If you have an entry level separation from the US Military for failure to adapt out of basic training does that basically mean you have no chance at getting any ind of job on the state or federal level? Thanks and any other input would be appreciated!
No, it means that you pretty much never enlisted at all.
Discharges from the military are generally categorized as Honorable, General (Under Honorable Circumstances), Other Than Honorable Circumstances, Bad Conduct, or Dishonorable.
An Entry Level Separation (ELS) is a discharge for servicemembers who have served less than 180 days, and the Commander has made a decision not to characterize the discharge. An ELS is typically used for failure to meet physical standards or minor misconduct.
An ELS should not prevent you from obtaining a Federal or State government job; however, it may impact your ability to re-enlist in the military. I’m not sure off the top of my head, but I would be surprised if you would be entitled to any VA benefits with an ELS.
Well from what I was told an entry level separation is really suppose to be neutral but it is in reality a bad thing because it makes you look like a quitter or something of that nature.
Not necessarily. It can also mean you had some physical problem you didn’t know about before enlistment – or hid. Something not bad enough for a medical but kept you from continuing training. I know one person who ended up ELS and tried like Hell but some old wrist injuries just made him a wash-out at several of the physical tests. Last I heard he went with the USPS.
Those who can ask legally, should also understand that an uncharacterized discharge is exactly that. Someone I served with had a buddy in bis basic training platoon that got one. The Army had guaranteed his MOS and first duty location in his enlistment contract. Then they cut the only unit at that duty location that needed the MOS. He didn’t like the options they gave him so… separation.
Well what if though it wasn’t for physical problems and they just couldn’t handle the stress?
"I was fresh out of school and unemployed and what the recruiter said sounded good. It wasn’t very far into Boot Camp when the Army and I both realized it had been a mistake. But I’ve grown since then and I know myself better now and I think I would be a fine addition to __________ "
My dumbass cousin signed up for the Navy and then cried her way out of boot camp. She’s an LPN or an RN (nurse) now, in the public sector. I’ve never heard any whisper of her Navy debacle keeping her from being employed.
I believe it
Just don’t try to call yourself a veteran. That would not go well with those that know better.
Right. I had a friend that was released from Marine boot camp because his knee’s would swell up. Had it stopped there it would have been OK, at least you tried to serve. But no, he had a wannabe US Marine thing going on and got a Marine Corp tattoo and started telling people that he had served in the first Iraq war. It pretty much disgusted me so much that I stopped acknowledging his presence when we ran into each. He eventually left town when word got out that he was faking his service record. People talk and that shit don’t fly.
The obvious question that’s not being asked: are employers allowed to search for or ask about discharges?
It’s considered private information. It obviously can come in to play in some ways (jobs requiring voluntary release to obtain a security clearance, asking for veteran hiring preferences in govt positions etc.)