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Anonymous
Anonymous asked in Politics & GovernmentMilitary · 1 decade ago

I need a medical and a criminal waiver to join the army. If this is even possible how difficult will it be?

ok. I am 22 years old. about 3 years ago I was arrested because a stupid friend of mine robbed a gas station while I was driving (I had no idea he was doing this), anyway, he and I were arrested for (armed with a b.b. gun) robbery. In court it started as a class A felony but mine got moved down to just a class C felony "stealing" charge. I was put on probation with an SIS for 5 years. I screwed up and got a DWI on probation. Thats not all. last may I moved out of my parents house and lived with a friend of mine, to make the rest of this short I was arrested again when the police came to the house on a "public disturbance" call, and they smelled marijuana. Subsequently, they found a bag of pills in my (and my roomates) room. Nothing that they found belonged to me but the police did not know that there were two people living in that room, they only saw some utility bills in my name, so assumed it was my room. To clarify: I was home when this happened, my roomate was at work and so was not charged with anything. The next day my roomate came with me to my lawyers office and signed an affidavit stating that all of the things (pills, papers, marijuana grinder) in that room were his. ok to the point. I have a pending case which I am hoping I will not get any convictions for. I am on probation again for 5 years because of this arrest and DWI, my SIS was revoked and now have a permanent felony. I also was diagnosed with ADD when I was about 15, and have been prescribed adderall for it, but I honestly think that I was just a very lazy teenager, also, since all of this court and criminal business started I had some anxiety but firmly believe it is purely situational. I am prescribed clonazepam for that. I have been told by many people that it is still possible for me to get a waiver, and that they have friends and family with felonies that got waivers. I have also been told that it is possible to set an appointment with the judge presiding over my cases and ask him if he would expunge my probation if I could somehow show proof of enlistment eligibility and recieve a waiver for above conditions. I have done some reading on military websites about the importance of letters from doctors, family, employers and so on about me as a person and whether they think I am morally and medically able to complete training and be successfull in the military. I have read that the army recruiters do not just look at your offenses or medical problems and turn you away immediatly, rather, they (are supposed to) look at you as a whole person, not just a number that meets the requirements of enlistment. My brother is currently serving in the army and is deployed to afghanistan, my father was also in the Army and served during vietnam.

I know this is long question/explantion but regardless of my past I do not believe myself to be a "criminal" or "bad person" and hope that a recruiter and his higher-ups could see it that way too. I also scored a 90 on the pre-asvab.

PLEASE do not respond to this if you have nothing constructive to tell me. Regardless of your answers I will try as hard as I can to enlist. I am looking for some advice. your help is much appreciated.

Update:

to cowboydoc: I had absolutly no knowledge that there was anything illegal in my room. So how am I in ANY way criminally liable for it? also, if for some reason I am because "ignorance is not an excuse" I do not agree with that at all.

Update 2:

Furthermore, having had NO knowledge that these illegal items even existed in my room, how is it possible for me to willfully posses them? I dont think it is. but that is another question entirely.

Update 3:

to archangel: I know the whole ignorance thing in the eyes of the law is not an excuse, I just believe that it is not very just to charge somebody with something they didnt know they did wrong. I mean in some circumstances like, speeding, yes it is your responsibility to know the speed limit. But is it really my duty to check my entire space around me every day like my car, my room, anything, anywhere i am going to be and make sure that there is absolutly nothing illegal around me? I think there should be some gray area with the whole ignorance thing. And to answer your question, yes my friend claimed responsibility for everything that was found. I believe that all charges will be dropped. and yes i have learned by now to choose my friends a little tiny bit more wisely. thanks for the help/advice tho.

4 Answers

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    Sorry, but cowboy is correct here. Let's look at your possession situation a different way. If you owned a car and allowed someone to borrow it and they left something illegal in it and you got pulled over and it was found, who do you think would get charged with it? The "I didn't know, or it's not mine" doesn't fly in any court that I know of. Sorry, but that's the way it is. I have a friend whose daughter spent a year in prison because her boyfriend left a gun under the seat of her car and she got pulled over for a busted taillight. Did your roommate own up to the pills to help you? The army or any of the rest of the military is in no need of people right now that need waivers to enlist. There are just too many people with good records lining up to enlist right now. It's not a charity organization. Your other problem is the ADD. If you have been off meds for a year and get a medical evaluation to that affect, you MAY be considered for enlistment. So, if you can somehow get your legal situation cleared up and find a recruiter that is short of his quota, they MAY be willing to talk to you. Good luck to you. In the meantime, no matter what happens, it would probably be a good idea to choose your friends a little more carefully. After all, what you don't know CAN hurt you.

  • 1 decade ago

    Go to the courthouse. I don't know your state laws but, in some states, where I've lived in several, you can petition the court under certain circumstances to close your file, there's usually a fee for this. If they see what your trying to do they may do that and give you a break. I don't abide with some of your explanation, (I carried a badge while going to med school) your room for instances, if it's in your name, your responsible no matter who else lives there so, your shot down.

    The Army is more lenient then the Marines or Air Force or Navy try that.

  • 1 decade ago

    Unless you can get the probation suspended, there is no chance of getting into the military. Even then, your record will probably prevent joining.

  • 4 years ago

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