KlingonOpera
01-18-05, 03:49 AM
Howdy yall. Guess I should introduce myself as this is my first post - been lurking for a few months and gotten a lot of good information so that's why I'm bringing my question here. It's a little sensitive? maybe embarassing I dunno but what the heck. Let me try to sum the situation up as concisely as possible.
Last month I enlisted in the Marine Corps. Best day of 2004 signing the contract, hands down. It'd been on my mind for a long time but when it came down to it I walked into the recruiter's office on Monday and was headed to MEPS on Tuesday. Things looked up, I got a 91 on the practice ASVAB, was contracted as an E-2, it was 'open' but with a recommendation for infantry like I'd requested, all in all couldn't have been happier with the process. Even got a slice of pepperoni pizza! They know how to reel em in huh...
Not that they need to. Sorry if being flippant is disrespectful or anything. I'm new. What impressed me the most was that the recruiter repeated several times "The Marine Corp doesn't need you, but we'd be glad to have you." Which sticks out to me for a couple reasons but most imortantly for their high standards. Which is what attracted me in the first place. But is also sorta my pickle...
Not long after I got to MEPS, waiting around to take the ASVAB, I was called in to the liason Sargeant's office to have a picture taken of my tattoo. Ok now I'm finally getting to the point and thanks for bearing with me. Of course in the pre-screening it had come up, and I'd shown the recruiter it in his office the first day, and nothing was made of it. It's a big black mess on my upper right arm, under any shirt sleeve, just to be clear. I also told him up front that it was a logo of a old punk band, again no problem he said. At MEPS they went through the same thing, took a picture, checked to see if my hand could cover it (it could - didn't quite understand this part) and took a picture of that too, and asked me a few questions about it. Said the Marines were stricter on tattoos nowadays. I told them everything they wanted to know and all was well.
For like fifteen minutes. The Sargeant called me back in and now my recruiter was also present and they told me that they had looked the band up on the internet (! didn't see that one coming) and found it objectionable. Later I learned that it was the C/O who had made the decision. Everyone in the room looked pretty disappointed. I was pretty shocked dejected whatever and almost lost my **** when they suggested I try the Navy! It was a hard ride back home and I felt like a jerk for wasting my recruiter's time (although the trip wasn't a waste for him, so at least I wasn't a total a-hole).
Moving along, and sorry this is taking so long to tell but in my mind it's still quite fresh, on our way out my recruiter bumped into an Officer Selection Officer he knows and mentioned my situation to him and asked his advice. He said to do some research and prepare a written statement. Good advice, took it gladly. It was nice to know my recruiter still had interest in me and Lord knows I still want to be a Marine. So as soon as I got home that night I started working on it, took some time to make sure it sounded nice and then sent it off around Christmas. Busy time so I wasn't expecting much action on it. After New Years I stopped back in the sub-station (I'd moved things upstate to my ma's in anticipation of my departure - bit premature I guess which has only made this mess harder) to check on things. The NCOIC who'd taken me in wasn't there but the other Sargeant with whom I'd first spoken was. He said they'd passed on my letter to a Gunny who "had a lot of pull" with the C/O, who happens to be "a real hard***," but that the Gunny "liked what he saw." That's what he told me. Seemed upbeat about it. A week later I also forwarded them a news item I picked up on the wires about a punk band brought over by the USO playing for troops in Iraq and Kuwait. Made sure to use the version written on the USO's website. So I think I've made my case well enough, but still I'm left wondering.
Been calling the sub-station and cell phones several times a week but keep getting voicemail. I'm starting to get worried because it seems like the longer this goes on the less likely anything will happen. Just spinning my wheels, trying do something useful like memorize the Orders of a Sentry but getting sort of anxious about the future. I sorta expected the wheels to turn slowly but not knowing's the worst, especially when like a month ago I was being hotshotted into a January poolee class! Emotional rollercoaster.
Ok finally here's the part I need serious advice on, although please anything you want to comment on I could use the help. My mom works in a police station with a lot of former military folks and everyone she's mentioned the issue to (can't keep moms from talking) has said "Write to your congressman! They'll fix it! That's what they're for." I don't know about that. On one hand it sure would be nice to have this whole mess just magically straightened out. On the other it seems like a total a-hole move and one that could just make another mess. The NCOIC and other Sargeant at my local sub-station have been absolutely awesome to me and I don't see how that wouldn't come back on them somehow. But I don't even know how this stuff works. I certainly wouldn't go behind their backs to write this letter, that doesn't seem right at all. On the other hand I can't even get a hold of them! (I'll try again in the morning.) And my congressman is a powerful Republican. Scary stuff!
So what should I do? Anyone go through anything similar? Anyone work in this area and can offer some encouraging words? What's worst about my situation is that it's something totally preventable. If I had a time machine. Teenagers let this be a lesson to you - your body is a temple! Think harder about that stuff and don't do like this sixteen y/o did. If'd you'd like I can email you the statement I wrote, it's nice little piece of work (ha!) and might make this clearer, could use feedback on how I've proceeded so far too. Said about as much as is prudent (I hope - if not there's an edit button right? I'd look twice but it's late). Thanks so much for reading all that, suppose it wasn't very concise after all. And if you're wondering why this post was made at 3:40 am I guess you can say I'm losing sleep over it!
Last month I enlisted in the Marine Corps. Best day of 2004 signing the contract, hands down. It'd been on my mind for a long time but when it came down to it I walked into the recruiter's office on Monday and was headed to MEPS on Tuesday. Things looked up, I got a 91 on the practice ASVAB, was contracted as an E-2, it was 'open' but with a recommendation for infantry like I'd requested, all in all couldn't have been happier with the process. Even got a slice of pepperoni pizza! They know how to reel em in huh...
Not that they need to. Sorry if being flippant is disrespectful or anything. I'm new. What impressed me the most was that the recruiter repeated several times "The Marine Corp doesn't need you, but we'd be glad to have you." Which sticks out to me for a couple reasons but most imortantly for their high standards. Which is what attracted me in the first place. But is also sorta my pickle...
Not long after I got to MEPS, waiting around to take the ASVAB, I was called in to the liason Sargeant's office to have a picture taken of my tattoo. Ok now I'm finally getting to the point and thanks for bearing with me. Of course in the pre-screening it had come up, and I'd shown the recruiter it in his office the first day, and nothing was made of it. It's a big black mess on my upper right arm, under any shirt sleeve, just to be clear. I also told him up front that it was a logo of a old punk band, again no problem he said. At MEPS they went through the same thing, took a picture, checked to see if my hand could cover it (it could - didn't quite understand this part) and took a picture of that too, and asked me a few questions about it. Said the Marines were stricter on tattoos nowadays. I told them everything they wanted to know and all was well.
For like fifteen minutes. The Sargeant called me back in and now my recruiter was also present and they told me that they had looked the band up on the internet (! didn't see that one coming) and found it objectionable. Later I learned that it was the C/O who had made the decision. Everyone in the room looked pretty disappointed. I was pretty shocked dejected whatever and almost lost my **** when they suggested I try the Navy! It was a hard ride back home and I felt like a jerk for wasting my recruiter's time (although the trip wasn't a waste for him, so at least I wasn't a total a-hole).
Moving along, and sorry this is taking so long to tell but in my mind it's still quite fresh, on our way out my recruiter bumped into an Officer Selection Officer he knows and mentioned my situation to him and asked his advice. He said to do some research and prepare a written statement. Good advice, took it gladly. It was nice to know my recruiter still had interest in me and Lord knows I still want to be a Marine. So as soon as I got home that night I started working on it, took some time to make sure it sounded nice and then sent it off around Christmas. Busy time so I wasn't expecting much action on it. After New Years I stopped back in the sub-station (I'd moved things upstate to my ma's in anticipation of my departure - bit premature I guess which has only made this mess harder) to check on things. The NCOIC who'd taken me in wasn't there but the other Sargeant with whom I'd first spoken was. He said they'd passed on my letter to a Gunny who "had a lot of pull" with the C/O, who happens to be "a real hard***," but that the Gunny "liked what he saw." That's what he told me. Seemed upbeat about it. A week later I also forwarded them a news item I picked up on the wires about a punk band brought over by the USO playing for troops in Iraq and Kuwait. Made sure to use the version written on the USO's website. So I think I've made my case well enough, but still I'm left wondering.
Been calling the sub-station and cell phones several times a week but keep getting voicemail. I'm starting to get worried because it seems like the longer this goes on the less likely anything will happen. Just spinning my wheels, trying do something useful like memorize the Orders of a Sentry but getting sort of anxious about the future. I sorta expected the wheels to turn slowly but not knowing's the worst, especially when like a month ago I was being hotshotted into a January poolee class! Emotional rollercoaster.
Ok finally here's the part I need serious advice on, although please anything you want to comment on I could use the help. My mom works in a police station with a lot of former military folks and everyone she's mentioned the issue to (can't keep moms from talking) has said "Write to your congressman! They'll fix it! That's what they're for." I don't know about that. On one hand it sure would be nice to have this whole mess just magically straightened out. On the other it seems like a total a-hole move and one that could just make another mess. The NCOIC and other Sargeant at my local sub-station have been absolutely awesome to me and I don't see how that wouldn't come back on them somehow. But I don't even know how this stuff works. I certainly wouldn't go behind their backs to write this letter, that doesn't seem right at all. On the other hand I can't even get a hold of them! (I'll try again in the morning.) And my congressman is a powerful Republican. Scary stuff!
So what should I do? Anyone go through anything similar? Anyone work in this area and can offer some encouraging words? What's worst about my situation is that it's something totally preventable. If I had a time machine. Teenagers let this be a lesson to you - your body is a temple! Think harder about that stuff and don't do like this sixteen y/o did. If'd you'd like I can email you the statement I wrote, it's nice little piece of work (ha!) and might make this clearer, could use feedback on how I've proceeded so far too. Said about as much as is prudent (I hope - if not there's an edit button right? I'd look twice but it's late). Thanks so much for reading all that, suppose it wasn't very concise after all. And if you're wondering why this post was made at 3:40 am I guess you can say I'm losing sleep over it!