Expert: Rod Powers - 8/28/2006

Question
My husband is wanting to join the army.  However, about 10 years ago he was arrested for "child stealing".  What happened was he picked up some hitch hikers and dropped them off where they wanted to go and later on he found out one of them was a minor.  He is now 29 and this happened when he was 19.  Is it possible that he can still join the army?

Answer
Hi Erin,

It's simply impossible to say. I can say it will require a waiver. However, there is no way that I (nor anyone else) can give you the chances of waiver approval because each and every waiver request is evaluated on their own individual merits, using several *individual* factors, including the offense, the exact circumstances surrounding the offense, the disposition of the offense (and what punishment a court might have imposed), the current recruiting needs (how bad does the particular military service need his particular warm body at this particular point in time), and his overall qualifications (ASVAB score, education level, etc.).

The waiver process is very subjective. There isn't any "go/no-go" list for recruiting commanders to use when determining whether they should or should not approve a waiver. They make such decisions based on their individual experience and "gut instinct."

You may wish to read the article on my website at: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/l/blwaivers.htm This was written by a high-level Marine Corps Recruiting Official. It is one of the best explanations of the subjective nature of Moral (criminal history) waivers that I have seen.

For more information about the United States Military, feel free to visit my military information website at: http://usmilitary.about.com

Hope this helps!

Rod Powers
http://usmilitary.about.com