Expert: MARK A. HOWELL - 9/27/2010

Question
Good day Mark, and thanks for taking time to answer my questions. Ive wanted to be army rangers forever, and when i graduated high school i broke my leg and delayed joining. I broke my tibia and fibula clean, and i have a rod and 3 screws in my leg. I was told I would make a full recovery and the rod wouldn't have to come out because im done growing. Now here's the tricky part, a little while ago for a graduation gift actually, i bought a off-road motorcycle for racing, and often  states don't require titles for off-road vehicles. Anyways i purchased the bike had it for under a year, and got rid of it. About 8 months after that i get a call saying its stolen and were did i got it from. I obviously was given bad info from the seller cause i couldn't reach him so i got arrested. Long story short i got receiving stolen property felony, but i had it closed court file and dropped from my public record after probation which i completed....and i can get a passport and say on resumes i've never been convicted of a felony.

Now, i'm 5'11 and 180, good shape, very tough and have a good head on my shoulders. In 11th grade i did an Albert Einstein IQ test and scored a 148 and albert scored a 160 on the same test. And ive taken the army test, and with a bunch of soldiers being loud in the background scored a 72 having been out of high school almost 4 years with no further education. In all honesty, i'm the guy who sits in the corner and observes, not the guy to pry for all the attention. I watch every corner and just handle myself well. If i were to be recruited I know they would be glad with the decision, now my main question to you is who do i have to convince/write to for acceptance. Would knowing an retired 22 year navy drill instructor help???......just wanting to know if there is anything i can do, with committment, to make this happen. I feel like i dont belong, like my thinking and mindset was meant for something more then just a 9-5.......and i can honestly say i would proudly die for this country or one innocent person no questions ask.

CAN YOU HELP ME??????

Thank you sincerely for your time and future answers,

Chad Edward Aro
197 E. Grand Ave.
Fox Lake, IL 60020

Answer
Chad,
Too bad you got burnt on the bike.

The Army will usually allow you a waiver for one minor felony such as yours.  Also, I checked and you are within the height/weight standards.  Depending upon your age, 185 is your maximum allowed.  The older you are you're allowed a few more pounds.  So you shouldn't have any problems.

A score of 72 on the ASVAB  is very good.  The Army requires a minimum score of 31 to qualify for enlistment. Sometimes called an aptitude test, the real reason it's called a "battery" and not a "test" is because it's impossible to pass it or fail it.  It's not a test like you take in school where 70% is passing, etc.  It's just a group of questions arranged together that help an expert determine what kind of work you're most likely qualified for.  The ASVAB is the most widely used aptitude evaluation in the world. It is designed to measure your strengths, weaknesses, and potential for future success.  The ASVAB provides you with career information for various occupations and is an indicator for success.   To find the jobs you qualify for, the Army determines which parts you did well on.  They don't want to make you a tank driver when you'd really be happier and more productive being a Ranger.  The score of 72 just means you do indeed have some ability and the Army would like to hire you.  If you actually ended up with a score of 12 or 15, it means you probably have no useful ability other than begging for change on a street corner.  So you can't fail it, but you can score lower than what the Army will accept.  So the bottom line is, don't fear the ASVAB.  There's no way you can really study for it.  There are several web sites on-line that lets you take a "practice" ASVAB if you want to brush up on the questions.

Good luck and thanks for considering the Army.
Let me know sometime how it goes and what your reporting date is.
Colonel H