Need help for kid who want to enlist in Army Spe forces
 

Short tory: A kid (23 y.o) want to go into Army enlisting under a contract (18 xray) Special Forces/Special Operations. 5 year committment....AIT>>>>Airborne>>>>Spec For Prep Course.ide.>>>Green Beret...etc

He took the written test and cored in 90 percentile....95+ percentilt on PT

College graduate.

Problem is about 4 years ago he got a DUI contlled substance (marijuana). I got it reduced to a zerro tolerance charge and it was expunged. No drug involvement since o otherwise.

When the recruiter leaned thiss...he told them as they aked if anything was ever expunged etc and he was honest....she immediately said he dcould not go under this contract as he would be disqualifieddue to security clearrance requirements.

They would take him in RA but he could no go under the 18 xray contract.

Any suggestions?

True... the recruiter can not help. But, you need to have him take it up the chain of command. They can grant him a waiver. Have heard and seen it done before for similar type circumstances. Also, saying the usage if any was "experimental" also helps.

Recruiters are not the end all be all they like to think. Have him be brutallyn honest on the SF86 and with the investigators. It'll take a waiver, but shouldn't be a huge issue. I pushed a kid through for a TS/SCI MOS with a 130 in a 55 and evasion charge

What's the point of having your record cleared if it can still be used against you?

Most people can't. The DOD can find pretty much anything...

BTW 18x contracts typically have a very low completion rate.......then he ends up an 11b
I'd suggest an intel MOS, cross train to 11b then apply for SFAS

PM me; give me your ph #

HH944...sent you a PM

done

Hmm...somehow this seems odd. Active clearances are actually tied to billets (the need to know part of having one)...whereas eligibility is tied to a career field. Hence, you could be denied reenlistment in a career field should you lose your eligibility, but getting your clearance turned from active to inactive means little. With that, first enlistments will kind of be a guess at eligibility, as the investigation won't be completed until they are well into tech school or their first assignment.

Bottom line...find someone that will sign a waiver or MFR for his application. Being that he's not currently in...he doesn't have a chain of command so he should be free to look around. If that recruiter won't get it for him...go to another county and find someone that needs to boost their recruiting numbers. Last I checked...we aren't a one mistake military. He won't be a tier one candidate...probably a tier three...which just means it takes a bit longer to investigate and a higher signature on the package...acceptance of risk and all that.

Expunged means "most" can't see it (but LE and "others" certainly still can)...don't "aks" me how I know :D.

Find another recruiter? or service? The Army loves that contract, they use it a a recruiting tool to get people to sign up. They know the vast majority will end up as infantry, and that's what they want. Just because you are smart and in good shape, doesn't mean you will have a better chance to make it into SF. I know many people with a TS clearance that have admitted drug use before the military, and/or DUI (alcohol) on their records. Both of these did lead to more investigation, however. I couldn't tell you if this applies in his situation though.

A collage grad should have no problem enlisting in military, and getting the job of their choice. With a degree, and a clean record otherwise, a waiver should be easier to get than most I would think. The recruiter probably doesn't care, because that means more work for no gain.

From my experience, it all depends on how much they need him to make thier recruiting numbers. Back in the mid 2000's the Army recruiter next door to me was running all kinds of waivers for kids I could never put in the Marines.

As stated, try a different recruiting command all together, not just a different office.

This. I will post more when I can, but you will be doing that kid a disservice by trying to shop him around to another recruiter if his goal is to really get into SF.

Any recruiters job is to get kids in, what they call "making mission." But the OSUT pipeline to SF, or even Rangers (what I once was) is not the best way of succeeding. In fact it is the least likely way of succeeding.

Wouldn't he need the same waiver for an intel MOS? If not that route does make sense.

grist for the mill.
depressing.

A marijuana possession charge (misdemeanor almost everywhere) is considered a felony by the Army. Waivers right now are pretty much slim to none since we're in a drawdown. We're cutting 80,000 people and going back to only bringing in "the best." My best friend's son is in the same situation. Recruiting for the Army is definitely a numbers game, and it's run on the fiscal year (November 1-October 31). At the beginning of the year (where we are now), waivers are not going to happen, period. Towards the late September/October timeframe, if the Army is short on its annual goal, they'll open the door a little wider to people who need waivers, whether it be educational or legal.

I used to be a recruiter, so I know a thing or two about the regs/requirements, and what the army will/won't allow. At the height of the war(s), waivers were a piece of cake (and this is why you see so many soldiers with tattoos on their necks/hands right now, which is NOT allowed). During a draw down, they're extremely tight.

Studies have been done (of course) and the statistics say you're wrong on this. While the attrition rate for this program is rather high, soldiers who go this route actually have a higher completion rate than soldiers who try to get in the traditional route.

what? i was told..um..a "friend" was told, and he told me that expunged means the courts issue instructions to all branches of LE to fire up the paper shredders.

this is not correct? this friend was went thru the indictment process, but never prosecuted.

18x requires top secret.....there are a few only requiring secret including interpreter which would be my suggestion assuming he does well enough on the DLAB to qual for a theatre language

Chinese would be a more beneficial language; both for the Army and for himself in the future.

Nothing is ever completely gone from your record; even juvenile stuff.

I'll ask my LEO tennant what he "knows" about me...err...I mean "my friend" :D. He's not the kind to mess around, and would "cut no slack" whatsoever.... fortunately, I don't have anything to be concerned about anymore. Meanwhile, next county over, the former sheriff is a convicted felon, and two of his deputies are still in jail for "distribution"...dept was as corrupt as can be. For what it's worth...30+ years ago (back in college) in eastern NC...most of "it" came through Ft. Bragg. :rolleyes:

Damn so many experts and so much mis-information here. Anyways, to qualify for the 18X contract you:

Be a male, age 20-30 (Special Forces positions are not open to women)
Be a U.S. citizen
Have a high school diploma
Achieve a General Technical score of 110 or higher and a combat operation score of 98 on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery.
Qualify for a secret level security clearance.
Qualify and volunteer for Airborne training
Take Defense Language Aptitude Battery or Defense Language Proficiency Test
Achieve an overall minimum score of 229 on the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT)

Now, what can disqualify you from obtaining a secret security clearance?

From Federal Regulations, PART 710—CRITERIA AND PROCEDURES FOR DETERMINING ELIGIBILITY FOR ACCESS TO CLASSIFIED MATTER

Disqualifying conditions for a security clearance may include but are not limited to:

arrest and/or conviction of a felony;
frequent involvement with authorities even as a juvenile;
DWI/DUI;
having been a patient in an institution primarily devoted to the treatment of mental, emotional, or psychological disorders;
A history of not meeting financial obligations. A pattern of financial irresponsibility (bankruptcy, debt or credit problems, defaulting on a student loan);
membership in any organization that advocates the commission of acts of force or violence to deny other persons their rights under the Constitution of the United States;
having petitioned to be declared a conscientious objector to war;
moving violations with fines over $200;
illegal drug use (to include any use of cocaine, heroin, LSD, and PCP); and the illegal purchase, possession, or sale of any such narcotics.
Deceptive or illegal financial practices, such as embezzlement, employee theft, check fraud, income tax evasion, expense account fraud, filing deceptive loan statements, and other intentional breaches of trust
Inability or unwillingness to satisfy debts
Unexplained affluence
Financial problems that are linked to gambling, drug abuse, alcoholism, or other issues of a security concern.
Deliberate omission, concealment, or falsification of a material fact in any written document or oral statement to the government when applying for security processing

If the kid got the DUI 4 years ago and he is now 23 then it is an adult conviction. For a secret clearance all the FBI does is a criminal background check via their records. Many expungements show up because while the conviction may be deleted from records, most times the actual arrest is not and then the clearance is flagged.

Best to be honest on the SF-86 (security clearance questionaire). You can read all about it and even fill out online here: http://www.opm.gov/investigations/e-qip-application/completingsf86.pdf

If you have more questions, just ask.