# So It Is That I Will Soon Become The Most Hated Member of The SDMB!! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 29, 2005, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-is-that-i-will-soon-become-the-most-hated-member-of-the-sdmb/333191 "2005-11-29T11:30:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-is-that-i-will-soon-become-the-most-hated-member-of-the-sdmb/333191/1 "2005-11-29T11:30:14Z")
Today I received a most disappointing, demotivating, and down right depressing letter via email. In part it reads: > [@](#): > > YOU HAVE BEEN PLACED ON ASSIGNMENT TO REC/RET SCHOOL FT KNOX, KY, WITH A TENTATIVE REPORT DATE OF 20060628. ASSIGNMENT > INSTRUCTIONS HAVE BEEN FORWARDED TO YOUR PERSONNEL SERVICE BATTALION/MILITARY PERSONNEL DIVISION (PSB/MPD) FOR PROCESSING. > > ASSIGNED TO UIC: (info del) (Recruiter School) (FT JACKSON, SC) > REPORTING DATE: 20060628 > REQUISITION CONTROL AND SERIAL NUMBER: (del) > REQUISITION MOS: 11B2P > > **THIS ASSIGNMENT IS MADE AS AN EXCEPTION TO TIME ON STATION RULES. APPROPRIATE WAIVERS HAVE BEEN APPROVED. _SOLDIER WILL COMPLY WITH ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS_.** I feel like crying! For those still confused… Basically when I leave Korea in February, I WILL NOT be returning to the Special Forces Qualification Course, but instead be sent to Recruiting School!! Despite the fact that I don’t want to, never voluteered and never want to be one, the Army thinks I would make a good recruiter and have made the decision for me. Also, they decided to go ahead and submit and approve waivers on my behalf. The waivers are necessary because I currently have only two years left on my enlistment instead of the required three for recruiting. Though I had planned - and still probably will - reenlist in January, they don’t know that. … So anyway, thats all I feel like saying for now. I think I will go lay in the dark for a while. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-is-that-i-will-soon-become-the-most-hated-member-of-the-sdmb/333191/2 "2005-11-29T11:48:04Z")
They can do this? They can just send you somewhere you don’t want to go, for a year longer than you’ve agreed to serve? ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-is-that-i-will-soon-become-the-most-hated-member-of-the-sdmb/333191/3 "2005-11-29T11:51:24Z")
I take it the guy you report to in Korea can’t pull any strings for you? That sucks man. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-is-that-i-will-soon-become-the-most-hated-member-of-the-sdmb/333191/4 "2005-11-29T12:00:48Z")
> [@Priceguy](#): > > They can do this? They can just send you somewhere you don’t want to go, for a year longer than you’ve agreed to serve? Yep. The military doesn’t send you where you want to go. It doesn’t even send you necessarily where you’re best suited to go. It sends you where you are needed. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-is-that-i-will-soon-become-the-most-hated-member-of-the-sdmb/333191/5 "2005-11-29T12:01:19Z")
And increases your tour without asking? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-is-that-i-will-soon-become-the-most-hated-member-of-the-sdmb/333191/6 "2005-11-29T12:02:37Z")
I should elaborate. While it is true that a servicemember’s preferences and their special skills will be given due deference by a detailer, the needs of the service will always take priority. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-is-that-i-will-soon-become-the-most-hated-member-of-the-sdmb/333191/7 "2005-11-29T12:03:34Z")
**Bear\_Nenno** , recruiters are not intrinsically evil. Do your job well, with honor and integrity, and I don’t see how any but the most strident anti-military can have a problem with it. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-is-that-i-will-soon-become-the-most-hated-member-of-the-sdmb/333191/8 "2005-11-29T12:05:25Z")
> [@Mr. Moto](#): > > It sends you where you are needed. Yup. All they see is a NCO with a 144 GT Score… and they think “Wow, he should be a recruiter!” And nobody can override orders from Recruiting Command. Suprisingly, as I’ve recently discovered, not even Special Operations Command. ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-is-that-i-will-soon-become-the-most-hated-member-of-the-sdmb/333191/9 "2005-11-29T12:29:44Z")
Ahh, you should make a great recruiter. Well, as long as there’s no math involved. 😃 It sucks that you’re being (sorta kinda) railroaded into a position you don’t want but if it keeps you in a safe place then I’m glad. I don’t wanna lose my younger quintuplet brother. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-is-that-i-will-soon-become-the-most-hated-member-of-the-sdmb/333191/10 "2005-11-29T12:30:26Z")
My cousin in law was a recruiter for the Marines. Great guy. He also delivered his wife’s Mary Kay sales to women at the offices in his uniform. :::::swooooooon:::::: Maybe you should look into selling Mary Kay. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-is-that-i-will-soon-become-the-most-hated-member-of-the-sdmb/333191/11 "2005-11-29T12:33:11Z")
> [@Mr. Moto](#): > > While it is true that a servicemember’s preferences and their special skills will be given due deference by a detailer, the needs of the service will always take priority. That I understand. I have much more problem with the extra year. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-is-that-i-will-soon-become-the-most-hated-member-of-the-sdmb/333191/12 "2005-11-29T12:39:12Z")
FWIW based on your ability to express yourself and your (usually) gung ho attitude, I think you’ll make a great recruiter and those skills, if developed, will make you a lot more attractive to post military employers than being able to kill men at a glance with your special forces kung fu. The ability to sell the mission is a super critical skill. The only pisser is that this is a time when that job is going to be made super tough by the danger and questions about the rationale of the war. It does take intestinal fortitude. Some recruiters fall apart under the strain of this difficult task. Don’t let this happen to you. I know you can’t do it, but it would be an great opportunity to get fake prosthetic hook and pound the table in front of a wavering recruit and shout “the Arny made me the man I am today!” then put a pen between the hooks and offer it to him to sign up. ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-is-that-i-will-soon-become-the-most-hated-member-of-the-sdmb/333191/13 "2005-11-29T12:41:48Z")
Most hated doper for becoming a recruiter? Nah. I’ve got friends in the military and one of them is a recruiter. Of course, you could be a republican and a recruiter. That’d be the kiss of death right there. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cheez\_Whia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Cheez\_Whia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheez_Whia)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-is-that-i-will-soon-become-the-most-hated-member-of-the-sdmb/333191/14 "2005-11-29T12:47:30Z")
> [@Priceguy](#): > > That I understand. I have much more problem with the extra year. If I understand the OP correctly, that was why he needed the waivers. He doesn’t have three years on his enlistment, as required. His enlistment isn’t being extended for another year without his permission. Someone correct me if I’m wrong. And good luck **Bear\_Nenno**! ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-is-that-i-will-soon-become-the-most-hated-member-of-the-sdmb/333191/15 "2005-11-29T12:55:48Z")
**Bear** , does this mean that you be able to make it down to a Florida Dopefest from SC? We all missed you at this last one. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-is-that-i-will-soon-become-the-most-hated-member-of-the-sdmb/333191/16 "2005-11-29T12:56:55Z")
> [@Priceguy](#): > > That I understand. I have much more problem with the extra year. Just to clear this one up. They will not be extending me an extra year. The waiver says I will go to Recruiter School _despite_ not being able to serve as a recruiter for the required 3 years. BUT, they will pressure me into extending for an extra year when I get to the school. I can stand my ground and refuse to reenlist and ultimately that is my option and then I would be a recruiter for just 2 years and then get out. But what the Army is counting on - I’m sure - is that I am going to reenlist anyway. This happens to be the case. I actually AM going to reenlist. I made that decision long before I was assigned to recruiter school. I just have to wait until I am in my reenlistment window. And that comes up in a couple months. So basically I will end up reporting to the school with 7 years left instead of 5. And because of that, I _will_ end up serving 3 years as a recruiter. I think this is what the Army counts on when they send people to recruiter school with less than 2 years left in the Army. They hope those soldiers will reenlist or extend their current enlistment. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-is-that-i-will-soon-become-the-most-hated-member-of-the-sdmb/333191/17 "2005-11-29T13:07:07Z")
Is it possible for you to negotiate that you re-enlist only if you get out of the recruiting gig? ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-is-that-i-will-soon-become-the-most-hated-member-of-the-sdmb/333191/18 "2005-11-29T13:17:01Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > **Bear** , does this mean that you be able to make it down to a Florida Dopefest from SC? We all missed you at this last one. Better than that! Only the school is in SC, after that I could be stationed anywhere. And from what I hear, everyone is getting their station of choice. So what it means is that I can spend 3 years back home in Tampa, with a very safe and cushy (yet stressful) office job. One that offers a take home car, $400,000 life insurance, extra money for food and living expenses, and an expense account. There would be no chance of deployment and I could actually go back to college and finish the semester and a half I need for my BA. Also, there is excellent oppurtunity for promotion and advancement. So there is no reason I shouldn’t have another promotion by August or so of next year. If not earlier. … Some people would give their left nut for this oppurtunity. The stability and safety from being deployed are usually the most desired benefits. But those people are not the same kind of person who send a dozen and a half emails to Branch last year requesting an assignment in the desert. Ironic how the Army sends people to war when they dont want to go. And keep those who try desperately to go, back home where it’s safe. Most people I talk to - and most of you will agree with them - but they think I must have an angel on my shoulder. At the end of my recruiter service, I will have served 7 years in the military - as an infantryman no less - through the heart of two major conflicts (maybe even more by that time) and I will not have deployed ONCE!!! Some people will think that I am fortunate, and I am lucking out. I feel that it makes me a worthless shitbag. And ultimately, that’s my biggest problem with becoming a recruiter. I did not sign on for a desk job. All my training up until now has been to better my ability at leading infantry soldiers in combat. And without ever having performed where it counts, I will be going to sit behind a desk where I will get others to sign up and do what I never did. Should I feel hypocritical that I may talk young men and women into signing up and going to war; into possibly dieing in combat when I haven’t even been myself!? I think this is the biggest problem I have. Well, next to the fact that my military career goals will not be put on hold for three MORE years. But like everything else, I will give it my all and do my best. If the Army wants me to be a recruiter, then I will be the best damn recruiter they’ve ever seen. . . ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-is-that-i-will-soon-become-the-most-hated-member-of-the-sdmb/333191/19 "2005-11-29T13:18:14Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > Is it possible for you to negotiate that you re-enlist only if you get out of the recruiting gig? lol. I actually thought of that one. But there’s no chance there. The Army would rather me be a recruiter for two years, than something else for 10. Silly maybe, but not considering the number of people I will enlist in that two years. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-is-that-i-will-soon-become-the-most-hated-member-of-the-sdmb/333191/20 "2005-11-29T13:21:30Z")
> [@](#): > > …that my military career goals will _not_ be put on hold for three MORE years This should say "career goals will _now_ be put on hold… " [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-is-that-i-will-soon-become-the-most-hated-member-of-the-sdmb/333191.md?page=2)