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I am being illegally buttsexed by the United States Air Force
Actinguy1
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I served in the Active Duty Air Force from May, 2004 to May, 2010. During this time, I voluntarily served in Iraq, and even co-created a charity while I was there which is still delivering toys and school supplies to Iraqi children, two years after I left. I decided not to re-enlist at the end of my six year contract, and received my honorable discharge just a few weeks ago.
While outprocessing from the military, I received a call from the Reserves recruiter, and he informed me I had a mandatory appointment with him as part of the outprocessing. Fine, I went, but with no intention of actually joining the reserves. I was just doing it to get it crossed off of my out processing checklist.
However, during the meeting, the recruiter informed me there was an opening at a base near my dad's house (where I was moving to after the Air Force), and that I would be promoted if I got it. The idea of getting promoted was very appealing to me, so I told him I would have to discuss it with my girlfriend first.
(Non-Air Force background: My girlfriend is a civilian, and we met while I was stationed near her hometown in California. At the time that this story begins, we had decided to move back to my hometown in Pittsburgh, with the intent of getting married once we were settled.)
He told me that was fine, but that I had to sign some paperwork to reserve the slot to ensure nobody else got it. Of course, I'm not an idiot...I'm not signing anything a recruiter gives me without reading it. But as far as I could tell (and I consider myself fairly intelligent when it comes to legalese), I was only signing that I swore the information I had provided (Name, birthday, social security number, etc) was accurate.
After I signed, he gave me a list of things he needed from me, including my PT test scores and my military medical records, assuming the answer was yes.
That night, I discussed it with my girlfriend...and she said absolutely not. She wasn't moving all the way across the country, just for me to get shipped back to Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. I understood entirely, and agreed that I wouldn't join the reserves.
About a week later, the recruiter called my office to speak to somebody else, and I happened to be the one who answered the phone. He reminded me that he still needed my medical records, etc. I told him that my girlfriend had said no, and therefore I would not be joining the reserves. He seemed annoyed, but I made it very clear that this was my decision.
This all took place in February of 2010.
Flash-forward to May...I'm out of the Air Force, my girlfriend and I are living together in Pittsburgh...and I get a letter in the mail from the local Air Force Reserves base, welcoming me aboard and telling me when to report for duty.
Of course, I assumed it was just a funny mistake (although my girlfriend freaked out immediately). I figured the recruiter had never "unreserved" that slot because he simply forgot. So I immediately call the reserve base, tell them what happened. They laugh and agree it's pretty crazy, and that they'll call me back.
They never call back.
A week later, I call again and speak to somebody who has never heard of me, but he transfers me to the woman in charge of employment. I leave a voicemail.
The next day (today) she calls me back, and says that she doesn't really believe that the recruiter made a mistake...BECAUSE HE SUBMITTED THE PAPERS I SIGNED, INCLUDING THE PT SCORES AND MEDICAL RECORDS THAT I NEVER GAVE HIM.
I explain the entire story to her calmly, including the fact that I told him not to submit me, I never gave him the PT Scores and Medical Records...and, embarassingly, I've gained nearly 40 pounds and there is no way in hell I could pass a new PT test even if I WANTED to. She still believes that I'm in the reserves, but she says she'll call me back and see what, if anything can be done.
Assuming she doesn't call back and say, "Okay, we took care of it, have a great day!" (which I don't believe she will do), what are my options here?
As far as I see it:
1) Report for duty, and be in the reserves. Not a good option, not only because my girlfriend may very well move back to California, but also because I have a very poor opinion of the Air Force now given this whole story...PLUS the fact that I can't pass the PT test now anyway.
2) Resign. My dad (who was in the reserves until 2000), says you can resign any time that you want. However, I don't want "quit the Air Force" on any official record of mine, especially because I'm currently applying for civilian government jobs (and could theoretically one day enter into local politics or something,where it would be used against me.
3) Get fired. My dad also claims that if I just don't show up for three days, they'll fire me. Of course, that's even worse than option two. And even if I DO show up and do the best that I can, I could still be fired for not being able to pass the PT Test.
4) Get a lawyer. I'm currently unemployed, so paying a lawyer is not feasable. I may be able to get a military lawyer, for free, since I'm supposedly in the Reserves...but the fact that my whole case is based around my NOT being in the Reserves of course makes this sketchy.
5) Go to the media. "Air Force Illegally Recruits Charitable Veteran" is the kind of thing that sells papers and gets people to Watch At Eleven, and is probably going to be my response if they say I'm still in the reserves...but if it can be avoided, great.
So...what do you people think?
tl;dr: Served in active duty air force for six years, honorably discharged. Recruiter then submitted me to Reserves (not the inactive reserves, the ACTUAL reserves) despite my telling him not to, and the Air Force now says too bad, you're in the reserves. Options?
While outprocessing from the military, I received a call from the Reserves recruiter, and he informed me I had a mandatory appointment with him as part of the outprocessing. Fine, I went, but with no intention of actually joining the reserves. I was just doing it to get it crossed off of my out processing checklist.
However, during the meeting, the recruiter informed me there was an opening at a base near my dad's house (where I was moving to after the Air Force), and that I would be promoted if I got it. The idea of getting promoted was very appealing to me, so I told him I would have to discuss it with my girlfriend first.
(Non-Air Force background: My girlfriend is a civilian, and we met while I was stationed near her hometown in California. At the time that this story begins, we had decided to move back to my hometown in Pittsburgh, with the intent of getting married once we were settled.)
He told me that was fine, but that I had to sign some paperwork to reserve the slot to ensure nobody else got it. Of course, I'm not an idiot...I'm not signing anything a recruiter gives me without reading it. But as far as I could tell (and I consider myself fairly intelligent when it comes to legalese), I was only signing that I swore the information I had provided (Name, birthday, social security number, etc) was accurate.
After I signed, he gave me a list of things he needed from me, including my PT test scores and my military medical records, assuming the answer was yes.
That night, I discussed it with my girlfriend...and she said absolutely not. She wasn't moving all the way across the country, just for me to get shipped back to Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. I understood entirely, and agreed that I wouldn't join the reserves.
About a week later, the recruiter called my office to speak to somebody else, and I happened to be the one who answered the phone. He reminded me that he still needed my medical records, etc. I told him that my girlfriend had said no, and therefore I would not be joining the reserves. He seemed annoyed, but I made it very clear that this was my decision.
This all took place in February of 2010.
Flash-forward to May...I'm out of the Air Force, my girlfriend and I are living together in Pittsburgh...and I get a letter in the mail from the local Air Force Reserves base, welcoming me aboard and telling me when to report for duty.
Of course, I assumed it was just a funny mistake (although my girlfriend freaked out immediately). I figured the recruiter had never "unreserved" that slot because he simply forgot. So I immediately call the reserve base, tell them what happened. They laugh and agree it's pretty crazy, and that they'll call me back.
They never call back.
A week later, I call again and speak to somebody who has never heard of me, but he transfers me to the woman in charge of employment. I leave a voicemail.
The next day (today) she calls me back, and says that she doesn't really believe that the recruiter made a mistake...BECAUSE HE SUBMITTED THE PAPERS I SIGNED, INCLUDING THE PT SCORES AND MEDICAL RECORDS THAT I NEVER GAVE HIM.
I explain the entire story to her calmly, including the fact that I told him not to submit me, I never gave him the PT Scores and Medical Records...and, embarassingly, I've gained nearly 40 pounds and there is no way in hell I could pass a new PT test even if I WANTED to. She still believes that I'm in the reserves, but she says she'll call me back and see what, if anything can be done.
Assuming she doesn't call back and say, "Okay, we took care of it, have a great day!" (which I don't believe she will do), what are my options here?
As far as I see it:
1) Report for duty, and be in the reserves. Not a good option, not only because my girlfriend may very well move back to California, but also because I have a very poor opinion of the Air Force now given this whole story...PLUS the fact that I can't pass the PT test now anyway.
2) Resign. My dad (who was in the reserves until 2000), says you can resign any time that you want. However, I don't want "quit the Air Force" on any official record of mine, especially because I'm currently applying for civilian government jobs (and could theoretically one day enter into local politics or something,where it would be used against me.
3) Get fired. My dad also claims that if I just don't show up for three days, they'll fire me. Of course, that's even worse than option two. And even if I DO show up and do the best that I can, I could still be fired for not being able to pass the PT Test.
4) Get a lawyer. I'm currently unemployed, so paying a lawyer is not feasable. I may be able to get a military lawyer, for free, since I'm supposedly in the Reserves...but the fact that my whole case is based around my NOT being in the Reserves of course makes this sketchy.
5) Go to the media. "Air Force Illegally Recruits Charitable Veteran" is the kind of thing that sells papers and gets people to Watch At Eleven, and is probably going to be my response if they say I'm still in the reserves...but if it can be avoided, great.
So...what do you people think?
tl;dr: Served in active duty air force for six years, honorably discharged. Recruiter then submitted me to Reserves (not the inactive reserves, the ACTUAL reserves) despite my telling him not to, and the Air Force now says too bad, you're in the reserves. Options?
Actinguy1 on
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I asked her if I should just speak directly to the original recruiter to get this cleared up, but she said it's on them (the local reserve base, where she works) now.
Fuck I'd probably even write a hand written letter to the president at that point.
I'll disagree and say this is the worst thing you can do. While I have no specific military experience, as an attorney I am familiar with legal obligations. Simply ignoring things is the best way to get in a lot of trouble, and when it comes to bureaucracies waiting to be contacted is the same as ignoring the problem. I think you should just be the squeaky wheel and keep calling day and night until they send you written, not oral, clarification that you are not in the Reserves, and have not been fired (for not showing up for three days or whatever.)
Edit: None of this constitutes legal advice, nor do I consider there to be a client relationship between us. (Sorry gotta say this kind of crap to cover my own ass, one of the hassles of my job.)
The problem is that military works a little different than standard legal. When you can manage to get hold of someone, it's usually a different person and you have to start the process all over again. They'll tell you something different and then defer your call. Eventually you end up with three different answers to your problem all of which are binding. It's like navigating synapse connections in the brain the amount of red tape you have to go through to get anything resolved.
Getting a letter in writing before he was off the phone may have been beneficial, just so he can eventually prove that he contacted the office about the problem and is working to resolve the mistake. Otherwise multiple calls is just chasing the rabbit down the hole to oblivian.
I'm also wondering what I should say to any offers of a compromise. (IE, report on June 5th, go through orientation, we'll be working to take care of it though, honest.) Because at that point, it becomes "How do I get OUT of the Air Force," which I assume is infinitely more difficult than "How do I not go IN to the Air Force."
Because right now you're remembering it as just a verification of your name, address, SSN, but it's entirely possible that it might have been more than that, OR that it could be construed as intent to enlist in the AFR.
I didn't see anyone say this so far: Keep a record of who you're calling (their name, their title, the time, topic) and when. Make a log from memory of the day you talked to the recruiter, the day you contacted anyone relevant.
Very important when dealing w/ bureaucracy. You can quickly explain to people.
edit: also if they tell you something concrete, repeat it and verify. Write it down exactly. If you do wind up talking to someone new, tell them what you were told and explain that you made them repeat it and verify.
I'd say stay on top of them. A daily phone call and if after a day or two it isn't cleared up, use the number you have and take it up the chain.
Also, regardless of what the woman on the base says, I'd think about calling the recruiter and asking for a copy of what you signed. Don't go getting all mad just yet, but ask for him to send you a copy of it. Hell, I'd also ask it of the base.
I don't know... fake medical reports?
I'd go with the more mundane explanation than some super secret skulduggery.
You're right. Everything you need to do in order to accomplish something is on a checklist. So if one of your tasks is to "turn in medical records at base clinic" You do so and then have whoever received them initial your checklist. Then you turn in the checklist with some guy in charge and they finish doing whatever it is you wanted them to do.
Don't have medical records? No problem, just scribble some initials into the line and turn the paperwork in when you're done anyway. Yeah, it's against the rules, and most likely against the UCMJ, but it happens all the time.
You're good. You got your honorable discharge. They're going to make spooky noises and what not. I had a Reservist recruiter come to my front porch and refuse to leave until I called the police on him and nothing negative came out of it for me. Don't get caught thinking that they're going to come at night and black bag you back to the base.
It hasn't worked so far, but it's an option.
He could live in the logging camps like Wolverine and have his own spin-off movie.
There are a lot of explanations for this that don't involve skulduggery. I'm not saying I'd be surprised if the recruiter pulled some shit, but there's a chance it could just be a simple fuckup.
A lot of times, they don't have portfolios of each person going through the system. It's just an info sheet that has checked off the submitted each set of paperwork.
What probably happened is that the recruiter just checked everything because you said you were going to bring it later. There seems to be a hatred of "putting things aside" and people just push paperwork through and hope you'll send them the rest of your stuff later.
So most of time when they say, "I have your Medical Sheet!" it actually means, "I have a piece of paper with a checkmark saying we have your medical sheet." Or if it's computerized it could also be a dam typo, the people who type that stuff up are often doing dronework, so mistakes can happen. (And unfortunately, there isn't a lot of doublechecking)
Do you have a copy of your supposed enlistment contract into the AF Reserves? Does the Reserve Station have this paperwork? Call them back up and ask for a copy of it.
If you didn't sign a contract, which I'm sure you know, is about 25 - 30 pages long, you've really nothing to worry about.
I'm in the Army so I'm not entirely sure if the Chair Force is the same but, even if your contract states you're serving 6 years on Active Duty, you still have another two years in the Inactive Ready Reserve - which means, until those extra two years are up the Army can reactivate you and call you back into service. If that's the case, you may have to suck it up. However, the letter you received should have clearly stated what was going on.
If that's not true but one of the other things are: either go up the Reserve Station's CoC or call/write your Congressman.
"Any sufficiently advanced incompetance is indistinguishable from malice."
Which is to say that I agree, and hope it's just a clerical issue that's easily cleared up.
That line sir, is going in my signature.
I just received my DD214 today, and of course I have my honorable discharge. It also, however, says that I'm released to the reserves. I'm assuming this is because, as someone else mentioned, I am in the INactive reserves, but that has nothing to do with this particular issue.
I don't have a copy of whatever I signed, simply because, to me, it was a non-event. Of course, I will request it immediately from the reserves base.
As for the medical record, the woman I spoke to said my physical was good, so I assume she had at least that. That bothers me, because I should be the only person able to get my medical record (other than a doctor, etc, of course)...did the recruiter call some buddy of his at the clinic to get it?
No word back from the reserves yet. I'll call tomorrow and start squeaking again.
Other than that, keep on squeaking ;p
I immediately called, ready to squeakily threaten all sorts of doom and destruction upon them...but started out with my polite voice (which I use simply so that all the biblical plague buisness catches them off guard). But before I could even start to kick it up a notch, the woman who sent me the e-mail quickly explained that I don't have to actually show up or do anything (other than send in the form) for those six months...it's simply a paperwork thing on their end.
In other words, while I'm still "in" the reserves for the next six months, I don't actually have to get out of bed and put on some damned pants during that time.
Thanks again for all of the help and words of encouragement, everyone!
tl;dr: SOLVED.
Ask them about your reserve unit being deployed and how that would affect the process, if she says it won't do anything to you, get that in writing.
Also reserve units in the air force don't get activated like that, its more on a volunteer basis and from what I hear they fill up very fast because the pay is great.
Hm, ah, I thought they got deployed just like active units did, sort of as a stop-gap or replacement for leave or something. I thought I remember hearing our AFR unit getting deployed into Iraq a year or so ago.
Edit: By and large, of course the both do the other sometimes too (IE sending fighters around the world, the whole squadron may go).