Expert: Eric Potts - 12/4/2008

Question
My name is Chris I am 23 year old mechanic who is SERIOUSLY considering changing careers to try to become a police officer. I have been a mechanic since i was 19 and I like my line of work for the most part however I would really like to go to sleep every night knowing I have made a difference in peoples lives. I have several questions on my mind since this will be a serious change in pace for me.

First and formost the only thing that really really freightens me. My background.....the only criminal background is a few tickets i got years back one in may 2004 and jan 2006. I have excellent credit my score is 733 and I am very good with money. The only thing that scares me most is my mishap with the military. I know you are very fond of people that committed to people that have served our country and so am I. This is a long story so please hear me out.

in feb. 2004 i joined the army with best intentions on following through with my commitment I was 18 years old. My problem was that I had left for Basic Training was i had unresolved issues before i left i had some financial issues from some medical bills from a car wreck i was in and the motorists insurance company was not paying up so i had collection agencys threatening me for starters. I had some medical issues while i was in basic. while i was in my mother had serious surgery and it did not go well for her and she was unable to care for herself after it for a long time and my kid sister could not handle the responsibility. LOTS and LOTS of pressure was building up on me at 18 years old between training and my unresolved issues which all started to get noticed by other recruits and my NCOs. I got sent to a counselor and talked about it while i was in basic training and told him everything that was going on and he recommended me for "entry level seperation" from the army
under "chapter 11" which means "failure to adapt to military enviroment" that is not a dishonarable discharge and it is not an honorable discharge. it is classified as an "uncharacterized" discharge meaning since i was in less than 6 months that was not long enough to classify a discharge because i was still in initial training. will that come back to haunt me even with my extenuating circumstances in my background check? I am nervous because that is the only thing i have in my past i am nervous about it has been 5 years since then and my work history has been good and i have outstanding credit i am basicaly an upstanding citezen in my community. your imput would be most certainly appreciated. i have some other questions but i can wait until the main one has been answered. i apologize this letter was so long but that was an issue i wanted you to know ALL details as i would tell a background investigator. thank you for reading this



sincerely yours

chris


Answer
Chris,

Unfortunately anything other than an Honorable Discharge is frowned upon, however, you may be able to explain your situation to an interviewer and be able to shed a positive light on the situation. Keep trying and be honest and I'm sure you'll reach your goal.