namelesstavern.net

So this Army recruiter comes into the store all the time, and we talk everytime he stops in for a new project. We are chitchatting, and he has been begging me to join the Army. So I put some serious thought into it, and decide I can finish nursing school easily and actually do something major with my life and get it going in a real positive direction for me and my son. They can get a waiver to get me back in even though I was discharged with an RE4. Then I find out the only catch is, I have to give up custody of my son. Thats just stupid. It makes me angry.

Wow, that is pretty extreme...

The military has become somewhat selective with the drawdowns. One phrase I hear all the time is, "If the military wanted you to have a family, they would issue you one."

I don't really understand how you could expect to keep your children as a single mother, when there is the posibility of you being shipped off to foreign lands for months on end?

Kizzy, you can get custody of your son later. For your enlistment, though, you'd need to give up custody initially.

As another option, have you considered the reserves? You wouldn't have to give up custody, I don't think. You'd still get the training and college money that way, too.

Tuggan, that's exactly what the recruiter said.

I didn't think about the reserves Lyion, thanks.

give up custody of your son? fuck that shit.

You cant exactly take him to basic and ait Kizz Youd just sign over guardianship to your mom or someone, so they can sign school papers and such.
The Army is actually very family friendly. Soldiers with families have much more priveleges than the unmarried ones. (offbase weekend passes and more of them)
Oh and if you do sign, put us down as who reffered you and we will share the referral bonus with you <3

Also, go Navy, not Army. Better training, better duty stations and better travel.

I was kickied outof the Marines with an RE-4, I'm lucky I can get into Army, they are the only ones who will sign a waiver.

Darcler, okay.

The Kizzy wrote:I was kickied outof the Marines with an RE-4, I'm lucky I can get into Army, they are the only ones who will sign a waiver.

Darcler, okay.

What's a RE-4? Sever Chewbaccaitis?

The Kizzy wrote:I was kickied outof the Marines with an RE-4, I'm lucky I can get into Army, they are the only ones who will sign a waiver.

Darcler, okay.

An RE 4 is easy to overcome.

You can get into any military service, except perhaps the Air Force, Kizzy.

An RE 4 means you were discharged with something administrative on your record and it means you need to be reviewed before you are allowed back in. It is not a big deal, and not a dishonorable discharge.

wow, thats some shit, giving up custody and all. I don't think i would be able to do that. Fuck the system... thats screwed up.

Why do you want to re-enlist in the army? You may wind up in Iraq.

Unless she trains in the medical field, which I think she is wanting to do. They need the women nurses here more than there.

Yes, Darcler

Kizzy if you don't want to end up in Iraq, have them put that in your enlistment contract.

Also true.

wtf? Sinse when can you get that in your contract?

No such thing...

"Oh I'll join, but just don't send me to war!!"

When you enlist you are for all intensive purposes contracting your services to the government, you can ask for whatever you want in your contract. The military can obviously refuse or ask for other concessions such as a longer term of service ect.


Being drafted such as during the Vietnam era is different, once drafted you have no negotiating power, with a volunteer military you do.


Edit: note to Kizzy it is your active duty contract you sign at MEPS that is important here, not the DEP contract.

I would assume it also depends what field you're going to be going into, and how badly they want you as an individual. Coming out of high school, the Air Force, when they saw my ASVAB scores, and heard what I wanted to get into (aerospace engineering, at the time), promised me just about anything under the sun if I'd sign up and sign on for ROTC and then a term of service. I considered it, but where I went to school didn't have an ROTC group, and I'd have had to drive 100+ miles one-way several times a week to take part, and I honestly wasn't enthused about being in the military anyway, so I turned 'em down.

Anyway, the main point is that yeah, since you're volunteering, you can try and negotiate for just about anything. They can simply say no. The more badly they want you, though, the better chances you have of getting what you want. If you're going in as a basic grunt, your leverage is zero. I dunno how big the need is for nurses, nor their opinion of your ability to hack the job, but going that route will give you a lot more clout in negotiations than being a basic grunt, I am sure.

-Arlos

Oh another side note and I don't know how successful you'd be, but there is a standard enlistment clause:

"Laws and regulations that govern military personnel may change without notice to me. Such changes may affect my status, pay, allowances, benefits, and responsibilities as a member of the Armed Forces regardless of the provisions of this enlistment/reenlistment document."

LOOPHOLE

I'd see about getting that one crossed off if you intend for anything to be binding.

Fuck it, take a lawyer with you to MEPS >:-).

You guys are right - you can try to negotiate pretty much anything you want in your contract. Hell, you can try to negotiate breakfast in bed every morning of your basic and AIT, but it ain't gonna happen.

This is my just my two cents and I know that some of you are prior military as well.... there's no way in hell the military is going to allow a clause in your contract that prevents you from going to war. Well, ok, I can't speak for the Navy or Air Force, but the Army and Marines? Not a chance.

Kizzy should know this as she is a former Marine.

But, you're all right... you CAN ask for anything you want. Oh and Kizzy should also know better than to take the word of a recruiter to heart. You could have fifty years of service in and they'll STILL try to sell you a used car when you walk through the door. Go research the code that references what he's telling you and find out for yourself what the real deal is. He may very well be shooting your straight, but he could also be trying to sell you a lemon to reduce the amount of paperwork he has to do. /shrug You wouldn't sign the loan contract on a car without checking the car out on your own first, would you? One thing about the Army and its recruiting practices. And, I know from first hand experiene here... they could really give a shit less about the success of a prior service getting back in. They're after the 18 year old high schoolers... "prior service" is a irritation to them.

don't join the nasty guard.