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 We've been doing this for eight? years now We've recently had an influx of people who have degrees wanting to enlist. Follow the chart below, and see question #5.  Thanks Ixian! First thread (archived) http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1696489 Second thread (archived) http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2420550 Third thread: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3180090 Fourth thread: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3343448 -- What does this thread mean to you? If you're thinking about enlisting, ROTC programs, attending a service academy, pursuing a commission, about to sign a contract, have already joined the service and still have questions or if you want to talk with other goon service members. 1) What are some websites I can go to for basic information about the military? 2) What’s the difference between Active Duty, National Guard and Reserves? 3) What is basic training like? 4) I am in college or starting college and want to join the military. What are my options? 5) Tell me about OCS! 6) Tell me about going from enlisted to officer. 7) I have done drugs in the past, will this disqualify me? 8) I have a physical condition/past surgery that limits my abilities, will this disqualify me? 9) I have used or AM USING prescription medication for a mental health issue, will this disqualify me? 10) I’m overweight and out of shape! Help! 11) How soon would I go to Iraq or Afghanistan if I joined? 12) What are my chances of getting [insert school here]? 13) How do I become Airborne? 14) How do I become a Ranger? 15) How do I become a Sniper? 16) Which is right for me? Enlisted vs officer? 17) How do I fly for the Navy/Air Force/Army Helos? 18) How do I become a linguist? 19) How do I become a lawyer (JAG)? 20) What’s the military’s policy on homosexuality aka Don’t Ask Don’t Tell? 21) How do I become a DoD civilian? I want to play with all the cool toys, but don't like taking orders or the moving every 2 years or forced overtime. 22) How do I become a defense contractor? I want to build weapons and get in on some of this pork and waste! 23) I’m a liberal and afraid of politics in the military. Advice? 24) What do all your TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms) mean?! 25) Tell me about Navy Nuclear Propulsion jobs! 26) Tell me about being in the Army National Guard! 27) I'm worried I did _________________ and won't get a security clearance. Help! 1. What are some websites I can go to for basic information about the military? The best site is http://usmilitary.about.com/ it's current and maintained by retired military. However, you can also explore each branch specifically: Air Force: https://www.airforce.com Army: https://www.goarmy.com Navy: https://www.navy.com Marines: https://www.marines.com Coast Guard: http://www.gocoastguard.com/ 2. What’s the difference between Active Duty, National Guard and Reserves? Taken from http://www.goarmy.com: Active Duty is similar to working at a full-time civilian job. There are hours when Soldiers must be training or performing their jobs and then there are off-hours when Soldiers can do what they like. For an Active Duty Soldier, length of service can range from two to six years. The Army Reserve is more like a part-time job that enables Soldiers to keep their civilian careers while they continue to train near home and serve their country. Many professionals as well as college students are Soldiers in the Army Reserve. Soldiers in the Army Reserve typically spend one weekend a month in training, and attend a two-week Field Training Exercise (FTX) once a year. Service options for the Army Reserve range from three to six years, depending on the individual’s Army job and where their Army Reserve Center is located. In addition, Soldiers in the Army Reserve may be called up to Active Duty (called “activation”). The National Guard is much like the Reserves, except that they are under the control of the State government. At any time, they can be federalized and called to active duty, much like the Reserves. 3. What is basic training like? First off, realize millions of people have done it before you, and millions of people will do it after you. Don't be first, don't be last, don't do anything to stand out. The first phase will suck, but after your body will adapt and it will start to get easier. If you want a heads up, start running and learning how to fold shirts into perfect 4" squares. Outlines can be seen here: Air Force: http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/airforcejoin/a/afbmt1.htm Army: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/armyjoin/l/aaarmybasic1.htm Navy: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/navyjoin/l/aanavybasic1.htm Marines: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/marinejoin/a/marinebasic.htm & http://www.mcrdsd.usmc.mil/RTR/Copy%20of%20RTR_Matrix%201.htm 4. I am in college or starting college and want to join the military. What are my options? The websites for the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) have lots of good information on what schools have programs, what your options are at various stages in your career and how to turn that into a Commission. Most questions involving ROTC can be answered with the following websites. Air Force: https://www.afrotc.com Army: https://www.armyrotc.com Navy: https://www.nrotc.navy.mil Marines commission through Navy ROTC, and the Coast Guard does not have a ROTC program. Once you call up the detachment, ask to speak to the UAO (Unit Admissions Officer.) They are the liaison to the public and can answer all of your questions, or, of course, you can post them here. 5. Tell me about OCS! OCS/OTS is the military's way of filling slots that ROTC/Academies did not fill. Think of it as a faucet to military personnel, it is opened and closed as needed via selection boards and people taken. To attend OCS/OTS, one must have a BA/BS from an accredited university. Unlike enlisting, and medical issues aside, it is hard(er) to become an officer. To start: 1) Contact an OFFICER recruiter, do not talk to an enlisted recruiter. They will tell you things like "your GPA is not high enough," "enlisted will respect you more," or "enlist now and get a commission later." ALL OF THESE ARE FALSE. 2) Start working out. OCS/OTS expect you to be in some form of anarobic/aerobic shape when you show up. 3) Start collecting letters of recommendation emphasizing leadership, supervision, and responsibility. Community/church leaders, members of the government, and bosses from jobs are recommended. 4) Browse the associated websites for more info then we could ever hope to type out: Air Force: https://www.airforceots.com Navy: https://www.usnavyocs.com Army: https://www.armyocs.com Marines: https://www.marineocs.com Coast Guard: https://www.coastguardocs.com 6. Tell me about going from enlisted to officer. It can be done, but is harder then going officer outright. Each service has it's own method. The most common are getting your degree on AD and then applying to OCS/OTS or being released from your AD contract to attend ROTC (immediately contracting there) or going to the service academy - age restrictions apply on the ladder. Otherwise, there are other methods, read up here: Navy: Seaman to Admiral, STA-21: https://www.sta-21.navy.mil/ Army: Green to Gold: http://www.goarmy.com/rotc/enlisted_soldiers.jsp 7. I have done drugs in the past, will this disqualify me? Under certain circumstances, prior drug usage is waiverable. If you quit using, oh, 30 seconds before you walked into the door, you’re probably going to get busted on a mandatory drug test. Its best to be open with your recruiter if your youthful forays are in the distant past. 8. I have a physical condition/past surgery that limits my abilities, will this disqualify me? Yes, depending on the condition, it can be waiverable. Consult your physician about your condition vs. what you want to do. A letter from your doctor will go a long way towards getting a medical waiver. 9. I have used or AM USING prescription medication for a mental health issue, will this disqualify me? Much more difficult to waiver, but still possible. If you are still using it and are dependant on it to keep you from murdering children for your dark lord, probably not. If its in the distant past, you may be able to. Once again, best to be up front with your recruiter before you get busted on a drug test. 10. I’m overweight and out of shape! Help! The Couch to 5k program has had stellar feedback: http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml For muscle gain, see this thread in W&W: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2522955 Also, do pushups. A lot of them. When you wake up, during the day, and when you go to sleep. Minimum PT requirements: Army In the Army you need to score 50/50/50 in each of the three events (push-ups, sit-ups, 2-mile run) to graduate Basic, 60/60/60 from AIT and onwards. If you score 60 in each event you're a dirtbag though. Here are the standards: http://www.army-fitness.com/ Air Force Here is the Air Force standards: http://www.airforce-pt.com/ They use some crazy math to figure out a score out of 100. If your waist is over 39 inches you might be in trouble. They do push-ups, sit-ups, and a 1.5 miles run. If someone could clue me in to whether or not they have different standards for initial entry soldiers that would be great. Navy Here are the Navy standards: http://www.navy-prt.com/ They call their sit-ups curl-ups, do the pushup, and have a 1.5 mile run. If you join the Navy you can join a huge group of people who cry about PT tests constantly. If anyone has any info on their initial entry standards please let me know. Marines Saved the best for last. The Marines are insane and do a 3 (!!) mile run, crunches (lol), and pull-ups. Here is a look at their standards: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/marines/l/blfitmale.htm If anyone has a better website or knows of any different initial entry standards please let me know. 11. How soon would I go to Iraq or Afghanistan if I joined? Completely depends on your branch, unit, and job. Iraq is over with so the manpower requirements are lower, and as we get closer to 2014 there will be less and less servicemembers in Afghanistan. If you start the process now you might not ever deploy to Afghanistan regardless of branch. Don't assume that you're not going to go though. 12. What are my chances of getting [insert school here]? Most high speed schools in the military are linked to a specific job or location. For example, you have to be an 11 series MOS, in an Infantry Battalion, with Sniper ASI slots to even be considered for Sniper school. Other schools are more of a free for all. You can get something like Airborne in your contract. Be forewarned, that means you’re probably going to an Airborne unit for a follow on. Any AF/Navy/Marine schools advice would be appreciated 13. How do I become Airborne? Put it in your contract, and then, most likely, you will be sent to an airborne unit. If you're already in a unit, talk to _______? 14. How do I become a Ranger? If you have yet to enlist in the Army, have your recruiter check to see which MOSes have openings within the 75th Ranger Regiment. The 75th Ranger Regiment added a STB (special troops battalion) in 2006, so a variety of MOSes should be available. Lock in one of those MOSes and make sure your contract has Option 40 included. Do not sign or proceed with your recruiter, until it does. Option 40 guarantees that you will make the following progression: Basic Training -> MOS Training -> Airborne School -> Ranger Indoctrination Program(RIP) Passing RIP means you will be assigned to one of the Ranger Battalions within the 75th and you will be authorized to wear the tan beret. Failing means you will be reassigned to a unit that needs your MOS. Choose an MOS that appeals to you and that you would like regardless of how you do at RIP. If you are already in the Army, check here to see a list of MOSes needed and recruitment information. Wise words have been spoken to enlist as another job, get all your bonuses/incentives and attend once on active duty. That way, you keep everything and if you wash out (which you probably will) you can return to your old MOS. 15. How do I become a Sniper? There are two kinds of “snipers” out there: First, there are the Additional Skill Identifier B4 Soldiers who have completed the US Army Sniper School at Ft. Benning, GA. This applies for Marine and Army snipers and is ONLY OPEN TO THE 11B MOSs AND ALL 18 SERIES (source: DA Pam 611-21). This means only Infantry and only males. Put your hand down if you are not either. Second, there are people who have received training on sniper techniques and marksmanship to fill an operation need. They do NOT receive the B4 ASI and are not qualified to wear the tab. This is becoming very common with OIF/OEF. 16. Which is right for me? Enlisted vs officer? Never enlist with the intention of becoming an officer later. You may enlist and become one, but if you meet the requirements, ignore the BS that the recruiter spews to you. quote:I just felt like throwing in two cents on the officer/enlisted decision process. So here they are! Thanks Slippery! 17. How do I fly for the Navy/Air Force/Army Helos? All pilots are officers, except for the Army, which has Warrant Officers. To fly fixed wing, you will need to commission, and have a pilot slot. Each method of commissioning gives different chances, with the service academies being the highest. Following that, ROTC, and then finally OTS/OCS/WOCS. http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/genjoin/a/pilotvision.htm has a comprehensive guide for all service's vision requirements. Also, AF wise, have a standing height of 64 to 77 inches and sitting height of 34 to 40 inches. Rekinom did a sarcastically accurate write up of how to get a pilot slot via ROTC: quote:Finally, being a pilot isn't about being the best candidate. It's about surviving a 6 year loving odyssey. I think I've made a list before, but let me list all the hoops we have to jump through. Oh and I took the liberty of bolding the most popular eliminators: For Helo specifically: quote:quote: Thanks Vasudus and kathmandu! Poise posted:Poise posted: More resources: https://www.baseops.net https://www.airwarriors.com https://www.wantscheck.org 18. How do I become a linguist? ElHuevoGrande posted:ElHuevoGrande posted: Thanks ElHuevoGrande! Still looking for more summaries and different branches views as well as summary of training! 19. How do I become a lawyer (JAG)? JAGs do everything. Why be a military JAG? Aside from the cancelled TV show, you will be doing everything right off the bat. While your civilian friends are starting at the bottom of the barrel, you will one day be court martialing a kid for meth, and the next day advising the commander on community relations. You may do some real estate law, and tort law. Meanwhile, your civilian friends will still be doing bottom of the barrel bitch work. Air Force: http://www.jagusaf.hq.af.mil Navy: http://www.jag.navy.mil Marines: http://sja.hqmc.usmc.mil Army: https://www.jagcnet.army.mil 20. What’s the military’s policy on homosexuality aka Don’t Ask Don’t Tell?  It's all been repealed, and no one cares about your orientation as long as you do your job. (Both posts below are written by Grover, he PM'd them to me) 21. How do I become a DoD civilian? I want to play with all the cool toys, but don't like taking orders or the moving every 2 years or forced overtime. (Side note, now a giant megathread located here! http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3324421 - Thanks SWATJester!) To get a civilian government job, all roads point to the official employment website for the United States of America: http://www.usajobs.gov/ where you submit your resume online and search for open positions. It's just like applying for any other job, only when hired, you'll work for Uncle Sam! In your account, you can create an "agent" which will automatically search for new job openings for you and send you an email each week. Not all the rumors about government workers are true. The benefits are very good, but the pay is generally a little lower than a comparable contractor position, so it evens out. All government workers get 13 days of paid sick leave and 10 days paid holiday leave per year. A new employee will also get 13 days of paid annual leave, increasing ultimately to 26 days paid leave. All time worked over 40 hours per week is compensated, either with paid overtime or comp time. Retirement (FERS) gives you 1% of your salary per year of experience- work 30 years, you get 30% of your base pay as your retirement. Unlike military, government civilians get up to 5% matching contributions to TSP, which is like a 401k; you put in 5% of your pay, government matches that 5%. You also receive social security. Government jobs are generally very stable, but layoffs do still occur; when layoffs occur, you will generally know about it months if not years in advance, and the government will try extremely hard to find you another job. (Very few laid off government workers find themselves actually unemployed.) One big advantage of being a civilian over military: if your boss says "I need you to go to Afghanistan for a couple months." you can tell him/her to go gently caress themself. May not look too good on your performance evaluation, especially if your job description included frequent travel, but you're still a civilian- you can't be forced to do anything. 22. How do I become a defense contractor? I want to build weapons and get in on some of this pork and waste! Contractors do a lot of the cool work, like researching/designing/building F-22s, lasers and tanks. Every contractor has its own hiring system, so you'll have to find your job the long and tedious way. Every contractor has its own rules and benefits, too. Don't expect to see much of that pork, though; the executives and stockholders get most of it. 23. I’m a liberal and afraid of joining because of politics in the military. Advice? quote:The popular picture is that the military service is a bunch of far-right-wing dudes. That is not entirely true. While in my opinion the officer corps is mostly right-leaning, the enlisted corps varies a great deal more. (And so do many officers, but not as publically.) Thanks Slippery! 24) What do all your TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms) mean?! Check http://www.militaryfactory.com/glossary.asp for an in depth explanation. Tell me about Navy Nuclear Propulsion jobs! KetTarma made a question megathread here: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3283345 Can you tell me about some personal experiences with joining the Army National Guard? Thanks kombatMedic! quote:I did 6 years in the Army National Guard, (also known as the "No-Gos", "Nasty Girls" or "Caffeine- Free Diet Army") from 2002-2008. You go to the same Basic Training as regular Army and Army Reserve, and then come home. You have your weekends- which can be anything from daylight hours Saturday and Sunday, to traveling to a base/training facility and staying from Friday night through Sunday evening. Your "Two Weeks" a year will probably be a little more than that, (maybe up to 3 weeks, or even more if you volunteer for it) but it's usually done during the summer, and counts as a military activation, so legally workplaces cannot discipline you for doing your training. 27) I'm worried I did _________________ and won't get a security clearance. Help! While hard drugs or patterns of addiction will disqualify you, the biggest issues are lying (DO NEVER LIE) and having a lot of debt, or some debt with no record of mitigation. Check http://www.dod.mil/dodgc/doha/industrial/ for actual cases to see why clearances were granted or denied. -- Feel free to post any questions, or interrupt conversations we regularly have about junk. Any suggestions or corrections, let me know by posting or AIM. For the most immediate response, check out our IRC room: server: irc.synirc.net #milgoons And finally, a last bit for those of you thinking about joining - Rek noted this at roll call after being a wing exec and winning CGO of the Year: Rek posted:The key to winning is by getting out way more than you put into it. Sometimes you gently caress the military, and sometime it fucks you. But if you're smart, your time served won't be an opportunity cost, but rather an opportunity multiplier. And for all of the people that aren't gonna read the thread anyways I've made two images just for you:   Literally all of that OP credit goes to Xaar. invision fucked around with this message at 02:59 on Sep 25, 2012 |
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Sep 24, 2012 22:29
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Dude you loving piece of poo poo I was writing a better one up with an actual thread icon. I'm going to post mine and hope this crap gets gassed.
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Sep 24, 2012 22:30
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Too slow, motherfucker.
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Sep 24, 2012 22:32
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add MECEP to part 6. Tell me about going from enlisted to Officer Marines: MECEP http://www.marines.mil/news/publications/Documents/MCO%201560.15L.pdf http://officer.marines.com/marine/making_marine_officers/commissioning_programs/enlisted_to_officer http://usmilitary.about.com/od/marinetrng/a/mcecp.htm
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Sep 24, 2012 22:33
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I'm a believer in duplicating effort once I've already put the effort in. The War of the GIP Threads is on.Veins McGee posted:add MECEP to part 6. Tell me about going from enlisted to Officer I'll add this to mine.
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Sep 24, 2012 22:33
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edit: my b
vains fucked around with this message at 22:39 on Sep 24, 2012 |
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Sep 24, 2012 22:37
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They're already under 5 in the fourth bulletpoint.
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Sep 24, 2012 22:38
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i am one semester from getting my MBA, but decided to enlist as an 11 bang bang. going to MEPS tomorrow. anybody else going to Basic in October? e: i read the OP and i might go the officer route one day but i want my men to respect me, and i might also try out for Special Ops instead
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Sep 25, 2012 01:44
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Hey Invision you should take the parts about minimum PT standards and deployments from my now gassed thread and put them in here. Some of this stuff is outdated or incomplete.
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Sep 25, 2012 02:34
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When I took my ASVAB the Army recruiter was talking to his recruits about how he doesn't respect any officer who wasn't enlisted first. My recruiter acknowledged. Also said he's a recruiter, because they were gonna kick him out otherwise. Felt bad for the kids he was lying to.
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Sep 25, 2012 02:49
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vacation in merica posted:Hey Invision you should take the parts about minimum PT standards and deployments from my now gassed thread and put them in here. Some of this stuff is outdated or incomplete. Fixed. Lemme know if anything else needs to be changed.
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Sep 25, 2012 03:01
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Bright Eyes posted:When I took my ASVAB the Army recruiter was talking to his recruits about how he doesn't respect any officer who wasn't enlisted first. My recruiter acknowledged. Also said he's a recruiter, because they were gonna kick him out otherwise. Felt bad for the kids he was lying to. Jesus this is the number one dumb thing recruiters and not officers say.
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Sep 25, 2012 04:20
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invision posted:Fixed. Lemme know if anything else needs to be changed. I kinda hinted at it in the one I posted, but I think maybe HCT would know exactly how likely it is for someone admitting drug use to enter the military. I thought the answer was basically hell no these days (same with the mental health stuff) but maybe I'm off.
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Sep 25, 2012 04:31
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vacation in merica posted:I kinda hinted at it in the one I posted, but I think maybe HCT would know exactly how likely it is for someone admitting drug use to enter the military. I thought the answer was basically hell no these days (same with the mental health stuff) but maybe I'm off.
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Sep 25, 2012 05:25
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HATE CURES TRANNYS posted:On second thought I don't wanna share this. Ignore this post. DRUGS CURE ENLISTMENTS SPICE CURES CLEARANCES ? In all honesty and on topic, it's apparently getting harder and harder to have drug-related things waived. After all, we are in a "draw down" and with the amount of terrible people the military picked up during the surge of the past 10 years, they now have the ability to be picky. But don't worry, they're going to be super picky for a while, realize that they kicked out all the baddies and are too strict on new recruits, then re-open the floodgates for a while. Rinse, repeat every few years.
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Sep 25, 2012 05:36
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I've heard that the USMC or Army is not taking any new OCS (male) applicants until FY 2014. confirm/deny?
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Sep 25, 2012 13:25
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With regards to DRUG USE, admitting drug use for enlistment in the Army is no big deal. With regards to how that can effect a Security Clearance, I'd imagine its the same as it always has been, but who knows, I'm not a security clearance interviewer MI guy. However, if you have any drug charges to include possession of paraphernalia , you're hosed for enlistment. I think you can get by on a frequenting charge, providing it wasn't reduced from something else. With regards to loving the question in the OP regarding Airborne that says "GET IT IN YOUR CONTRACT," it doesn't really work that way, and it's not as easy as asking and we type it in boom, Airborne. That's all figured out at a USAREC level, or DA or something, so when we reserve a job, the options that are available for it are what you see is what you get. For the past 4 months, I've seen Airborne maybe once or twice, once it was available with 42A, the other was 92G, maybe a generator mechanic once. Option 40 (ranger) comes up rarely for infantry. Hell, 11X rarely comes up anyways. As far as CASH BONUS, that's only currently available active duty wise for 35P, usually 15k for 5, and 20k for 6. Student Loan Repayment is for the most part available only in the Reserves lately. Also the Army recently opened up CID for direct enlistment, rather than just for people who are already in reclassing. It requires a 4 year degree and a GT Score of 110 and the ability to get a clearance, so I doubt we'll be enlisting anyone under that. If anyone has any other questions regarding enlistment eligibility requirements, and other poo poo like that, make them a big post, I don't look here as much as I used to, so I don't have a lot of time to sit her and answer a bunch of individual questions. OH, and regarding OCS, literally no one gives a gently caress that you have a degree, don't come into my office looking for an OCS packet for active duty unless you have letters of recommendation, can pass a PT test with a 300, and you weren't a recluse shut in with no extracurricular or community service, because we won't entertain it. You need to be loving Captain America, and even then you're probably still not qualified. Whatever golden ship of opportunity there was a few years back with OCS has passed. It's difficult enough to enlist let alone commission. It's a different enviroment and the army is being picky again. A lot of stuff is reverting back to pre 9/11 type stuff. No felony waivers, no drugs, tattoos are back to old school standards, as well as all applicants must be AR600-9 compliant, not whatever crazy fatboy poo poo USAREC had going on awhile ago. If you're fat, don't bother the recruiters, we are not a weight loss program. If you're a chick and 5'2 and 200 pounds, don't say you're 150, we are going to weigh you. After that we are going to show you the door. AAAAAAAAAAAARGH  edit: sorry for the wall of text, one more thing, if you REALLY want OCS, try to do it via the reserves, its a lot easier to make it happen, but your unit may be awhile away. Commission through the USAR, then get on active duty when you can after that. gently caress the ARNG, peace out
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Sep 25, 2012 16:36
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DEVILDOGOOORAH posted:Also the Army recently opened up CID for direct enlistment, rather than just for people who are already in reclassing. It requires a 4 year degree and a GT Score of 110 and the ability to get a clearance, so I doubt we'll be enlisting anyone under that. This is kind of a big deal, you don't have to wear a uniform when you're CID (unless you count suits) and someone can correct me if I'm wrong but I was led to believe it's about 20x more useful than any other LEO-type job in the Army after you're out.
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Sep 25, 2012 17:20
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I've tried to talk to a couple requiters befores, but I have a GED and not a diploma, so most recruiters wont even talk to me. Any way around this? I know there are ways to get in witout a diploma but the recruiters act like im some poo poo head. should I bring in my ACT results I scored a 28?
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Sep 26, 2012 00:53
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You need a HS diploma or a GED + 15 college credit hours. No one gives a poo poo about your ACT score.
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Sep 26, 2012 01:05
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Go take some classes at a community college or CLEP if the Army will count them for the purposes of enlistment.
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Sep 26, 2012 01:40
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USAR will take GEDs generally if you get over a 50 on an ASVAB. Active duty you must have also completed 15 college hours as stated above. For the 15 hours they need to be at an accredited college. No one cares what the classes are as long as they're at least 100 level classes.
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Sep 26, 2012 01:48
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Pookum posted:I've tried to talk to a couple requiters befores, but I have a GED and not a diploma, so most recruiters wont even talk to me. Any way around this? I know there are ways to get in witout a diploma but the recruiters act like im some poo poo head. should I bring in my ACT results I scored a 28? I managed to get into the AF with a GED and like 8 credit hours, but that was like 6 years ago. No one cares about your ACT score. I doubt that it's still possible to get in with only a GED.
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Sep 26, 2012 02:37
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I'm finishing my BA in a couple of years and I'm hoping to commission into the Marines as a LAV officer. Is this normal joining the military dumb or is this bonus dumb for some reason I haven't thought of yet? edit: I'm finishing up at a 2-year right now and have been talking to the ROTC people at the school I'm hoping to transfer to, but I figured I could get a more honest answer about this particular point here Internet Wizard fucked around with this message at 02:50 on Sep 26, 2012 |
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Sep 26, 2012 02:46
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OOHRAH HITLER DOG How hard is it to get into WOCS and does the guard have flight medic positions or is that like an AD thing?
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Sep 26, 2012 04:44
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O.K. I've read all 103 pages. In conclusion, I probably shouldn't enlist. As a 25 year old with a B.S. in Biology, options seem to be the following: Try for Navy OCS so I can do active duty. If that doesn't work, Navy reserves as I get my Master's in Microbiology over two years, then see if I can switch to active because we declared war against a continent (doesn't matter which one; sub-contients may apply). OR Apply for Army ROTC (because the Navy ROTC is undergrads only), and do that while I get my Master's. Then be in the Army. OR Do neither and keep applying for Navy OCS as I continue along the academic career path, hoping for a war before I age out. Q1> What alternatives am I leaving out? Q2> If I'm not going to make active duty Navy Officer, is it likely at all I'll make Navy Reserves Officer? Q3+> If I was going to go Reserves, what could I do to increase the liklihood of going Active Duty? Would turning down signing bonuses for the Reserves help? After x years, is it possible/likely to still apply and get into the active Navy? What is x?
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Sep 26, 2012 06:08
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vacation in merica posted:This is kind of a big deal, you don't have to wear a uniform when you're CID (unless you count suits) and someone can correct me if I'm wrong but I was led to believe it's about 20x more useful than any other LEO-type job in the Army after you're out. Assuming CID is roughly equivalent to OSI, then yes, that is going to be insanely more useful for LEO-type jobs considering that as CID/OSI/NCIS you are already practically federal law enforcement. fake edit: I guess maybe not as much since I was thinking CID dudes got their training at FLETC at Glynco like OSI dudes do and apparently that isn't the case, but yeah, it's still going to be more useful than pretty much any other job.
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Sep 26, 2012 14:35
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For Navy OCS, what are the minimums for the PST (to graduate/pass, not just to enter)? IE, on this form which row do I need for each activity And how does the swimming portion work? I can absolutely crush the swim times, but I don't think I understand how they work with the rest of the PST components. ~edit~ I finally found the answer for the PT stuff buried in the Navy OCS website: quote:On your third week of training you will be required to pass a second Physical Fitness Assessment (PFA) with a score of Satisfactory. By the 9th week you will be required to pass a PFA with a score of Good. I'm still not sure how the swimming portion works though, if anyone can help with that. Merlinicus fucked around with this message at 23:39 on Oct 1, 2012 |
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Sep 29, 2012 20:05
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Merlinicus posted:For Navy OCS, what are the minimums for the PST (to graduate/pass, not just to enter)? IE, on this form which row do I need for each activity The swim is an alternative cardio event that commands can optionally let people do in place of the run if they have, e.g., joint problems and can't run well. At OCS you have to do the run, there's no swim part of the PRT.
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Oct 2, 2012 04:56
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Here are basic qualifications for the Army. I will do my best to attempt to address what can be waived and whatnot, but there are sometimes crazy loopholes that old time recruiters are better at knowing how to exploit than myself. These will maybe serve as a guideline for other branches, but I'm sure it will vary on some by quite a bit. So anyhow, if you talk to a recruiter he is going to run through a basic series of prequalification questions APPLEMDT. Age- Must be between 17-35 and turn 35 no later than your shipdate. This is adjusted for prior service applicants assuming they served more than 180 days. Prior Service- This covers a lot of stuff: oASVAB: If you took the ASVAB for another branch or in Highschool these scores are good for 2 years and we can pull them for you oJROTC: Completing 2 years of this will get your promoted, providing you have high school transcripts documenting this oHave you applied at another branch? Need to know so we can get documents from them and also avoid poaching issues. Also nice to know why you werent qualified or backed out oIf you were Prior Service in the Army and looking to get back in, only a limited number of jobs are available. One option is to come back in 18x or if you don't have one the MOS's that we are looking for, go gently caress yourself (sorry). Either way we will need a DD214 and no we can get them for you. Physical Qualifications This is broad oTattoos/piercings: back to old school standards. Hands and necks are loving out. If visible on a longsleeve collared shirt, probably hosed. Most piercings are no problem, since you can just take them out, but anything gauged past a 1/4in is going to need to be fixed oMedical poo poo: Broken bones and poo poo are usually fine, assuming they're healed and no issues arise from it. Pins, rods, and other hardware are situational, and be prepared for a doctors visit. If it prevents your from running jumping or marching though, I wouldn't hold your breath. Medication can be a big deal. No history of Asthma after the age of 12. ADD and ADHD are a big deal. I could spend days talking about medical poo poo, so use this guideline: IF it is something that could seriously end up with you dying (ASTHMA) then dont bother and don't conceal it. If its a super over diagnosed and kinda bullshit thing you got when you were 12 (ADHD) then maybe dont make a big deal of it. However, if you talk to a recruiter about it, he'll do what needs to be done, generally. MEPS will threaten you but its ALL BULLSHIT. At the end of the day the recruiters and MEPS and the Army will not know anything you dont tell them. LAW FELONIES = NO (unless you got charged with a felony when you were like 12 years old it cant be waived) DRUG CHARGES = NO DUIs= Expect a waiver, more than 2 = gently caress no. History of alcoholism is a disqualifier for a lot of MOSs Traffic tickets= Anything less than a $300 charge is no big deal as long as its paid. DO NOT HIDE ANY LAW VIOLATIONS EVEN IF THEY WERE "EXPUNGED, DISMISSED, SEALED" OR WHATEVER, these can/will be found and gently caress your rear end hard if not disclosed. Education If you have a GED, you are only eligible for RESERVES and must be able to score a 50 on the ASVAB. IF you have a GED and 15 Credit Hours at an accredited Post Secondary school, then you can do whatever as if you had a HS Diploma. College credit can get you promoted. Off the top of my head 24 = E2, 36=E3, Bachelors Degree=E4 Marriage Y/N no big deal Dependents Anything more than 1 Spouse and 2 rugrats is a waiver. Sole custodian of kids is a no-go. Testing Take a practice ASVAB. If you got less than a 30 then you will probably be leaving the office shortly. Long post but people walk in my office all day out of tolerance with the erryday thinking we're the French Foreign Legion or something, so there you go. Edit: No one gives a poo poo if you want OCS, no one is ever good enough and its not worth the effort. Same for WOFT. Like, you had better be the Second Coming of Eisenhower or something. iceslice posted:That's a pretty pro post. Can you add some guidelines about financial status? I know I've seen quite a few posts, and been asked a few times about types/amounts of debts, and civil action related to those debts, ect. Fianancial concerns are not really a big problem we worry about the recruiter office, unless we are pulling a job that obviously needs a security clearance. We don't pull credit checks, and I'm not even sure if MEPs does it to be honest. I know we don't sign any release for credit checks. With a security clearance job though, if you were to enlist knowingly having a seriously delinqent items in your credit history, be aware that if you somehow manage to enlist, that by sometime in your near future when they get around to doing the investigation for a security clearance, that you'll likely face trouble and quite possibly lose your job/clearance. If you want to be proactive about this, you need to set up a payment plan through these companies. Pay for delete or whatever. I went through some serious problems because of this in my past, and this thread was pretty loving helpful: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3234974 DEVILDOGOOORAH fucked around with this message at 14:44 on Oct 2, 2012 |
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Oct 2, 2012 05:08
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Since I can't stress this one enough either: IF YOU GO TO A RECRUITING IT OFFICE TAKING IT LESS SERIOUSLY THAN YOU DID YOUR MINIMUM WAGE MCDONALDS JOB, DON'T EXPECT THE RECRUITERS TO GIVE A gently caress ABOUT YOU, YOUR NEEDS, YOUR CONCERNS, OR YOU JOINING THE ARMY Also if someone can post that OP from the Fat dude trying to join the USAF thread I'd love it, tia
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Oct 2, 2012 05:16
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To be fair your new methods are like the exact opposite of 2003-2007 methods :P
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Oct 2, 2012 05:18
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Absolutely, they are. It sucks because you will run into some genuinely good dudes with dumb poo poo disqualifying them, but thats how it goes. It's annoying when some dudes douchebag brother/uncle got in 5 years ago and comes in with them and think they know the rules and poo poo. Or Vietnam dads and poo poo. Because the army hasnt changed since '68
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Oct 2, 2012 05:19
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Please tell me you've had to waiver someone with two wives, that sounds hilarious. Or am I misreading that somehow?
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Oct 2, 2012 07:03
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DEVILDOGOOORAH posted:Here are basic qualifications for the Army. I will do my best to attempt to address what can be waived and whatnot, but there are sometimes crazy loopholes that old time recruiters are better at knowing how to exploit than myself. These will maybe serve as a guideline for other branches, but I'm sure it will vary on some by quite a bit. That's a pretty pro post. Can you add some guidelines about financial status? I know I've seen quite a few posts, and been asked a few times about types/amounts of debts, and civil action related to those debts, ect.
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Oct 2, 2012 13:20
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HATE CURES TRANNYS posted:Please tell me you've had to waiver someone with two wives, that sounds hilarious. Or am I misreading that somehow? No, haha, this is Mormon country where I'm at but it's just on the books like that.
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Oct 2, 2012 14:39
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If you enlisted and have some crazy tattoos that are a no-go these days, can you re-up or will the military decline your continued service?
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Oct 2, 2012 16:17
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Oxford Comma posted:If you enlisted and have some crazy tattoos that are a no-go these days, can you re-up or will the military decline your continued service? I'm not sure how that's being approached in the real Army. I'd imagine people are grandfathered, but if you're seriously considering staying in, I'd probably try to get them cleaned up before you start competing for E7 and need a DA Photo, but that's just me and I'm not a SNCO so edit: And they could do a bar to reenlistment, and that would get so many people out too
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Oct 2, 2012 16:20
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DEVILDOGOOORAH posted:I'm not sure how that's being approached in the real Army. I'd imagine people are grandfathered, but if you're seriously considering staying in, I'd probably try to get them cleaned up before you start competing for E7 and need a DA Photo, but that's just me and I'm not a SNCO so Just curious. I'm not in the military but was just wondering. Also, there's a lot of talk in this thread about not enlisting if you have a degree, but what if your GPA was loving poo poo and you can just barely pass PT qualifications, and nowhere near a 300? WHAT THEN SERGEANT SMARTYPANTS?!
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Oct 2, 2012 16:26
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Oxford Comma posted:Just curious. I'm not in the military but was just wondering. Also, there's a lot of talk in this thread about not enlisting if you have a degree, but what if your GPA was loving poo poo and you can just barely pass PT qualifications, and nowhere near a 300? WHAT THEN SERGEANT SMARTYPANTS?! The military probably isn't a good place in that case because A) You still have a degree and B) The military is not a 4-6 year fitness plan.
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Oct 2, 2012 16:32
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