Prior Marine Shooting for 18x Path

[TYW27]

Hello Everyone,

I posted in the Army Special Forces Forum about my situation and decision to go SF through an 18x path. I spoke to the Army recruiter and he told me I should be ok with an RE-3O that can get waived and a letter from the VA saying I’m healthy. My question right now is I’m 34 and I turn 35 in October, will I need to get to SOPC or SFAS before turning 35 to meet the age requirement? Or does SFAS count my constructive age which would be 25 since I did 9 years of active duty in the Marines? I would like to know so I have a little more time to get ready physically.

 

[TYW27]

Disregard. I’m a dumbass. I went to the SORB website and it said 36 is the cutoff. Im pretty sure my recruiter told me 35 but that may be the Army and not SF.

 

[TYW27]

OK, got a question for you guys. Since I'm 34 and have my 35th birthday in a few months, would it be best for me to get in the Army as any MOS they can give me, or wait until my body is physically ready for SFAS and pull the trigger for an 18x waiting until I'm 35 to join?

My Army recruiter told me since I'm a PS Marine he can't give me any jobs. It's apparently up to the career planner at MEPS. They will give me a list of jobs "needs of the Army" and if 18x is not an option then I'm stuck with whatever they offer me. First off: Is this true? Second: Does anyone know if 18x is an option as a critical job that needs to be filled for PS?

EDIT: After doing some more research I'm wondering if the MEPS career planner uses the Army prior service business rules. According to those rules I would possibly be eligible for 35P (all I'm missing is a language), or I would need to retrain in another MOS (Grades E-5 - 11X, 12B, 12C, 13B, 13F, 13J, 13M, 14G, 14H, 14P, 14T, 18X, 19D, 19K, 27D, 17E, 35P (language determined by Language Team HRC), 35T, 88N, 91A, 91L, 91M, 91P, and 92Y. according to goarmy.com).

 

[ecag]

18x will be available.

 

[Ooh-Rah]

18x will be available.

Based on what?
How do you know?

You might be 100% correct, but if you are going to answer a question like this, then please offer context; otherwise your answer is no more legit than Reddit, and that is not what guys come here for.

 

[ecag]

Fair enough. Based on my experience seeing the business rules from recruiters every few months the last 3 years, 18x was the only MOS always available. Specifically for prior service guys. Assuming you qualify for the contract, there is a VERY high likelihood that 18x will be available.

 

[TYW27]

Ok guys, I have all of my paperwork the Army recruiter needs - except one. My discharge papers. I sent them my OMPF from the Prior Service Records branch in Quantico which include my Page 11 with my RE-3O. They have my DD-214 Member 4 copy with my Honorable Discharge and RE-3O re-enlistment code. But they want my orders that discharged me. Has any other Prior Service Marine run into this with enlisting in the Army? What document are they looking for, or what document will satisfy that requirement? I even called the IPAC that separated me on Camp Pendleton and they don't have that in their records because they don't archive records past 6 or 7 years. They told me to go back to Headquarters Marine Corps to get my OMPF....Which I did and I have. What am I missing? At this point I'm thinking about calling the IPAC back, showing them my OMPF and getting them to write me discharge orders and backdate them for my discharge date on my DD-214.

 

[Kaldak]

I had to submit my terminal leave orders from the Corps to the Army when I joined the Army for Officer Candidate School. Could this possibly what they are looking for from you?

 

[TYW27]

That might be it, but my OMPF doesn't have anything listed. I finally just called the IPAC at Pendleton to see if they could re-write those orders and backdate them. Maybe putting something in writing that the originals were lost. I have been back and forth with Manpower Records and Camp Pendleton IPAC to try and figure this out. It is literally the last document I need.

Good news - The VA finally wrote me a letter speaking to my hypertension and depression. I have been off meds since December for both and I can regulate my blood pressure with eating clean, eating low sodium, and drinking lots of water.

 

[TYW27]

Update - The IPAC said they can’t re-write the orders which, unfortunately, makes sense. They sent me a NAVMC which shows that I was separated from service honorably @Kaldak (you were right, it’s my terminal leave orders). I asked my recruiter why my DD-214 would not work and he told me “it’s a MEPS thing”. Apparently they need something other than my DD-214 that states I was discharged honorably....honestly it sounds like a bunch of crap. But I’m playing their game. Now we wait.

 

[Kaldak]

Don't tell my ex that I was right for once...she won't believe you

 

[TYW27]

Update: My medical package won’t pass MEPS. The Army recruiter told me to successfully stay off meds for 12 months and get a Psychologist to write a letter saying I’m fit for Military Duty. Also I guess having a concussion in high school is a big deal now, so I need get a neurologist who can scan my brain and say I’m fit for Military service. Got another 9 months to go.

Once I get all the above taken care of I have a snowballs chance in Hell at clearing MEPS. Looking at National Guard options. I know the Marine Reserve allows you to get medical paperwork signed off by a Dr. saying you are fit for Military duty. I’m going to find out if the Army National Guard has the same process.

I’ll keep you guys updated. Also, if you have any suggestions feel free to throw them out there.

 

[TYW27]

Found both a Army National Guard recruiter who is willing to help (first choice), and THEN a Marine Gunny who knows how to get off-contract Marines in the Reserves (IMA-det), and then drop a PSEP to go Active Duty. Sooooooo. That's my second choice if Army doesn't work out.

 

[0699]

What National Guard unit?

 

[TYW27]

@0699 It's in Knoxville Tennessee. I only spoke to the guy on the phone and he came recommended from a friend so I'm not sure of the exact unit. I'm still not sure how the Guard works. I just assumed that he was a NG recruiter who could recruit for any unit in TN.

 

[Kaldak]

just assumed that he was a NG recruiter

Do you know for sure he/she is a recruiter?

 

[TYW27]

I mean I haven’t looked anything up. He was recommended by a friend whose son went to the Guard and is at boot camp right now. I did a lot of trusting and assuming, but no verifying.

 

[0699]

I just assumed that he was a NG recruiter who could recruit for any unit in TN.

Ah. I assumed (not sure why I assume it) that NG recruiters were unit-specific.

 

[TYW27]

Ah. I assumed (not sure why I assume it) that NG recruiters were unit-specific.

Haha, well I feel like an idiot now. I don’t have any evidence or experience to back up what I assumed.

I reached out to a Army Guard buddy who told me this
“The Guard, except for very special persons, is a black hole: once in, they’ll never complete a transfer. If you want to go active, just go ahead and skip the Guard. If you want Guard SF, move to AL or Utah; red tape resists out of state recruitment. If you want to do SF support, finding a reserve unit that’s attached to an active group might be more effective.

Just my thought. The National is very politically and state-finance charged.

Something else to consider too, both NG and SF are on the DoD’s chop block right now. “

So that brings up a ton of questions.

@AWP I know you know a lot about the Guard and it’s mysterious ways. Is my buddy right? I’m in Tennessee. What are my chances of trying to transfer to 20th Group from living in Tennessee? I asked my recruiter specifically for the Guard equivalent of an 18x contract but he told me he couldn’t do that. Is that true? What are my options?

 

[DZ]

Who is your buddy and why does he think that SF is on the Army's chopping block? (They're not). As far as the NG- Active Duty has always wanted to take resources from the Guard. Just look at the Apache debacle from a few years ago.

As far as getting stuck, that can be true depending on the state and unit. I'd suggest joining a NG SF unit if SF is your goal. They will be more accommodating if going to SFAS is your goal.

You can enlist into a state you don't live in if you don't want to move, just know you'll have to travel to drill on your own dime.

Once you become an SF guy it is a lot easier to switch to Active Duty if that's your desire. That's what I did. If you want to know more about that subject you can search my various posts on it.

If you want to do NG 18xray, you need to enlist into a state that has a NG SF unit. Your best bet is to contact the SF recruiter for that state. I'm not sure if they let prior service enlist NG 18xray though.