Flight School Applicants Refractive Surgery Fact Sheet (Update January 2006)
What: LASIK (laser in-situ keratomileusis), LASEK (Laser Subepithelial Keratomileusis), and PRK (Photo Refractive Keratectomy) are now aeromedically acceptable provided the post-surgical outcome meets standards IAW the current Corneal Refractive Surgery APL, revised December 2005. It is important for all applicants to do research on the Internet, or elsewhere, about the differences between the types of surgeries. The US Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory (USAARL) study was initiated in February 2001 and was closed to new applicants as of 1 October 2004. A decision was recently made (8 Dec 2005) by the OTSG (Office of the Surgeon General) to allow LASIK to be accepted along with both LASEK and PRK.
There are a lot of questions regarding whether or not someone can get selected with DWI/DUI or bankruptcy.
Bankruptcy has a possibility to affect obtaining a clearance if you don't have one (see the DSS FAQ regarding security clearances and bankruptcy).
As for DUI/DWI, those incidents involve being "arrested, charged, cited, held, or detained", and require "YES" to be checked in Block 26 of the DA Form 61, therefore, a moral waiver is automatically required as part of the packet submitted to USAREC.
In either case, the status of your application is left in someone else's (meaning, other than the selection board's) hands.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: Crazyhorse30,
Having a moral waiver in your packet doesn't automatically render you ineligible for the WOCS selections, moral waivers are approved or disapproved by a different authority not the selection board. Once your moral waiver approved, (this takes a while and the amount of evidence and paperwork you submit about your offense really matters when it comes to approval) result will not be added to the packet and it will make it to the board just like a packet without a moral waiver.
Yes I am at the Hump. My question was who does the moral waiver? I asked JAG? Then clarified the JAG reps at USAREC? It remains an open question. Are moral waivers handled at USAREC and if so by JAG? Still waiting for an answer. It is another piece of the puzzle for these young people. If we figure out how they handle them then we can pass that info on. My wife was at Knox but she doesn't know how they are handled. So here we wait.
I know that moral waivers are handled at USAREC, but not sure what criteria other than what is stated on the USAREC site, and not sure on the personnel that review and approve the waiver. I had to have one and it got approved (speeding ticket, required for any fine over $100 when I applied).
If you're ARNG, check out Alaska. They're looking for pilots up there. I started working on my WOFT packet last year in August before I got deployed to Iraq with my Infantry unit. They were going to send me as a PFC as long as I met all the requirements on the list in order to be accepted for WOFT. I'll try to find a POC from the aviation unit up there, & I'll post it here.
I have a question, what is the biggest contributer to your OML? I'm kind of worried about this because I don't want to get stuck with an airframe whose mission I won't enjoy.
I am a civilian. I want to start a WOFT packet. My recruiter does not seem to know as much about this as me. I have read about a lot of complaints with recruiters and their ability to put a packet together. Is it possible (or permittable) for me to manage my packet from start to finish? Perhaps an actual recruiter's signature is required throughout the process?
Frank- Recruiters have resources that you do not have. You will need one to schedule your tests, set up your physicals, etc. You can be proactive by studying for your tests, ensuring that you're physically fit, and obtaining good letters of recommendation. This will make you a more competitive applicant, and it may even convince your recruiter to take you seriously.
Everyone experiences frustration at some point in the application process, but you won't be doing yourself any favors if you alienate the people who are supposed to help you. Give your recruiter a chance to do his job. If he fails to do his job, find a different recruiter.
I actually spoke to several recruiters (all at the same post). They actually alienated me when they told me that the only way to go for pilot was to first enlist and work on them for a few years. This alienated me because I knew it wasn't the case. I'm not sure if they get a bonus for # of people they enlist, but I want a career, not sacrifice years and $$$ so someone can get a bonus.
I understand why the recruiter position exists. It just seems that they had never worked on a WOFT packet and/or they didn't want to bother with it.
Info on when and where tests and physicals are located are published online. I am completely capable of scheduling meetings as I hope anyone who flies our aircraft would be. If all of this info is available online, then what resources do they have that I don't?
If I were you, I wouldn't allow myself to be alienated so easily. You have more to gain from the WOFT program than your recruiter does.
Is it possible that you first wrote into this forum because you don't yet know much about how the Army works? Recruiters have years of experience with military bureaucracy. And if you- as some random civilian- try calling up the MEPS to schedule yourself an appointment, you will probably be laughed at.
It's nothing personal. It's just that there is an established system in place for you to work with a recruiter. Approach it as a challenge and keep a positive attitude.
"Leadership is the process of influencing others to accomplish the mission by providing purpose, direction, and motivation."
MEPS laughing at me. This is what I needed to know. I realize that there is a system in place - didn't know how flexible it was. I realize that 18 year olds that can't find a job and are using the military as a welfare system NEED recruiters.
Alienation: I do lose respect for someone when they don't know their profession. When a recruiter confidently tells me something wrong I can't help but remember the old saying, "if you want something done right you have to do it yourself"... It appears that I am not allowed to do it myself. So I will gladly go through the process. For all I know, the WOFT candidates that put a packet together themselves get selected because they showed responsibility and initiative.
I didn't take anything personal. I thank you for taking the time to respond.
I wouldn't be so worried about recruiters not being familiar w/ the civilian WOFT app process. I had the good fortune of working w/ a recruiter who was also the station commander and damn good at his job. Not just because he worked hard, but because he had good attention to detail. And that is one thing the WOFT ap process has plenty of. He had only done one other WOFT packet, so he wasn't familiar w/ it at all and had to reference various materials a lot, but in the end we got the job done. Just approach it as a business relationship. If your recruiter doesn't know something that you know help him out. You'll most definitely need his to get through the process.
goWOFT, it seems that there's a great number of recruiters out there who have never put together a civilian-WOFT packet. When I began this process my recruiter didn't know his rear end from a hole in the ground. I gained as much information as I could on my end, studied for the tests, and showed a lot of initiative, then tried to find a "nice way" to inform him of the order in which things needed to be done, and a "nice way" to correct him when I was positive he was wrong about something. I obviously didn't want him screwing anything up or causing me more wait time because of his misinformation. Stay on top of what he/she is doing and their progress. Pay him/her frequent phone calls to make sure things are still rolling. I also didn't want to step on his toes and piss him off. I used the method of constructive criticism if I thought he was toying with time and papers. He was ultimately in charge and he had all the access and power, I just found a way to push him along (nicely). As with most people, if you're nice to them, they're nice to you. Even when you get extremely frustrated with him/her, you want to keep him/her on your side. Use your personality and people skills to make your recruiter believe in you, and soon (hopefully) they'll really want you to get in too. By the end of the process, my recruiter honestly believed the info I gave him was true and correct, and he was totally pumped when I was accepted. It's a lot of work for both of you.
"I do lose respect for someone when they don't know their profession."
There are a lot of minute details involved with the application packet, and your recruiter may have never needed to learn the nitpicky stuff. Do your research and find a nice way to teach him/her. If this is something you really want, find a way to deal with the BS involved and make it as painless as possible.
If it were easy, everybody would do it. Good luck.
