I’m having to slid over to Monty’s position here. All these “black eyes” on your record are starting to add up, and I’m not hearing any “feather’s-in-cap” that could balance things out (are you an Eagle Scout, junior deacan at your church, volunteer time at the local cattery). Whatever the wisdom of cutting 40,000 slots, there’s still the fact that recruiting may well be tightening up.
I joined in the early '80’s, early in the all-volunteer era … I think it was less than a month between my first contact with the recruiter and basic training, it takes longer these days.
That ain’t how it works. I agree with you, signs indicate this guy would probably be considered a dirtbag/shitbag. But the way the military works, either you qualify or you don’t. They don’t “balance” anything - if you have enough crimes they know about that you need a waiver, either you get the waiver or you won’t get in. The waiver granter might care if you are a choir boy but probably will just follow blindly whatever the “policy” is.
If he doesn’t need a waiver (when I skimmed the regs it looks like he doesn’t), he’s in. As long as there aren’t enough convictions to need the waiver, his ASVAB is high enough, and he looks like he can pass PT, that’s all they care about. Oh, and that bit of brain surgery to release pressure on his skull - they do care about that one. Pretty sure something like that automatically requires a waiver. That’s what will sink him if anything does - with the tightening up of recruiting, they probably are more reluctant to grant waivers of any type. Also, the ASVAB requirements have probably risen - though 73 is pretty good.
The recruiter is the best resource as the SME expert on both the standards and what’s flying for waivers. The recruiter has a motivation to get people in. MEPS personnel may not go as far out of their way. The medical issue may be the biggest issue with the 5 years test answering a lot.
I’ve signed off as the first commissioned officer on waiver request packets for potential recruits who’s backgrounds were in some ways worse, although still waiverable, than your issues. That assumes your presentation is accurate. (I swear one of the recruiters supporting my multiple unit armory in the Guard viewed the county jail as prime recruiting terrain. :smack: ) I don’t recall any of them having three specific events though. Severity versus count is an interesting issue. Your recruiter is the best source on what is possible and the odds at this moment. Don’t surprise them.
I would characterize my service differently than Habeed does in trying to talk you down. My time in uniform includes some of the most rewarding, developmental, and meaningful experiences in my life. Joining was absolutely the best decision I ever made. It’s not right for everyone. Habeed points out real issues with aspects of the profession of arms. Suck gets dished out by the bucketful. Teddy Roosevelt said “Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” If your best prize is different, don’t join. If you aren’t prepared for large helpings of hard, stop now. If you don’t see the work as worth doing for its own sake, don’t join. You do have some real issues that make enlistment, at best, very improbable. There’s real effort on your part to take the shot. If it takes us blowing smoke up your ass about the odds so you put the time in, you’ll probably be unhappy if you succeed.
If you can read the last paragraph and still feel the calling, let your recruiter know all your issues. You might be able to increase the odds here late in the fiscal year if you are willing to take any unpopular specialty that they have a hard time filling. I’d start working a backup plan though.
One of my NCOs related that he’d told the recruiter he wanted to “run around in the woods with a gun.” He ended up riding around the woods with a bunch of tools fixing tanks. He was in the woods…
That’s a different bubble to pop if he chooses to embrace the suck.
How exactly does one get thrown in jail or a ticket because someone said they saw you smoking marijuana? Without you know actually being caught in possession.
And in the OP what is unofficial probation?
I’m familiar with the states legal system and neither of these make sense.
It sounds like you have a real desire to be a sniper. The chances that they will let you be a sniper once in means you have to jump through a fair number of hoops and it appears to be a fairly competitive position. Are you OK with not being a sniper once in? You need to ask yourself that because chances are far from guaranteed that your dream will be realized.
Its a period of transition in the military right now. They are shrinking the force so they will be a lot more picky about who they let in than they used to be. Its already been that way for a few years now and it doesn’t look like its getting any better anytime soon. The subdural hematoma issue won’t really surface unless you yourself bring it up. However the legal issues may be a whole other ball of wax completely. I had a legal issue when I joined in 2008, and it took a while to sort out before I could join. I got lucky in the timing when I joined it was right before the recession really hit.
I got a $40,000 bonus when I joined, 20k for quickship and 20k for my MOS I talked to people who joined less than a year after me in the same MOS who literally got no bonus, it was incredible. For those wondering I know for a fact that nowadays if you get any kind of judicial sentencing that involves some kind of leniency in return for you agreeing to join the military you are legally barred from actually joining the military according to their regulations, although I hear that exact thing was fairly common back in the 70’s, you also can’t join if you are on any form of probation.
You should be upfront about any and all legal issues you have because if its possible for you to get in even with those problems your recruiter will help you but if you lie or bring it up later he won’t waste any more time on you.
I was only in a little over 4 and a half years but I saw the changes even in that short period of time I was in. They were desperate for people when I first joined splurging on bonuses and such and people not getting kicked out for getting in minor legal trouble or being overweight. But the last two years I was in I saw people getting kicked out left and right for legal problems some of which weren’t even that bad and getting kicked out with no VA benefits at that. I also saw them really start getting rid of people that were overweight and couldn’t pass tape and failed PT tests. I had a secret clearance and saw people getting in deep shit for doing things that damaged their credit like not paying their creditors. Its a whole different ballgame compared to how it was just a few years back.
I don’t think this is training that the military gives … one would already have to be a very good shot, then maybe you can get into the sharp-shooting corps … the OP needs to be ready if this isn’t an option for him.
I say tell your recruiter. He’ll be able to see if he can fudge it. I’ve known some who’d say, “keep that to yourself.” Keep it to yourself and you’re good to go.
I knew a guy in Basic who failed to disclose a DUI. They were probably kicking him out (I don’t know what happened to him. He stayed behind after we all graduated still trying to find his fate). This was in late 2004, when the military was all, “hey, maybe Iraq isn’t going to go so smooth and we need people.”
So yeah, they’re cutting people left and right. You’re probably not getting in.
The subdural might be a problem as a have a small scar at the top of my head where hair doesn’t grow but should I ask my recruiter what I should and should disclose? I’ve been attending our PT sessions and my juvenile history in no way will make me an issue to unit cohesion. I’ll do any job I want to get outdoors and get some trigger time though, meaning not a cook. And yeah, it seems hard to get in under this presidency, political beliefs aside. One recruiter I disclosed this information I talk about (I disclosed less than I spoke about in this thread) wasn’t interested in me when I was done talking, but it’s all about selling yourself. He said maybe if things pop off in the Middle East I’ll be the first one he calls. I can’t go army because they have a zero tolerance policy.
Bad advice. If it’s discovered that the recruiter knew or should have known what he was “fudging,” then the recruiter can be prosecuted and/or discharged.
Also bad advice. Again, the recruiter is opening himself/herself up to some bad juju.
[qutoe]I knew a guy in Basic who failed to disclose a DUI. They were probably kicking him out (I don’t know what happened to him. He stayed behind after we all graduated still trying to find his fate). This was in late 2004, when the military was all, “hey, maybe Iraq isn’t going to go so smooth and we need people.”
So yeah, they’re cutting people left and right. You’re probably not getting in.
[/QUOTE]
When I enlisted in the Navy out of high school, the recruiter requested the names of anyone else who might be interested in joining. Only one I could think of was Steve. Had no idea Steve had a record.
Let alone that the record was for Grand Theft Auto.
The suits said they would and I didn’t see anything in the UCMJ that said they couldn’t. Making a false statement on a DD Form 398 is a military crime, subject to military discipline with military punishments. The pisser part was they’d already given me access … [wolfish grin] … opps !!!
