Expert: Cynthia Bedell - 7/23/2007

Question
I am a 30 year old divorced working male whom has been through MEPS and passed my physical.I was disqualified for enlistment into the Army because of a Domestic Battery charge.I was only convicted of Simple Assault.Sentencing was Anger Management classes and a small fine.First of all I am not a wife beater.The police reports from the incident show me to be the battered one.Due to the fact that the Army recruiter never asked for or got the police records and I have been disqualified is there any action I can take now?!I have already picked up my packet from the recruiter and am ready to throw in the towel,but before I do can I re-apply,perhaps with another recruiter,get the proper waivers and continue my enlistment process?Please help!!This an opportunity I really want.

Answer
Dear Eric --

Take your packet to a new recruiter and ask if they will help you put your waiver packet together for your assault and battery conviction.  You may have to go to a recruiting office in another town to get a fair hearing.  Take the police report and your sentencing file with you to your new recruiter the first time you meet.  

Your previous recruiter may have felt you lied to him by omitting any mention of your conviction.  He is probably as frustrated as you are because your failure to be fully open with him means he lost credit for getting a recruitment.  

Recruiters are rated by the number and quality of the recruits they bring in.  You dropped from a easy high-quality recruit to a low-quality difficult recruit as soon as you revealed you conviction, or he discovered it on his own.  

You may have passed your anger management class, but trying to blame the recruiter for your failure to reveal your police record, shows you really have not learned your lessons permanently.  It is YOUR responsibility to reveal your medical history and your police record.  It is not your recruiter's responsibility to find all the nuances of your interactions with the law.  It is YOUR responsibility.  Unless you can accept the consequences of your actions and your failures to act, then you are not ready to be a Soldier.

I do not recommend the Army, if you are looking to escape your past.  If you are serious about making a change in your life then you need to take charge, get your files together, and see if there is a recruiter willing to take the risk of helping you file a waiver.

I wish you the best of luck whichever path you choose.