Every day in a recruiter’s life, this question is either asked by a young man or woman entering his office or by his boss about that young man or woman. And if you are that recruiter, you know that this is the one thing that will make or break your day. Every year, the Army is updating and changing the standards for enlistments. It is greatly based on the needs of the Army at that time, so, if they are under-strengthed they relax the standards, and if they are over-strengthed, you see fewer waivers for problems that the recruits may have. Eligibility for enlistment in the Army is based an a few different categories; Physical (do include health problems, injuries in the past, and the use of drugs), Personal (age and number of dependents), and Legal (criminal offenses, prior military performance, and known gang associations). Every recruit is gone over with a fine-toothed comb by their recruiter. Background checks are performed, past medical histories are taken, and the ever important question is asked… “Have you, or are you currently, taking/taken any drugs?” People make mistakes in life; it is part of being human. They get hurt; it is part of growing up. They have friends that aren’t always the greatest people, you can only be their friends, you can’t change who they are. The Army looks at everything you have done and the potential that you have for your future. They weight every aspect of your past; physical, personal, and legal to make their final decisions. It is not your decision to say you are not qualified, and it is definitely not the recruiter’s either. We, the recruiter, make a list, do the tests, and look at the background. They, the big men in charge somewhere far away, take everything we have given them and see that whole picture. They make that final decision and most times, you would be surprised to know that the Army is more than willing to give you a chance to turn lives around and develop people into not only “high-speed” soldiers, but better people. I thank the Army every day for the opportunities that I have been given, the experiences I have had, and for making my life more enjoyable because of them. There is always a place for you in our family as one of our brothers or sisters. Chris Weber cj.weber@us.army.mil
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