Why is it that every other branch of the military, it seems, does age waivers for good recruits and the air force does not? I am only 37 and an still join other branches, but not the a/f. Any chance of this ever changing? Tony
Well, for one thing, there is a TON of young people always trying to get into the Air Force. Secondly, the Air Force is not that big in comparison with the other services. Thirdly, budget crunches call for down-sizing. If B-2 Bombers didn't cost a Billion plus a copy, they could maybe retain a few more bodies. Fourth, it's not easy to teach old bodies new tricks. Most Air Force Jobs are technical and take nearly two years of schooling plus on the job training. A guy nearing 40 by the end of that is not what they are looking for - -
Now, if you're prior service and can bring something to the table like SatCom or Radar, you might get in, but if yer a raw recruit - try Army Infantry. During war, they always have a few vacancies to fill - -
By the way, I'm not guessing. I went into the Air Force at 34 as prior service (SSG Army), went through officer's training and commissioned just 4 days short of my 35 birthday. Despite the fact that I was 2nd in my class, they made it quite clear that if graduation was delayed a week for some reason - I would NOT be commissioned. I also had to drop from 200 to 185 pounds to meet my height/weight requirement despite having only 5% body fat - Air Force cut NO slack - -
Me in '85 - -
Anorexic me graduating Weapons Controller School at Tyndall AFB 1986 -
