I appreciate you guys taking the time to read my waiver statements. For my benefit, I hope that you guys are wrong about the misdemeanor marijuana charge DQing me. All the recruiters I talked with said that it would be no problem because 1, it was a misdemeanor and 2, it was 7 years ago when I was a minor. I do understand though with the combination of arrests and the tattoos, that might be the determining factor. I'm just hopeing that in my waiver statement I convinced the Colonel that I deserve atleast a shot at becoming a Marine. I was trying to give him a glimpse of me and what Im about, my values, my heart and determination and my loyalty and committment to my family and my country. I told him I would be willing to sign a 10 year enlistment contract if thats what it takes. Also that I would run from here in Florida to boot camp in South Carolina. Thats how bad I want this and hopefully he will see that. I'm just ready to move forward. Its been a full 3 months since I made up my mind that I wanted to go active duty. Im in great shape for someone entering boot camp: 23 min 3 mile, 16-17 pull ups and regardless of what looked like a pregnant stomach in the above picture, I can do sit ups all day. I really want to become a Marine but if I am denied, I will just as proud to enlist and earn my way as a Soldier in the Army. Either way, I should find out sometime this next week. My recruiter submitted my waiver packet on Thursday so hopefully I'll hear something Monday or Tuesday. I appreciate everyones well wishes and support. Ill definetely let you know something as soon as I hear back from my recruiter!
Snoope, you just not getting it. The Marine Corps is not letting those who get popped on a pee test to re-enlist. They send them home from Boot Camp for getting popped on a pee test. It's just not from smoking, it's not from rolling joints for folks, it's just not from holding it and getting busted. IT'S A ZERO Tolerance Policy! With all the other If's from your past I would be very suprised if a LtCol will say yes.
Tell you what, I have a friend who is a LtCol and I will ask him. I already know his answer, but will do it anyway. His father in Law is a Retire Marine Bird Col and is a Marine Legend. I would not even ask him as he would lose respect for me just for asking. Good Marines know the story.....
Sorry I mada a boo boo here. Thought I replied and must have edit. Sorry Snoope this was a honest mistake.... Tom Hansen
This message has been edited. Last edited by: TomHansen,
Snoope, My friend did not want to touch it with a 10 foot pole, he is a LtCol on active duty. I know him well and if he had anything positive to say about this he would have. Once again I hope for the best for you, I really do. But, it looks like a uphill battle for you.
I appreciate the input Tom. I also see this as a very steep uphill battle. Acouple months ago when I went into my recruiters office here in Orlando to get directions for my meeting I was supposed to have with the C.O later that day, I was informed that the C.O wasent going to meet with me because he knew what the command would say. I made the decision to drive down to headquarters and try and convince the C.O otherwise even though he said he would not meet with me. The first thing the C.O said was, didnt I already reject you? I said, "Yes Sir but if I gave up that easy, I wouldnt make a good Marine anyways." He did give me an hour or 2 of his time and thats where I got the idea to partially change the tattoo and try to enlist in another state with more demand for recruits. Even if I don't get in the Marine Corps, I want to be able to say I did everything I could do to try and get in. I just think whatever is supposed to happen, will happen. Im still optimistic about it but am prepared if it doesnt happen. Ever since my waiver was turned over to headquarters on Thursday, I have been have dreams about boot camp and I hope that is a sign of it will happen but time will tell. What Im banking on is that the Colonel or whoever reviews my waiver will read my waiver and hopefully see the determination and grit I have combined with a good asvab score and a pretty well written waiver and say, "Lets give this kid a shot." Im expecting my phone to ring any minute now but in reality, it will probably be sometime later in the week. Hopefully the next news I have for you, it will be good news.
Snoope, how is that waiver coming along? My Med waiver took a day or two as my Recruiter was all over it getting done. That was 30 years ago...Just checking on ya....
Tom, thanks for checking in. Unfortunately I dont have an update as of now. I think the reason my waiver is taking so long as opposed to your medical waiver that took a day or 2 was that your waiver was probably an entry level waiver, whereas my waiver had to be approved by my recruiter, his station commander, South Carolinas Ops O, his C.O and now the Southeast Region Colonel. **** thats a lot of people! I recieved a call from my old recruiter I was dealing with in Orlando last Tues to see how the waiver was going in S.C. He thought I was going to hear back on Thur 12/11/2008 or Friday 12/12/2008 because my waiver was submitted to headquarters on Thurs 12/4/2008 and he said that the Colonel does his waivers on Thursdays. I have not heard from my new recruiter since he submitted my waiver to headquarters on Thur 12/4. I have called him twice, once today and once last Thursday but he has not returned my calls. I know its because he has not heard anything back but it definetely frustrating waiting, waiting and then waiting some more. HOPEFULLY I will hear back from my recruiter as soon as I am done writing this post telling me that I have been accepted. I will let you know as soon as I hear anything.............
First of all, Merry Christmas! F all that politically correct, Happy Holidays ****, Merry F'in Xmas. Secondaly, I have STILL not heard an answer to my waiver. Since my recruiter does not like to return my calls, I texted him on Thurs. He texted back saying the CG has not responded yet but he was hoping to hear by the end of the day. Brings me to my next point, who is the CG? Is that the Commanding General? I thought my waiver was at the Colonel? Anyways Im kind of bummed even though its Xmas because I was really hopeing to find out by now if I was going to be allowed to enlist in the Marine Corps. I doubt recruiters will even be back to work before New Years so it will probably be atleast acouple more weeks before I hear anything! I was just curious about the CG reference. I guess if it is at the General, its not bad news because atleast it has not been turned down yet!?!
Snoope, don't hold you breath. Either they are yanking your chain or you have been turned down and they just want you to fade away. Think about this logicly, if your a General and the Officers in your Command are impowered to follow policies and they send this to you?
You have been busted for postion, does not matter to as why, you still got busted. They are throwing Marines out after popping once for positive test. Then you have questionable tatoo's. If I was a General and it made it to me I would be pi$$ed off that my staff could not say no. It does not take this long for a waiver....
Simply put, it does not take this long for a waiver and this is not something a General would decide as his Officers are there for that...
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But if I was turned down already, why wouldnt they just tell me? I even called my old recruiter here in Orlando who is the Station Commander and had him look up on his computer if my waiver had a answer and all it said was "submitted". I call my South Carolina recruiter wayyyyyy to much for him to hope I fade away. I find a reason to call him once or twice a week along with an email and/or text. It just does not make sense to me to yank my chain or hope I fade away. A "NO" is a "NO". Thats it. Nothing less, nothing more. Atleast a "NO" will allow me to move on. Until I get a "yes" or a "no", this recruiter has to deal with me. Could it be that they are just not responding to him? I could understand that a little more. Either way, I hope it works out. I plan on giving them a little more time just because of how bad I want this. Do you know if recruiters return after Xmas or do they wait until after New Years?
Hey Marines. Well today I got an update on my situation...FINALLY. I know most of you could give 2 ****s but since I have kept every1 updated to now, I might as well tell you whats happening...Basically my recruiter has no idea what happened to my waiver. He said that he thinks the Ops O and C.O never submitted it to the Colonel. He came to this conclusion because there is no record of my waiver going up to the the Colonel. He said the only way this would happen is if the C.O and Ops O turned it down. However there is no record of them turning it down so its like it was never submitted so I am not barred from trying somewhere else...AGAIN ( same thing that happened in FL ) His advice to me was to find another recruiter from another state that felt confident in getting me in and he would fax over my whole waiver package to be submitted somewhere else. I found a recruiter in Louisiana who knows of my situation and is going to try and push my waiver through there. The good thing is that I am not barred from Enlisting in the Marine Corps. Also the waiver package is already complete so the new recruiter only has to submit it, not gather all the info that is very time consuming. The bad news is that I just waisted 5 weeks thinking my waiver has been on the Colonels desk. Also this whole situation smells like elephant ****. Something just doesnt seem right but I am not going to stop trying until I get a final NO or perferably a YES! Its definetely testing my will to enlist in the Marine Corps but thats the easy part for me because there is nothing else I want to do. This pushes me back a couple weeks but if I gave up this easy, I would make a pretty sh-i-tty Marine anyways. If worse comes to worse and I am denied, I will be enlisting with the Army as Airborne Infantry. I will enlist with the same sense of pride, ambition and heart as I would if I was enlisting with the Marine Corps. Although I would rather be a Marine, I know I can do great things as a Soldier as well. Anyways wish me luck...I need it. Ill let you guys know what happens next...
Snope, your wasting your time with the Marine Corps. It's time to move on as you will not likely get in. Listen carefully, you have been busted for drugs. It does not matter what the reasons where, you where busted for it. They are kicking out those who pop dirty just once, you are not going to get a waiver for it. Plain and simple, it's time for you to move on to another branch if they will take you. Time to look reality in the face. They are not trying as they know it will do not good. Please don't try any more, take the hint. Now it's time for my fellow Marines to chime in. Please be kind to this guy as he tried, do not be rude to him.....
If you really want it, keep trying. But seriously no one on this board cares that much about your life story. If you have questions ask them, but enough of the blog on your life.
There are plenty of Marines who came in on a drug waiver.
Originally posted by kengardner: There are plenty of Marines who came in on a drug waiver.
Me.......... smoked pot 1st couple of years in HS, we didnt have internet back then and I didnt know it would hinder me from joining the corps later on.
Told my recruiter, he told me to keep it hush hush and at meps the day I shipped, some Major or LtCol gave me the riot act telling me he didnt know of 1 high school student that never smoked pot, I cracked and told him i did. I still shipped that day. Recruiter also told me not to mention my asthma as a kid.
Got home 3 months later and found my recruiter had been fired right after I left for boot.
Told my recruiter, he told me to keep it hush hush and at meps the day I shipped, some Major or LtCol gave me the riot act telling me he didnt know of 1 high school student that never smoked pot, I cracked and told him i did. I still shipped that day.
Similar story with me, except I never admitted to anything. I figured there was no way in helll they could find out as it had been years.
Hey Marines. I have been doing alot of thinking this past week since I found out my waiver did not pass in South Carolina and I have decided to be realistic about my chances of joining the Marine Corps. Policy does not vary state to state and since my waiver did not pass in 2 seperate states, I dont think my waiver has much if any chance to pass in another state espcially since I need a Colonels approval and my waiver not got pass the C.O. I have decided to enlist with the Army as Airborne Infantry and hopefully I will get my shot at Ranger. Ken, Im sorry, Im not trying to make this thread a blog but I know it turned out like one. I just wanted to take a second out to thank you guys for your advice, guidance and constructive criticism. I especially wanted to thank Tom for his time in looking into my case. I really appreciate it. I am more than excited to get everything rolling finally and finally ship off sometime in the next 4-6 weeks. I cant wait to prove myself in uniform and start serving our great country. I wish all you guys the best and hopefully next you hear of me, it will be in the news about a young hungry grunt who personally cut off Bin Ladens head!
Snoope, glad I finally got through to you. Most Marines know how things work in the Corps, opinions may differ but in the end things don't change that much from year to year. It really was not the Tatoo's keeping out, it was your drug bust. They have very little leway on drug related issues, it's been that way since 10/1/81 when General Barrows came out and said we had 90 days to clean our system out. After that it was going to be very hard to stay in E-5 and below, E-6 and above including Officers where gone the 1st time busted.
Good luck in the Army, let us know how it's works out for you. I made this a Headliner thread so others could see how hard having Tatoos have become as to getting into the Marines. I hope you don't mind, I will not let others bash you....
Hey Marines! Just wanted to end this post with an update that I enlisted with the Army. I have a contract for Airborne Infantry with Ranger option. I ship out 20090205. I will leave the thread at that. I cant ****ing wait to get in boots and uniform!
