DQ'd from Army aviation?

[letoburito23]

Hi I went to the recruiters today to talk to them about my chances of joining the Army and either going to Wocs or enlisting and in the future becoming a pilot. They informed me that I am Disqualified because I have a misdemeanor possession of marijuana charge from when I was 18. He said that I will never be able to be a part of Army aviation because of the charge and the fact that I need a waiver to even enlist. He then had me take the asvab and speak with one of his other recruiters because he was the boss at that office and was too busy to deal with me. This other recruiter eluded to the fact that these restrictions for prior drugs were for the initial joining requirements only. I asked if it would be possible to join in a non aviation mos and then transfer to an aviation unit or go to wocs and flight school in the future, but he wouldnt really give me a solid answer. He kept trying to sell me on enlisting active duty and getting an easy job in the Army since i didnt qualify for aviation. So my question is would it be possible to join the Army in a non aviation mos and then transfer in the future or even go to wocs and flight school after a few years of serving?

 

[BrianNC]

I don't know the answer to your question, but if they Army tells you it's possible, and that they will do that if you enlist, get it all in writing. Do not take them at their word. Once you enlist there is a possibility that conveniently no one will remember having told you that.

 

[Ian_J]

They will not give you that in writing.

Basic eligibility requirements for Army Aviation change all the time depending on need. No Army recruiter can guarantee what might happen in the future. The hard truth is, nobody can possibly know if you'll be eligible for Army Aviation in the future even if you enlist now.

 

[///AMG]

Keep in mind that the majority of recruiters, save those who work officer programs, are going to tell you whatever they need to, in order to get you to enlist. That's their "biz" and they have no incentive to steer you down another road, nor do they have the experience needed to do so even if they wanted to. When I was 17 or 18, I talked to a Navy recruiter visiting my high school, asked him about flying, and he said I would never get in, and should enlist instead. I walked away from that, took the steps I needed to take, and 10 years later I was getting shot off the front of the boat at the controls of a grey Navy fighter jet. No enlistment required.

That cautionary tale being told, he is probably correct in that you are going to have a tough time if that arrest was any time in the last few years. Waivers can and do happen, but generally, some time must elapse, during which you must demonstrate a maturing of character, good decision making, reliability, etc, in order for that to happen. The other issue is a security clearance. Different aviation communities within the military have different baseline security clearance levels (i.e. Secret, Top Secret), but each one will require you to disclose many years of your life, in irritating detail ("so that apartment you lived in during the summer of 2001, can you give me the months and days that you moved in and moved out please?" yes, that question has been asked of me, only a few years ago). They have seen lots of folks like you before, and even given them the green light, but having been charged with possession of a federally controlled illegal substance in the last couple/few years may not make them happy. I don't know how long ago this happened, but it might be a better idea to just chill out for a few more years as a law abiding citizen, and try again once some quality time has elapsed. That would probably beat the crapshoot that is the enlisted to officer transition, which can take anywhere from years, to infinity, based on luck, timing, MOS, and sometimes least importantly, personal merit.

 

[zippy]

Hi I went to the recruiters today to talk to them about my chances of joining the Army and either going to Wocs or enlisting and in the future becoming a pilot. They informed me that I am Disqualified because I have a misdemeanor possession of marijuana charge from when I was 18. He said that I will never be able to be a part of Army aviation because of the charge and the fact that I need a waiver to even enlist. He then had me take the asvab and speak with one of his other recruiters because he was the boss at that office and was too busy to deal with me. This other recruiter eluded to the fact that these restrictions for prior drugs were for the initial joining requirements only. I asked if it would be possible to join in a non aviation mos and then transfer to an aviation unit or go to wocs and flight school in the future, but he wouldnt really give me a solid answer. He kept trying to sell me on enlisting active duty and getting an easy job in the Army since i didnt qualify for aviation. So my question is would it be possible to join the Army in a non aviation mos and then transfer in the future or even go to wocs and flight school after a few years of serving?

@Lawman could probably provide some helpful feedback.

Sounds like he's feeding you • to some extent. I do know prior enlisted officers who flew aircraft and had enlistment waivers in their background (I specifically remember one for Mj use... on something like 40 different occasions).

I'm also friends with a guy who started out enlisted in a non aviation MOS and is a W-4 pilot right now so anything is possible. I certainly wouldn't bank on becoming a pilot an impossiblity but it might be an uphill battle.

 

[Lawman]

The question all rests on the security clearance.

You wouldn't be the first person with a misdemeanor holding a secret clearance, and that's the requirement for most of the cool jobs in Army.

However basic intake services are notorious for signing guys up for whatever MOS, and then forcing an MOS change when you actually get to whatever intake facility training you end up at giving you the jobs nobody wants like fueler or cook.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[letoburito23]

The arrest happened when I was 18 and I'm 26 about to turn 27.I was on probation for like 3 years because I was in a tough spot in my life and couldn't afford to pay all of the fines and everything that probation entails. My judge deemed that I wasn't taking the probation seriously enough and made me sit in jail for 3 weeks When I was 21. But ever since then I haven't been using drugs and haven't gotten into any trouble with the law. I have pretty much just been working and starting a family. I've held a couple of supervisory positions at jobs and have started going to college this last semester. I tried to enlist in the Army after I got out of jail and they told me to lay low and put some time between the charge and when I try to join again. I've wanted to do this my whole life and it's the only thing I've ever wanted. Unfortunately I was raised in pretty poor conditions with a lot of drug use so when I was a teen I wasn't really aware of the consequences my actions would have on my future. My mom gave me my first joint at 13 so when I first went to the recruiters at 22 and they told me I didn't even qualify for enlistment it was a huge shock to me and I've been trying to change that ever since. Thank you for your quick responses I really appreciate the insight and help.

 

[Finny]

Going to school and building a pattern of responsibility is going to be your best help at this point. Different recruiters are going to give you different answers on enlistment. If you're going to school full time look into ROTC as a possible as well. Those guys would have a better idea of your chances and be able to help out more.

 

[Bear]

http://www.usarec.army.mil/hq/warrant/
Steps To Determine Eligibility For The Army Warrant Officer Program
The steps below provide guidance on how to use this web site (www.usarec.army.mil/warrant) to determine eligibility and if eligible, how to submit an application. Review the steps below and explore all of the pages in this web site to determine if you are eligible for any WO MOS before beginning an application.

1. View the recruiting branch's most current presentation. WOBrief.pdf
   
   
2. Administrative Requirements:
   
   • US Citizenship. (No Waivers)
   • High school graduate or have a GED (No Waivers)
   • FINAL Secret or Top Secret Security Clearance - Interim clearances will not satisfy the requirement!
   • Pass the standard 3-event Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) and meet height/weight standards.
   • APFT must be current and not older than six months by the time the applicants packet will be boarded.
   • Pass the commissioning physical for technical specialties or the Class 1 (warrant officer candidate) flight physical for Aviators.
   • All applicants must have 12 months remaining on their enlistment contract.
   • Active Federal Service (AFS): All applicants must have 12 years of AFS or less prior to their packet being boarded.
   • Applicants must submit an AFS waiver request with the application if they have 12 or more years of AFS.
   • Age Requirements: For 153A, 33rd birthday or less prior to their packet being boarded.
   • For all other WO MOS', 46th birthday or less prior to their packet being boarded.
   • Applicants must submit an Age waiver request with the application if they exceed the age requirements specified.
3. Determine the Warrant Officer (WO) Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) for which you might be qualified. The most common MOS that personnel from other services are eligible to apply for is 153A (Aviator) because this MOS requires no prior skills or training. For this MOS you must be less than 33 years of age by the convene date of the board (or request a waiver) and have 20/50 distant visual acuity, correctable with spectacles to 20/20, also note there is an Aeromedical refractive error exception to policy (LASIK/PRK information). All other Warrant Officer (WO) Military Occupational Specialties (MOSs) require you to be at least pay grade E5 or higher with 4-6 years experience in a skill that is closely associated with a WO MOS. Review the Prerequisites and Duty Descriptions part of this web site to determine if you are doing very similar work to one of the WO MOSs.
   
   
4. To apply for any WO MOS you must meet the minimum prerequisites or ask for a prerequisite waiver. You must submit a separate waiver for each prerequisite you do not meet. In your prerequisite waiver(s) you must explain how you obtained the equivalent knowledge or experience required by the prerequisite through training or experience in your service. You can gauge the training/experience required by a prerequisite by first reviewing the WO MOS duty description. If you have been doing very similar work as that described in the WO MOS duty description, then you probably have good justification for requesting a waiver. Approval is granted only if the Army proponent for that MOS feels you have the skills and experience that justify approving the waiver.
   
   
5. The prime candidate for WO has 5 - 8 years of active federal service (AFS) and meets all other prerequisites. You can apply regardless of AFS but require a waiver if you have 12 years or more of AFS. The standard for approving an AFS waiver is more stringent than for a prerequisite waiver. The age limit for Technicians is 46 yrs old.
   
   
6. If either of these two waivers apply - prerequisite or AFS - you must submit them with your application to determine if the waivers will be approved. You cannot submit the waiver first and wait for the outcome to determine if you should submit an application. If any of the waivers are not approved, then you are not qualified and your application will be returned.
   
   
7. In addition to meeting the prerequisites for the WO MOS - or requesting a waiver, Non-Army personnel must complete the additional requirements described in the "Additional Requirements For Non-Army Personnel" section: http://www.usarec.army.mil/hq/warrant/WONonArmy.shtml.
   
   
8. Download the sample application - this is the complete packet with forms and will serve as your guide and checklist. Once you have the sample packet you are well on your way to preparing an outstanding application.
   
   
9. If requesting MOS 153A (Aviator), you will need to:
   
   • Schedule an Selection Instrument for Flight Training (SIFT) and a Class 1A Army flight physical. You should first try to schedule the SIFT through your education services officer. Next option is to schedule at a Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) through an Army recruiter. If you would like to look for locations authorized to give the SIFT near you click here to search the list of authorized Testing locations. The Army has DA pamphlet 611-256-2 regarding SIFT for more information. Your FINAL option is to contact the Army Personnel Testing (APT) Program at the Human Resource Command (HRC) to schedule testing. Click here to see what documents and information are required. You can contact APT at (703) 325-9881 DSN 221-9881 or by email at apt@conus.army.mil. They can assist you with scheduling your SIFT test. Please do not contact APT about other requirements for the WO program, instead you should contact a recruiter. You should get a study guide from an education center, library, bookstore, or online bookstore before testing and study diligently to achieve the best score, once you take and pass the SIFT that score will become your score for life.
   • The physical is scheduled and completed at your servicing hospital, but must be approved by the Aeromedical Center at Ft. Rucker before you can include a copy in your application.
   
   
   Commander
   
   USAAMC
   ATTN: MCXY-AER (AAMA)
   FORT RUCKER, AL 36362-5333