Air Force

[BaLa]

Well I was gonna try to get into the Airforce.

I took the ASVAB and all that crap.
Apparenty I did pretty good on it.


But I took Zoloft for some time a few years ago, and apparently that's a big no-no.

We thought it wouldn't be in my record, but it is.
We requested them from the military hospital on base here, and looked through them.

So I guess that idea is scrapped.
Not sure what to do now, guess I'll be moving to Austin with my parents sometime next year and then get my own place there eventually.

[Joint Chiefs of Staff]

Try the Army they'll take anybody.

Good luck with your future endeavors.

[BaLa]

lol I think that Zoloft deal would be the same though...

my Dad mentioned it, I may try it, but I don't think it's gonna be any different.

[Sava700]

Try the Army they'll take anybody.

Good luck with your future endeavors.

same with coast guard! How ya think scotte got in

[Joint Chiefs of Staff]

same with coast guard! How ya think scotte got in

[Joint Chiefs of Staff]

lol I think that Zoloft deal would be the same though...

my Dad mentioned it, I may try it, but I don't think it's gonna be any different.

Dude I've seen over-weight soldiers that need to take a 5 minute rest after bringing a Starbucks coffee up to their lips to take a sip....I mean c'mon it can't be that difficult to get in.

[Mactron]

With all the missed recruitment quotas of late. The Army or Marines will take you if you can Fog a Mirror.

[Joint Chiefs of Staff]

With all the missed recruitment quotas of late. The Army or Marines will take you if you can Fog a Mirror.

Even if you can't fog a mirror. lol

[Ghosthunter]

why cant you get in air force becuase of zoloft? it not like you on it now? what difference I dont get it?


i find it hard to believe there are no depressed people in air force?

[mountainman]

You should look into a bit more. There must be waivers, etc that you can look into.

[Illini25]

same with coast guard! How ya think scotte got in

Pwned!!



That sucks BaLa But like MM said, I'd look into it a bit more. No reason in my book that you can't get in. But if not, nothing but the best of luck with your move down to Austin. You never know what might happen. Just keep your head up and be positive towards anything.

[JawZ]

why cant you get in air force becuase of zoloft? it not like you on it now? what difference I dont get it?


i find it hard to believe there are no depressed people in air force?

Because the data tells them that people like him are clinically unhappy and prone to depression....and he'd wind up hanging himself in basic training. That is their fear and a justified one.

[Meggie]

Even if you can't fog a mirror. lol

nope ur wrong. but thanks for all the nice things said about soldiers

[Zilog B]

I agree. Don't give up so easily. Start ringing phones and find a way to get in if that's what you really want to do.

Go into the Army and become a 19D, it'll guarantee you no desk time It ain't easy though, we lost about 1/2 of our people between the start of basic and the end of AIT.

[Zilog B]

i find it hard to believe there are no depressed people in air force?

Apparently a good round of tennis can warm the spirits.

[Meggie]

I agree. Don't give up so easily. Start ringing phones and find a way to get in if that's what you really want to do.

Go into the Army and become a 19D, it'll guarantee you no desk time It ain't easy though, we lost about 1/2 of our people between the start of basic and the end of AIT.

whats a 19D? and MOS shouldnt change basic elligibility.

[Zilog B]

whats a 19D? and MOS shouldnt change basic elligibility.

Cavalry Scout. I know it might not change his elegibility, just giving a suggestion should he choose the Army.

[ScottE]

Oh boy I was "owned"


I have the privelage of working with the finest men and women our country has to offer on a daily basis and nothing anybody says is going to make me feel otherwise.

That being said if they let anybody in I guess I wasted my time graduating with honors from my High School, and then graduating Magna Cum Laude from The Ohio State University. Save your "owned" comments for some lame Spammy, Prey, or Burke joke. Thank you and have a nice day.

[aeonblue11]

Lol, cum.

[Prey521]

Oh boy I was "owned"


I have the privelage of working with the finest men and women our country has to offer on a daily basis and nothing anybody says is going to make me feel otherwise.

That being said if they let anybody in I guess I wasted my time graduating with honors from my High School, and then graduating Magna Cum Laude from The Ohio State University. Save your "owned" comments for some lame Spammy, Prey, or Burke joke. Thank you and have a nice day.

Please do not put my jokes in the same class as those 2 other clowns, mine are far more superior!


You said cum, ROOFLES!

[Spammy]

Oh boy I was "owned"


I have the privelage of working with the finest men and women our country has to offer on a daily basis and nothing anybody says is going to make me feel otherwise.

That being said if they let anybody in I guess I wasted my time graduating with honors from my High School, and then graduating Magna Cum Laude from The Ohio State University. Save your "owned" comments for some lame Spammy, Prey, or Burke joke. Thank you and have a nice day.

Well that was nice ScottE thanks

[Lefty]

Speaking for the USCG we fly when the other services are grouded, we sail into the middle of storms while the Navy is running from thier ports. I think the balls lay in our court

[Mactron]

I have the privelage of working with the finest men and women our country has to offer on a daily basis and nothing anybody says is going to make me feel otherwise..

Ask what some of these folks, what their DD-214 line 13a says. Then you have your answer as to who to listen to. I know what mine says. EM2 Mac...

[Joint Chiefs of Staff]

nope ur wrong. but thanks for all the nice things said about soldiers

I live with the facts here everyday. However, I didn't specify all but a large majority is in fact out of shape and overweight (sorry but mainly the women) but then again that's just my honest observation after dealing with the troops here for over the last year.

[Joint Chiefs of Staff]

Speaking for the USCG we fly when the other services are grouded, we sail into the middle of storms while the Navy is running from thier ports. I think the balls lay in our court

I can't count how many times I've seen Navy Ships towing Coasties.

[Joint Chiefs of Staff]

[quote="Mactron"]Ask what some of these folks, what their DD-214 line 13a says. Then you have your answer as to who to listen to. I know what mine says. ]
DC1 (SW) Kara.......

[Meggie]

I live with the facts here everyday. However, I didn't specify all but a large majority is in fact out of shape and overweight (sorry but mainly the women) but then again that's just my honest observation after dealing with the troops here for over the last year.

the 'nope ur wrong' was directed at the "army will take anyone" comment.

and again, thanks for all the nice things u continue to say about the soldiers.

[RoscoPColtrane]

You should look into a bit more. There must be waivers, etc that you can look into.

They are too busy kicking people out right now. Its not like it used to be, do 20 and retire. YOu have to TRY and stay in. Heck you have to try and GET in now. If you need a waiver, 9 times outta 10 the recruiter will point you to the Army. Maybe try back later and see whats up. Good luck with it!

[MadDoctor]

Well I was gonna try to get into the Airforce.
I took Zoloft for some time a few years ago, and apparently that's a big no-no.

A doctor (not the recruiter) has the final say (if you push it to that level). The doctor will look your medical history… and from his/her findings determine if you are a liability. If you are considered a liability due to a medical condition (preexisting or otherwise) you are out of luck.

[MadDoctor]

I know. It happened to me when I tried to join the “Boy Scouts”. Bunch of jerks. I didn’t want to join anyway. I got into the “Brownies” without a hitch.

[Joint Chiefs of Staff]

the 'nope ur wrong' was directed at the "army will take anyone" comment.

and again, thanks for all the nice things u continue to say about the soldiers.

Well they have and will "almost" take anyone and this coming directly from the soldiers themselves be it the reserve guard or not.

I can give my honest opinion Meggie for I integrate among the very same soldiers every single day.

The fast food generation has hit the camps (The New Army) where PT and discipline is an absolute joke. It's not the same as it once was...strict and regimented is missing in the equation where moral and welfare (DVD movies and junk food from the PX) has the #1 priority.

*Second Thought*

The retension process is weak at best and the Army is finding it VERY difficult to recruit or retain due to the last 4 year current events. Again, taking from the soldiers as a source.

[Zilog B]

Doesn't Bala speak both fluent German and English. How about trying to get in as an interpreter?

[Joint Chiefs of Staff]

Doesn't Bala speak both fluent German and English. How about trying to get in as an interpreter?

Or a Spy

[Meggie]

Well they have and will "almost" take anyone and this coming directly from the soldiers themselves be it the reserve guard or not.

I can give my honest opinion Meggie for I integrate among the very same soldiers every single day.

The fast food generation has hit the camps (The New Army) where PT and discipline is an absolute joke. It's not the same as it once was...strict and regimented is missing in the equation where moral and welfare (DVD movies and junk food from the PX) has the #1 priority.

*Second Thought*

The retension process is weak at best and the Army is finding it VERY difficult to recruit or retain due to the last 4 year current events. Again, taking from the soldiers as a source.

from my experience with the recruiters, the standards for taking people into the army has gotten higher, rather than lower. No longer are they taking people who may have a medical problem down the road, or something that would keep them from deploying, as they would have done in the past when the threat of 'war' wasnt as possible. Im the Retention NCO for my unit, and from my experience with the retention field (both in my state, and other state reports) retention is an issue but i wouldnt say the process is weak. A lot of people that are due to get out around this time joined when there was little or no threat of war, now that the world has changed of course people that joined for the wrong reasons are getting out. We also expect many individuals to get out once we get back from deployment. However, with them offering tax free large amount bonuses to keep people in, it may sway their decisions.

As far as the out of shape thing goes, your talking from your experience in kuwait, its probably the place where they send the soldiers that they dont want actually out on the missions.. so they may very well be more out of shape then the majority. I see where you might get your oppinions skewed. Go to Ft Bragg and see the guys there, they do 6 mile long ruck marches once a week, 4-6 mile runs every monday and friday, and do upper body PT on tuesdays and thursdays... those men and women are cut.

Same would hold true for many other bases around the country. Even at Ft Drum where you might think PT is not as often, they are out there in below freezing tempuratures running 2-3 times a week.

Again, im not saying that your observations arent true, they probably are. But dont use the soldiers that you see in kuwait as a way to judge all of them.

[Zilog B]

Or a Spy

What do the Germans have that we want? Besides beer.

[DaddyLongLeg]

Sorry to hear about that Bala, guess I would be screwed too. Actually they already told me NO (well the Navy did, and it was because of my past record, legal record), so I feel you pain buddy

[cyberskye]

from my experience with the recruiters, the standards for taking people into the army has gotten higher, rather than lower. No longer are they taking people who may have a medical problem down the road, or something that would keep them from deploying, as they would have done in the past when the threat of 'war' wasnt as possible.

That may be true, but there is a lot of press to the contrary.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=ar ... gle+Search

Recruiters were telling kids how to get around drug screening...

[Meggie]

That may be true, but there is a lot of press to the contrary.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=ar ... gle+Search

Recruiters were telling kids how to get around drug screening...

a couple bad recruiters doesnt mean the army has lowered its standards.

[Leatherneck]

Well they have and will "almost" take anyone and this coming directly from the soldiers themselves be it the reserve guard or not.

I can give my honest opinion Meggie for I integrate among the very same soldiers every single day.

The fast food generation has hit the camps (The New Army) where PT and discipline is an absolute joke. It's not the same as it once was...strict and regimented is missing in the equation where moral and welfare (DVD movies and junk food from the PX) has the #1 priority.

*Second Thought*

The retension process is weak at best and the Army is finding it VERY difficult to recruit or retain due to the last 4 year current events. Again, taking from the soldiers as a source.

My observation and personal recruiting experience was a bit different than some of the comments here. I spent 3 years in Provo, Utah as a Marine Recruiter and our requirements were as high if not higher than the other services. Granted, we are much smaller and don't need the same numbers. A lot depends on your geographical location also. I was in an area with a very high concentration of high school graduates and very little legal waivers. I was not allowed to put in 1 single non-graduate in 3 years and it was rare (maybe 1 in 40) that I even needed a waiver for marijuana. The Mormon kids were pretty straight laced, intelligent and extremely patriotic. You simply will not find the same "candidate" day in and day out in an area like downtown Chicago. Medical waivers were possible and on a case by case base. Asthma was almost an instant death sentence, clinical depression accompanied by drug treatment was tough, any heart ailment other than a slight murmur in youth that was gone. Severe allergies of skin, medicine, foods - nope, vision beyond 20/50 was tough some times and of course some other obvious medical conditions. We used to have the Medical Remedial Program that would allow a kid to join providing the condition could be taken care of once he was on active duty. Conditions such as an undecended testicle (Yeah, it's funny) and other minor problems, but I think budget cuts wiped out that program.

As far as physical condition goes, it's simply hard to stay a Marine if you can't handle the additional, rigorous physical conditioning. They have a different outlook on the matter and every Marine is a rifleman first and a pencil pusher, mechanic, lawyer or whatever else second. It's tradition and mission. If a Marine is a sickbay commando or physically weak, overweight or just can't hack it, they are really pushed hard to succeed or pushed out.

These kids are smarter than ever and even though there are rotten eggs, they would stack up well against kids walking around the street with no direction. With all that being said, you are what you are. If you are a turd before you join, you are a turd inside too. Some mature, get responsible and really excel while some won't. More enlisted servicemen have college degrees now than ever and the opportunity is there if the motivation follows.

Countless stories of scrawny 18 year old kids joining up to serve and end up as Colonels and Generals with Doctorates. Retiring as a 40-50 year old Officer or senior enlisted person with loads of experience and education makes for a very successful, productive member of society.

[Joint Chiefs of Staff]

from my experience with the recruiters, the standards for taking people into the army has gotten higher, rather than lower. No longer are they taking people who may have a medical problem down the road, or something that would keep them from deploying, as they would have done in the past when the threat of 'war' wasnt as possible. Im the Retention NCO for my unit, and from my experience with the retention field (both in my state, and other state reports) retention is an issue but i wouldnt say the process is weak. A lot of people that are due to get out around this time joined when there was little or no threat of war, now that the world has changed of course people that joined for the wrong reasons are getting out. We also expect many individuals to get out once we get back from deployment. However, with them offering tax free large amount bonuses to keep people in, it may sway their decisions.

As far as the out of shape thing goes, your talking from your experience in kuwait, its probably the place where they send the soldiers that they dont want actually out on the missions.. so they may very well be more out of shape then the majority. I see where you might get your oppinions skewed. Go to Ft Bragg and see the guys there, they do 6 mile long ruck marches once a week, 4-6 mile runs every monday and friday, and do upper body PT on tuesdays and thursdays... those men and women are cut.

Same would hold true for many other bases around the country. Even at Ft Drum where you might think PT is not as often, they are out there in below freezing tempuratures running 2-3 times a week.

Again, im not saying that your observations arent true, they probably are. But dont use the soldiers that you see in kuwait as a way to judge all of them.

Fair enough but like I mentioned above not "all". Like a few bad apples....it'll ruin the bushel and this is ever so clear out here. Remember Meggie the soldiers here in Kuwait are deployed or are redeploying to Iraq or Afganistan from here with the exception of PCS personnel.

I'm sorry if you think I'm knocking the soldiers. It's an observation on the look and feel of things. I'm also going on my experience from the old way of doing things in the military. Remember I would be retiring in 1 1/2 years if I stayed in. Call me old school if you must.