serve, and the voucher is good for the entire time of your training. That means it has a value between $360 and $2,040, or $120 per week. It’s not good for cash or at any other facility but it’s all you will need for housing while you train for your civilian career in heavy equipment.

If you are doing research about getting trained as a professional heavy equipment operator, it’s a good thing. Choosing a career in the skilled trades means that your training is going to be scrutinized carefully. After all, you’ll be operating expensive equipment in dangerous situations, so the company wants to make sure they hire the best. Choose ATS for your training needs.

Since the insurance companies are also very interested in who is on the site and how the operators have been trained, that also comes into the consideration companies give to who gets hired. Credentials and affiliations are proof that a school has retained specific standards and training practices.

ATS Credentials & Affiliations

1. National Center for Construction Education & Research (NCCER) has the highest standards in the business. All ATS instructors are NCCER credentialed, and we are an Accredited Sponsor. We also helped write the heavy equipment training textbooks, that’s not something that every school can say.
2. National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO) is a non-profit organization to develop safety and performance standards for crane operations throughout general industry and construction. ATS is an approved test site and registered training provider and if you are going to operate a crane, this is where to start looking at what you need.
3. Department of Workforce Development/Workforce Investment Act provides funding for financial assistance. ATS is an eligible training provider qualified to receive that funding, which means you could get money for our programs.
4. US Department of Veterans Affairs has approved ATS as an eligible training school, which means that military benefits are available if you qualify for them.
5. State Boards of Education in Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan, and Indiana have approved ATS and licensed our school.
6. Better Business Bureau (BBB) rates ATS with an A+.
7. ISNetworld supports over 360 Hiring Clients to manage more than 54,000 companies in 75 countries. ATS is a registered contractor with ISNetworld, which gives us global connections.
8. Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC) is a national construction industry trade association founded on the merit shop philosophy. ATS is a member of this organization committed to work safely, ethically, and profitably to improve the communities we work within.
9. National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA) is the leading trade association working exclusively in this incredibly important industry. It takes heavy equipment to do a big job, and ATS is a member of NUCA.

Choose ATS For Your Training Needs

We are pleased to be affiliated and accredited by these organizations because the benefits of our connections help our students to be equipped to become respected in their industry.

Vets, Did you know that Associated Training Services has been in operation for over fifty years? We have had time to learn how to do things right, and to adapt to the new stuff coming into the industry. In the Training School sense, we are veterans because of those years of experience. We’ve invested the time and the effort to do our job well, and it shows.

But there’s another kind of veteran that we have a profound respect for and will always honor: the military veteran. 

Over the last fifty years, our organization has trained over 2,000 military veterans. We’ve helped them figure out the benefits they qualify for and ATS is approved as a career training course for many of those educational benefits. There are some programs for active duty members, National Guard, Reserve, and military spouses, too.

We appreciate the time and effort you have put into service to our country, and over the years we have seen that military veterans come into their training with a competent attitude and a willingness to do what it takes to accomplish their goals. This probably has a great deal to do with the fact that you’ve been in one of the branches of the Armed Forces and learned a lot there.

If you are interested in exploring the military benefits available to you with our financial aid office, we’ll be glad to help you do that. There’s even a scholarship for all honorably discharged veterans of military service, a scholarship ranging from $500 up to $1,500 depending on the program you enter. You’ll need to submit your DD214 to the school registrar to qualify for this particular scholarship since it is from ATS in recognition of your service.

And in case you don’t hear it from anyone else, Thanks.

Associated Training Services is a recognized training provider, approved for veterans and military educational assistance. There are many types of benefit packages, so it’s a good idea to contact our financial services department and ask if there’s something that fits your circumstance. Here’s a quick list of possibilities if you qualify:

• the GI Bill could provide monthly subsistence payments while you are in training
• the Montgomery GI Bill for pre-911 service members could help support your family
• the Post-911 GI Bill allows up to $17,500 for tuition assistance
• the Armed Forces Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) is for active duty members of the military and could give up to $4,500
• National Guard and Reserve members might qualify for these or a state military benefits program
• injured service members or their descendants may qualify for Veterans Affairs Vocational Rehabilitation benefits

Military benefits are provided by state and federal government programs because as a member of the military you have earned them. As Memorial Day gets closer, there will be more folks saying “thank You for your service,” and we say that too. Thank you for the ways you have sacrificed to serve. We appreciate it.

Getting certified training as a heavy equipment operator, crane operator, CDL driver, or rigger/signalperson doesn’t just give you a piece of paper. ATS is committed to helping you get a job once you become a graduate, as long as it takes. From the time you send in your online application, we will help you figure out which benefits you qualify for and provide career counseling if you need it so that your career is on track.

We live in unfortunate times where world peace is constantly under threat. We have brave men and women serving in various places around the world and many, on return, require re-training before they can find well paid employment. Some of those returning are doing so with injuries that prevent them from returning to previous careers. To help those from the military that are trying to rebuild their lives, ATS Heavy Equipment Schools offers training that has been approved for Veterans Educational Benefits.

There are a range of benefits available for current and ex-military personnel. Some of these benefits also extend to the spouses and children of veterans – this enables them too to undertake heavy equipment training as well. Funding for veterans is available through the GI Bill. For current service personnel, there is funding available through the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP). This is available for eligible members of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and the Coast Guard.

Guard and Reserve Members may also be eligible for funding to train as heavy equipment operators through schemes such as the GI Bill, the Tuition Assistance Program, and through various state military education benefits schemes. Vocational training is important for those that have been injured and this too is available.

A career in the field of heavy equipment operations can be ideal for those who have served in active duty areas. Military personnel are used to working outdoors, often in hot and dry (and sometimes wet and muddy) conditions. When it comes to remuneration, a heavy equipment operators’ weekly paycheck is competitive, especially when compared to careers that take months or even years to train for. If you’re a current or former member of the military, and you’re considering re-training in heavy equipment, you may be eligible for funding that can help to pay for your training. Contact us at ATS for more information or visit http://www.gibill.va.gov/gi_bill_info/how_to_apply.htm to determine eligibility requirements.

If you are, or have been, a member of the military, or a spouse or dependent of a member of the military, past or present, then you may be eligible for financial aid that may help you undertake one of our training programs. Now that sounds like a mouthful so let’s break it down into actual details.

For current service members and their spouses, financial aid is available in the following forms:

For active members: $4,500 is available under The Armed Forces Tuition Assistance Program (TAP). This is for all active members in the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and the Coast Guard. There is specific criteria attached to the funding.

Souses of active members: the MyCCA (Military Spouse Program) provides funding of up to $6,000 for education, training, licenses, certificates and degrees leading to employment.

Veterans: Nearly all ATS training schools are approved for the use of Veterans Educational Benefits. If injured on active service, veterans may also be eligible for vocational rehabilitation training.

Dependents of veterans: Dependents of active members injured while on active service may also be eligible for vocational training.

If you are considering undertaking a training program through ATS and you feel you may be eligible for one of these financial aid options, contact us for more information on the training programs available for funding.

I must add that these programs and the funds available were correct at the time this post was published. If you are reading this at a later date then please refer to the military websites for the latest training program funding available.