Question for military people.

#1

peyton4heisman

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#1
So I'm 31. Lost my job. I'm in decent shape (I could be in top athletic form in 3 months.) I want to join the military. Specifically, I am looking at some jobs that require secret security clearance.

Here's the sh*t kicker. I am in recovery from opiate addiction. I've been clean since 2010. I have never been arrested or charged with any drug crimes. Never been charged with ANY crimes. I also have hepatitis, although I am doing a new treatment that will CURE it within the next 2 months.

So. What do I do? Do I go in and own up to what I've done in my past and hope like Hell I can get waivered in, or should I lie through my teeth and deny deny deny?
 
#3
#3
I'm thinking the cut off age is 26. They may only be true for USMC, might could go the reserve route. I'm sure somebody on this board can answer that for you
 
#6
#6
I have no info to help, but wanna say God bless you if you do, and congratulations on being clean.
 
#7
#7
So I'm 31. Lost my job. I'm in decent shape (I could be in top athletic form in 3 months.) I want to join the military. Specifically, I am looking at some jobs that require secret security clearance.

Here's the sh*t kicker. I am in recovery from opiate addiction. I've been clean since 2010. I have never been arrested or charged with any drug crimes. Never been charged with ANY crimes. I also have hepatitis, although I am doing a new treatment that will CURE it within the next 2 months.

So. What do I do? Do I go in and own up to what I've done in my past and hope like Hell I can get waivered in, or should I lie through my teeth and deny deny deny?

What type of jobs are you looking at? If you are looking at Intel they might take you but you should own up to your past. Sometimes Intel likes people with a sordid past who totally come clean because they like some of their people to be street smart. Tell them everything-hold nothing back. It is better for them to know everything about you. Some communities in the Army or Navy might not take you but some will. Your hepatitis might be a problem even with the cure.
 
#9
#9
What type of jobs are you looking at? If you are looking at Intel they might take you but you should own up to your past. Sometimes Intel likes people with a sordid past who totally come clean because they like some of their people to be street smart. Tell them everything-hold nothing back. It is better for them to know everything about you. Some communities in the Army or Navy might not take you but some will. Your hepatitis might be a problem even with the cure.

I'm not exactly sure which jobs, but many that I have a high interest in require secret security clearance. As far as the hep goes.... I read on the military.gov website that you can actually get in still having it, providing you have a liver exam and no damage has been done to your liver. My doctor that is treating me now has already given me the green light that I caught mine early enough that I will be cured without consequence.. (Thank God for modern medicine!)
 
#11
#11
I'm not military but am a govt employee with security clearance. It's best to tell the truth on those things and be upfront.
 
#12
#12
Be completely honest about it. I don't know how it is now, but when I was in back in the 90s you could get in serious trouble if you were caught lying about anything on your enlistment. I'm taking going to jail trouble.
 
#13
#13
I would say don't lie about it. However, I would be willing to bet the recruiter would tell you otherwise.

*Edit: A secret clearance isn't that hard to get. I have one :)
 
#14
#14
Secret clearance really isn't too hard, especially with a clean record. Never heard of one MOS taking a person with a shady past though. Entry into the military is pretty standard across the board. I don't think the previous drug addiction will stop you, not sure about hep though. Hopefully I'll have my TS soon...
 
#18
#18
Nope. Like I said my only concern would be the hep, but I really don't know one way or the other about that

I would think that'd be a disqualification, but not sure. Personally I wouldn't lie, but I wouldn't volunteer information either.
 
#20
#20
Don't lie, it will always bite you in the azz in the long run. Don't volunteer if not asked but don't lie.
 
#21
#21
Look up Army Regulation 40-501. It is the regulation that governs army medical fitness. It may hold some answers for you.
 
#23
#23
So I'm 31. Lost my job. I'm in decent shape (I could be in top athletic form in 3 months.) I want to join the military. Specifically, I am looking at some jobs that require secret security clearance.

Here's the sh*t kicker. I am in recovery from opiate addiction. I've been clean since 2010. I have never been arrested or charged with any drug crimes. Never been charged with ANY crimes. I also have hepatitis, although I am doing a new treatment that will CURE it within the next 2 months.

So. What do I do? Do I go in and own up to what I've done in my past and hope like Hell I can get waivered in, or should I lie through my teeth and deny deny deny?

What type of Hep?

(1) Viral hepatitis, or unspecified hepatitis, within the preceding 6 months or persistence of symptoms after 6 months, or objective evidence of impairment of liver function, chronic hepatitis, and hepatitis B carriers. (Individuals who are known to have tested positive for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection require confirmatory testing. If positive, individuals should be clinically evaluated for objective evidence of liver function impairment. If evaluation reveals no signs or symptoms of disease, the applicant meets the standards.)

Certain Health Issues Can Make It Hard To Join | Military.com

As to the treatment for addiction, don't omit it. Both should be included in your medical exam and if you pass you pass. Depending on what they decide, you may qualify completely or be given a waiver. Either way, it is a separate issue from the clearance. You can be qualified to enlist and then still not be granted the clearance. It will all depend on what the medical file says about your previous issues. But, in this day and age, there are very few in the service who don't have at least a Secret clearance, so I would assume if they qualify you medically, then the Secret clearance shouldn't be an issue.

That said, most of the technical specialties require a Top Secret clearance. That will require a more extensive background check that will go back 10 years. The life style portions(which they will get from interviewing friends and family) of that could be an obstacle. The addiction issue would definitely come out so if you omitted the issue on your original paperwork, it would be an almost automatic disqualification. The addiction isn't an automatic disqual, but falsifying the application would be.
 

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