So, I've been browsing forums for the other 4 military branches to see what they're up to these days. It looks getting into the military in general is going to be rough.

From the Air Force: "The Air Force doesn't need you. The Air Force needs recruits, yes; however, there's more than enough top-notch people begging to get in that we don't need you. So quit thinking you're special because you got a 99 on the ASVAB or have a degree or played football or anything else. Get over your sense of entitlement."
http://www.afforums.com/forums/show...hp?t=28432

From the Army: "OK, so recently we received an email listing several MOS (about 15) that are no longer available to anyone, Senior or Graduate, that scores a 49 or below (also known as a Category Bravo), among them 42A (thats my MOS so is the only one I remembered LOL). This is only the beginning, more and more MOS will be added to this list until, yes you got it, the Bravo category will be CLOSED and you will be required to score a 50 or above in order to enlist in the United States Army. So, if you just talked to the Recruiter man and scored just enough to enlist, ENLIST NOW!!!!! If you wait for "my favorite job" you will end up with no contract at all.
http://armyforums.com/joining-army/...-read.html

From the Navy: " Right now, the services and in particular the Navy is required to reduce it's manning by Congressional orders. As a result, the Navy is reducing it's manpower to meet those authorized levels."
http://www.thenavycafe.com/forum/sh...php?t=3377

From the Marines: "And the answer that is usually given is that the Marine Corps has so many qualified people wanting to join that they can afford to be very very selective. It's like a job interview where there are 100 applicants in the hallway waiting for an interview. 30 of them have serious issues. Why in the world would the interviewer put aside the 70 unblemished applications and call the problem people in for those interviews? It makes no sense."
http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/s...p?t=103724

The moral of the story is the US Military is raising enlistment standards across the board. If you're thinking about joining or serious about joining don't do anything to reduce your chances of being selected. If the USCG is your first choice and you get a DQ your second choice may not be an option.

Fire away with comments, the floor is open.

Sounds like the Air Force likes doesn't believe in sugar coating!

I hate sugar coating, I also hate shining on a kid that MIGHT have been eligible a year ago but now his chances are diminishing. I like it that the Air Force says "We like you but we aren't going to enlist you...buh-bye." This way no is wasting time!

I had a friend I graduated college with who was going to enlist in the AF who dropped for a couple reasons, one of which was the wait, which his recruiter told him would be around a year from start to finish.
Guy I know who joined the Navy was going to have to wait several months to leave but had a ship date open up about 2.5 months before his original ship date.
Good friend who diddled around too long with the Marine Corps commissioning program he was in has found his standing in that program diminish to the point where he's now looking at enlistment after he graduates college.
No Army anecdotes, but I doubt it's all that different.
I have to explain to folks who aren't involved at all with the military that no, a degree does not mean a commission, and no a degree is not enough to get you through enlistment if you have something medical or otherwise that can hold you up.
It's a different environment than when I graduated HS. Combine the junk economy with tightening pursestrings and this is what you get. OG said it before though: this isn't a bad thing. Once I graduate BC, I know I'll be serving in the most selective service in an environment where they're all being more selective. I'll be serving with the best of the best. It feels good to know that those are the people who will have my back, and I hope they feel the same knowing I've got theirs.

Honestly I love how selective our armed forces are becoming. Im so tired of hearing "army takes dummy's" "marines are just tough guys" blah blah blah. It looks like the budget cutting on DOD is doing some good. I like the thought of knowing that you need to be persistent and truly want this. The armed forces is not the easy route anymore. You really need to have a calling and a certain perspective on things. I didn't get a ship date by saying "Oh well they'll come to me" 2 recruiters 5 meps station visits later still pushing for this, and believe me, recruiters know who really wants it and who wouldn't mind joining. Go Coast Guard!

Posted By MasterGuns2077 It's a different environment than when I graduated HS. Combine the junk economy with tightening pursestrings and this is what you get. OG said it before though: this isn't a bad thing. Once I graduate BC, I know I'll be serving in the most selective service in an environment where they're all being more selective. I'll be serving with the best of the best. It feels good to know that those are the people who will have my back, and I hope they feel the same knowing I've got theirs.

Very well said MasterGuns, I feel the same way!

I like the Air Force's approach. That's the same approach I use every day. The truth may hurt, but it's like a band-aid. Better to rip it off quickly than to slowly peel it back. Me and one of my guys in my office are polar opposites. He will constantly give pep talks and tell kids "it's ok, maybe we will try for a waiver" or "it's ok, I know you only got a 25 on the ASVAB, but we will retest you and you can pull the score up". I tend to make my decisions much faster. If on the first test, the applicant is more than 20 points away from where I want them to be (75 or higher), I cut them loose. If I see an applicant that needs a waiver, and there is nothing overly special about them, I cut them loose. If on the first contact, I determine them to be less than competitive with my other applicants, I let them know that and cut them loose.

This may seem cold, especially when you are just reading my typed words rather than hearing me say them, but it's fair, effective, and the right thing to do. Just because I turn people away, doesn't mean that I enjoy it. However, I have a job to do. My job is to find the very best applicants for enlistment into the Coast Guard. I could easily fill our openings 100 times over by just putting in everyone that meets the minimum qualifications, but why would I do that? In this recruiting climate, it doesn't take much for me to turn someone down for a job. It simply wouldn't be fair to another perfectly qualified young man or woman that is competing for the same job. As a recruiter, you have to be careful not to let your emotions dictate your actions.

Well said Cooch, my sentiments exactly!

Chuck! HI!

Hello!! had a moment to hop on, site is looking great!

And apprently you forgot how to post correctly.

hmmm so much I could possibly say.

One: We got a recruit 6 months ago who we want to absolutely know who the the recruiter was because he is completely out of his league, is on performance probation, is late everyday.... like there is no way this kid looked stellar in the recruiting business, so to have hard core recruiters is a good thing. You are wasting government time and money if you are a piece of crap and then join the service. (thankyou cooch for being strict, this kid has seriously made about a quarter of the unit want to be a recruiter so that something like this never happens again).

Two: My buddy is on his 4th overseas tour (currently in Afghanistan) in the marines and is probably going to get cut from the DOD cuts because he has always been in combat and is now less competitive since he has never been a recruiter ect... not fair. He is a steller performer, leads a squad, but yet he is probably not going to be allowed to re-enlist. Not the way vets should be treated.

For Future Coasties:

Honestly, recruiters need to be strict. I swear to god if another 18-19 year old kid walks up that brow, thats been spoon fed their whole life, is still on a family plan, has never lived away from home, has never gone to school or had assorted any sort of responsibility other than doing highschool homework and soccer, then I am going to pull my hair out. I feel like the norm is becoming that people in their 20s that have some life experiences is more prominent than the average kid graduating highschool, that are entering the CG as recruits.

Don't get me wrong, if you are 18 and you were able to come to the decision at that age to sign your life away, I give you props, because I was no where near that at 18, but seriously man up/woman up at your unit. It's not there to coddle you and it's not an alternative to the college lifestyle. If you want to party your brains out, go to college, not the Coast Guard. People here definitely are going to party but they are a little past holding your hair back and dragging you around base/up the brow.

well said bells.

there are people that i know that are still spoon feed and they have been in for a few years. an example of this was the person had a wreck and the question when he was tlaking to his dad was how much money do you need. Dont get me wrong the guy does good work and is there on time and i trust him but just goes to being spoon feed. I guess im crazy as i enlisted when i was older and have a lot of responsibility to begin with.

Go easy on the broad brush, gentlemen. I know at least one 19 yr old E-4 who's more than making the grade but catches crap from shipmates (but not his chief) solely for his age. Then again, I have a 24 yr old niece, just finishing a master's degree, who stills calls her daddy instead of AAA if she has a flat tire in another town. Chronological age and 'experience' have only just so much bearing on actual maturity.

+1 KD

The moral of the story is the US Military is raising enlistment standards across the board. If you're thinking about joining or serious about joining don't do anything to reduce your chances of being selected. If the USCG is your first choice and you get a DQ your second choice may not be an option.

It's totally true. I remember seeing people turned away right at the door when I first went. Obviously, they didn't have appointments, and it's a security issue due to recruiting centers being targeted, but it's telling nonetheless. It's a good thing that enlistment standards are being raised. I know it's something to take pride in when an organization like the USCG takes interest in you.

One: We got a recruit 6 months ago who we want to absolutely know who the the recruiter was because he is completely out of his league, is on performance probation, is late everyday.... like there is no way this kid looked stellar in the recruiting business, so to have hard core recruiters is a good thing. You are wasting government time and money if you are a piece of crap and then join the service. (thankyou cooch for being strict, this kid has seriously made about a quarter of the unit want to be a recruiter so that something like this never happens again).

Two: My buddy is on his 4th overseas tour (currently in Afghanistan) in the marines and is probably going to get cut from the DOD cuts because he has always been in combat and is now less competitive since he has never been a recruiter ect... not fair. He is a steller performer, leads a squad, but yet he is probably not going to be allowed to re-enlist. Not the way vets should be treated.

For Future Coasties:

Honestly, recruiters need to be strict. I swear to god if another 18-19 year old kid walks up that brow, thats been spoon fed their whole life, is still on a family plan, has never lived away from home, has never gone to school or had assorted any sort of responsibility other than doing highschool homework and soccer, then I am going to pull my hair out. I feel like the norm is becoming that people in their 20s that have some life experiences is more prominent than the average kid graduating highschool, that are entering the CG as recruits.

Don't get me wrong, if you are 18 and you were able to come to the decision at that age to sign your life away, I give you props, because I was no where near that at 18, but seriously man up/woman up at your unit. It's not there to coddle you and it's not an alternative to the college lifestyle. If you want to party your brains out, go to college, not the Coast Guard. People here definitely are going to party but they are a little past holding your hair back and dragging you around base/up the brow.

I think we all know that you aren't referring to EVERY single 18-19 year old on the planet, and I agree with you. Are there kids out there that don't have their heads screwed on right? Sure their are.   Is is easier to blend them into a LARGER service where responsibilities are more compartmentalized? I would submit that it is. I know that I've seen some real young CLOWNS coming onto the job in Law Enforcement. They are reducing standards in Police Academies (People can pass while missing a crap ton of PT training), and some (NOT ALL) are coming in with a WICKED sense of entitlement. They want day shift in some high speed SWAT unit after 6 months of working the cell room. It's a problem, and the only solution to it is to continue to raise standards. When people have high standards, and eventually achieve them, THAT is what builds self-esteem... not lowering the bar so everyone can get a trophy.

I give the smart ones (the diamonds in the rough) props; they are going against the herd MOO.

College gives some kids a false sense of entitlement. Parents give some kids a false sense of entitlement.

I dunno I already ranted.