Anybody in the Air Force?

[Palacsinta]

My foster daughter (been with us since she was 15) leaves for Lackland AFB in TX next Tuesday for basic training. She is going in as enlisted, has a BS in Psych, which apparently didn't qualify her for officer training as her GPA was too low.(according to her recruiter) At any rate, she has no idea what her job is going to be after she finishes basic and is assigned to a tech school. Is this standard procedure? Maybe I'm paranoid........I keep imagining that she'll be slotted quickly into whatever job opening is needed in one of the Middle East Air Bases. I know she won't be in combat, but I'm going slightly nuts worrying that she'll be killed in a convoy.

I am paranoid & borrowing trouble etc., right??????

[Florida_Geek]

1. The reason I did not pick the Air Force in 68 was

I wanted into computers and the same part of the Air Force that computers were in also had the Air Police. The recruiter would only say I would get into that part of the Air Force not what job I would do.

IMHO, the recruiter is taking her for a ride.

[Palacsinta]

3. We warned her.................

but she's 27 now. The recruiter did try to push her into "Security"......the only job offered her, BTW.......... but she turned it down. Is it possible she'll end up in "Security" after all?

[Commendatori]

8. Anything's possible

I went in in 1987, had a job guaranteed before reaching Lackland. If you go "general," like she is, you're likely to get mechanically assigned to whatever DDS (direct duty assignment) the need is greatest - that could be anything from security guard to computer op to food service.

Most of the positions you fear are already billeted well in advance, according to people I know who are still in, so what you really fear is probably not worth worrying about - but going in without a guaranteed AFSC was not a good idea. My guess is that instead of the convoy scenario you fear, the real problem is that she'll be in some sort of boring job. Better bored than in the thick of things, though.

Just remember to let her know that you never volunteer for ANYTHING in the service, especially at Basic, no matter how minor or insignificant it may seem.

[ewagner]

2. Yep, standard proceedure

I was in the same position. Only worse. I applied for OCS but the draft board was breathing down my neck, so my friendly recruiter put me in a "delayed enlistment program" until my OCS class date came in. I was rejected for flying because of my eyesight so I asked the recruiter what I had to do now. He said, "Nothing, you're enlisted and going to Lackland in three weeks." At the end of Basic I was assigned to Personnel Specialist, tech school in Biloxi. I was mortified.

[Palacsinta]

4. Yikes!

They do keep promising that she can apply for OCS in a year, but I know come Tuesday that they own her.

She has a very dicey backround, emotionally.......I wish I knew where she was going!!

[ewagner]

5. I had the same "offer"

But the catch-22 was that they were only accepting OCS candidates for pilot training, which, of course, I wasn't qualified for because of the eyesight. This was Viet Nam era...1969.

[Palacsinta]

6. She washed out 'cause of eyesight, too.

She's doing her 21 needed-to-qualify pushups right now as I type. God, I'm worried about her!

Thanks for your input!

[Florida_Geek]

7. If the Air Force is like the Army was in 68

During the first week she will take a zillion tests, an based on scores and her college degree, they could tell her to apply.

Myself, I passed the English and Math to be an officer, but funked the "personality" test. :) Something about not going into computers but into Infantry.