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My brother wants to join the air force. A while ago the recruiter said he can't join because he was a single father. Now that he's married, the recruiter still says he can't enlist. Is this true?

2007-11-16 11:55:45 · 16 answers · asked by Al 4 in Politics & Government Military

16 answers

It could very well be that your brother has more than the allowable number of dependents for the AF. I do have to disagree with the previous posters regarding that though. My husband and I have 3 children together and he just enlisted in the AF, he leaves for basic training in March.

In order to receive the waiver he had to prove that he could still support our family on military pay. They took a look at our finances before approving the waiver, it helped that we have a very small amount of debt. What also helped in our situation is that my husband had a good ASVAB score and has enough college to enlist as an E-3.

If he's going in as an E-1, he would only receive between 1200-1300 dollars (before taxes)a month, plus housing. He would need to meet the 40% debt to income ratio rule. Good luck.

2007-11-16 15:36:59 · answer #1 · answered by trrei 4 · 0 0

Get to the bottom of the problem and then make a plan to get the solution. While yes, the recruiter said no initially based on your brother being a single father and not having someone to be a legal guardian of his children while he was away at basic training and tech school. With the situation now changed, reapproach the recruiter and dont take 'no' as the answer. Ask why the answer is no and what he can do within his power to make the answer 'yes'.

Has anything changed between the time your brother tried to join the first time and now? Did he get into trouble, fail a drug test, or maybe a medical condition arose between now and then?

Lastly, you can always contact another recruiter to get a different answer. Just tell the second recruiter in the next town over about your situation. Make sure to leave your current recruiter out of the conversation all togeather so you get a fresh unbiased openion.

2007-11-16 12:22:07 · answer #2 · answered by B. Wags 3 · 1 0

The air force is not needing to enlist a lot of people right now. You didn't say how many kids your brother has, and that has an affect on enlisting. If you have more than 2 dependants, it requires a waiver. Since the airforce is not hurting for people, they will not approve the waiver. I was a Marine recruiter from 2001-2004, and at one point the airforce was booked for 6 months out, and were not accepting any new applicants except for hard to fill jobs.

2007-11-16 12:27:12 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2 0

Okay, I'm not sure about the Air Force, but the Army's only limitation on single parents is that they have to sign custody over to someone else for the duration of their training, after that, they can travel the world as a single parent. If he's married now and the recruiter is still saying no, he's blowing smoke. Find another recruiter., just check the phone book.

2007-11-16 12:03:49 · answer #4 · answered by MSC Lieu 4 · 3 0

I don't think you are getting the full story. The Air Force IS Recruiting. The single parent thing is true, but he probably has an additional disqualifying factor. There is absolutely no reason a recruiter would turn away a qualified applicant. Yes, the Air Force is downsizing. It is from the top though, we still have a goal of 27,000 new enlistees this year.

2007-11-16 15:57:09 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

That is surprising. Anyone can join the military - including single father's BUT he does have to have an approved family care plan. Meaning he has to have someone who can take care of his child when he is in training or possible deployment.

There must be another reason why the recruiter says he cannot enlist. I suggest that he go to another recruiting office should he really want to be in the Air Force. Or try another branch of service. There should be no reason he cannot join.

2007-11-16 12:56:45 · answer #6 · answered by Lynn 4 · 0 1

There are single mothers (and I am sure fathers too) in the Army... I wouldn't know why the AF wouldn't let a single father join. The recruiter is lying. Go talk to another recruiter.

2007-11-16 14:26:27 · answer #7 · answered by Jessica 5 · 0 0

If he doesn't like the answer, look around and find another recruiter. Only an Air force recruiter can answer that question. Policies constantly change, and the Air Force is one of the more selective services on who it accepts.

2007-11-16 12:00:23 · answer #8 · answered by Marco R 4 · 5 0

First...Frank congrats on finishing Recruiting Duty!!!! We have 16 months to go!!!
The AF does not need very many people right now. He may just not want to even bother with an enlistment that might mean more paperwork......

2007-11-16 13:46:25 · answer #9 · answered by pgnprincess1212 4 · 0 0

single parents cannot enlist. However there are many reasons why your brother can not enlist in the AF now, from failing to meet the minimum standards to having too many dependents( if he has more than three..spouse and two children, he has too many and cannot enlist).

anything from legal troubles to financial issues can also prevent someone form being able to enlist, and that's not counting the strictly medical standards or the ASVAB score needed. even something as simple as not having a HS diploma can keep you out, especially the Air Force( they do not accept GED holders)

2007-11-16 13:00:57 · answer #10 · answered by Mrsjvb 7 · 0 1

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