Yes, that is correct.
After realizing my mistake, my recruiter cancelled my bootcamp dates and she is the only point of contact that I have with the USAFR.
-
Please take a moment and update your account profile. If you have an updated account profile with basic information on why you are on Air Warriors it will help other people respond to your posts. How do you update your profile you ask?
Go here:
Edit Account Details and Profile
Entry Level Separation from Air Force to Navy Officer
- Thread starter Snack Attack
- Start date
Yes, that is correct.
After realizing my mistake, my recruiter cancelled my bootcamp dates and she is the only point of contact that I have with the USAFR.
exNavyOffRec
Well-Known Member
Have you rec'd any pay or ANY benefit from the USAFR?
I have not received pay or any benefits from USAFR.
[MORE INFORMATION]
I had signed up, and was waiting several months until my shipping date. In those several months, I was the sole care-taker for my brother 24/7 and did not go to drill ( I was excused, they knew my situation) but towards the end of the waiting period maybe 2-3 months before my BMT shipping date (Air Force bootcamp) I apologized to my recruiter and told her my plans of actually seeking to make a career out of the military and that I would be applying to commission with the Navy instead.
She put me in contact with someone above her, perhaps her CO (I'm not to sure of his position), who tried talking me into staying and then later applying to the Navy after 2-3 years but I politely refused so he said the best way to get out is to submit a discharge proposal letter.
I submitted this letter back in June to the USAFR (6 months ago) and my BMT, bootcamp shipping date was cancelled that same day.
In the mean time, I had still not gone to drill nor been contacted by any Air Force personnel. Instead, I had been preparing my application for the OCS board. I took the ATSB and got a few LOR's but right now, I'm on hold. My Naval Recruiting Officer says that I need to be either discharged or a DD 368 needs to be approved before I can even submit my application to the board.
The Naval Officer Recruiter and I filled out a DD 368 Form and gave it to my Air Force Reserve recruiter about 3 months ago. He thought that the DD 368 would clear faster than a discharge so that is why we submitted it but nothing had happened. He hasn't heard back and I haven't heard back.
I've called the Air Force recruiter to check up but she says it is out of her hands now which I agree, so she gave me the phone number of an Air Force Ssgt on base that works with this type of paperwork and when the Ssgt and I spoke for the first time about my situation... she looked up my personal information and said that nothing had been submitted on my behalf. She said there wasn't a DD368 on file nor a Discharge processing. ?
She seemed as confused as I was since I submitted all of this months ago to the AFR recruiter on that same day that we had cancelled out BMT dates...
I had waited 6 months on nothing basically... nothing was processing.
Maybe the AFR recruiter "forgot" or submitted it incorrectly. Not sure but I have to keep moving forward.
Anyways, fast forward to now, my new point of contact in the Air Force is still that female Ssgt who works in the department of processing this type of paperwork. She did mention to me that she was new in the department and still learning but she said she would look into my case carefully since she did find it odd that I had been in limbo for so long.
I submitted the DD368 form to her just as my Naval Officer Recruiter instructed me to do and she sounded promising over the phone so I gave her her space and did not call for maybe another 2.5 weeks to check up on the process.
The Air Force Ssgt then told me "Hey you know what, the DD 368 might take longer, I suggest we try to get you an Entry Level Separation, that should take a couple of weeks, it needs signatures from multiple people but it will make it's way up faster."
I agreed. (not knowing now that an ELS will look bad if i'm trying to commission with the Navy.)
This was about 3 weeks ago and I haven't heard back from her but I haven't reached out either as I don't want to seem pushy.
Now that I've read your comments on Air warriors.com , it sounds like going the ELS route was a bad choice?!
Yikes, what would you guys do in my position? I'm feeling pretty frustrated now... I know I could've avoided all of this by simply waiting and doing more research before taking the oath with the USAFR so I'm kicking myself but hey if there is a chance to make this switch then I will do what it takes even if I have to keep waiting and waiting.
Sooo, any advice?
Make better choices.
K. Thanks
FormerRecruitingGuru
Making Recruiting Great Again
USAFR can pretty much tell you GFY. You signed a contract... do I need to provide you a dictionary response as to what a contract means?
In addition... your letter is poorly written. Are there options to go active duty from within the USAFR? The Navy Reserve has what's called FTS (Full Time Support) and it's fairly easy for enlisted, kinda easy for officers (many factors can play into it).
Either way, you're at the USAFR's mercy and if they tell you go pack sand, sorry... you should have made a more thoughtful decision. Hell, maybe the USAFR is the right avenue (for now).
Maybe I missed it, but......you do have a degree, right?
Why did you enlist if you have a degree? Man........well, it's done.
I'll ask the question one more time....and maybe you don't know this is an option. Why don't you rush a USAFR squadron for a pilot slot?
Let me expand on that for you...
Step 1: Find out what aircraft are based near you
Step 2: Find out what squadrons fly those aircraft
Step 3: Call or Show up at those squadrons during drill weekend and let them know you want to fly for them. Because of your situation you may have to serve as a load master or crew chief for a couple years before they send you to flight school, but that situation is very, very common. I know plenty of Guard/Reserve guys who started out Enlisted.
Step 4: When they do invite you out to visit the squadron: Be Cool.
Why did you enlist if you have a degree? Man........well, it's done.
I'll ask the question one more time....and maybe you don't know this is an option. Why don't you rush a USAFR squadron for a pilot slot?
Let me expand on that for you...
Step 1: Find out what aircraft are based near you
Step 2: Find out what squadrons fly those aircraft
Step 3: Call or Show up at those squadrons during drill weekend and let them know you want to fly for them. Because of your situation you may have to serve as a load master or crew chief for a couple years before they send you to flight school, but that situation is very, very common. I know plenty of Guard/Reserve guys who started out Enlisted.
Step 4: When they do invite you out to visit the squadron: Be Cool.
exNavyOffRec
Well-Known Member
ELS is for those who have served under 180 days, as you haven't actually started any actual service time this doesn't apply.
I don't even see how a DD 368 would apply in your case since you aren't actually in.
I remember that if a person didn't ship to boot camp by 12 months from signing the initial contract then you would be released, or that is at least what we used to do, not sure if that is DOD or USN policy.
If they don't have a ship date scheduled I am thinking they might just be waiting to drop you, it wouldn't be unheard of, when I was recruiting the USAF would cut someone right away if they said they didn't want to go or were problems, unlike the USN, USA, or USMC.
Missed your first comment on the thread but that is correct, I do have a degree and I enlisted into the Reserve due to initially wanting to stay home and because the Air Force Officer recruiters said they were only working with and picking up engineering majors and chaplains at the time I was looking to enter. My degree is in a soft science field, they said they wouldn't work with me so I chose and jumped at the reserve without having looked at the Navy.
Hey, if my discharge doesn't go through and I'm stuck with the reserve then that's just what I'll do. Thank you @RedFive ?
It was 1982 and things change but...
I was in the Army National Guard when I applied for Navy AOCS. The Guard (the state not the local commanders) did not want to discharge me or transfer me to the Navy reserve after I received a preliminary acceptance. My Navy OR pulled out a joint regulation that basically said any service has to release an enlisted person accepted into an officer producing program.
After that it was done in days.
I was in the Army National Guard when I applied for Navy AOCS. The Guard (the state not the local commanders) did not want to discharge me or transfer me to the Navy reserve after I received a preliminary acceptance. My Navy OR pulled out a joint regulation that basically said any service has to release an enlisted person accepted into an officer producing program.
After that it was done in days.
Having recently switched from the AF to Navy Reserve, the DD Form 368 that I signed and submitted was to prove to my Navy recruiter that I did not have any further AF commitment. The AF (some weenie at AFPC, specifically) signed it saying that I had fulfilled my commitment and owed them nothing.
Do you know if this is different from the the Reserves policy? I remember reading online that it was different for the reserves but maybe the website I checked wasn't accurate. Do you recommend any website with the most accurate and updated regulations for the military? not sure if that even exists.
Thank you for your input! I'm glad it worked out for you.
exNavyOffRec
Well-Known Member
I am not sure, when did you DEP in originally?
I enlisted into the AF Reserves on February 1, 2019
345 days ago...
Put in the discharge paperwork in July
(Or atleast the recruiter said they had submitted it)
I haven’t heard any updates about the discharge even though I’ve tried contacting my recruiter and another contact in charge of my paperwork about once or twice a month...
been in limbo for so long and im not sure what step to take next to get answers.