Age Waiver for Active Duty?
Greetings, Marines.
I am 30 years old and have enough college credits to be classified as a senior. I've been working and going to school off and on ever since I graduated high school. I was recently informed by a Marine recruiter that the maximum possible age for enlistment would be 35 with a waiver. After doing a good deal of searching and reading I have discovered that it is nearly impossible to be approved for an age waiver for the reserve, much less active duty. I have determined that I will not let this stop me from at least trying for the waiver. The difficulty of being approved will be compounded by requiring a dependent waiver for my son as well.
My plan is to take the next two to three months to make certain that I can pass the PFT with flying colors while also getting my necessary paperwork (birth certificates, traffic records, etc.) in order prior to even walking in -- while wearing proper work attire -- to the recruiter's station to talk business. I have already taken the ASVAB and achieved an AFQT score of 95 and my college GPA has never gone below a 3.0. It is my intention to collect as many character references as possible within this time to include letters from my preacher, the sheriff of my hometown, the mayor of my city, my local probate judge, my employer, my friend who is a former Drill Instructor, and letters of recommendation from members of his motorcycle club which is composed entirely of Veterans. I live in an area where I could feasibly drive to recruiting stations within three different recruiting districts.
I ask for your opinions on whether or not these letters of recommendation in combination with my ASVAB score and current level of college education may sway a recruiter and his chain of command and, if the chain of command of one recruiting district is not interested, do I have the option of trying in another recruiting district, or will the door be permanently closed if the initial recruiting district declines?
I thank you for your time.
J.S. Helms