One stupid incident destroys my chances?

[enturio]

Hello all:
I've been giving alot of thought to becoming an officer for the past year. My grades aren't all that bad: undergraduate 3.4 in Political Science and graduate school 3.70 in Public Administration. I'm willing to take some more graduate courses in international relations and language to try to get a 3.8. 25 years old. 90th percentile and above in practice tests on all 5 sections of AFOQT. I am also minority (i'm not sure what the military's viewpoint on this is: good or indifferent). I am learning Arabic and Urdu and am interested in Intell. I am from NY.
The problem is, back in 1996 I was suspended from my original undergraduate institution during my Freshman year (1st semester) for theft. It was the first and last time I ever did anything like that. The school dismissed me for 1 year. However, I was humiliated and never returned. I started anew at another school.
My question is simple, how badly does this transgression hurt me? Honesty and moral integrity are obviously essential to any military officer. Will this incident be a scarlet letter on me application? I will not lie (as some have counseled me to do) b/c I feel morally it is wrong. Plus it may be found out at a later date and I don't want that worry hanging over my future. Should I bother applying?
Any facts, opinions, suggestions, and railings are welcome.

 

[Hudson]

I can't speak to what your chances are, but what is the worst they can say? No? It sucks to hear it but you will never know if you don't give it a try. The only thing worse than hearing no is knowing that you had to fill out all of the paperwork to hear it. I know I was told no the first time I applied. The second worked out much better for me.
Good luck

 

[jaerose]

If you can show that it was a one-time occurrance and that you have improved yourself and changed for the better (which it sounds like you have), then you'll probably have a good shot. You'll have to detail it in writing and explain what happened, then you'll do some interviews and such. Make sure you have flawless letters of recommmendation from well-respected people that speak highly of you and your character. They do look at the whole picture and person, so you should be encouraged by that fact. If you check the forum you'll probably see some posts where people did silly stuff and then corrected themselves and got in...the Navy realizes we were all young and stupid once =) Go ahead and apply...if you don't get the answer you like, then apply again!

Good luck,
JR

 

[schmuckatelli]

Be aware that what you stole and the circumstances under which you stole it could have an effect on your ability to get a security clearance. Being brutally honest is definitely the way to go, though. If you lie about it you're definitely setting yourself up for problems down the road.

 

[navsup]

I dont know about theft but the processing supervisor at my NRD made a pretty big deal about me getting a speeding ticket. I guess because it was 84 in a 65 but it was my only ticket/brush with the law. After they had my package for a while he called me and told me I had to write a letter explaining the incident. My explanation was that It was somebody else's car that didnt have cruise control and I simply lost track of the speed. (going from driving a lunky diesel truck to a small 4 cylider car can mess with your senses)

I agree be honest, I still got A Pro rec from the board, but it depends on if they have many other qualified applicants without an incidenton their record, what weight this might put on your package. Right now slots are limited are they are able to be very picky.

 

[sailorgloom]

Being suspended from school sounds like a local administrative action. Were there any criminal charges? Was it a misdemeanor or a felony? Was the fine more than $100? If I recall correctly, there is something called a "Sunset" ruling where if the activity took place longer than 7 or 10 years, it should not count that much against you. Full discloseure is a must, especially when going for those TS/SCI jobs, but as long as it wasn't a felony, I would not be worried about being rejected.

"If you don't ask, the answer's already 'no'. Don't die wondering."

-SG

 

[TSPO]

I could go into detail, but I'll let you read for yourself. I don't know much about the Navy regs, but you should be waiverable by AF regs, and since you mentioned the AFOQT, I assumed you were interested in the AF. Anyway, here ya go, right out of the book:
http://www.e-publishing.af.mil/pubfiles/af/36/afi36-2002/afi36-2002.pdf
scroll down and read attachment 3.

 

[kevin]

oh crap! i put down on my app that i got a speeding ticket for 94 in a 65! is that really a huge thing? it's not like i ran down some old lady or anything.

 

[jaerose]

No, on my app. I had 3 tickets in a two week period right after school was out my sophomore year in college. They didn't make a big deal out of it...it was just a pain listing them on every piece of paper. Also, I was not guilty of speeding...in one car the speedometer was broken (10mph difference), the second I was the middle vehicle in a 6 car line and the last one the guy pulled me over and told me to tell him I didn't have my license so I wouldn't have to pay the fine (yeah...no quotas, huh)! I'm not guilty =)

JR