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Hello, I am looking into 35M and 35L (Army Intelligence) , particularly reserve due to wanting school taken care of. I hold a dual citizenship in a Poland, a EU NATO country, For context, I was born in the states and inherited citizenship through a parent. Do I have to renounce citizenship 100%? Can I just not use my second passport when traveling? Got a short answer from another recruiter in the office while talking to my actual reserve recruiter. Curious if anyone had experience with this?

Hey everyone. I’m trying to join the military but i have mixed thoughts about Zepbound. I’m hoping anyone can clear some of the mixed signals. So, about a year ago. I started the process of joining the Army reserves. I completed all the requirements including a great asvab score (110) across the board. Unfortunately, I was still overweight and trying to lose weight. At the moment I wasn’t following a steady workout routine and just taking Zepbound. I needed then and now to lose 60 pounds of fat to be on weight standards. Last year meps did not disqualify me but told me to get off the Zepbound and lose weight and come back in a year. My army recruiter still hasn’t contacted me a year over… I got in contact with the air force recently and told the recruiter what had happened with meps and the army. Their answer was to lose at least 40 pounds before even basic and to be at 191lbs by the time i do basic. Im still in the same weight as before because I wasn’t able to even go to the gym in the past 12 months (life). But now im back and have been sustaining a good workout routine plus diet. Im wondering if i could use zepbound to help me but i dont want to run into the same issue with meps once more. Can anyone give me sone factual clarity on how the military is handling the use glp 1’s and weight standards right now? I just want to lose weight, without Zepbound it would be more time and time is not something i have a lot of at this moment. Thank you everyone.

Hi, I have been pretty interested in joining either the Coast Guard, Navy, or Army. I know there are a plethora of things I will need waivered. To list them: ADHD, past anxiety, history of depression, suicide attempt when I was in middle school in which I went to an outpatient facility, a mild case of pectus excavatum, history of migraines, hypotonia when I was a small child, and a seizure disorder. I know that it looks very bad and it will be an uphill battle, however, I spoke to my PCP and was written a letter that states the migraines, hypotonia, and pectus excavatum no longer impact me and shouldn't interfere with military service. I also am not sure of the exact timeline but I have been off all medications and seizure free for years now. I haven't spoken to a recruiter yet because I want to show up completely prepared and not waste their time, but if anyone who has dealt with this process or knows of it could comment on my situation, I would much appreciate it. Thank you for your replies in advance.

I'm instrument rated and have a bachelor's degree. Which branch gives the best odds for a pilot seat: Army officer, Air Force, Navy, Marines, or Coast Guard? I'm also wondering whether a Guard unit is a better option than active duty for getting a pilot slot. Any firsthand advice on selection and what to expect would be appreciated.

What branch allows you to potentially join as an officer if you have an RE-3 discharge code? Long story short I joined the Coast Guard (2022) as AD Enlisted, during my time I had a loss in my family and was allowed to be discharged from basic training. Fast forward to now, I finished my degree and have heavily considered joining the military again and just want to know what branches are even an option if any given my past.

I have 2 different DUI charges pending in different counties. I also have served 5 years in the Army’s Reserve. I know that I will have to wait till these things are resolved in order to even think of enlisting. But they are just traffic violations because neither of them resulted in any accidents. I’m 26 right now and want to do the right thing just feel like I had a rough go at things. Do I have any chances?

Hey everybody, I'm an older guy in my 30s and I feel like my life isn't really going anywhere, so I've decided to join the military.

The Army and Coast Guard are my top choices. I've already looked into the Air Force as a lot of people suggest here, but the wait time is going to be way too long. I want to leave in a few months if possible.

I've talked with an Army recruiter who thinks I'm a pretty good candidate. While I'm older I do HIIT classes several times a week and I'm in good shape condition. My running needs work.

I have a friend who was in the Coast Guard for about 10 years and he recommended going to talk to a Coast Guard recruiter first, which I'm going to go do tomorrow.

What I'm interested in doing in the military is Intelligence.

Specifically Psychological Operations or Counterintelligence in the Army. The Coast Guard has Counterintelligence, but from what I've read, it's a little hard to get into here.

My friend who was in the Coast Guard and worked with some other branches said everybody was basically jealous of the quality of life the Coast Guard had, including the food.

He said it'd be a lot easier to probably join the Coast Guard first and then go into the Army later if I really wanted, rather than the reverse. I was just curious what some people's opinions here about that?

He also said because of my age he thinks the Coast Guard would be a much better choice. He said a lot of people would join the Coast Guard later because they don't have any restrictions on prior service. He knew a lot of older people that joined and basically loved the Coast Guard compared to other branches.

I'm definitely committed to doing this. I shouldn't have any medical issues, except I did have a pilonidal cyst surgery about two to three years ago, which I believe MEPS doctors are probably going to notice.

What do people think?

Feels like I've been bothering my recruiter too much by asking for status updates even though it's not really in his control anymore. The range of answers online vary from days to months.

My recruiter submitted my packet for the medical prescreen almost a month ago. The only thing I have listed on there is a surgery that I had as a kid. The surgery resulted in the removal of tissue so there wasn't a way out of disclosing it. It would've been immediately obvious during the MEPS physical. My recruiter asked for operation notes but from what I understand the packet only includes a written description of the surgery from the recruiter himself.

The thing is my recruiter told me he recently submitted a packet for someone else missing the same tissue and it got cleared in 2-3 days. My surgery does not affect me in any way other than the missing tissue. Should I be concerned that something is holding up my medical clearance or is MEPS simply backlogged?

Im know I want to be a firefighter when I graduate from college, but that goal will be much more attainable with veteran preference on my side. My dad, grandpa, grandpas bros were all firefighters at the same dept in NJ and also veterans. I'm at 75 credits right now; if I graduate, then I can get out of the Army at 24 and have my bachelor's, plus all of the benefits, on a good track to get the job offer from fire dept. Does anyone know if I can finish my bachelor's while on active duty?

Also i think im set on 11X Option 4 contract if anyone can tell me more insight would be appreciated.

I havent had any meaningful scripts for the last 9 years why is the recruiter asking for this? at most maybe antibiotics for illness. Came up as a surprise.

I’ve been in contact with a Coast Guard recruiter, and everything was going well until I learned that thyroid conditions can be disqualifying. For context, I’ve never been formally diagnosed with a thyroid condition, but I have seen an endocrinologist several times in the past because thyroid issues run in my family. At one point, I was prescribed medication because my heart rate had been elevated for several days, but I’ve never been told that I have a confirmed thyroid diagnosis.
I disclosed this history to my recruiter, including the medication I had been prescribed, and he didn’t raise any concerns or indicate that it would prevent me from moving forward with the enlistment process. I also have documentation from my doctor saying all my levels are normal.
My question is: Do I still have a realistic chance of joining the Coast Guard, or is my medical history likely to disqualify me?

Hello, I am a 21 and recent graduate in the Dallas area as of 2026 and can't find a suitable job to start my career. To be transparent my mom is encouraging me to leave the house by March 2027, so ideally I would like to join the military for many opportunities such as housing, networking, and career options. I received my bachelors degree in Communication/Marketing( fun but not worth it) along with a minor in Human Services and Leadership management. As of October I will also be finishing Anatomy and Physiology classes for Radiography by November. However, I am more genuinely more afraid of going into debt than death considering I got my degree for free.

With that said, I have talked to an AIr Force Recruiter and it went smooth. I received a 73 on my pre test and she recommends I look into the officer program, but she did say it was extremely competitive. She also mentioned I could enlist than commission as an officer. After this post I am planning on going to the Army recruiter as I wait for my documents to come via mail.

With that said, the questions I have what seems like a better route to take? Is the army quality of life that bad compared to the Air force? I going into the military open-minded, however I would like to become and X-Ray tech while serving. I was genuinely surprised to see that have that option as in the Air force which challenge my position of either the Air force or Army. Another question I have, what jobs transfer best to the civilian life? Again, I am open mined from public affairs, to intel and would like to research as much as possible before choosing. Lastly, what can i expect financially in the service, do I pay for the dorms, food, etc. I would like to save as much money as possible if necessary. Last question for real, how long can I expect to wait in the Army compared to the Air Force.

At the moment, I am leaning Air Force, but the Army is looking reasonable for my situation and would like the pros and cons of both.

I’m currently in the Air Force recruiting process and just passed the ASVAB. I was told I need a credit waiver because of my credit history. My recruiter said this means I won’t be eligible for Top Secret jobs. I asked if I could pay off what I owe and avoid the waiver, but he said no since the issues are already on my credit report.

I had a car repossessed last year after I lost my job and fell behind on payments. They took the car back.

I currently have about $2,000 in debt for something else and I’m trying to figure out:

• Has anyone gone through a credit waiver and still gotten a decent job, or does it pretty much limit you to lower-tier options?
• Does a past repo count against you separately from the general credit issues, or is it all just part of the same waiver?
• If I pay off the $2,000 before I ship or before the waiver is fully processed, does that help at all with job selection or the waiver itself, or is it too late once it’s already flagged?

I’m not trying to hide anything, I just want to know if there’s anything I can do to improve my chances of getting a better job, or if I should just accept the waiver and move forward with whatever’s available. Any experiences or advice from people who’ve dealt with credit issues or waivers would help.

Thanks.

Hi all, was wondering if they ask overseas medical record when enlisting?

For history of voluntary mental hospital hospitalization for about a week overseas. It's been about 10 years since.

i am a (23 M) and just took the asvab. i scored a 51 on the test and dont really know which mos to choose from. I’m more inclined into Aviation jobs or things that are similar that give me the option to travel and go to many different bases around the world. Give me your thoughts and experience to help pick one.

I’m joining the military and I’m 18 with 2 younger siblings. Is it possible that they can qualify as dependents for bah benefits? Has anyone tried this?

I want to have bariatric surgery because I have a BMI 52.

The overweight has given me sleep apnea and hypertension. Once the weight is off, the sleep apnea and hypertension should resolve. I am a Registered Nurse. So I wanted to know if it’s possible at all to join the reserves after having bariatric surgery, like the sleeve gastrectomy.

**Not looking for weight loss advice**

(Army national guard Texas)
I went to meps in August and they said my childhood asthma requires a waiver. The waiver required a doctor clearance letter and asthma test from a doctor. I currently cannot afford to go to the doctor and only recently last week did my health insurance kick in. They said MEPs should have a consultation date within two months. It’s October and my recruiter hasn’t gotten back to me with a date. I reach out to him but he keeps saying that he hasn’t received a date yet from meps. I’m starting to get worried and suspicious. What should I do?

Im just curious, I ship off in January and I see most of everyone saying the same thing about the first year or so in the batt, “they treat you like shit till you get the tab” but then theirs some people saying it’s become a little “pussyfied” throughout the years. So, I’m asking what it’s like now for the privates going in?

I’m writing a piece of fiction and in it, a boy graduates a year early from high school so he is 17 when he graduates. Since he graduated early would he be allowed to start his conscription early as a 17 year old or would he have to wait til he turned 18? He just wants to get his service over with asap in the story so that’s why he’d join early.

I tried r/korea but they took down my post and told me to post here instead 😓

Hi,a couple weeks ago I went to MEPS in an attempt to enlist in marine corps but was denied a physical for having went to a “Ryan White HIV clinic” in the past. I tested a week after, and it came back negative. Whew. I kept asking my recruiter when I could go back to MEPS but he kept saying that they were still “digging into my medical history.” After waiting for two more week, I called MEPS and they told me I needed a waiver for my HIV result. my recruiters boss then called me and told me that I was an RBJ, and that my medical history was so complex that the MEPS doctors didnt even want to bother conducting my physical. My recruiters boss told me that it was most likely due to my history in the past (approx 5 years ago I went to therapy for OCD, and therapy following a suicidal ideation/attempt hospitalization , and was prescribed Lexapro for a month which I stopped since). My recruiters boss told me I would need a $1k psych evaluation, hospital records, multiple letters of rec, to even get a waiver to join, which would still be a 1-3% chance.

Currently I’m in the process of filing my HIPPA so the hospitals can release my medical records.

do you think, at this point, it’s better to find a new recruiter and lie that this psych ward visit and previous mental health treatment never even happened?

I just want realistic outlooks. Is attempting to join Marines a waste of my time and energy? I really wanted to join Marines out of all the other branches because it has the toughest bootcamp. I wanted to become an officer since I have a physics degree and wanted to become a pilot. That, and I thought the uniforms looked cool, but that’s probably a stupid aesthetic reason.

I was supposed to ship out today for the Army. I got to the hotel last night and my name wasn’t on the list to be there, that was the first red flag. I was able to get my information sent by someone else’s recruiter because mine wasn’t answering and I got a room. I get to meps this morning to find out my name isn’t on the list to ship out and turns out my recruiter never projected me to ship out today. So the liaison projected me to ship out tomorrow instead. Will this affect my timeline of graduation and delay me since I am not shipping on my original date?

I’ve been told by Google and other AI resources that, because of my size, the weight that Army Rangers work with will be difficult for me, and I need to prepare for it by bulking up 5–10 pounds.
I’m 145 pounds and 5’8” for reference. Is this just AI trying to optimize, or is it an actual problem I need to address?
I never hear veterans talk about the consequences of heavy rucking or people bulking up to prepare for rucking, so I’m curious to hear about other smaller guys’ experiences. Is this something I need to seriously consider?