Expert: MARK A. HOWELL - 4/3/2011

Question
QUESTION: I am considering joining the ARMY and was worried about an old DV conviction but when that came back as ok I forgot that I had a MJ possession charge in 98. I was not driving nor arrested and paid my fines and all but this is what rejected me getting to the next step. I heard that the ARMY is more lenient toward this type of stuff. Is this not waiver-able especially since I have nothing else on my record? Also the recruiter said that he was going to hang onto my number and call me if anything changes. Does this mean that I still may have a chance sometime in the near future?

ANSWER: Maurice,
You are correct, the Army is the most lenient.  You should be able to receive a waiver for these offenses.  The USMC will nor grant a waiver for anything drug-related...period.  So you best bet will be the Army.  If you're not in any particular hurry you can apply in October and you'll improve your chances.  It's only 6 months away, but that's when the new quotas come out and the Army will be granting waivers more freely.  Same with the other Services.
Colonel H

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Ok this keeps my hope alive, however does that mean that I will have to take an infantry or special ops MOS or anything that will at-least get my foot in the door? This is what I am trying to do? I wanted to take advantage of the direct commission by getting an Associate's and being commissioned as a 2nd Lt. while continuing on to get a Bachelors to fulfill the requirement which I would then consider being a CID agent, MP or Linguist but I was told that this is not feasible because I have bad credit. My main goal is to become a 2nd Lt. and work my way up from there in a non-combat position. One more thing, assuming all goes as planned in October, would it be wise to start my college classes now to make sure that I am commissioned before I turn 35 (another requirement) because I am 32 (33 in July) now? Thank You for your time and responses Colonel

Answer
Maurice,
You cannot become an officer with an Associate's degree, you MUST have a Bachelor's degree.  Because of your age, your nest bet would be to join now as enlisted (just to get your foot in the door), get your associate's degree while you are working as an enlisted man, and then apply for OCS.  Your recruiter can give you more details on how it's done.
Colonel H