I’m not sure about then, but the Navy still tells young folks that. Training these days is not guaranteed in the recruiter’s office, but at MEPS. Even there, you must list five jobs that you would be willing to do. The Air Force will not assign a job that you didn’t list. The Naval recruiters can give jobs there in the office, but really shouldn’t because they don’t know what the applicant is qualified for without a physical. I would hate it if I could assign jobs here in my office for that reason.
billyb0b, I can see the reasons for doing it that way. And certainly the physiological stresses of flight are, AIUI, more demanding than those required for most Navy jobs. (ISTR that certain positions, like SEALs, Divers, and other intensely physical jobs couldn’t be guaranteed, but for my own interests, as long as one could meet the minimum physical standards of the service there really wasn’t a reason to worry whether someone could do the work of a Sonar Tech or a Nuc.) I know that a lot of recruiters feel the need to lie to their prospects, and I’m glad you don’t feel that need. Thanks for that.
My son has expressed interest in a military career, but my on-line searches indicate he will not meet the physical requirements (he’s 6 feet tall but weighs over 300 pounds). I’ve heard stories about people being accepted conditionally and put into diet and conditioning programs. However these stories are from my own era (Vietnam). Do you know what the current practices are? Any chance of enlisting and then being whipped into shape rather than trying to do it ahead of time?
I don’t want to jump in here, as I have not started recruiter school yet, but when I was in Basic, in my class we had a man who was about 320 lbs and 74" tall. He was highly motivated and lost almost 60 lbs in the 10 weeks of army training. At the completion, he shipped to his unit (he was in the Guard). So, if he is interested, tell him talk to a recruiter.
SSG Schwartz
Speaking as someone who was in your son’s position - I was 5’9" and about 280 when I chose to shoot for military service - talk to a recruiter. They’re often very helpful people, even if they’re not able to get your son directly into the service without him losing weight mine actually helped me, a lot, in learning how to lose weight.
And, yeah, everyone drops 10-30 lbs in boot camp. Maybe more. (And this was Navy boot camp, I can only imagine Army or Marines would be more effective.)
OtakuLoki there are other consideraions as well. If someone were physically qualified, but didn’t have color vision, they would be disqualified from almost all AF electronics jobs. You just can’t accurately test for that (or depth perception) in a recruiter’s office. There are myriad other things that have to be considered as well.
As far as the Air Force is concerned as_u_wish unless he is a body builder with < or = 21% body fat, he is out of luck. I know the Army and the Army National Gaurd can make exceptions for weight, but I am certain he is DQ for the others.
I’ve been told promotions in technical jobs tend to come more slowly in the air force than they do in the navy, since most air force jobs promote based on ability, while the navy relies primarily on time served. Is this true, and if it is, how do you try and convince people to join in spite of the slower promotion track?
It is true that the Air Force has the slowest promotion rates to E-5. After that, it gets a little faster and averages out. BTW, all AF jobs promote based on ability. I am pretty sure that the Nvay does as well, but in both services, but in the first 4 enlisted ranks promotions are based on time in service. I usually overcome this by asking the applicant if they have ever worked for a supervisor that was the supervisor based solely on tenure. Then I point out the fact that that won’t happen in the Air Force. Works some of the time.
What’s the most common disqualifier for AF service?
Without a doubt, weight. More fatties try to join than I can shake a stick at.
If my dad wants me to join the AF, and I even go to the recruiter’s office to humor him, do I just have to tell you I’m a fag to get rejected? Or are sexual favors expecte to prove my homohood?
Out here where we live, the major recruiter is the Army. Disregarding that, in your experience, how do non-nationals (non-US citizens) go about applying to the Air Force, and what are their language and height/weight/education requirements?
That wouldn’t be the best way to disqualify yourself. The best thing would be to tell the recruiter that you have asthma. That being said, the best thing to do is just tell your father that you aren’t interested. You will be wating the recruiter’s time and your own.
You must speak and write English (the recruiters have a test to determine if you are proficient enough), HT/WT are the same as for a citizen, and you must have the equivalent of a US high school diploma.
I’m just curious, as an asthmatic: is the diagnosis an automatic DQ, or are there some functional criteria? What if the candidate can perform the physical fitness tests, albeit with medication?
What constitutes a fatty in the opinion of the USAF? Is it strictly BMI? I mean, at 5’8", 205, Barry Sanders in the prime of his career was obese on paper. Or is it body composition (fat %age)? And, if you know, is the standard the same across all the services?
Not sure about the Air Force, but in the Navy, asthma is an automatic disqualifier.
It didn’t stop me from getting into the service, though, because it went undiagnosed until a few years later. At that point, it was recorded as “reactive airway” because a diagnosis of “asthma” would be cause for a medical discharge. I absolutely had asthma all along, though, even before I entered the service. I remember having to sit down once for about 15 minutes in high school after doing a mile race in PE. Later I found out I had “exercise-induced asthma.” While in the Navy, I was even prescribed an albuterol puffer, but was never medically discharged.
Last I heard, “reactive airway” was not cause for a medical discharge, but the verbiage was disqualifying for entering the service.
It’s a bar for entry, but once in they don’t necessarily kick you out (my older sister has it and she’s got 15 years in). You can never fly with asthma, however.
In the Navy, the procedure is as follows: An initial screening is conducted in which your height and weight is measured, and you have to be under a certain weight for your height. If you are over the screening weight, they measure your waist and subtract your neck circumference (for men), and estimate a body fat % based on your height. The max allowable body fat % is adjusted for age and gender.
This procedure is done every six months. Fail one, and you are put on a remedial program; your fitness report is dinged, and your eligibility for promotion is suspended. Fail two, and you will likely be sent to a “fat farm.” Fail three, and you will typically be discharged from the service.
More info here:
http://usmilitary.about.com/od/theorderlyroom/a/bodyfat.htm
Cool thread.
What was covered in recruiting school? How long did it last?
If a recruit is outstanding in every respect and all goes well in her career, how long would it be before she could be working on Air Force One?
What, exactly, do you say to those who don’t qualify for Air Force service?
What’s the worst reaction anyone’s ever had to you telling them they don’t qualify?
What’s your favorite war movie?
What different approaches (if any) do you take with male and female potential recruits?
Do you get many kids who’ve seen Top Gun (Navy, I know) and just want to (unrealistically but fervently) become fighter pilots? What do you tell them?
Do you have kids, and if so, would you recommend an Air Force career to them when they’re of age?
Do you ever learn what percentage of “your” recruits wash out of boot camp?
What do you think is/are the strongest argument(s) for bringing back the draft?
Is a period (hitch? detail? term? tour?) of recruiting duty a good thing to have your USAF record for promotion down the road? Why or why not?
What percentage of your recruits come from military families? What difference does it make, if any?