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Careers: Military--Army, Navy, Airforce, Marines, Coast Guard/RE Code
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Question
I was active for 2 years, my RE Code was a 3B. After about a year of being out I tried to go back active. I was told to go into the Reserves, so that's what I did. That turned out to be a very bad idea. I was unable to go to all my drills, I was eventually discharged (honorable). My RE code is a 4. Is there anyway possible for me to go back active? Maybe by writing a statement explaining my situation.
Hi Andrea,
I wish I had better news for you.
In general, an RE Code of "1" means that one is eligible for reenlistment, with no restrictions. An RE Code of "2" or "3" means that it is *possible* for a member to re-enlist in a branch of the U.S. Military (with a waiver), if one can show that the original reason for discharge no longer applies (exception: The Air Force will not accept any RE Code of "2" for reenlistment, and very few RE Code of "3").
An RE Code of "4" means your commanding officer made a determination that you are not eligible for reenlistment in any of the branches.
Your chances of reenlisting in any of the branches is small -- very, very small. About your only chance is to convince the appropriate Military Records Correction Board that your RE Code was issued in error. For details, see my article at: http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/airforcebase/a/chgrecords.htm
I wouldn't get my hopes up, however. You've had two enlistments, and in neither case were you able to complete your entire enlistment obligation. In my experience, it's doubtful that any of the services will take an additional chance that you would be able to complete an entire enlistment contract.
For more information about the United States Military, feel free to visit my U.S. Military Information Site at: http://usmilitary.about.com Hope this helps!
Rod Powers
http://usmilitary.about.com
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Rod Powers
Expertise
Rod Powers is considered one of the premire experts about U.S. Military career information on the planet. He has more than 30,000 articles about U.S. Military career information on the About.com U.S. Military Careers Information website at: http://usmilitary.about.com. Additionally, he is the author of "ASVAB for Dummies," "ASVAB AFQT for Dummies," (available in Dec 2009), and "Veteran Benefits for Dummies," all published by Wiley Publishing. He is also the author of "Barrons' Guide to Officer Candidate School Tests," published by Barron's Educational Series.
Experience
Rod Powers is a retired Air Force first sergeant, with 23 years of active duty service, 11 of those years as an Air Force First Sergeant. He has helped thousands of military members, recruits, and military applicants since he took over the About.com U.S Military Careers Information site in 1999. He has a reputation for "telling it like it is," so questions may not be answered based on "what you want to hear," but will be answered based of the bast available information, concerning the service/situation.
Education/Credentials
Rod is a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Noncommissioned Officers Academy, the Air Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy, and the Air Force First Sergeant Academy. He also holds an Associates Degree in Personnel Administration from the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF).
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