OCS Application Questions...Racking my brain.

[bringsenseback]

I will try to keep this concise before I write you a novel. BTW, Love this site. I've been racking my brain for days on this. LONG STORY SHORT: My past is complicating things...AGAIN! But I've never taken NO for an answer. I'm spilling my beans so please be gentle.

History: 9 yrs AD enlisted come this June. Deck Seaman>IT>Navy Diver. Only been a diver for a year and a half. PROS: Great evals, Personal Awards, Honor Man (Both Dive School and IT school), 3.9 GPA in college, Etc. CONS: (Pull up a chair) History of drug use from LONG ago AND depression, etc. NJP a year into the Navy for a fight > 10 days Extra Duty. Depression/Anxiety > Medication and treatment for first few years in the Navy. I was honest in my Security Clearnance Interview about everything. Had to meet with BUMED CAPT in person to get PQ'd for Dive School a few years ago. Then during dive school: Security Clearance came back denied and had to fight my a$$ off to get it reversed. Along with that received Fraudulent Enlistment notice since I lied on my entrance app. almost 9 years ago about my drug use. After personal meeting with Admin Judge from DC and TONS of help from my command I finally got my Top Secret clearance a year ago AND a waiver for the Fraud. Enlist. Just got my BS in Computer Sci and now want to pursue my dream of getting commissioned. I'm almost 30 and I know I'm far from a poster Officer with my history so I'm nuking my app on purpose.

Question 1: Block 29 states not to list minor offenses with fines less than $300. 11 years ago (years before I joined the Navy) I stacked up the following: poss. of paraphernalia, underage drinking, 2 crim. damage to prop., and 3 traffic offenses, but only 1 is over $300. I normally would just follow directions, but with my past, I don't want to take any chance that it would look like I'm trying to hide something. AND is the Fraudulent Enlistment an "Offense" in the terms of the Application? Should I put that in block 29 too even though it got waived? That only came to a head 2 years ago. Should I list everything?

Question 2: Block 30 states drug use/alcohol related incidents. The only "incidents" would be the underage drinking and poss. of paraphernalia from years ago. But I did ante up on my SF86. I listed my use of everything. The navy knows about it. Should I list all of my use? Again, I don't want to appear to hide anything, but I want to follow directions. Also, even if I do ONLY list the actual "incidents", does the freq of use column apply to the time of the incident or now? I RARELY drink now, but at the time of the incident 11 years ago I was drinking a couple times a week. That just looks horrible. "Alcohol/6 to 8 drinks/twice a week/March 09" is what I'd get if I follow the format. I'm looking for clarification, here. I would crave to be able to skip those blocks, but I guess I am "that guy". jeesh!

Question 3: For my Personal Statement it says 200 to 250 words for each of the three sections (Reason for applying, goals, characteristics). But there is only space in #1 for about 350 words max. That would mean I'd have to attach another sheet. But in 1420 1A Ch. 2 it states that extra sheets are discouraged.

Okay. If your still there, sorry to put you through that. President Obama is going to add that to the exclusion list of torture techniques. I know I'm nuking the app. But with my past, I need to be very precise. I need to be able to let the board know who I AM and have been in the Navy as apposed to who I was. Even though the Fraud. Enl. is from the app. I signed almost 9 years ago, it still came to a head only 2 years ago which just looks horrible. Just as I've made it this far, I won't take NO for an answer. I know I would make a GREAT Officer!

Thanks so much for reading this and any advice would be of great help!

 

[Ken_gone_flying]

I will try to keep this concise before I write you a novel.

So much for that plan.

 

[bringsenseback]

So much for that plan.

Sorry. The full version would have taken up a TB on the forum's server.

 

[shaw5fe]

Follow the instruction if it says not to report anything under $300 then don't. The personal statment can not be any longer than 250 words total. Listen I am in Hampton roads too, I leave for OCS in may if you want some gouge pm me and I'll give you my email and you can contact me at work on Monday. Sorry for any misspelt words I'm typing on my phone.

 

[torpedo0126]

if your trying for SNA/SNFO your probably going to have to start worrying about an age waiver.

 

[bringsenseback]

if your trying for SNA/SNFO your probably going to have to start worrying about an age waiver.

There is a place for that in the application. I actually see that as the least of my problems. If they want to pick me up for NFO based on the rest of my package, then I don't see why the waiver wouldn't be granted. But I do only have one shot. I'd have about a year and some change to be commissioned before the deadline.

Thanks for the heads up though!

I'm going to try for NFO, Intel, and SWO/IP.

Still looking for advise on some stuff if anyone has any ideas. Especially about the Fraudulent Enlistment. I don't know if I should put that in the "Civilian/Military Offense" block. It obviously is not a good thing, but it was waiverable. I'm not sure if that would be considered an offense in terms of the application.

Mustangs: Do you know if in the "drug use/alcohol related incidents" section they want you to list all of your use or just what resulted in some sort of...well, trouble? (like a DUI or Drinking or Possession, etc.)

Any One? Any One?

I'm getting the feeling that no one wants to put their fingers in this cookie jar. Any advise would help. Thanks.

 

[SixBeersIn]

This is just my opinion; I have no experience to advise you properly in these matters. Please take it for what it's worth.

Block 29: List anything where you paid more than $300. Ex. If the damage to property ticket is $250 (I have no idea what the fine is), don't worry about it.

Fraudulent Enlistment: I would probably list it as "Fraudulent Enlistment: Waived". Then again, if you were never formally charged, you don't have the offense on your record. Again, I have no idea how the Navy handles these things; you know the situation and are best able to gauge the Navy's thought-process at the time.

Block 30: Tell them how much you smoked up: I'm guessing you already gave them a number on your SF-86. Include the two tickets. It specifically says "Drug Use": I interpret that as any drug use, caught or not. It specifically says "Alcohol Related Incidents": I interpret that as incidents involving police.

Personal Statements: Here's where you come clean. Talk about what you learned about Honor, Courage and Commitment through your mistakes. Mention that you disclosed everything on your SF-86. As shaw stated, stay within the limits.

On the plus side, you were ultimately granted a clearance; this tells the board that someone with a trusted position reviewed your transgressions. If you have any input into your CO's statement, see if he/she can further address your growth and how you've put the past behind you.

You've clearly done great things since the incidents and aren't likely to repeat past mistakes. If you're really trying to be transparent, they will notice your effort. All you can do now is put your future in the reviewers' hands. Best of luck.

 

[shaw5fe]

Just so you know I am 29 and was final selected for pilot last month. The processor told me that they are hurting for prior enlisted flight applicants right now. So hurry!

 

[m26]

Had a quick app question, and I figured I'd stick it here rather than start a new thread.

Do references use the form, or can they be submitted as plain letters (word documents)?

 

[Jynx]

If you have whoever send your OR a letter of rec via e-mail, he'll maybe copy and paste it into a form, or ask you to do it over for him. For his convenience, you could maybe get an electronic copy and have your referees write their rec in that

 

[m26]

Well, he sent me a reference form, but the title of the document is "employment reference form." It doesn't really indicate that it is an employer's form on the form itself, though. It's the DD 370.

I thought I'd see what others had done, before I bug my recruiter about something he probably already told me (albeit a few months ago).

 

[blarged]

Well, he sent me a reference form, but the title of the document is "employment reference form." It doesn't really indicate that it is an employer's form on the form itself, though. It's the DD 370.

I thought I'd see what others had done, before I bug my recruiter about something he probably already told me (albeit a few months ago).

Here's my experience with the DD370.

I had letter's of recommendation from a few different folks, including my current manager. As one of the last parts of my package before it was submitted, my OR had to get the 370 filled out by my current employer. He made comment that he hadn't done it earlier, because he figured the LOR would suffice.

But it seems to me that the 370 and the LORs are completely separate. All my other LORs were submitted in letter format either directly to my OR or scanned in by me and emailed in PDF format to my OR.

Whether this is the 'norm' or not, I'm not sure, but that's how it went down with me.

 

[das]

Well, he sent me a reference form, but the title of the document is "employment reference form." It doesn't really indicate that it is an employer's form on the form itself, though. It's the DD 370.

I thought I'd see what others had done, before I bug my recruiter about something he probably already told me (albeit a few months ago).

My recruiter informed me that he would like the DD-370 used for all references. Note that the DD-370 is a generic "Request for Reference", and on Page 2 there are entries for "Employer", "School Official", and "Other (Specify)".

In my case, this is also for the DIRCOM (DCO) process, not OCS. Reference (note: this reference is an unofficial site maintained by a Navy officer recruiter).

COMNAVCRUITCOMINST 1131.2C (Navy Recruiting Manual: Officer), Chapter 4: ACTIVE DUTY OFFICER PROGRAMS PROCESSING, says:

040148.

[...]

b. The Request for Reference (DD Form 370) form shall be used to document employment character, as well as peer, professional and military reference information.

[...]

d. Employer references. Each employer listed on the Application for Commission or Warrant Rank, U. S. Navy or Navy Reserve (NAVCRUIT 1131/2) and the Electronic Personnel Security Questionnaire (EPSQ), including part-time employers, for three years immediately preceding the date of application shall be queried using the DD Form 370. The following guidance applies:

(1) If requested by the applicant, a DD Form 370 shall not be forwarded to the applicant's current employer (e.g., the applicant feels it might jeopardize their job).

[...]

e. Military References. The Commanding Officer of all applicants who are currently serving on active or inactive duty in non-Navy branches of the Armed Forces shall be requested to provide a reference utilizing DD Form 370.

[...]

g. Character References. Only when employer references are not available will the applicant be required to submit character reference(s) utilizing DD Form 370.