drug use

[usnmerritt]

See, I still have those questions as well. I was going through TS clearance, which obviously explains the 'extra treatment.' But, I went through an interview with my normal S clearance at the beginning of my service in the BDCP. I wonder if its just because things are a little different now, compared to 4 years ago, and they are more thorough with everyone.

I don't know, but I do know that I definitely got some extra attention through mine. And like I said before, it may just be the difference between DSS agents, though you would hope that this process would be as consistent as possible. Then again, you would hope a lot of things in the government would be as consistent as possible...oh, let's say the friggin tax pricks!

Actually, that brings me to another point about the interview...know your financial situation!!! That is also one of the biggest things they look at in a potential candidate for a clearance. My guy actually explained this to me...they figure that if you can't keep your finances in a relatively stable condition, you can't keep a command position in a stable condition. This time, they are specifically looking for large amounts of debt, tax problems, credit history, delinquent accounts, etc. It doesn't really matter what you say, although it does for the trustworthiness issue, about your finances because the data doesn't lie. They'll pull up all your financial records and drill you about those too. So, if your financial situation sucks...which I'm not sure anyone can avoid right after college with loans and bills to pay for...make sure you know where your problem areas are and what you need to do in the future to correct it. This shows that you have a handle on the situation and that you are actively pursuing a solution without trying to escape responsibility for it.

The trustworthiness, integrity, financial, and personal experience aspects all tie into one lovely little investigation, each separate but very much correlated to the others.

 

[wink]

Whether it is morally right or not, bending the truth on your application to make it look better, i.e. LORs, will not make you a bad officer. I just spit the truth, if you don't like it, tough 5hit!

Lets get this straight. It is morally wrong to "bend" the truth. Whether you are personally ok with that small moral lapse is up to you. But it is no less immoral. No big philosophical discussions please. Do you lie to save a life etc. That is not the context. Save it for the war zone. Now does it make you a bad officer if you lie about smoking dope three times as a student? Well let me simply say it makes you an officer with less moral intergrity then the one sitting next to you in the ready room that came clean about it. And I think that is bad. Aside from being unnecesarily vulger your parting shot does not apply to most anyone. Anyone would rather hear the truth. I "like" the truth. The problem here is that I simply don't know how you define the truth since "bending the truth" is clearly ok with you. I don't now much of the truth you have bent in anything you have written.

 

[jg5343]

Wink,
You missed my whole point. I am not saying that I condone liars, nor am I saying I am in the practice of lying or bending the truth. I am one of the most honest people I know. Ask EngineGirl, she knows me and can vouch for my integrity and honesty. I am only saying that everyone bends the truth to make themselves look better, be it on purpose or by coincidence. LORs are a prime example of what I am talking about. You being an officer and former recruiter should have seen plenty of these. They are mostly all BS to make someone look good. Granted, its all true accounts, but most of them stretch the truth to the full extent possible to make the candidate look that much better. Its not lying, just withholding the full truth by telling only the best truth, if that makes any sense.
Bottom line is that everyone has skeletons in their closets. Whether they show them is up to them.
That is the truth, sir.

 

[turtle_sc]

Yes, when they do your investigation (especially for TS) they WILL talk to your friends/neighbors/HS principle/co-workers etc. They are very sly, but they also use the whole person concept. I have a TS/SCI and I have two waivers. As long as you tell the truth, and there is not a pattern of repeat use/abuse you will be fine. The important thing is TELL THE TRUTH. If they do somehow find out you were lying it will be very bad. The other really big thing they look at is credit. If you have a lot of uunpaid bills or delinquint accounts it is a bad thing. Trust me, I have seen people lose clearances over these types of things.

 

[Red2]

I found this bit of info:

http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/generalinfo/a/security.htm

"For CONFIDENTIAL and SECRET Clearances:

* A National Agency Check (NAC)-A computerized search of investigative files and other records held by federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
* A Local Agency Check (LAC)-A review of appropriate criminal history records held by local law enforcement agencies, such as police departments or sheriffs, with jurisdiction over the areas where you have resided, gone to school, or worked.
* Financial checks - A review of your Credit Record.

For Top Secret Clearances, a Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI) is performed which includes all of the above, plus:

* Field interviews of references to include coworkers, employers, personal friends, educators, neighbors, and other appropriate individuals.
* Checks of records held by employers, courts, and rental offices.
* A subject interview - An interview with you by an investigator. "

 

[zab1001]

After reading everyone's comments, it seems I was more of the exception than the rule. I got my secret clearance four years ago and never heard from any friends or family that they were interviewed by anyone. I was never called into anyone's office like unsmerrit either. For the people who did get the "special treatment", what clearance were you applying for? Also, when do aviators need to get a Top Secret clearance? BTW, I'm not asking because I have something to hide, I'm just curious.

Red, depends on your platform. Not all Aircrew require TS, but the ones you think might probably do. Nuff said.

 

[bch]

OK, while I deserve tons of bad rep points for sounding like I have ZERO integrity, please have the balls to tell me who you are when you leave a neg. I don't retaliate with a negative, just like to know whos kicking me. I always sign mine, BTW.
So, since I was told to look up integrity, here is my homework:

in·teg·ri·ty (n-tgr-t) n.
1.Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code.
2.The state of being unimpaired; soundness.
3.The quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness.

HYPOCRISY! Look it up!

Sorry, thought everyone could see who it came from.... It was from me. I just did not feel the need to put you down publicly.


Also with regards to being the most honest person... Is there honestly any real difference between lying and being honest yourself but rationalizing for those who do? If you create an environment that makes it acceptable for your subordinates to gun deck stuff, even though you yourself do not, the outcome is the same.

<steps off soap box>

 

[icarus]

geez, and credit checks too?

christ, i'm a student who had no financial support. i have enough student loans to last me a good decade or 2
so now the navy is gonna hold that against me too? would they had rather i just didn't go to school, and worked the docks until i saved up for tuition at 30?

way it sounds, i just feel like every god damn mistake i ever made when i was a freaking kid here is being put under the microscope, totally unwarranted. did i have some hard times, yes. did make some mistakes, hell, who hasn't? i finally felt like i had gotten past all the bs from almost 4, 5 years ago, and now it's STILL screwing me over.

the truth is i didn't have most ideal upbrining. i have a father who seems he's straight on course for spending his remaining years in jail. is that going to go against me too?

just because i didn't grew up in some ideal, white suburb with the community watch and church and all, is no damn basis to judge my life, and my character, regardless of what some "expert" says. yet it looks like i'm standing to lose a shot here to really not only change my life, but do something that can really make a difference in the world.

i'll be 24 soon. the marks on my credit report, the weed, these things happened on bad choices i made over 4 years ago. are they gonna go interview people i knew in high school? that'd be wonderful, seeing as how i grew up in a hick town that hazed me cause i'd rather be something else than a dairy farmer shooting beer bottles and cow tipping.

sorry if i sound defensive here, but i've worked my freaking ass off for years just to get where i am now. i went from a bastard kid working in factories alongside excons to an honor student in oceanography, but i feel like people just won't stop attacking me or judging me based on my past.

ok, i need to cool off....

 

[theblakeness]

im pretty much in the same boat as GTIGirlVR6. I couldnt remember a lot of this info if my life depended on it. Especially when it comes to friends..even in college I have friends that I lost touch with. I, like most people, experimented with pot in my early days of college. Nothing more, and it never got past that...no big deal, I planned on declaring it anyway. No crime here...hell never even been suspended from grade school.

My credit should be fine..no unpaid bills, no delinquincies that I know of. I do have a student loan, and my credit card has a pretty hefty dept right now, but nothing I cant handle.

Oh well..Im sure I will stress about it like everyone.

 

[bch]

having student loans and having bad credit are not the same thing, although high amounts of credit may not help a credit rating. The big thing is to stay on top of the payments, do not be late or consistantly late on your payments. Lots of people (myself included) have student loans. It did not effect me at all, infact I have excellent credit even with a large amount of student loans...

Don't sweat it.

 

[virtu050]

you can check your credit history on www.privacyguard.com

or any other credit reporting service.

 

[icarus]

ok, but what if they're making the cut, they got 2 names on hand, equal, except on has a drug statement?

see, here's my issue with "lying." i feel saying yes isn't being truthful either. it was a bs experience, that my brother teased me for, because according to him, i "didn't even do it right." i went in his room for 5 min, he coaxed me into trying it, i reclutantly tried to suck it in, immediately coughed, and said **** this.

i feel like it's asking about the first time i had sex, in which i (freely admit here) fumbled so badly we decided to try it another day. do you say in that case "i had sex?"

i just feel like it's a rip off question, and either way i get screwed.

 

[bch]

Look man, you tried it, you had the intent to do it. It sounds as if all you want is for someone to tell you that you did not smoke the gange and not to worry about it. Part of being an officer is owning up to your mistakes. Suck it up.

As MANY have already said, it should not be a big deal.

IMHO if it comes down to u and one other (who never did or tried to do drugs) the other guy diserves it for keeping on the straight an narrow.

Can we stop beating a dead horse now?

 

[EngineGirl]

You're not going to get screwed.....I've known plenty of people that have admitted to it and have been fine. Plus, with the credit thing, I have better credit now, but b/c of circumstances beyond my control (which we won't go into on here) I had absolutly horrible credit when I applied. All I had to do is wright a letter explaining why and everything was fine. Don't worry. Just be honest....they know that you were a teenager and all teenagers do stupid stuff.

 

[jg5343]

Tell your recruiter exactly what you just told us. He will help you fill out the form. No need to worry about it if thats really how it went down. You know what I always say, honesty is the best policy!