Joining ARNG as an officer.....QUESTIONS!

[BoomerSooner]

I am reposting this because I posted in the recruiter forum and have not gotten an answer.

I am 32 years old and am interested in joining the Army National Guard, perferably as an officer....however, I have some questions on qualifications.

Eyesight....

I am correctable to 20/20 in one eye and about 20/30 in the other. HOWEVER; my correction diapter rating is about -14.00. I have been turned down for military service in 91, 94, and 2000 for the correction rating (army reserve, Army and Air Force ROTC, and ARNG), I find this strange as I can pass an FAA flight physical, but apparently there is a limit on the corrections refraction error of -8.0. Is this still disqualifying or is it waiverable (previously a waiver was sent off and denied by NGB, but that was pre 9/11)? Also, is corrective surgery now accepted? That might be a route I could take as well.

Age....

Can I get a wavier for OCS or state NG officer school above age 30? Other posts indicate here that you can go up to 39, but I think the info page said 30.

Bankruptcy....

To make a long story short...my daughter had some medical issues, my wife had to quit her job to take care of her, the bills racked up and the bankruptcy was about the only way out. In addition our house was put in forclosuer due to this (although it shouldn't have been and our attorney is trying to fix that). Is this disqualifying? I don't beleive it is, but I know that it could hamper a security clearance, which would be required for an officer in most positions. Prior to all this I had very good credit and no financial issues, it was just one of those life happens things...string of bad luck.

So I am looking at up to 2 or 3 waivers. Can I qualify?

Additional information

I have a BS in political science
Have no arrests or criminal record ( a couple of traffic tickets back in the day)
Have spent the last 6 years as a corporate trainer.
Have ROTC expereince in college and was a receipient of the Civil Air Patrol's Billy Mitchell Award (which should qualify me as an E-3 and the degree as an E-4 I think).

Also, it appears that one would go to BCT then the state officer school. Can I go to BCT and AIT so I get an enlisted MOS before going to state officer school?

Finally what are the current bonus programs available for officer candidates. Back in 2000 when I tried to join there were none, but according to this site there are up to $30,000???

I would need to lose a little weight before shipping out, so I would be interested in leaving probably between October 06 to January 07.

I live in Central Oklahoma and am looking at the 45th Infantry or Artillery Brigades.

I am primarily interseted in officer branches (or enlisted MOS's) for Artillery, Intel, and Military Police. I am also interested in Armor (but I don't think Oklahoma has any armor, cav, or mech units) and aviation if corrective vision surgery is acceptable for pilots and my age is not a factor for aviation.

I know this is a long post, thank you for your answers or information.

[jiuk]

Good questions I would also love to see some of the answeres.

[matthew.ritchie]

1. Commissioning age is 32.5 years, but can be waived up to age 39 at time of commissioning. I've never seen this type of age waiver denied. Thus, age is not an issue for your OCS contract. Your age is indeed a factor for aviation. I don't recommend pursuing it, because given the confluence of factors I'm reading here I estimate you have a 1:100 chance of becoming a pilot. I'd hate to see you waste a good deal of time and effort on such a longshot.
2. If you get eye surgery, you will need a waiver for enlistment. That's not a big deal, either, but ensure you have all medical documentation from your proceedure. You already know that the Guard cannot compensate you for this expense.
3. Your finances will be a concern on the security clearance application, but not necessarily a killer. Can you demonstrate that the situation was a one-time occurance, and not a pattern of irresponsibility? Can you demonstrate that since then you've repayed your loans, lived within your means, etc? Whatever you do, don't hide anything, because they will find out, and then you definitely won't get a clearance.

Discuss bonus issues with your Recruiter. There are too many other factors to give you an answer on bonuses, except to state that the theoretical max for bonuses is $20k.

[BoomerSooner]

Thanks for the answers.

One other questions. If I did NOT get corrective eye surgery, is the issue about the refractive level of my correction something that can be waived. I am currently a about -14.00 and the regulation limit is -8.0. I had a waiver about 7 years ago turned down, but figured with the increased demand for people this possibly could be waived.

[matthew.ritchie]

That's a longshot. I wouldn't think you'd get a waiver being so far out of tolerance. Best of luck on the lasik surgery.

[BoomerSooner]

Thank you I will look into Lasik.