ok, not to burst your bubble or anything but your not gonna get 8k cash for your signing bonus. i was supposed to get 12k but all that money gets taxed buy the state that your base is in and 27% by the military. you'll prolly get around 5k of that money up front. i had a 12k sign on and only got 8750. my friend got 10k and only got 6750 of it.