Juvenile Record Waivers

IdiotSticks93

5-Year Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2010
Messages
4
Hello, I am a junior in high school and I have wanted to join the Army for a long time,". You see a few years back I made some very bad decisions, hung out with the wrong people and made more bad decisions which ended in a charge of minor possession. A police officer told me, "First God whispers to you to change, then he talks, then he yells. Then, he picks up a shovel and hits you in the back of the head" I was hit with that shovel. I did a lot of growing up, and realized my stupidity. For more than a year, I have wanted to become an officer in the U.S. Army. I have been looking at at the ROTC scholarship(Seeing as USMA is out of the question) and found out that one must get offenses "Wavered" Having no clue what that is, I was wondering if someone could tell me more on what I must do.
Much Appreciated,
T.W.
 
Well, first off, concentrate on building up a good resume of community service. Anything related to helping our the military, veterans, etc may also be a plus. Things outside of school clubs (though you should be involved in your school) as well, since it shows that you actively go out to help.

Second, be completely honest. What I'm about to say applies to Air Force ROTC, but I suspect that it is similar for the other branches. Others here will be able to help you further.

1) Online application - AFROTC has an online application that starts everything off. I don't remember if it asks about criminal history, but it does ask about drug involvement. When it comes time to check the Yes box for those answers, be sure to give as many details as possible.

2) Interview - assuming you initially qualify in the first stage, you'll likely get a few forms handed to you where you can (and should) fill out any kind of disciplinary involvement. Remember that this is your time to explain everything about what happened, how it has changed you, and the kind of person that you are now. Stress that you haven't been involved in illegal activity since then, and really try to make a good impression.

After the interview it goes to the review board. Assuming the review board awards you the scholarship, you'll have to complete a DoDMERB medical examination. Part of the papers involved for that is, you guessed it, "Have you ever or do you now use any of the following." Alcohol and a bunch of other drugs will be listed. Obviously you need to check yes and explain what happened again.

This is where the waiver stuff comes in (at least medically speaking - legal involvement might be elsewhere in the process). You should contact Larry Mullen (you can find him in the DoDMERB forum here - check his signature for contact information) and see what happens from there. He's the only person who can speak for what happens at this level.

A waiver is an exemption allowing you to serve.
 
Back
Top