# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/41 "2017-05-21T17:12:14Z")
Nobody has a comment about the recruiter that is telling people to lie just so he can make his quota? ---
**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, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/42 "2017-05-21T17:16:05Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Nobody has a comment about the recruiter that is telling people to lie just so he can make his quota? I doubt the recruiter did that. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/43 "2017-05-21T17:25:57Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > I doubt the recruiter did that. You doubt recruiters lie, or you just doubt this account? ---
**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, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/44 "2017-05-21T17:34:55Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Nobody has a comment about the recruiter that is telling people to lie just so he can make his quota? Target, not quota. Apparently. I remember we used to have a recruiter on this board who got very snotty about the distinction. ---
**Author:** ![Graymalkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@Graymalkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Graymalkin)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/45 "2017-05-21T17:44:14Z")
Jesus. Your arms look fine. Just don’t bring it up. If they ask, just say what your recruiter told you to say. I’m assuming you’ve distanced yourself psychologically or emotionally from wanting to do it again. I don’t think anyone, unless they have some kind of vengeful streak in them, gives a sweet shit whether you’ve shot meth or not. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/46 "2017-05-21T17:48:06Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > I believe people with a history of drug use are prohibited from donating blood. You are correct. People with a history of IV drug use usually have other health issues that could disqualify them for the military. The OP needs to be honest about what he’s done; lying can AND WILL come back to bite him eventually. ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/47 "2017-05-21T17:57:18Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Target, not quota. Apparently. I remember we used to have a recruiter on this board who got very snotty about the distinction. and it’s pronounced throatwarbler mangrove. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/48 "2017-05-21T17:59:06Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Target, not quota. Apparently. I remember we used to have a recruiter on this board who got very snotty about the distinction. Lackland AFB isn’t an old luxury resort … no condos, no pools, no serving girls … everyone in my family had served so I was hip to the rhetoric … poor fella I came in with was in tears that first night … Not lies … just recruitment devices … no harm no foul I say … it’s not like they said my barracks room at my first duty assignment would come with a live-in prostitute or anything … ---
**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, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/49 "2017-05-21T18:07:06Z")
Is that a quote? What’s it from? ---
**Author:** ![Beren\_Erchamion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/90ced4/32.png) [@Beren\_Erchamion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beren_Erchamion)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/50 "2017-05-21T18:51:39Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > 1. IV meth use > 2. Drunk driving > 3. ASVAB score of 77 > > Something here smells like a bad fit … you do not sound like somebody who takes orders well … may I suggest the skilled trades … there’s a bigger shortage of carpenters than there is a shortage of soldiers … plus you won’t have to cut your hair … It also has the added advantage that you’re not, you know, helping to kill people. Which is kinda important, since killing another person is not something that can ever be morally justified, for any reason, under any circumstances. We all have God’s divine spark in us, we’re all brothers and sisters, and we’re all obligated to treat one another with love and compassion and warmth, even if a particular brother or sister is not reciprocating. ---
**Author:** ![GiantRat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@GiantRat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GiantRat)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/51 "2017-05-21T19:13:13Z")
If your ambition is mechanic, truck driver, etc, as you say it is… guess what? There’s a good chance you’ll need a national security clearance. Want to work on planes? Secret at minimum, usually Top Secret. Want to drive SF folks into harms way? Classified systems in the Humvee. Clearance. Any cleared gig requires an investigation. Depending on the level of sensitivity, it can be rigorous. Based on what you’ve already posted, I can tell you know that you’ll fail a polygraph. Stay clean for a few years, grow up a little bit. Revisit your options. ---
**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, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/52 "2017-05-21T19:16:26Z")
I think the OP could benefit from a bit of therapy. Seriously, there is **absolutely** nothing unusual **at all** about your arms. They don’t have track marks and you don’t even have unusual vascularity. The fact that you are so distressed about something that only you see is concerning. ---
**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, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/53 "2017-05-21T19:17:14Z")
> [@GiantRat](#): > > I can tell you know that you’ll fail a polygraph. Polygraphs are junk science. Liars frequently pass them. Honest people frequently fail them. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/54 "2017-05-21T19:42:41Z")
Rider- Don’t lie. I say again, do not lie. That opens you up to looking over your shoulder constantly wondering if anyone will notice and check. Since you’ve been truthful about having used meth you can expect it to come up during medical processing regardless of whether they notice your veins or not. A couple things to look at all from this [cit](https://www.thebalance.com/us-military-enlistment-standards-3354008)e: - Were you physically or psychologically dependent? That’s going to be a big deal. - Definition of “experimenter” > [@](#): > > one who has illegally, wrongfully, or improperly used any narcotic substance, marijuana, or dangerous drug, for reasons of curiosity, peer pressure, or other similar reason. The exact number of times drugs were used, is not necessarily as important as determining the category of use and the impact of the drug use on the user’s lifestyle, the intent of the user, the circumstances of use, and the psychological makeup of the user. An individual whose drug experimentation/use has resulted in some form of medical, psychiatric, or psychological treatment; a conviction or adverse juvenile adjudication; or loss of employment does not fall within the limits of this category. For administrative purposes, determination of the category should be within the judgment of either the district or recruiting station commanding officer, aided by medical, legal, and moral advice, with information as available from investigative sources. There are some pieces in that cite about marijuana and times of use that the Air Force uses to determine disqualification unless you get a waiver. I’m going to guess you’d be in the disqualified entirely or possibly eligible with a waiver group after MEPS based on your OP. If you can present your entirely truthful story clearly, in terms that make it easy to categorize where you fall against the standards, that’s to your benefit. That piece is on you. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/55 "2017-05-21T20:46:26Z")
**Moderator Note** > [@Beren\_Erchamion](#): > > It also has the added advantage that you’re not, you know, helping to kill people. Which is kinda important, since killing another person is not something that can ever be morally justified, for any reason, under any circumstances. We all have God’s divine spark in us, we’re all brothers and sisters, and we’re all obligated to treat one another with love and compassion and warmth, even if a particular brother or sister is not reciprocating. Witnessing is only to be done in the Great Debates forum. Please do not preach in GQ. ---
**Author:** ![Grim\_Render](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@Grim\_Render](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grim_Render)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/56 "2017-05-21T20:57:02Z")
Rider, exactly how long is it since you shot meth? Because the spelling, lack of punctuation and capitalization like you are writing really fast and urgent together with the out-of-proportion worry about something only you can see… those are not signs that your meth use is in the far past. ---
**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/57 "2017-05-21T20:59:02Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Could a highly intelligent dyslexic who has trouble with writing have a military career? I am dyslexic (look at some of my other posts where i did not re-read before clicking, since can not touch type, i have to look at the keyboard on and off, hence reading it. LoL) it would all depend on how well you have learned to cope. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/58 "2017-05-21T21:56:24Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Polygraphs are junk science. Liars frequently pass them. Honest people frequently fail them. And…AFAIK, the US military doesn’t use them. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/59 "2017-05-21T22:04:51Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > > [@watchwolf49](#): > > > > Lackland AFB isn’t an old luxury resort … no condos, no pools, no serving girls … [snip] > > Is that a quote? What’s it from? Goldie Hawn’s movie _Private Benjamin_ … nice catch … ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129/60 "2017-05-21T22:10:30Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > I think the OP could benefit from a bit of therapy. Seriously, there is **absolutely** nothing unusual **at all** about your arms. They don’t have track marks and you don’t even have unusual vascularity. The fact that you are so distressed about something that only you see is concerning. My thoughts too **Ambi**. I’ve seen lots and lots of people with veins that look like that. It’s completely normal. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-join-military-with-track-marks/787129.md?page=4)