[Icelander]

There is another NPC in my campaign, Dao Van Hien, second-generation Vietnamese-American born in Houston. Hien has appeared 'on screen' briefly, as the brother of Dr. Dao Van Sang, the medical expert onboard the Penemue and well known to all the PCs, as well as Hien being cousin, nephew, son and grandson to other NPCs friendly to various PCs.

Hien was introduced as an active duty officer of the United States Army home on leave. One PC was aware that Hien had been a Special Forces officer and probably still was, though his reticence about his current unit suggested CAG/Delta or some similar SMU under JSOC. They also knew that Hien had served as an enlisted man before being commissioned.

Now, Hien is, in 2018, older than 31 and younger than 36, going by the age of his various siblings and how old he looks. Which is physically and mentally mature, but near enough the height of his capabilities for there to be no noticable decline. Despite his relative youth, the PCs heard that Hien was seperating from active duty soon and the rumour was because he had a job waiting for him as a 'Night Rider' (Monster Hunter) team leader, working for J.R. Kessler, the PCs' Patron.

Indeed, a lot of the shooters employed by Kessler see military service as fairly hazardous training, necessary to learn their craft, but ultimately unfulfilling. The true war isn't against terrorists, rogue states or other mundane threats, because the hidden threat of the supernatural kills more people, and more Americans, than any terrorist organization ever could. And unlike Iran or North Korea, a cataclysmic irruption of a hostile, hellish world into this one could actually end human civilization within the next month or year and the threat of that happening is something of which Kessler's senior analysts are realistically afraid.

And because most governments, the US included, either don't know about or won't accept the existence of paranormal phenomena, let alone the true threat of supernatural predators and unfathomable Entities from Beyond, the prevailing sentiment among those who serve as shooters on the 'Night Rider' teams is that whether you are a patriot, globalist, humanist, activist, believer or doubter, the best service you can render your country and the world is by working for the only people who truly Get It.*

In any case, Dao Van Nien grew up knowing about the supernatural and when he got older, he learned that friends of his family were involved in investigating the occult and protecting people from evil. Seeing as his godfather was a billionaire, Nien could have gone to any college he wanted and had his pick of high-paying jobs in the oil and gas sector or indeed almost anywhere his awesomely well-connected godfather knew people.

Instead, Nien resolved to become a 'Night Rider'. He knew he wanted to develop leadership and planning skills, to eventually command men, but given the covert, paramilitary nature of the work, he felt he needed a special skill set. So, Nien wanted to go through training as an enlisted special operator, before becoming an officer in charge of an operational detachment of special operators.

Nien knew he would need a college degree to become an officer, and, in any case, he wanted to get a good education. Not only because he felt that analytical ability, strategic vision, principles of management and an academic approach to problem solving would be important to him, but also because he wanted to study the occult, folklore and a variety of subjects that might enable him to better understand the threat of the supernatural.

Nien had a trust fund available for college, but as a matter of pride, he'd prefer scholarship won on merit** or a military program where he could use ROTC, Reserve enlistment, National Guard or the Montgomery GI Bill from prior enlisted service to pay for college.

Now, how should Nien go about his goals of becoming the baddest special operator he can while earning a degree from a good school and then eventually becoming an officer of the United States Army Special Forces?

What is the most challenging and useful (for Monster Hunters) enlisted MOS Nien can volunteer into directly after high school?

How many years on active duty does he need to do before he can switch over to Reserve duty while taking a college degree?

What's a good school for him to attend and what kind of Reserve service could he perform alongside his studies?

That is, what are good, military-friendly universities that are located within commuting distance of a Reserve drilling station that offers scope for high-speed, low-drag assignments, special schools and the kind of commando skills you need for Monster Hunting?

For that matter, I know about the two National Guard Special Forces Groups, but are there Special Forces reservists? If not, what would be Nien's best approximation while he's in college, so he can get in as much mental and physical development as he can, as fast as possible?***

Nien would probably prefer a college in the Houston area or the New Orleans area if possible, or at least within a few hours from these locations, if only so he can fill any occasional snippets of theoretical free time with visits to serving 'Night Riders'. However, almost any Gulf Coast and/or Southern university could work.

I haven't established Nien's exact date of birth yet, so the dates of when he enlisted, when he went to university and when he was commissioned can be determined backwards from what best fits those facts that the PCs have. That is, that at the end of the year 2018, Nien was an experienced Captain (O-3) in the US Army Special Forces community and had reached a point where he'd be expected fairly soon to either commit to a career with a promotion to Major or seperate from active duty. So, he was commissioned 2008 or later, most plausibly around 2010-2012.

Do any of these time frames look wrong?

1983: Born.
2000: Enlisted on DEP.
2001-2004: Enlisted soldier of the 7th Special Forces Group.
2005-2011: University and enlisted National Guardsman of 20th SFG.
2005-2006: Deployment to Iraq as part of 1/20th SFG.
2008-2009: Deployment to Afghanistan as part of 1/20th SFG.
2010-2011: Deployment to Afghanistan as part of 1/20th SFG.
2011: OCS.
2012: Commissioned 2LT.
2012: Commissioned 1LT (where would the US Army send a 1LT who was a former SOF NCO with 3-4 combat deployments?)
2013: Commissioned CPT, assigned to 7th SFG as ODA leader.
2016: Assigned to CAG/Delta Force as team leader.

*Of course, Kessler's 'Night Riders' are not the only group of vigilantes, private or public, that exist in the world. They are not even the largest, the most powerful, the best informed or the most effective. Nevertheless, almost to a man, every single 'Night Rider' believes that their teams are the only thing standing between humanity and the apocalypse. Good social engineering, charismatic leadership and excellent esprit de corps will do that for you.
**As an adult, Nien will be ST 12; DX 14; IQ 13; HT 14; Basic Speed 8.00; Per 14; Will 14; Born Tactician 3 and Very Fit; among other things. He could probably get a number of academic or sport scholarships if he pursues them, but would, of course, prefer to focus on preparing for his 'Night Rider' career and so is more likely to choose an option that will have the military pay his tuition after his enlisted service and/or because he is serving as a reservist or National Guardsman while an undergraduate.
***Nien really believes that the world might end within his lifetime unless his godfather stops it. And he's very, very driven to dedicate his life to helping prevent that apocalypse. This doesn't lead to a very healthy work-life balance.