I'm 19 years old, turning 20 in March, and I want to join the military. I've taken the asvab before and scored a 95, so as far as that goes, qualifications are no problem.


I'm interested in either the Marines or the Air Force, but I'm wondering if my record will keep me out of either one.

I have a class c mis-d when I was 17, PoPara. In July or August, I was busted with weed, (0 to 2 oz) which is a class b, and put in differred for it, then got popped again for the same thing (class b) sept. 4 and spent 3 weeks in jail for PoM and violating probation. I'm off probation, but I know I have to wait 90 days after incarceration to do anything.

This little shit storm I was working on is why I've decided to follow through with my wishes to join the military.


I've spoke to a recruiter and he told me I must get a waiver, considering my criminal background, and he told me it can always be denied.

I want to go to ultimately be an engineer of some sort when I get out, but I want to take as many classes as I can.

I'm asking you all this because recruiters have an agenda and it's hard to get a straight answer sometimes.

Does it look like I qualify for either one, as I've heard the marines standards have recently went up as far as enlisting.

Being a pilot interests me a lot, but for some reason I can't shake the deep deep want to be a marine.


Physical demands are no problem, I'm in very good shape, and I've heard about the big demands in USMC boot camp and it sounds, believe it or not, appealing. I have something to prove to myself.

quote EvilZero

I've spoke to a recruiter and he told me I must get a waiver, considering my criminal background, and he told me it can always be denied.

You can always double-check. Recently, the military relaxed some of their restrictions regarding criminal records. If you've only been convicted of minor, non-violent misdemenors, those shouldn't count against you.

quote EvilZero

I want to go to ultimately be an engineer of some sort when I get out, but I want to take as many classes as I can.

There are various engineering positions in the military, and serving as an enginer for the military is a great way of earning good job experience. It also appeals more to contractors once you're discharged and looking for work in the civilian sector.

quote EvilZero

Being a pilot interests me a lot, but for some reason I can't shake the deep deep want to be a marine.

There are Marine Corps pilots, both for helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. Keep in mind, though, that prospective pilots are expected to meet higher physical and mental standards.

Hmm... yes, they do have pilots, but Navy/Marines are less likely to give him a wavier. Some of my friends in the Navy don't think it's likely for someone who wants to be an officer. One of them thinks he might manage in Navy/Marines as a mustang - he thinks someone who got a wavier to become enlisted, with a good enlisted record would have a decent chance of getting a wavier as an officer.

EvilZero - if you can convince them that you aren't dependent on the drugs, you can get a wavier. If anyone in the approval chain thinks you're dependent on drugs, it's not going to happen. You were a minor when it happened, which will help some, but no guarantees. Tell them the truth - if anyone in the approval chain gets the feeling you're full of BS, you're out.

To improve your chances, it would be good to get a degree related to aircraft. Is there some college nearby that offers that and has a ROTC program?
As another alternative, you could go in as enlisted and get the training, and look into using tuition assistance (while active duty) and the GI bill (afterwards) to pay for a degree. Once you've got the degree, apply to become an officer. That path seems to fit in pretty well with your idea of getting as much training as possible & ending up as an engineer.

If helicopters interest you, I would also point out that the Army has helicopter pilots, who can be warrant officers rather than commissioned officers.

If you know any pilots, or can talk to any pilots, that would also be a good idea. Ask them what they think it will do to your odds, and what you should do to give you the best chance.

Only problem with going green to gold is you lose track of what you really want to do. Knock out a few deployments in-between your OCS packet and when you make rank and before you know it you'll be stuck living as a grunt. You won't think it's bad while you're doing it, but you'd be making a shitload more money commissioned.

In terms of piloting, Army's going to be your best bet without a degree before joining. Going in with one of those helicopter repair jobs and dropping a warrant officer packet to fly them will give you the technical/mechanical knowledge on the aircraft as well as the experience of maintaining it.

There's a lot of my fellow grunts over here trying to drop warrent officer packets so that they can fly. An Infantryman's best friend is Aviation, at least in Afghanistan it is.

I am not in the armed forces right now but plan on joining the Army to help get through college. I dream of becoming an Army Ranger, in which case I'll stay in for a few more years past the required four. Should be a long, hard road. But with the option 40 contract, I'll get a few shots at Ranger school, not just one.

I have such a deep respect for many of our armed forces. Young boys who have just had sons or daughters and just got married or graduated high school are over in the Middle East getting shot at and blown up by an enemy they can't see, and by a government that cares only about money. Many young soldiers come back without limbs or without a right mind because of shellshock, but the people who put us in this war are enjoying a nice afternoon of golf or sitting in their estates. Obama needs to get us out of this war and bring our soldiers back home.

Anyway, sorry I ranted. I love America. Rangers lead the way.

quote Abused Child

There's a lot of my fellow grunts over here trying to drop warrent officer packets so that they can fly. An Infantryman's best friend is Aviation, at least in Afghanistan it is.

This concerned me. Although I dream of becoming an Army Ranger and intend to make that dream a reality, many of the guys that my father works around (he's an airplane mechanic) all used to be in the Army, Marines, or Air Force and have worked with their hands their entire life. I was thinking of ditching a fire support or infantry MOS for an aviation, helicopter pilot, or mechanic MOS. Those guys can get out of the military and make good money afterwards, without even a college degree.

You just got to think what do you really want out of your military service. Do you want to make it a career or do you want a career after the army?

Infantry is a dead end road. Don't get me wrong. I love my job. I wouldn't do any other job. Although, I know that if I get out, that there won't be much waiting for me. Of course you can be a cop or something along those lines but if you don't want that road and that line of work, I'd decide on something else.

About the Ranger goal, it's a very reachable goal. Never let anyone hype it up to you. Go there with a clear head and just go with the flow.

The military isn't all that it's hyped up to be.