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Question
I was wondering if it is possible for me to join the navy with a prior felon(about 5 years ago) with no previous or prior record. and i am about 6ft 3in tall and am 250 pounds , I have 4 years of community college. with about a 3.1 gpa. I am a qualified open water lifeguard. and have done lifeguarding at a community college pool, I am also a certified personal trainer and certified scuba diver. I will be 25 on my next birthday in july.anything you can tell me would be greatly appreciated.
THANKS
SETH
Hi Seth,
Felony convictions are disqualifying for military service. It's that simple. In other words, you are not eligible to join any branch of the U.S. Military.
With that being said, waivers are sometimes possible. I won't mince words -- the vast majority of felony waivers considered are for felonies committed as a juvinile. Very few felony waivers are approved for felonies committed after the age of 17.
Now, with that being said, it is possible that a felony waiver could be granted. The Army is granting the majority of felony waivers (see: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/a/waiverdetails.htm).
Criminal history waivers are very subjective. You'll want the read the article at: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/l/blwaivers.htm While this article was written by a Marine Corps recruiting officer, it pretty much explains how subjective the process is.
Hope this helps!
Rod Powers
http://usmilitary.about.com
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Answers by Expert:
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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