# Trying to join military with "track marks" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 21, 2017, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129 "2017-05-21T07:14:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rider56AK907](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5e9695/32.png) [@rider56AK907](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rider56AK907)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/1 "2017-05-21T07:14:23Z")
im trying to join the national guard right now. Ive taken my asvab and scored a 77, did a back ground that came back clean except for my 4 year old O.U.I, and I’ve filled out most of the paperwork. My recruiter wants to schedule me for a physical at MEPS. I’ve been completely honest except that for that I’ve shot Meth. and my veins in my arms where I shot it, always stick out and look bigger than they should be. Its noticible if I’m wearing short sleeves, but i dont have any bruising, pin marks, or anything like that. Just my veins are bigger in that area. My recruiter told me to lie and just say that I experimented with it one time and only one time…buttt, my veins will show other wise once they take a blood sample at MEPS and look me over. Ill post some pictures. Any ideas? I want to join cuz im 25 and lost my CDL when i got my O.U.I. I never smoked weed or drank much. But i shot meth… ---
**Author:** ![rider56AK907](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5e9695/32.png) [@rider56AK907](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rider56AK907)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/2 "2017-05-21T07:26:40Z")
HERE ARE SOME PICS OF WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT 1. My veins in a “V-Shape”. i only shot into my inner arm btw. no where else [http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd435/rider56AK/20170520\_202317.jpg](http://s1219.photobucket.com/user/rider56AK/media/20170520_202317.jpg.html) 2. My right arm again. what it looks like in dif lighting. [http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd435/rider56AK/20170520\_195925.jpg](http://s1219.photobucket.com/user/rider56AK/media/20170520_195925.jpg.html) 3. left arm while im relaxed. less noticable [http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd435/rider56AK/20170520\_230509.jpg](http://s1219.photobucket.com/user/rider56AK/media/20170520_230509.jpg.html) 4. right arm again while laying down and relaxed. way less noticable [http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd435/rider56AK/20170520\_230453.jpg](http://s1219.photobucket.com/user/rider56AK/media/20170520_230453.jpg.html) ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/3 "2017-05-21T07:28:32Z")
> [@rider56AK907](#): > > im trying to join the national guard right now. Ive taken my asvab and scored a 77, did a back ground that came back clean except for my 4 year old O.U.I, and I’ve filled out most of the paperwork. My recruiter wants to schedule me for a physical at MEPS. I’ve been completely honest except that for that I’ve shot Meth. and my veins in my arms where I shot it, always stick out and look bigger than they should be. Its noticible if I’m wearing short sleeves, but i dont have any bruising, pin marks, or anything like that. Just my veins are bigger in that area. > My recruiter told me to lie and just say that I experimented with it one time and only one time…buttt, my veins will show other wise once they take a blood sample at MEPS and look me over. Ill post some pictures. Any ideas? I want to join cuz im 25 and lost my CDL when i got my O.U.I. I never smoked weed or drank much. But i shot meth… Just do it. What do you have to lose? They either reject you or they don’t. ---
**Author:** ![rider56AK907](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5e9695/32.png) [@rider56AK907](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rider56AK907)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/4 "2017-05-21T07:31:22Z")
did you look at the pics in the links… i dont know how i could lie about that for too long… my recruiter told me to just say ive done it once and it was experimental…butt 4 different veins are sticking out…that adds up to at least 4 times… ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/5 "2017-05-21T07:42:40Z")
Does it say somewhere that past IV drug use is an absolute disqualifier? Just tell them that you used to donate plasma. ---
**Author:** ![rider56AK907](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5e9695/32.png) [@rider56AK907](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rider56AK907)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/6 "2017-05-21T07:51:30Z")
yeah hard drugs are a automatic disqualifier but theyll let you slide if u only did it once experimentally. ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/7 "2017-05-21T07:59:30Z")
So they either take you or reject you. What do have to lose? ---
**Author:** ![rider56AK907](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5e9695/32.png) [@rider56AK907](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rider56AK907)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/8 "2017-05-21T08:04:33Z")
nothing. nothing at all. but what if the docs at MEPS dont notice my veins as “track marks” and send me to boot camp in a different state then when i go through the screening process there they notice my veins and go “wtf?” ---
**Author:** ![rider56AK907](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5e9695/32.png) [@rider56AK907](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rider56AK907)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/9 "2017-05-21T08:08:15Z")
Or they see them and ask what theyre from? i cant say that ive donated plasma so manny times that my veins have scar tissue that never fully heals. or can i say that i have get blood draws all the time either. I was kinda hoping they wouldnt give a shit and just send me out since i can at least pass an ASVAB and physical exam ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/10 "2017-05-21T08:08:39Z")
Same thing, they either reject you then or ignore it. You still have nothing to lose. ---
**Author:** ![rider56AK907](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5e9695/32.png) [@rider56AK907](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rider56AK907)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/11 "2017-05-21T08:23:23Z")
youre a moron. im saying what if they dont catch it the first time but it gets aught later on say in bootcamp. Do you even know the consequesnces of lying in the miliarty. its illegal i think, and id iimagaine a huge pain in the ass to get back to normal again. theres a lot to lose if i dont have a lot. itll just dig me deeper into a hole. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/12 "2017-05-21T09:05:10Z")
I don’t know if drug use will disqualify you, but is there any kind of minimum academic requirement? Such as the ability to write sentences with reasonably correct punctuation and spelling? It looks like you might have trouble with that. ---
**Author:** ![rider56AK907](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5e9695/32.png) [@rider56AK907](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rider56AK907)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/13 "2017-05-21T10:12:57Z")
1. yes im pretty sure past drug use like meth disqualifies you. 2. you obviously cant read too well. My first post said i passed the academic test. 3. my computers laggy right now and my punctuation is fine. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/14 "2017-05-21T10:16:36Z")
That looks like nothing to me. ---
**Author:** ![rider56AK907](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5e9695/32.png) [@rider56AK907](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rider56AK907)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/15 "2017-05-21T10:25:34Z")
really?you looked at all the pictures? ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/16 "2017-05-21T10:26:08Z")
> [@rider56AK907](#): > > … my punctuation is fine. I think you need to work on your capital letters and apostrophes. ---
**Author:** ![rider56AK907](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5e9695/32.png) [@rider56AK907](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rider56AK907)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/17 "2017-05-21T10:33:00Z")
k. I’m not worried about my punctuation and capitalization of letters for an internet post. I can spell and punctuate perfectly fine if I want to. I’m actually wondering if the pictures I posted links to got looked at. Because, after I just read these other articles about lying in the military, it seems like I shouldn’t even go to MEPS if I’m just going to be disqualified for past hard drug use and nothing else. ---
**Author:** ![RememberMe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5fc32e/32.png) [@RememberMe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RememberMe)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/18 "2017-05-21T10:36:54Z")
Your arms look normal. If you are that worried, start donating blood plasma. That way if someone questions your veins, you can say it is from donating plasma. Also, I will never tell anyone to lie in order to get into the military, but it is your future, and if something in the past will prevent you from a career that will benefit you, well, you gotta do what you gotta do. That being said, if you start off with a lie, you have to stick to that story for the rest of your career. No super secret jobs where they ask the same questions while hooked up to a polygraph. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/19 "2017-05-21T10:44:26Z")
I believe people with a history of drug use are prohibited from donating blood. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/20 "2017-05-21T10:48:05Z")
> [@rider56AK907](#): > > im trying to join the national guard right now. Ive taken my asvab and scored a 77, did a back ground that came back clean except for my 4 year old O.U.I, and I’ve filled out most of the paperwork. My recruiter wants to schedule me for a physical at MEPS. I’ve been completely honest except that for that I’ve shot Meth. and my veins in my arms where I shot it, always stick out and look bigger than they should be. Its noticible if I’m wearing short sleeves, but i dont have any bruising, pin marks, or anything like that. Just my veins are bigger in that area. > My recruiter told me to lie and just say that I experimented with it one time and only one time…buttt, my veins will show other wise once they take a blood sample at MEPS and look me over. Ill post some pictures. Any ideas? I want to join cuz im 25 and lost my CDL when i got my O.U.I. I never smoked weed or drank much. But i shot meth… In other words, you weren’t completely honest. Also, if there was anything that came back on the background check that you had not already told the recruiter about (as in: wrote that in your application for enlistment), then you’re done for. > [@rider56AK907](#): > > yeah hard drugs are a automatic disqualifier but theyll let you slide if u only did it once experimentally. “They” won’t let you slide. What you can do is apply for a waiver. There is a limit on how many waivers a recruiting district will receive. You won’t get that waiver if you did not already admit to “experimental use” (and that’s not a euphemism; it means experimental, not doing it so often you get track marks) on your application for enlistment. > [@rider56AK907](#): > > nothing. nothing at all. but what if the docs at MEPS dont notice my veins as “track marks” and send me to boot camp in a different state then when i go through the screening process there they notice my veins and go “wtf?” The doctors at the MEPS definitely will notice. > [@rider56AK907](#): > > Or they see them and ask what theyre from? i cant say that ive donated plasma so manny times that my veins have scar tissue that never fully heals. or can i say that i have get blood draws all the time either. I was kinda hoping they wouldnt give a shit and just send me out since i can at least pass an ASVAB and physical exam The doctors know the difference between a drug addict’s track marks and what may be left behind by donating blood. Your plan to offer a false explanation is known as perjury. That also is a crime. > [@rider56AK907](#): > > youre a moron. im saying what if they dont catch it the first time but it gets aught later on say in bootcamp. Do you even know the consequesnces of lying in the miliarty. its illegal i think, and id iimagaine a huge pain in the ass to get back to normal again. theres a lot to lose if i dont have a lot. itll just dig me deeper into a hole. Of course it’ll be caught in MEPS. What the doctors at basic training will be checking for is indication of recent drug use. The consequences of that are you will most likely just be given an entry-level separation. It’ll be up to the recruiting district to turn over the case to a federal prosecutor if there is evidence that you committed perjury. > [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > I don’t know if drug use will disqualify you, but is there any kind of minimum academic requirement? Such as the ability to write sentences with reasonably correct punctuation and spelling? It looks like you might have trouble with that. The [ASVAB](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armed_Services_Vocational_Aptitude_Battery#Current) score isn’t as straight-forward as the OP seems to make out. The overall score determines one’s tier for enlistment qualification; the combination of certain scores within the ASVAB determine what MOS one may pursue. > [@rider56AK907](#): > > 1. yes im pretty sure past drug use like meth disqualifies you. 2. you obviously cant read too well. My first post said i passed the academic test. 3. my computers laggy right now and my punctuation is fine. 1. Habitual use automatically disqualifies you. 2. The military is pretty strong on people following rules. For example, this site has a rule against insulting others outside of The BBQ Pit. Also, you did not “pass the academic test”. Check the link I provided above. 3. No, your punctuation is not fine. It’s on its death bed, along with the semblance of grammar and spelling that attempts to rear its head in your posts. Q: So, what do we have here? A: Someone who apparently thinks that the military is a last-chance shot at a job, someone who habitually uses drugs, and someone who plans to perjure himself to get into the military. That’s not a recipe for success. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129.md?page=2)