Posted on Feb 27, 2019
SGT Ambulance Driver
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My guard contract ends in October of 2020 and I'm looking into my options. I know that I want to switch to active duty for pretty much any branch (probably not the Marines). I'm looking heavily into just going Active Duty army, since I'm already in that branch. However, I'm lightly looking into trying to get a TACP position within the air force. I've heard it's almost impossible to get prior service in the air force, but I was wondering if they have the same rules for prior service when it comes to special forces tryouts. Anything helps!
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Responses: 4
SGT(P) Ethan Groves
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Its extremely difficult and time consuming... it took me over a year to even get a new MEPS physical because they had to review 230+ Army records from PHAs and 2808s 2807s SF500s etc...then it took 4 months to hear back from that.

Once I qualified by MEPS I worked with a recruiter for one more month before the air force PDQ'd me on their own regs because I had the nerve to go to the TMC for a headache in 2016. Some Hack Army Nurse diagnosed me with severe chronic daily headaches in Kuwait. He was not even familiar with the diagnostic criteria for such a diagnosis.

Also, any medical waivers you have in the army...consider them null and void. I had a waiver for ADHD and served 6 years without having taken any ADHD meds in 8 years. The Air Force was PDQ'd me for that as well. Spent 400 out of pocket to get evaluated by a psychiatrist to evaluate me to tell me what I already know...I dont have ADHD. There was also one time on my post deployment medical screen where I said i had not been getting much sleep and BOOM!!! insomnia.... Air Force sees that and PDQ (had the Psychiatrist evaluate me for that as well) it turned out to be the standard expected amount of sleep seen by service members in deployment and was not inhibiting to performance or deployment duties.... I've been waiting for over 2 weeks for a waiver after spending about 900 dollars out of pocket to see a Neurologist and psychiatrist to get a clear evaluation. (moral of this is NEVER EVER EVER GET SEEN BY A MILITARY DOCTOR)

I Ets'd in June of 2018 and im still not in.... I also tried the SF route at first and my recruiter just stopped talking to me.

A few tips.

1. a MEPS physical is good for all branches. it took me making a friend who was an air guard recruiter to get my MEPS physical so i could take it to active duty. That's because the AD wont send you to MEPS until you have a job slotted and qualify.

2. if your recruiter falls through don't be afraid to shop around and find one who takes you seriously.
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Sgt Field Radio Operator
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SGT (Join to see) As a Combat Medic you could be a Navy Corpsman. I would narrow your focus down to what MOS you want and then talk to a Recruiter(s).

https://www.thebalancecareers.com/prior-service-enlistments-3354052
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Capt Daniel Goodman
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Edited >1 y ago
I just saw you'd said TACP, sorry, I'd missed that at first...what equivalents have you looked at in other svcs thus far? How far would you be willing to go to consider other fields, if you couldn't go TACP, as I'd asked before, so far as you could elaborate on that at all? Your question was quite interesting, certainly....
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SGT Ambulance Driver
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No problem sir, that's on me for not being more specific into my interest/what I'm currently doing. I almost have my bachelor's degree, only need 24 more credit hours to achieve that. I was briefly in the ROTC program at my college, but didn't enjoy it much so I dropped it and then went to BLC, where I picked up my E5 a month later. I haven't really looked around much into other MOS/Rates/Jobs other than TACP, I'm trying to figure out if I were to attempt to go TACP if it would be easier to enlist due to difficulties for prior service with the air force. If I end up staying with the Army, I intend to keep my MOS and stay in the medical field. I've been in a clinical unit and an ambulance unit, and I'm currently awaiting a transfer to a cavalry unit which is where I got my promotion to. I hope that additional info helps.
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Capt Daniel Goodman
Capt Daniel Goodman
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I follow, what major for the Bach? Also, did you do am assocs along the way? If so, what major for that? What GPAs, grades, STEM or serious non-STEM coursework, economics, political science, sociology etc.? Next, being as you're only 24 credits away, you might possibly to go TACP as commissioned for USAF, or try for commissioned or warrant in one of the other svcs...you could also try for one of the direct commission indoc OIS programs, as well...I'll try to send more in while.
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