Air force and the broom closet nephew...question.

Shari

IsItFridayYet?
Yeah, Janet, that nephew... lol

He claims he's enlisted in the Air Force. Best I can recall, this story started around Christmas-time last year with an initial date of March or April. Then it was August. Then September. Then November. Then January. Now, he's not leaving til May.

He claims to be going into some very specialized field, which is why he keeps getting delayed.

I really couldn't care less, but I think its a line of BS, just curious if anyone knows more about the USAF to say "yeah, its possible", or "I don't think so, Tim".

We're supposed to go to his 23rd birthday party at grandma's house tonight. Just made me wonder about it...
 

donna723

Well-Known Member
My sister in law's younger brother enlisted in the Air Force in the summer and then didn't actually leave until the next October. But once he signed up, the date never changed. And they all go to basic training first before going on to something else. And I doubt if he would be promised entry into some very specialized field before he even went to Basic because that's where they are evaluated and tested to see what program is a good fit for them.

Sounds hokey to me too.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Well...the Air Force is even harder to get into than the Marines. It goes Army, Navy, Marines and then Air Force. If he has a record, I seriously doubt he got in. The waiver would take some doing. Especially for some special secret program...lol. Maybe a mechanic would get in. Maybe.

Dont know...but sounds hinkey to me too.
 

Shari

IsItFridayYet?
I former USAF said that once he's signed the papers, he would pick an "earliest leave date" and the only way that would change significantly was if he changed it (medical reason, ill family, pregnant, etc). Beyond that, he's never seen anything delayed beyond 5 months.

I don't really know what's on his record. He lost his scholarship money because of drugs and alcohol offenses, but those may be on his juvy record, I don't recall. He was held back a year in junior high, so he'd have been 18 his junior year...but I don't know how that works when the kid is still in school...

Dunno. I think its a crock. His mom is sold, hook, line, and sinker, tho. She has "Air Force Mom" hats and shirts, even a giant magnetic sign for her car.

I hope he goes. Be about the only thing that will save his butt at this point (he's STILL driving grandma's truck - his car is STILL in our yard) But somehow, I just don't see it being real.
 

DaisyFace

Love me...Love me not
Hi Shari--

Sounds fishy here, too....

In fact, the only time I can recall seeing an "Leave date" being changed is if the cadet does not meet the weight standards....then they will give the Enlistee a few months to get the weight down to the acceptable level.

Is your nephew overweight? Has he been trying to lose weight? That's the only logical reason I can see for the continual delay.

Other than that, sounds like he's making up a story....

--DaisyFace
 

Shari

IsItFridayYet?
Nope. He's right on target with weight. And he has been running and working out.

I dunno...and as I say, doesn't matter to me one lick...just don't trust him much.
 

skeeter

New Member
My son had a delay date for the Navy, but that's because he signed up at age 17. He (we) signed the paperwork in November, he turned 18 in March, graduated in June and he didn't leave for basic training until mid-August of the next year. That was the absolute latest he was allowed to report.

My son went in as an E2 because of Civil Air Patrol rank, and he was "promised" a job. In fact, the Navy was the ONLY branch that would do so. The Air Force would promise the general area of interest (the Army wouldn't promise anything and he didn't talk to the Marines). He wanted to be an air craft mechanic and the Navy was the only branch that said he would be - and he was, worked on F18s on a carrier.

I had a friend in high school that did get a delay in reporting to basic, but that's because he had a motorcycle accident the week before he was to report and really messed his leg up. As soon as he could walk he had to report, they just waived some of the physical requirements.
 

Shari

IsItFridayYet?
I can tell you one thing...he's getting his "last, special, precious wittle Christmas at home" this year.

If he doesn't leave til 2020, I'm not going to another "special last Christmas". lol

I'm so mean.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Jamie was like Skeeter's son. Though Jamie did get his MOS that was promised to him signed in on his enlistment paperwork. No other way he was enlisting. Of course, with the Marines, every mans an infantryman too but he was guaranteed his MOS of MP.

Now Jamie also went into the Marines on a delayed enlistment because not only did he join when he was 17 but we had to time his entrance into boot camp so that he would graduate and enter his MOS training on or after his 19th birthdate because he had to be able use handguns. He entered his MOS training on his 19th birthday...lol. We timed it perfectly. You should have seen the recruiter and me counting days on the calender.
 

Shari

IsItFridayYet?
This kid is 23 today. There was no "deferred enlistment" to wait for graduation or anything like that in this case, I'm sure. He's had 2 or 3 jobs in the past year and spent a good chunk of time unemployed...so even the case of "finishing up something at work" can't apply here...

Who knows.
 

Shari

IsItFridayYet?
I considered questioning it, but frankly, I don't think I care enough. lol
***
Learned a little more last night. The story is, he's going into special forces (mind you, he hasn't even been to boot camp yet...), and there are not enough recruits nationwide that can pass the test (again, before going to boot - apparently a phyical test) to hold the MOS training after boot.
***
I hope I'm wrong. I hope he goes to the AF. Its the only way the boy is going to get his act together.
***
But that story seems even MORE out there than just the 14 month delay.
 

DaisyFace

Love me...Love me not
***
The story is, he's going into special forces (mind you, he hasn't even been to boot camp yet...), and there are not enough recruits nationwide that can pass the test (again, before going to boot - apparently a phyical test) to hold the MOS training after boot.
***

Wow! I had no idea the Air Force was experiencing such hardship! That's a tough one.

Yes, I think I'd ask about that one during dinner conversation....Just for fun.

--DaisyFace
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Oh gee. Is he a computer nerd? The only really special forces Ive heard about with the Air Force are those guys who fly the unmanned planes.

Now if he was going into the Navy or the Army...special forces would mean something totally different but even then, they get picked after boot...lol.
 

Shari

IsItFridayYet?
The kid is smart but no genius. He was held back a grade in junior high because he failed. His high school transcript hoovers cause he skipped school all the time to smoke dope. Its certainly nothing that would get him anywhere with anyone. No, he's not a computer nerd. lol

His mom wrapped his gift in red white and blue paper. She has a great big sign for her car that says "proud air force mom - come home safe" and his name. OMG...I went to difficult child's marine graduation and didn't even have a "Marine Mom" shirt yet when I got there. lol. Her kid's not even gone and she's all bonkers with this stuff. I think, perhaps, he's found a line to feed everyone that gets them off his back.

As I say, hope I'm wrong.

I did forget to mention last night that difficult child earned marine of the quarter for his division...I'll be sure to mention it at "the last special Christmas".
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Oh Congrats to difficult child!

I do have to admit that when Jamie was in the Marines, I was that Marine Mom! When I had the old buick, it was covered in Marine stickers. In fact, when we went down to his graduation from Parris Island, we had it decked out with "Semper Fi" "Proud Parent of PFC Jamie" "Parris Island or Bust!" in shoe polish on the windows. LOL. We had Marine Corps flags attached to both back windows.

Yeah...we were nuts...lol. I still have two Marine stickers on my car. One says Proud Parent of a US Marine and the other says Marine Mom. Once a Marine, always a Marine ya know?

We live right on the side of the interstate that goes down to Parris Island and we see the cars heading there and back. I can tell you how often we see the same vehicles decked out. I always honk and wave and give thumbs up. When they see my back window...they know...its a kinship. LOL.
 

Shari

IsItFridayYet?
Hey, I'm all for it.

I bought the Marine Mom shirts and all that when I was there. The proud parent stickers were on my cars the day before he left for boot (when we were fairly sure he'd be going. lol) and I spent something like $1200 to fly to San Diego for 36 hours to spend family day with him on base and see him graduate (wee is still mad at me for leaving him behind for that).

I still wear my marine mom shirts and get a lot of people come up to me and thank me and ask me to pass it on to my son. I'm very proud of him.
 

Shari

IsItFridayYet?
He would have but we didn't have the option of extending the trip, and at that point with him, there's no way he could have managed the whirlwind trip we made.

I think difficult child 1 graduated on a Friday, and they did family day on the Thursday before. We got in at 4am on Thursday morning, slept til 6 and went to base, spent til 5pm there with difficult child 1, then crashed in the tiny room we got near base. Up again at 6, to base for graduation, back to the hotel at 1, and on the plane home by 4.

Was Jamie's graduation a one or two day event? I know that's changed fairly recently. I think 1 day would have been easier to do.
 
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