I love the Dope!
Nobody in human history has ever had that choice.
If the first guy calls you again, see if you can make him lose his temper. Then you can scold him. “Geez, Sergeant. Teste, teste!”
Of course not. Enjoy your youth, NinjaChick.
I sympathize.
When I was a young buck, the Marine Corps wanted me bad. I have no idea why; I was a short, pot-smoking art student with an extreme dislike of authority figures. For whatever twisted reason, they kept sending me pairs of US MARINES gym socks. Every two or three weeks for at least a year or two. After a while I had two drawers full of nothing but US MARINES gym socks. At 22 I got arrested (for pissing on a cop’s foot…oh, and public intoxication), and the flow of gym socks dried up.
Weird, huh?
I told a Navy recruiter who was aware of my engineering degree and really wanted me to join up that I have lupus.
He said ‘we can get a waiver for that.’
The thing about being a DOD contractor though, that one stops them cold. It seemed like those were magical words which indicated I had the keys to some kingdom they would never get into.
Sergeant Testicles called more than once? That took balls!
Sorry, couldn’t resist!
OK, the diabetes disqualifying someone I understand, but herpes? How does an occasionally blistered crotch* prevent someone from holding and shooting a weapon?
- I’m assuming you mean genital herpes, as just “herpes” including cold sores would disqualify and enormous number of people. But just in case you meant cold sores, too - again, how does that disqualify someone from active duty?
That’s not a problem right now, apparently:
So maybe NinjaChick really did just piss them off 
Just tell them how much you like Canada. In my experience that works great for getting people to stop talking to you.
NinjaChick, have you taken the ASVAB? If not, try taking it and absolutely bomb it. Like liirogue, I took it in high school to get out of class one day and did horribly on it. It has all of these images of contractions with pulleys and gear and asks “if you pull pulley A, which gear with turn?” I am completely retarded at this kind of thing; my scores for the whole stupid test were in the 30th and 40th percentile. The only part I did well on was the verbal section, on which I scored a 99.
Apparently the army doesn’t give a shit if you can read and write if you have no aptitude for mechanics, because when all of my friends were complaining about getting harassed by military recruiters, I got ONE phone call. I told the dude politely that I was going to college and not interested in joining the army, and he said, “okay” and never bothered me again.
One friend did get them to stop calling by telling them she was a lesbian. The recruiter said “we have a ‘don’t ask don’t tell’ policy”, and she said, “yeah, but I really want to tell.” It worked!
I don’t make the rules, but a guy wanted to join once, told us he had herpes and thus was disqualified. Since there are female soldiers, the theory is he could give it to other people.
I turned 18 in 1966. I got a “1-Y” status, since I was 5’8" and weighed 111 pounds, walked like a duck, and couldn’t do a chin-up to save my soul. They got a lot less picky as the Unpleasantness proceeded…
My cousin JW (for John Wesley…I had three cousins named John Wesley, its a Texas thing, you wouldn’t understand…) joined up about a year later. He called me up and told me about it.
“Going to Germany, learn radar, like Elvis.”
“Says who, JW?”
“Recruiting guy! He’s a good ol’ boy, went to TCU. Said if I join up right today, he can guarantee me Germany for my posting, and I’ll learn radar.”
“JW, you can barely read. And I saw what you did to Uncle’s Charlie’s truck. Remember? When you ‘fixed’ it? I think he’s lying to you.”
“Boy, where do you get these ideas, that northren college you been at? I told you, he’s a good ol’ boy from TCU.”
“You got anything in writing, JW?”
“Well. no, they can’t do that, against the rules, but he gave me his word! Think you oughta get back home, son, you’re getting some mighty funny ideas up there. Hold the phone, Jo Beth wants to talk…”
About two months later got a postcard from Da Nang. They took my sweet dumb cousin and made a jungle-haunted wreck out of him, with a jones he couldn’t begin to feed in Amarillo. And I don’t even know who not to forgive.
The point is, Ninjachick should ***not have to do more than say ***“I am not interested, thanks for calling, but in the future please leave me off of your list.” . That worked for me, I seriously would not call someone once they said that. Why would I? They’d get annoyed, I’d waste my time and heck, their friend that may have thought about joing would now be told ***“That SGT Jolly Roger calls me all of the time! I wish he’d leave me alone!” ***and be scared to speak to me.
…and you know what…they tell you NOT to do that in Recruiting School, at least when I went through it. But in practice, the Station commander will not give a rats ass. As long as you get someone to join you can break every regulation in the book. They only make a deal out of it if you get caught. Thats what sickens me about Recruiting command.
Its more like most career military guys plan on working for gov’t contractors or working a GS job when they get out. (I’ve even had a few offers in the last few months and I haven’t begun to retire yet). they know that once they do that they wouldn’t put up with the military crap anymore. So they know they ain’t talkin’ you out of that job. The civvies I’ve worked with, most all retired military may work with you, but they don’t have to do the extra stuff that service members do. I may get up and go on some gawd awful 6 mile run in freezing rain at 0600 every morning, and I might even be good at it as well as getting the benefit to my health…but i damn sure don’t like it. 
I don’t think there is a waiver for lupus, the recruiter either wasn’t sure and just said that it was waiverable because he thought it was or he trying to call a bluff. Existing medical conditions are tricky as the gov’t would be responsible for your health care if you joined and it could be a condition that could affect your performance.
I’ll tell ya how, its not a secret. If you went to a school, whether high school, community college or university that recieves any federal funds the DoD has access to your records. The school is required to give them to recruiting battalions. Period. If they refuse the Battalion commander writes a short memo and the gov’t will withdraw all of their funds. Period. I have seen that happen to a local school when I was recruiting…well, they blinked and gave up the records. if you’re a male and filled out your selective service card at age 18, you’re on the list. If you’ve even been anywhere or done anything at say a state fair where recruiters may have a rock wall or something set up (“Wanna climb our rock wall/fire this imitation weapon and win a prize, etc*? just fill out this card real quick for insurance purposes…” )*They now have your consent to call you. Period.
Its not even faking the funk…the card says that you may recieve information on whatever branch is running it. Of course in my experience half of the people that climbed my rock wall were DQ’d on sight so I threw the cards away before going back to the station. (A lot of fat asses always sign up for that at least where i was…goddamn Krispy Kreme)
I’ve been on both sides of this argument…I don’t have a problem with all recruiters, just the ones that won’t leave folks alone. I understand what pressure they are under, but thats a different story. I’ve even said in the past in the boards that recruiters don’t deserve the crap they get. I should make it clear, thats when they don’t constantly harass a person that is not interested. No one likes telemarketing calls, and recruiting calls are pretty much the same. (except the military guy calling you is following orders and can’t just up and quit or refuse a lawful order). I hated recruiting with a passion, I often prayed to have a car accident on my way to work (no joke, I got mad at a guy for running a light and missing my car) but once someone said “not interested” that was enough for me. My superiors would tell me “Call 'em again!”. I’d fake it. (dial the wrong number on purpose, pretend you were cursing me out and hang up) or go over to his house! (I’d go to the park and hide for an hour). Why the hell would I waste your time and mine? I’m getting ass chewed either way so why annoy you in the process? Bottom line, Ninjachick, tell them to stop calling you, lie if you have to about your health, and if they don’t stop formally complain to the Battalion. To be honest you’ll be doing both you and the caller a favor, as I’m sure he doesn’t want to be cursed out as much as you don’t want to be annoyed.
The 60’s were a bit different. If you have Germany or whatever in writing when you join, the gov’t will send you to Germany.
BUT…if you sign up say for being a tank driver and get Germany in your contract, (which they will show you and give you a copy of nowadays) and the unit you’re assigned to is deployed you’re going to get to Germany, in process and then be shipped to wherever your unit is unless you’re just one lucky bastard and get rear detachment.
It also depends on what job you pick. You pick a job as a finance specialist, you may get deployerd but its not like you’ll be on the front line. You pick a job like infantry, driving a tank or artillery, well, do the math.
Of course, thats now, in the 60’s it was a lot different, I’m sure.
Lest I be misunderstood, I intend no implication about how things are done today. I’m sure its done better, and I take you at your word. I only wish I could have the same respect for the men who issue the orders as I have for the soldiers who follow them.
A lot of guys in your position don’t respect civilians enough to be candid with us. Good on you.
Hi, Ninjachick!
My name is Captain Marvel!
We need a Fileclerk Of Justice!
Would you like to join the superheroes!
I know it started in high school when A) they called just about every single person in my high school and B) I missed a checkbox on a scholarship website that said, “No, seriously, I don’t want the military to pay for my college education”. The calls started around this time in 12th grade. They continued for the better part of a year. I literally got a call from a recruiter - I forget which branch - the day before I left for college. My parents continued fielding calls for me for a month or two after I’d moved out. I have no idea why they were so interested in me - the only thing I can imagine is my SAT scores were somewhat decent and they somehow knew my sister was in the military.
I have tried telling them that I cannot join due to my height (I’m assuming, I’m really short) and my eyes. I have been told that unless I’m legally blind it can be taken care of with a waiver.
My main (paranoid and wholly irrational) concern about telling I’m diabetic or something is that I would like to someday work within the federal government, and I’m (stupidly) uncomfortable with giving false but still damning personal information to a tentacle of the federal government.
Also, there is an extremely small but still not quite impossible chance that I may decide to run for federal-level office someday (I know, I’m the worst type of scum in the world), and in the unlikely chance that I would do so, there’s a chance I would feel obligated to join the National Guard in some capacity before doing so, because in addition to being scum who may want to be a politician, I’m also a complete idiot about some things and quite possibly a hypocrite as well.
The above paragraph is under no circumstances to be read as me saying I’m interested in any way, shape, or form in joining the military at all, especially not at this point in my life. It simply means I cannot say with 100% certainty that I would not consider the option of it at some point a few years down the road.
Well, OK, but it’s not like soldiers have ever been asked to take an oath of celibacy. Do other STD’s disqualify you? What if you catch it after you sign up? It just doesn’t strike me as something that would impair combat readiness. Then again, I feel that way about homosexuality, too, and look how that’s treated…
Seriously, herpes is a DQ.
If you acquire herpes or AIDS for that matter, while on active duty they’ll shuffle you off to some desk job and only the commander/first sergeant and higher chain of command are informed of it and they’ll let you stay in…presumably until your current enlistment is up.
Not a problem. I was a civilian once too.
…heck, I’ll be one again in the coming years or maybe months.
Oh, I don’t doubt you… it just doesn’t make much sense to me. HIV is a fatal disease if untreated and requires a great deal of medication and medical support with many side effects. Herpes is rarely fatal if untreated (usually requiring something else to be amiss as well) and, while uncomfortable/painful, wouldn’t seem to get in the way of being a soldier. But hey, whatever…
Again - I’m assuming it’s genital herpes that’s disqualifying and not a cold sore on your lip. Which is also sort of nonsensical to me as either of the two common herpes strains may infect either region of the body. So if you have herpes on your lip you’re fit for duty and if it’s on your pee-pee you can no longer be a soldier? Whatever…