Well, damn. That is really disappointing. FWIW, as someone that voted for Sen. Cruz, I apologize for his behavior (to the extent that I can, which is very little I suppose). As I said, I can understand the political disagreement on the policy, but once it is policy then he should damn well assist his constituents regardless.

I am glad to hear that you got your problem resolved.

Can you scan in that letter and post it?

It was a phone call to his office. The person I spoke to was whoever in his office handles military issues.

You know, politicians are elected based on their beliefs and the beliefs of who is going to vote for them. If either Senators Cruz or Cornyn were to write a letter supporting your candidacy and it got into the public mainstream they would be crucified by the vast majority of voters and it would likely abrogate their own beliefs.

It may be Politically Correct to support certain interpretations of the Constitution, but that does not change the way most people feel or vote. Asking them to do something that they don't really believe in and then criticizing them is not very smart - or reasonable.
You asked, they declined - that's it. End of story...

I have an idea the same is true with the recruiter. She has personal convictions and wants someone higher up in her chain of command to order her to forward your package - which, she obviously has the right to do... And so far, no one want to push that envelope for you... Again, you are being stonewalled - and you very well know the reason. Asking people - especially when you are in the vast minority - and many people abhor the issue (legal or not...) - to agree with your lifestyle has consequences and you are seeing first hand why it is better to keep such things private.

wtf, the idiots are posting again

SMH. Some people....

Congrats RTT. If you end up in Kansas let me know. We will hook you up with a home cooked meal.

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"I'm sorry, but the Senator is opposed to gays serving in the military, so we will not be able to assist you with this."

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How did they know you were gay?

Bend over and I'll show you.

I flippin hate recruiters. I've dealt with them too many damn times and was screwed over each time.

I lost a Marine PLC contract because of them, TX Army NG recruiter lied to me, and a Marine Corps enlisted recruiter screwed me over.

I'm glad it worked out in your case Ryan.

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"I'm sorry, but the Senator is opposed to gays serving in the military, so we will not be able to assist you with this."

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I find this hard to believe.

You seem to have a huge sense of entitlement. You think the military "owes" you a job. Guess what, I had to jump through a ridiculous amount of hoops to get into the military too, and I am straight.

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You seem to have a huge sense of entitlement. You think the military "owes" you a job.

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Umm ... no.

I am still confused on why you would pursue this to this extent? I mean is it to prove a point? Seems like you are exposing yourself to alot of criticism. Best of luck regardless of the turnout

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I am still confused on why you would pursue this to this extent?

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Because I want to serve our nation as a commissioned officer in the Air Force.

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I mean is it to prove a point?

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No. It is to finish the Air Force career I started.

[This message has been edited by Ryan the Temp (edited 6/2/2014 11:42a).]

RTT:

I think if you had wanted to continue on in the USAF, you should have played by the rules. The discharge on your record should stay as is, because at the time, you broke the UCMJ. Whatever convictions and reasons you had for doing so are your own justifications, but they don't matter to those who charged you and discharged you from the military.

I applaud you fighting to get back in, as anyone who fights for what they want gets a thumbs up in my book; but I do not think that your record should be wiped clean. I don't see marijuana charges being wiped off the records of those convicted of them in states which have now legalized marijuana - and I do not believe that they should.

Good luck.

I just don't agree with the age waiver... if you are too old... you are too old.

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I think if you had wanted to continue on in the USAF, you should have played by the rules. The discharge on your record should stay as is, because at the time, you broke the UCMJ. Whatever convictions and reasons you had for doing so are your own justifications, but they don't matter to those who charged you and discharged you from the military.

I applaud you fighting to get back in, as anyone who fights for what they want gets a thumbs up in my book; but I do not think that your record should be wiped clean. I don't see marijuana charges being wiped off the records of those convicted of them in states which have now legalized marijuana - and I do not believe that they should.

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Sorry, but you really have no idea what you're talking about.

The only crime I have ever been charged with in my life is exceeding the posted speed limit on a state highway.

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I just don't agree with the age waiver... if you are too old... you are too old.

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The waiver is to allow the federal 20-year rule to be applied where Air Force regulations are in conflict with said rule. I'm not too old until 23 September 2015.

So if you didn't break any rules... why were you kicked out? Why should they bend the rules to let you back in?

Certain eligibility criteria that existed then do not exist now. My eligibility and application process is governed by the eligibility criteria in place today.

That's the whole deal with my rant on this thread - the recruiter was trying to invoke issues related to eligibility criteria that no longer exist.

So if you weren't originally 'eligible' why did you join in the first place?

Its like this. I know of many people that hide automatically disqualifying factors in order to get in to the military to pay for school/benefits. Then once it's time to deploy they find a way to get discharged often times retaining their benefits for life. I know this may not have been the case but if you knew you were not qualified to be in the military why would you join in the first place?

[This message has been edited by TexAgs staff (edited 6/5/2014 7:33a).]

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I lost a Marine PLC contract because of them, TX Army NG recruiter lied to me, and a Marine Corps enlisted recruiter screwed me over.

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if there is one thing in life i'm sure of, it's that there is more to this story.

This escalated

Let me ask you something, since you've got your head rammed so far up your ass it's unreal - Do you have any idea what it means to serve in the military, or are you just following me around TexAgs to troll my threads?

Serving in the US Armed Forces means giving up your civilian life. It means giving up your participation in political endeavors. It means committing yourself fully to the defense of our great nation. It means sacrificing many of those things civilians enjoy in their daily lives. It isn't some flippant decision one makes on a whim, and it isn't a place for someone to make a political statement, no matter what some of the media might want you to think about people like Bradley Manning or Dan Choi. It's a serious decision made by people who want to commit themselves into the service of our nation.

Serving in the Air Force means putting those things I have done for the LGBT community behind me in favor of the needs of the force. Neither you nor anyone else on this board knows or will ever know what this means to me. My desire to serve our nation trumps every single other career goal I have ever had, and I will gladly make any sacrifice necessary to serve our nation.

You've made it pretty clear on several fronts that your GLBT activism trumps your military aspirations by a large margin. If you really wanted to be in the military then you would still be in it.

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You've made it pretty clear on several fronts that your GLBT activism trumps your military aspirations by a large margin.

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That is absolutely false.

RTT you never answered my question...

RTT,
Good luck from this former commissioned officer!

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Let me ask you something, since you've got your head rammed so far up your ass it's unreal - Do you have any idea what it means to serve in the military, or are you just following me around TexAgs to troll my threads?

Serving in the US Armed Forces means giving up your civilian life. It means giving up your participation in political endeavors. It means committing yourself fully to the defense of our great nation. It means sacrificing many of those things civilians enjoy in their daily lives. It isn't some flippant decision one makes on a whim, and it isn't a place for someone to make a political statement, no matter what some of the media might want you to think about people like Bradley Manning or Dan Choi. It's a serious decision made by people who want to commit themselves into the service of our nation.

Serving in the Air Force means putting those things I have done for the LGBT community behind me in favor of the needs of the force. Neither you nor anyone else on this board knows or will ever know what this means to me. My desire to serve our nation trumps every single other career goal I have ever had, and I will gladly make any sacrifice necessary to serve our nation.

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oh come on man. i dont care if you are gay or whatever, but the military is basically just the activist branch of the progressive government now. nearly everything we do now is shrouded in politics and hardly ANYTHING we do is focused on winning battles. all i hear about nearly every day is how bad we need more women, gays, minorities, and/or any combination of that.

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The only crime I have ever been charged with in my life is exceeding the posted speed limit on a state highway.

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Apparently you haven't heard of the UCMJ.

Why would the government give you a shot at being an AF officer, when there are thousands of younger and probably more qualified men and women? The government doesn't owe you anything

Being gay was never a UCMJ crime, it was an administrative discharge - just like being overweight, failure to adapt, convenience of the gov't, hardship, etc. The marijuana comparison is one of the most barracks lawyer examples I've ever seen. Marijuana is still against federal law - state law has never and will never supersede federal law - and it is actually found in the punitive articles of the UCMJ. DADT was an administrative policy set forth by the commander, only congress can alter the UCMJ

Ryan is one of the best Americans I've ever met. Some of you need to check your biases at the door

There shouldn't be age waivers when the USAF is actively reducing the size of the force. They can afford to be very picky and they should be. Save the waivers for people with extremely specialized skills that are critical needs for the Air Force.