We definately appreciate what you guys do. Thank you!!

 

4 years in Uncle Sam's Ant Farm loading bombs on A-10s. 92-96

Aaron

 

US Marine Corps Force Recon. Medically discharged due to severe injury (had my knee broken sideways) Been fighting the red tape for the last 2.5 yrs to get back in. Got conressman, and senators helping now. Thank you guys for the support it means alot to us, Its nice to hear people appreciate what we do/ did.

 

Oversize, I too, kicked around this idea before I had 2 kids and a comfy govy job. My wife was an Army recruiter and this is what she told me. If I had started to collect from the VA I am permenatly rodded off the range, game over. On your DD214 box 27 (reentry code) must be 1 or 2 If you have a 3 your recruiter will have to get a waiver (depending what box 26 says, you can google seperation codes and find out what those 3 letters mean). If your reentry code is a 4, goodluck with that. You must provide medical proof my doctor that you are fixed by surgery, therapy etc..(with the docters nod). Then see a recruiter and get some type of waiver. If you are over 40 then you will need to get an over 40 physical (the whole 10 yards, Dr. Dover and all). You will be expected to pass a PT test on day 1. In the Army if you have a break in service for 1 year you will loose 1 pay grade/rank but you will have the option of another MOS.
Again this is for the Army the Corps may have other ideas.
Please let me know If I can do anything to help.

 

My above information applies to enlisted. I don't know how the non working side works. (No offense to the officers out there, just having fun)

 

Ive been at this for 2+ yrs so I know what your saying Ive been evaluted by a civialian orthopedic surgeon again (my knee was surgically reconstructed) and seen be a naval commander medical officer and they both signed off on me, but then the red tape did there thing and took over a year to say not at this time/ So then we got congressmen involved and they went to the congressional liason for the Corps and they decided to petition to get my RE code changed. I presently have an RE- 3P. But they no longer concider these medical documents current so Ive got to get new ones again and resubmit them for the upgrade. I didnt even know it was possible to get it upgraded neither did the congressmans military rep only after talking to the liason for a while was the option ever offered up. The nice part is because a congressman is asking for it they are expediting the request.

 

It sounds like you have everything under controll. I hope they will let you back in before the "fun spots" in the world are gone. Good luck and please let us/me know how it goes.

 

I was US Navy from 85-95 and US Army until 02. I was wounded, not very badly but enough to make me rethink the Army real fast before my reenlistment date due to HOW I got wounded! Without going into all the details let's just say an idiot at the range had an M60 pointed the wrong direction, By accident, and fired off a full belt, also by "accident"! The Army also screwed up my pay so bad durring my years in that I'll never forget.

I tried to go back in to the Navy about 3 months ago. I still meet all the requirements both physically and paperwork wise. RE-R1 reenlistment code. They have so much red tape to cut to get me back in that I gave up. I can't go back to my original rating unless I want to be a bubble head, Submarines, and they said I have to get a special waiver to go back at all. One of my secondary specialties was small arms repair and I still do that as a civilian on the same weapons with my own business. That could possibly get me in as a gunners mate with my experience the recruiters told me.
I had made E-6, twice! In the Navy and Army and was a surface warfare qualified sailor back when it meant something. They said I had to requal for that and take a pay grade reduction, which I don't see happening. I sure don't understand this crap considering how the military has acted in recent years, with stop loss and forced extensions of enlistments. People like me with perfectly spotless records and the will to put up with it all are turned away. Or at least forced to jump through so many hoops that it isn't worth the mess.

What finally caused me to drop it this time and forget the service, and my retirement that I was screwed out of, was there were three female recruits and one male recruit in the office when I was talking to the chief recruiter. The male recruit was already sworn in but was wearing makeup and earrings and not one single person in uniform said a thing to him. I sure would have back in my day.
The females were flirting like you wouldn't believe with the sailors in the office and in my opinion were nowhere near what I would call good sailor material. They said they were going to me Machinist mates like I was too. I feel sorry for the ship they are going to. It's a very hard, hot and dirty job being a MM. At least I know why they told me I can only go to subs. All the females like that are taking up the surface billets and aren't allowed on subs.

Some things haven't changed I guess.

 

AF here, 10 down 10 to go. Wouldn't trade it for the world.

 

Marine Corps! Ooh-Rah!!! Corporal, E-4

I'm a 2844, Ground Communications Repair, with Comm Squadron 28 in Cherry Point, NC

2 years in so far, don't know how many more I'll be in for...