|
FWIW the H part of the diagnosis was dropped years ago and I was 18 during 9/11, but yeah I get the message. I had to at least look into one last time so i could move on. Eh maybe I can at least do some legal volunteer work that the ABA has for helping veterans do benefit and other form. I just feel kind of lovely that lots of guys my age did tours in two different wars and I didn't. I know its stupid and will get endlessly mocked, but well that's it.
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2013 12:50
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 4, 2024 11:08 |
|
|
If you have ADD/ADHD/are diagnosed mentally retarded just lie about it. No branch of the military will ever find out unless you out yourself. The Army would have to revoke most security clearances they issue if they could and did go do a medical records check on people. Do people think there's a database somewhere with your civilian medical records? Ever heard of HIPPA? They'll only find out what you let them know about. The Army still thinks I never had the chickenpox, but want to know a secret? I actually did. They never even knew I'd stepped foot in a hospital. Anyone who didn't lie to get in is stupid, it's a waste of time to tell them anything other than "NOPE NEVER HAPPENED". If you're such a hosed-up wreck of a human being they may or may not pick up on that when they screen you, if they can't figure out you're disabled that's their fault. Good luck and good hunting.
|
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2013 14:38
|
|
|
Captain Amerikkka posted:If you have ADD/ADHD/are diagnosed mentally retarded just lie about it. No branch of the military will ever find out unless you out yourself. The Army would have to revoke most security clearances they issue if they could and did go do a medical records check on people. Do people think there's a database somewhere with your civilian medical records? Ever heard of HIPPA? They'll only find out what you let them know about. The Army still thinks I never had the chickenpox, but want to know a secret? I actually did. They never even knew I'd stepped foot in a hospital. Anyone who didn't lie to get in is stupid, it's a waste of time to tell them anything other than "NOPE NEVER HAPPENED". If you're such a hosed-up wreck of a human being they may or may not pick up on that when they screen you, if they can't figure out you're disabled that's their fault. Good luck and good hunting. There is a difference between chicken pox or breaking your wrist as a kid and a chronic mental health condition that requires controlled substances to medicate. A huge gently caress-off difference.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2013 15:43
|
|
|
I was diagnosed with ADD as a kid but I'm not diagnosed with it anymore. I haven't been given medication for it for many, many years. Note ADD, not ADHD. When I was doing my paperwork and poo poo for ROTC they said it wouldn't be a problem getting the waiver for that. Not that it matters anymore because I'm leaving ROTC without contracting.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2013 16:15
|
|
bradass87 posted:There is a difference between chicken pox or breaking your wrist as a kid and a chronic mental health condition that requires controlled substances to medicate. That's just splitting hairs. There's all sorts of spazzes and mentally unbalanced people in the military, ADD is a pretty benign thing to lie about. I wouldn't recommend the same thing to a bipolar, schizo, BPD, etc. individual.
|
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2013 17:42
|
|
|
Someone with Schizophrenia won't be able to join simply because of the careful nature that is required with prescribing medication and maintaining the medication supply. Same goes with Bipolar disorders, borderline personality, etc. You cannot pair disorders in the DSM IVR as equal when being viewed as diagnosis to a service member. Some of them will end a career, some of them won't. Even today, my psychiatrist (Navy) will prescribe Adderall XR and others things to members that need it legitimately. It will only disqualify you from performing certain tasks (some Commanding Officers don't want someone that is using Adderall or Ritalin on a flight line managing the planes when attention to detail is key to safety/performing the job), but, even then, they're reviewing the rules that some psychiatric medications/psychological disorders have in affecting the service member's ability to perform their job. Now, keep in mind that the rules depend on the branch (ie. Service members going to Monterrey for linguistics fall under Army Medicine regulation, so for Naval personnel that have ADD and require medication to be able to pay attention in class/study it is required they see a Navy branch clinic with a Navy Psychiatrist to be able to get a hold of the medications due to the rules the Army has on what can and cannot be prescribed while at a training command.) Edit: Captain Amerikkka posted:THEY WON'T KNOW poo poo Pretty much this. Hell, my recruiters were freaking out about my medical poo poo and I was already in AHLTA (the electronic medical record that maintains a record of every encounter you've had with a doctor since you entered), so lying would be pointless if during the course of the medical questioning they asked what my parents did and found out my dad was active duty Army. Chances are, they won't find out anything. Pandasmores fucked around with this message at 18:18 on Mar 20, 2013 |
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2013 18:08
|
|
|
Mortabis posted:I was diagnosed with ADD as a kid but I'm not diagnosed with it anymore. I haven't been given medication for it for many, many years. Note ADD, not ADHD. When I was doing my paperwork and poo poo for ROTC they said it wouldn't be a problem getting the waiver for that. Not that it matters anymore because I'm leaving ROTC without contracting. There isn't a distinction between ADD and ADHD anymore; now they just have different types of ADHD. Otherwise I'd fit into the former.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2013 19:11
|
|
|
It seems like you can spell, which would mean you're smarter than at least 60-70% of the people who are already in the military. I doubt ADD would hold you back, unless it's so bad you'd get excited and start shooting people for no reason. Just lie to the recruiters and go be miserable.
|
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2013 20:37
|
|
|
Do they pull medical records when they do a SSBI? Maybe my mind is making it up but I recall signing something akin to waiving my HIPPA rights IRT my investigation. An ADD waiver is definitely possible since I have one but whether or not they'll grant one today might be doubtful.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2013 21:32
|
|
|
DoktorLoken posted:Do they pull medical records when they do a SSBI? Maybe my mind is making it up but I recall signing something akin to waiving my HIPPA rights IRT my investigation. I dunno my ROTC battalion's ROO was pretty confident he could get one for me. Of course the battalion was at half its target for the number of cadets my year (LESS NOW HA!) Then again, ROTC works in funny ways.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2013 21:50
|
|
|
LEGIT WAR CRIMINAL posted:You can't be told how it sucks, you have to experience it. That's why we all still joined after being told how much it sucks. That and recruiter lies.
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2013 02:22
|
|
|
LEGIT WAR CRIMINAL posted:You can't be told how it sucks, you have to experience it. That's why we all still joined after being told how much it sucks. That and recruiter lies. This should be the first line of the OP. That way when people get mad at us for poo poo talking them and telling them not to join, there's at least a little bit of a warning. edit: I don't know how to show my appreciation, but its posts like the previous one that really make my day. Somehow having a place on the internet to just be retarded and trash talk people is awesome. The mods have to know its illogical, and a waste of bandwidth, but it really does make life a little bit better. iceslice fucked around with this message at 04:04 on Mar 21, 2013 |
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2013 04:01
|
|
|
DoktorLoken posted:Do they pull medical records when they do a SSBI? Maybe my mind is making it up but I recall signing something akin to waiving my HIPPA rights IRT my investigation. Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!!! You do sign a medical release form and if they know where to look, it's possible that you will get your records pulled. When your investigator starts asking your mom or a friend about you and it slips you were on meds, you can bet your rear end he's going to start digging around for med records.
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2013 05:27
|
|
|
I have to wonder how many of the people here offering lovely barracks lawyer advice joined during the surge. Because while the number of recruiters and medical screeners were beefed up to handle the influx of applicants, the security clearance investigators were not. Recruiters knew that there was a six month or so lag between when the SF-86 was submitted and the investigation was completed. As a result, overworked investigators were not as thorough and with the large lag, most applicants were already finished with their basic training and either at their MOS school or their first unit before any results came back. This made it easy to slip in guys that would not be otherwise qualified because once they made it that far, unless the findings were very serious, people were not being separated. Now that the drawdown is in effect, the scrutiny of applicants is much higher and there is a much smaller chance of slipping things past your respective service.
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2013 15:49
|
|
|
So I came back from MEPs the other day and looking over the contract with my parents to show them I was going to be 'okay', and then they brought up that it turns out that I was in family counselling when I was very young, and that they had decided to take out a prescription for anti-depressants when I was a bit older. I had asked them if there was anything I needed to know about any unsaid medical history before I even talked to the recruiter the first time and they didn't mention either of those 2 things, so I hadn't listed that I had any counselling/anti-depressant history. Apparently the reason why they didn't bring it up was because it was 1 or 2 family therapy sessions when I was very young, and that they decided not to put me on the medication at all. When I talked to them more about it they said that those 2 things were it for any issues we hadn't talked about. Should I be talking to my recruiter about this kind of stuff, or should I just wait it out?
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2013 17:44
|
|
|
Hekk posted:Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!!! http://usmilitary.about.com/library/pdf/DD2807-2.pdf What makes me laugh is the dumbfuck in previous posts who lied about having chickenpox. Guess what, dipshit? Not having had chickenpox or the vaccine actually makes you less fit for duty than having had it as a child. If you have no immunity to chickenpox, it's possible that you could be exposed to it in the close quarters of training. A number of immunizations are given in basic training for just that reason. In addition, the symptoms of chickenpox are generally more severe in adults, with possible complications including encephalitis and severe skin bacterial infections requiring hospitalization. In any case, the military checks new recruits' antibody titers for chickenpox, measles, and other communicable diseases. If your titers aren't sufficient to establish immunity, you'll get immunizations in basic for them. I think immunizations for measles, mumps, and rubella are given regardless of the level of immunity found on testing, but don't hold me to that. I doubt the military would actually correlate a recruit's antibody titers to the answers they've given on their medical enlistment forms, but you never know. Yet another good reason why lying about your medical history can be loving dumb, especially if you don't know why they're asking the question. That moron lied and possibly jeopardized a security clearance for no good reason whatsoever. Axolotl fucked around with this message at 19:22 on Mar 21, 2013 |
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2013 18:13
|
|
|
Apathetic Medic posted:So I came back from MEPs the other day and looking over the contract with my parents to show them I was going to be 'okay', and then they brought up that it turns out that I was in family counselling when I was very young, and that they had decided to take out a prescription for anti-depressants when I was a bit older. I had asked them if there was anything I needed to know about any unsaid medical history before I even talked to the recruiter the first time and they didn't mention either of those 2 things, so I hadn't listed that I had any counselling/anti-depressant history. Do you know the family therapist and have a way to request the medical records? If it is possible to get the records often times there isn't even a waiver required. Your recruiter will submit the Med docs to the MEPs doctors and if there was no prescription given, chances are you are good. Family therapy is something that is pretty common for divorces and trouble making kids.
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2013 18:42
|
|
|
Hekk posted:Do you know the family therapist and have a way to request the medical records? If it is possible to get the records often times there isn't even a waiver required. Your recruiter will submit the Med docs to the MEPs doctors and if there was no prescription given, chances are you are good. Family therapy is something that is pretty common for divorces and trouble making kids. The therapist is a family friend so it'll be easy to get the records. I guess I just wanted to make sure that if I did go up to them and say that I had forgotten to put something down at MEPS that I wouldn't be DQd from service. There was no prescription given on the medication, so everything there should be fine. I'm glad you guys are here to answer questions, because it's situations like this that make you think twice about asking your recruiter.
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2013 19:47
|
|
|
Apathetic Medic posted:The therapist is a family friend so it'll be easy to get the records. I guess I just wanted to make sure that if I did go up to them and say that I had forgotten to put something down at MEPS that I wouldn't be DQd from service. There was no prescription given on the medication, so everything there should be fine. I am no doctor. I am not even a recruiter anymore. All I can tell you is that every kid I tried to put in with family counseling while they were young made it in the corps. If it tears you up inside knowing the records exist and MEPs doesnt know, grab the records yourself and read them closely. You are looking for any comments about emotional or mental instability and recommendations for medication. If you see anything like that, it will raise a red flag and you might dq yourself or need a waiver to ship out. If youve passed the medical screening already and bring this up to your recruiter, he will tell you to shut the gently caress up and keep your mouth closed. It will take you talking to his boss to have them take any action. Have them look at the documents. If you are hellbent on bringing this up, all you have to do is bring your mom or dad with you when you talk to the recruiter or his boss. The parent doesnt have to say anything, just be there. The reason you need them is because a recruiter can beat any allegation from an applicant or a parent. However if both are present and allegate against a recruiter, it will be.investigated. A single contract is not worth throwing your career away over. As a result, any recruiter will choose his words very carefully when more than one person is there. If during your security clearance investigation someone mentions the counseling, The screener will look for the records. If it turns out the counseling was disqualifying its possible they might kick you out. Unless they can prove you wilfully withheld the information, its doubtful they will classify the discharge as fraudulent enlistment though. Hekk fucked around with this message at 20:47 on Mar 21, 2013 |
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2013 20:38
|
|
|
I guess I can do a write-up for the OP about the JAG Corps. I thought I had done this already, but I guess not. Maybe it was in the Law School/Lawyer mega-thread which I don't read anymore because it is packed with insufferable douchebags. Q: I haven't been to law school yet, but am interested in joining a branch of the military as a JAG. What should I do? A: DO NOT GO TO LAW SCHOOL. Do not go to law school is the golden rule of education in 2013. With extremely few exceptions (you are not one of the exceptions, no matter what your mom says), law school is a bad deal these days. Serious reform is needed in the way law schools advertise and the way they report their statistics. The ABA, which ostensibly exists in part to regulate law schools, has the reaction time of a drugged armadillo without a frontal lobe. They are still debating issues that arose twenty years ago, largely because the Section of the ABA that controls regulation of law schools is mainly composed of members who are law school administrators and have no interest in stopping the gravy-train. Even in-state tuition at a state school is going to cost you dearly (both in time and $$$) for a degree that is of very little value outside of the actual practice of law. And with actual legal employment following graduation at 90% of law schools hovering around 40% of students who passed the bar, OUTSIDE the practice of law is precisely where you are likely to end up. If your ultimate goal is to be in the military, and you already have a four-year degree from an accredited college, there are much less expensive and ultimately easier paths to becoming a military officer, many of them detailed in this very thread. As a JAG, you end up with the same pay as any other officer of an equivalent grade and time in service, with the added bonus of crushing student loan debt which you will have no hope of ever paying off. The only (ONLY!!) exceptions to this rule: Someone else is paying for your entire legal education (e.g. grants, scholarships, mom & pop, FLEP, a beneficent cocaine dealer, etc) and/or you get into a USNWR Top 14 law school like Harvard, Yale, Northwestern, etc. But if you got into one of those schools, I'm fairly certain you wouldn't be interested in the JAG Corps anyway. The pay is going to be half of what you will make as a hollow-eyed 90-hour a week associate doing M&A at Buffington, Dickrider & Schwartz anyway. To reiterate, if you're not already in law school, turn off your computer, call and withdraw all your applications, and go outside and thank mother earth that you've been saved from the pit of financial despair you almost fell into. Q: But I am a stupid-rear end and am already a 3L in the bottom 25% of my class at Middle-Central Utah State School of Law and I want to be a JAG, what now? A: Kill yourself. If an overdose of pills or a 9mm handgun is not readily available, then I have the following advice: Do an internship with the branch you are most interested in. I know for sure the Army does it, and I believe the Air Force and Navy do as well. Not sure about the Marine Corps. Over your 1L and 2L summers, you can serve as a civilian intern at a local (or non-local, if that's your thing) military base JAG office. You'll assist the attorneys with various matters and get somewhat of a feel for what we do on a day-to-day basis. You even get paid! If you pay attention, you may open your eyes to some of the not-so-pleasant aspects of being a military attorney and you'll be able to get a less rosy but more well-rounded view of whether the JAG Corps is for you. If you don't have any other prior military experience, serving as an intern (at least in the Army) is a sure-fire way to make your packet find its way to the top of the heap when it comes time for the selection board. Outside of trying to get an internship, here are some other recommendations: If your law school offers any classes related to military law, take them. I took "Law of Armed Conflict", for example. But since I went to Loyola, a Jesuit institution, classes about killing people were necessarily limited, so in that case make sure to take as many classes as you can in the basics of what most JAGs do. Take as many evidence, criminal law, federal practice, employment law, administrative law, and trust/estates law courses as you can handle. Take electives that supplement your skills in those areas, such as jury selection, trial advocacy, civil procedure, ethics, etc. Hook up with volunteer organizations that provide legal assistance to veterans. When networking, be on the look out for people who are current or former JAGs or military officers and bro down with them. You're going to need letters of recommendation eventually, and letters from military officers carry much more weight than those from employers or professors or 'community leaders'. In courses where you select your own topics for papers, select military topics. For example in my jury selection class, I did my paper on voir dire in the court-martial process, and for a family law class I did a paper on the Service Member Civil Relief Act as it applies to child custody and divorce proceedings. Strive hard to excel academically, as selection is more competitive now than it has ever been. Gone are the days when 60% or more of applicants were accepted. The last Army JAG selection board had a selection rate of under 5%, and they recently went from two selection boards per year down to one. Unlike competing for associate positions at a big firm, academic performance and law review are not the be-all and end-all of your packet; but if you're comparatively weak in other areas, they may be that last boost you need to get selected. Q: Which branch is best for me? A: That is hard to know. The branches all differ pretty substantially in their culture of service, as well as in the day-to-day work performed by JAGs. Being an Army JAG, that is where most of my experience lies, although I know folks practicing in every branch, and served as an enlisted Marine myself as well. In the simplest terms, I believe the Army offers the most "well rounded" career path. Army JAGs enjoy a variety of assignments as Captains, and promotion to Major opens up some specific career paths for you to pursue according to your interests. Army JAGs during their initial commitment will generally serve in the areas of Legal Assistance to Soldiers and their families, followed by assignment as a Prosecutor, followed by some time as an Administrative Law attorney. Where you go after that can depend on your observed strengths and weaknesses, as well as your desire to continue service after your initial commitment. Having done legal assistance and now working as a prosecutor, I can say that both are unfathomably satisfying. The Marine Corps is the only branch that will require you to pass their Officer Candidate School prior to commissioning as a JAG. You'll be getting your rear end kicked with a bunch of 21 year old raw candidates fresh out of college who have a thirst for blood. If that is your thing, more power to you, but at the age of 31 when I finished law school, and having already been through Marine boot camp, I was more interested in the more "gentlemanly" introductions to service as a JAG that the other branches offered. Additionally, keep in mind that the Corps doesn't guarantee you a spot as a JAG after OCS, nor does it guarantee that your entire career will be in the JAG Corps; you can be pulled to serve as a company commander or on some other staff position depending on the needs of the Corps. The other branches will not do that. They have the buffest, horniest dudes though. The Air Force is the place to go if you want the widest variety of potential places of duty, the most laid-back service culture, and the hottest women. Air Force JAGs deal with a good bit more real-estate and property law than the other branches, due to the nature of their use of Federal and nearby land. You are likely to get some experience dealing with those issues in your first term as an Air Force JAG if that is your goal. I've never served in the Air Force but as an outsider opinion, they just seem to be the most "civilianized" branch of service and they definitely have the most lax fitness requirements if you're a fat-body or a lazy-rear end. Navy is the branch to go if you want to be like Tom Cruise in A Few Good Men.  In any case, whatever branch you choose, you will get experience in a wide variety of legal areas of expertise and you're virtually guaranteed to get some trial experience far ahead of your peers from law school. You'll also meet, become friends with, and work with JAGs from all other branches as well as those from many foreign militaries. It's a pretty unique experience. Q: What is day-to-day life like as an Army JAG? A: That's going to depend on a few factors: Mainly whether you are deployed or in garrison, what unit you are assigned to, and what specific legal area you are working in. I currently work as a Trial Counsel (prosecutor) at the Division level for a unit that is currently in garrison. My day goes something like this: 0530: Alarm goes off, I exclaim profanities and get dressed for PT. 0630-0730: PT with Headquarters & Headquarters Company, usually a gently caress-off ridiculously long run or some other bullshit designed to injure you or make you hate yourself. As a Captain you can expect to be able to sham out of this one way or another at least a couple times a week if you want to. Provided you're at least disciplined enough to pass a PT test when the time comes, anyway. 0730-0900: Shower, eat, get a cup of coffee, mentally review what the gently caress I need to do for the day 0900-0930: Drink coffee, review police blotter from the previous evening and any "serious incident reports" to see who in my command hosed up and how bad. Usually uncover at least one DUI, spouse beating, public intoxication, AWOL, drug hot, or illegal weapon discharge. Less often an armed robbery, assault, rape, or whatever. If it was super serious I already know about it because a commander called me on my cell phone at 0130 the night previous. 09:30-1130: Talk with defense counsel on the phone about various matters, argue over scheduling of sep boards or motions hearings or arraignments, argue over what motions I may or may not file, argue over whether or not their mother is a whore. Seriously a lot of your day is going to be tied up arguing with defense counsel although we have a much better relationship both professionally and personally with military defense counsel than you would in the civilian world. 1130-1300: Try to eat lunch while being bombarded with commanders stopping by or calling with the most basic of questions you have answered for them a hundred times before, maybe reviewing some paperwork your paralegal has consistently hosed up since she was assigned to you six months ago. 1300-1800 or whenever: Put out various fires, brief SJA or Chief of MJ on the status of your various cases, argue with defense counsel some more, answer a few belittling emails from the judge, tell a commander no he cannot strip search a Soldier in front of the unit formation, review some more hosed up paperwork from your paralegal, possibly go do a quick arraignment or pre-trial confinement conference, opine probable cause for CID to title someone as the subject of an investigation, review some other half-assed CID investigation, maybe interview a possible witness in an upcoming case, etc etc etc. 1800 (or whenever): Begin drinking until passing out around 2200. Get up and do it all over again. All of this is in addition to all the other requirements of being a Soldier. You'll be expected to drop everything to go do some training or go to the rifle range or take a urinalysis or go get a physical or escort a General's wife around post or whatever the gently caress. If I make it sound opverwhelming, it's because it is. Being a Trial Counsel is probably the most demanding assignment in the Army JAG Corps, which is why you typically only do it for a couple of years. Burn out is a real problem. All that said, drat if I don't enjoy the poo poo out of it. As I stated earlier, your day will vary greatly from this if you are deployed. Expect earlier mornings and later nights. And no drinking yourself happy at the end of the day. In a deployed environment, training units on operational law and the rules of engagement will also be a big part of your day. In garrison, if you are in legal assistance (a highly likely assignment for your first tour), your days will be very 9 to 5ish, and you will be almost solely occupied by doing wills and powers of attorney or advising Joe on the best path to his 4th divorce, possibly defending him in an administrative separation board hearing. Administrative Law attorneys can expect to do a lot of contract review, legal review of investigations, and review of totally illegal proposals from FRGs and Commands wanting to use government funds to have parties and poo poo. Like I stated earlier, your first service commitment is pretty likely to consist of these three assignments, outside the small chance that the Army discovers you have some highly valued niche skill like brief writing. Q: Sounds great! What's the pay/benefits/chance for NSA sex? A: Pay is actually not that bad. Military officers make a solid middle-class wage. As a Captain with over 10 years of total service time, I can afford two newer cars, a nice place to live and fun toys to play with, while supporting my family and putting away a little extra for when I am old. Even taking into account the fact that the military life means my spouse is often out of work for long periods of time. On top of the basic pay which is easily found on the internets, you get a housing allowance based on where you are located which will usually cover most or all of your housing expenses, freeing up more of your basic pay for you to spend on Real Dolls and Subaru Foresters. You won't be making the money of an associate at a big firm, but you weren't getting that job anyway. Suffice to say I know for certain I make much more than the majority of the folks I passed the bar with in 2009. I believe most branches have a student loan repayment benefit, as well. In the Army, the total amount is about 60k, which is, for me at least, about a third of what I owe. So big whoopty-poo poo. Still, it's better than nothing. As an added bonus though, if all your student loans are Federal, military service counts as "government or non-profit employment" for the purposes of the fairly-new Federal Student Loan Forgiveness program. What that means is that after ten continuous years of service while making timely minimum payments (including payments under the Income-Based Repayment Plan), your ENTIRE Federal student loan balance will be forgiven. This is why JAG is a great option for those of us who retardedly borrowed a billion dollars for a law degree and then found ourselves without employment after the economy crashed. NSA Sex chances are better than average for the single JAG. Girls/Dudes will think you're smart/rich because you're a lawyer, and will be attracted to the cavalier manliness/womanliness you display as a US Servicemember. gently caress on! Q: gently caress yeah! Where do I sign? A: Not so fast. All branches combined are selecting around 6% of applicants right now. JAG is not the guarantee it once was. The crashed economy has thrown a wrench into the works. As a result, the caliber and demographic of attorneys coming in is changing. Follow my recommendations above to make yourself the best candidate possible, but understand at the end of the day, selection is a crap-shoot that seems almost entirely random. When I applied I had 6 years of prior service, coursework that demonstrated an interest in the JAG Corps, a mediocre-to-OK academic record, glowing letters of recommendation from officers (including a former TJAG of the Air Force) and was first-picked by my Field Screening Officer. It still took me three tries to get selected and even then I only made the "alternate list", which allowed me to commission as a Reservist and backdoor my way onto active duty. When I attended JAG Officer Basic Course, I found myself surrounded by clueless nimrods who had never served a day in the Armed Forces, silver-spooners who were offended at how early we had to get up, and people so socially retarded it was like they were plucked directly from the pages of e/n. Don't get discouraged if you don't make it in the first time around. I swear to God it really is loving random. Keep applying, keep doing things in your areas of interest and keep working those networking connections. Eventually you will make it. Maybe. Additionally, keep in mind that this poo poo isn't for everyone, or even for most people. You're guaranteed to at some point have a boss you absolutely cannot loving stand and you'll be stuck with him or her until he or she changes station or you do. You can't just quit your job and find something else. Even then, the JAG Corps is a small place and you're bound to run across that rear end in a top hat again. Even though the job sounds fun, you're still in the military and you are expected to do all the things associated with being in the military. You'll be expected to stay in decent physical shape. As an Officer, you'll be looked to to be setting the standard for physical fitness for the enlisted people in your office, so no barely scraping at minimum standards by for you. Expect to be changing station every three years or so. It's rough on everyone in the family, even if you eventually adapt to it. Every three years you pack up all your poo poo, ship it off somewhere you have likely never been where you don't know anyone, your spouse quits his or her job, your kids leave school and you go start over somewhere new. It's TOUGH. War is winding down right now, but we're not exactly known in this country for electing Presidents who back down from a challenge. You'd better believe you'll be spending at least a year away from home during your time, likely in some shithole with no services of any kind, possibly with mortars whizzing by overhead. If you're a claims attorney or an ops attorney downrange, you can bet you'll go "outside the wire" with foot patrols and into harm's way. You'll stand in interminably long formations trying not to pass out. Some clueless rear end in a top hat who outranks you will order you to do some dumb time-wasting bullshit and you won't be able to do anything about it but bitch to your co-workers. You'll spend a lot of your own money making sure the mission gets accomplished and that you have all the poo poo you need to do your job. You'll get screamed at for something that was not your fault. You'll be told to do something and not given the tools or the authority to do it correctly, yet still be expected to produce results. At the end of the day, you're an attorney, but that's not going to get you out of being a servicemember and all the bureaucratic horsehit that comes along with it. If after all that you still want to apply, Good luck! You're gonna need it. Defleshed fucked around with this message at 18:37 on Mar 23, 2013 |
|
#
?
Mar 23, 2013 18:24
|
|
|
God drat that's a lot of words. No interest in being a jag but most of that was entertaining. A+ would read again I'm pretty surprised the amount of bs you have to put up with as an officer. Unit PT? Formations? Lol Guess things are different in the Navy Can you explain to me exactly why you'd have to go outside the wire? Nostalgia4Dogges fucked around with this message at 18:44 on Mar 23, 2013 |
|
#
?
Mar 23, 2013 18:41
|
|
|
Christoff posted:God drat that's a lot of words. No interest in being a jag but most of that was entertaining. A+ would read again It is my understanding that required participation in unit PT can vary greatly throughout the JAG Corps, depending on where you are assigned and of course on how assertive your SJA is. I definitely am "required" to be at unit PT five days a week in spite of my moderate-to-heavy case load, but that could very well be a function of the fact that my SJA shows up every day as well and doesn't take excuses lightly. Some other JAG's I know, especially the Trial Defense Services guys, scoff at the very idea of unit PT that doesn't involve some basketball at the gym in the middle of the day on a Tuesday. We don't have daily formations other than PT formation, but we definitely participate in the frequent change of command and other bullshit stuff that goes on at a Division headquarters. As far as going "outside the wire", as one example: Abdul claims that the grunts blew up 46 of his goats and levelled his house. His claims seem suspect, and since you can get in a ton of trouble for playing a claim without any investigation, you decide to hitch a ride with the next patrol heading by Abdul's former homestead and assess the damage with your own two eyes. As another, a Brigade Commander wants to meet with a local village chief and wants you along to advise him of what he legally can or cannot promise the shithead. This is just off the top of my head, and I am not trying to claim JAGs are anywhere near the constant danger that Infantry Officers are in, but JAGs can and do participate in combat operations, as well as engage in activities that have the potential for combat. That said, judging by the performance of my peers on the range, if a JAG is pulling the trigger, poo poo is already hosed.
|
|
#
?
Mar 23, 2013 18:55
|
|
|
Gotcha thanks for clearing that up
|
|
#
?
Mar 23, 2013 19:05
|
|
|
Defleshed posted:It is my understanding that required participation in unit PT can vary greatly throughout the JAG Corps, depending on where you are assigned and of course on how assertive your SJA is. I definitely am "required" to be at unit PT five days a week in spite of my moderate-to-heavy case load, but that could very well be a function of the fact that my SJA shows up every day as well and doesn't take excuses lightly. Some other JAG's I know, especially the Trial Defense Services guys, scoff at the very idea of unit PT that doesn't involve some basketball at the gym in the middle of the day on a Tuesday. The law center I worked in was brigade sized and held its own separate PT formations led by the NCOIC. The attorneys were all handled by the brigade JA and if they had work to do they were cut loose. If there was a trial or something going on PT was pretty much the first thing to go. Unless we were doing group PT it was very much jus doing your own thing in the gym for at least 45 minutes and leaving whenever. To be honest half the time I ran on the treadmill for fifteen or twenty minutes and then dipped out to a German bakery. The TDS attorney never did PT with the rest of the law center because of the fear it would give his clients the wrong impression. I did it when I worked there to avoid getting fat and because the TC liked to talk about his cases there. Like anything else in the Army the farther you are from the flagpole the more lax things are. e: we were also more or less orphans from our brigade HHC. Whipped Buttcheeks fucked around with this message at 19:32 on Mar 27, 2013 |
|
#
?
Mar 27, 2013 19:19
|
|
|
SO My cousin told me he's going in to MEPs on monday to pick his job. I know when I went through for the AF we had to pick a couple of options and our job was chosen from that list while we were at basic. Is the Navy similar or do you get to pick your rating right then? He doesn't seem to know a whole lot about the process and I'd like to prevent him from getting as shafted as possible. On that note, are there any jobs that he should avoid at all costs? (I hear "nuke" a lot.) Or any jobs that he should definitely 'hell yeah go for it' take if offered? From what I understand he got in the mid 70's on the ASVAB, but has some waivers that'd probably eliminate anything with TS attached. I'm not sure where he wants to go with it, because he's pretty uncommunicative, but I'd like to help him as much as possible. (also posting this in the navy thredd just in case)
|
|
#
?
Mar 28, 2013 19:51
|
|
|
The Navy guarantees you a rate at MEPS. He'll be able to pick one he wants with the detailer as long as it's available and the detailer isn't an rear end in a top hat. Tell him to stay away from anything undesignated, botswain's mate or a cullinary specialist, or aviation ordnanceman. I'm somewhat biased to the aviation rates (besides AO as mentioned above) because squadron life is pretty chill but if he's not into jets and things that spin really really fast, there are many equivalent fleet ratings other goons can vouch for. All of the nukes I've met in my short time in have been overworked, bitter, misearble fucks except for one guy. They drink like real sailors though.
|
|
#
?
Mar 29, 2013 04:09
|
|
|
Every AO I've ever known has been extremely content with their job, some even very happy. They're not dummies, either. Ymmv though.
|
|
|
#
?
Mar 29, 2013 04:27
|
|
|
Word of warning: All of the stories you have heard from people about how Fort Sam is one giant Roman Bacchanalia are no longer true, as far as 68Ws are concerned. 232 is now a God awful hellhole where the Good Idea Fairy has taken roost. Abandon all hope, ye who enter here. Thank Based God I'm out this bitch on Friday.
|
|
#
?
Mar 31, 2013 19:09
|
|
|
WOMEN DESERVE RAPE posted:Word of warning: All of the stories you have heard from people about how Fort Sam is one giant Roman Bacchanalia are no longer true, as far as 68Ws are concerned. 232 is now a God awful hellhole where the Good Idea Fairy has taken roost. Abandon all hope, ye who enter here. Those the pods or the ones the Air Force put up like Jaenke and Fraelish hall?
|
|
#
?
Mar 31, 2013 19:51
|
|
|
Pandasmores posted:Those the pods or the ones the Air Force put up like Jaenke and Fraelish hall? Dorms at the bottom of the hill, I think they're almost done working on Echo's wing now.
|
|
#
?
Mar 31, 2013 22:25
|
|
|
WOMEN DESERVE RAPE posted:Word of warning: All of the stories you have heard from people about how Fort Sam is one giant Roman Bacchanalia are no longer true, as far as 68Ws are concerned. 232 is now a God awful hellhole where the Good Idea Fairy has taken roost. Abandon all hope, ye who enter here. Holy poo poo that sucks. I was there 10 years ago today, and it was one of the best times I've had. Is the Hacienda still around?
|
|
#
?
Apr 1, 2013 03:45
|
|
|
Well to update my earlier post about joining military: Got accepted for Navy Intel OCS, not sure of my ship date yet. Pretty excited and I hope the work is joyous =P
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2013 23:27
|
|
|
Congrats.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2013 23:31
|
|
|
Wish someone could help you but the Navy thread is full of disgruntled drunks, myself included. Are you a prior?
|
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2013 02:50
|
|
|
Nope I'm a civilian. Yea the Navy thread has a lot of disgruntled folks, gives me hope for the future hehe. Either way I'll be quickly finding out which end is which whether I like it or not.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2013 03:02
|
|
|
Beria posted:Wish someone could help you but the Navy thread is full of disgruntled drunks, myself included. I don't think any of the nobles in the Navy thread are intel. I don't think we even have enlisted intel dudes posting in there. Hope you have a good time Manmower <3 <3 <3
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2013 06:45
|
|
|
Is the Army the only branch that offers rotc for graduate students? I couldn't find anything explicit on their websites
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2013 12:28
|
|
|
Is the info in the OP w/r/t becoming a Ranger still pretty much the same?
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2013 13:29
|
|
|
Pandasmores posted:I don't think any of the nobles in the Navy thread are intel. I don't think we even have enlisted intel dudes posting in there. No...there is one. Something about malware, I don't know, it was before my time. buttplug is the name I believe.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2013 19:15
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 4, 2024 11:08 |
|
|
chopper city posted:Is the info in the OP w/r/t becoming a Ranger still pretty much the same? Yeah, most surpisingly if you want to get a tab the most common job that I see Ranger option 40 with is 92G Someone post that ranger cook img
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2013 19:27
|
|
