Per everyone's suggestion, I attempted to contact my recruiter to let him know about the few traffic tickets I have gotten in the past few months. I have called and sent him an e-mail, but I have received no response, like usual. It seems the only way I can manage to get a hold of him is by calling and claiming it's an emergency or just showing up at the recruiting office unexpectedly. I don't like doing either one, but I'm beginning to feel like they're my only choices. Not to mention, I am facing yet another hurdle. I just got laid off from my job last week due to "company reorganization" and had to stop paying on my debt consolidation. I will start it up again once I find another job, but there's no way I can afford it right now. Now, I need to find out if this will affect me as well as if the tickets will. I'm getting extremely depressed because of all of this. Everything was going so smoothly at first and now it seems like everything is falling apart. On a positive note, I'm doing fine in college. I have no doubts I'll have the 15 credits my recruiter told me I'd need to get in by this May, but I turn 28 in November. That leaves a 5 month window before I'm ineligible to get in. I don't know how that's going to work out, not to mention my recruiter is leaving the service in May. I'm worried that maybe he just isn't concerned about me anymore since he's leaving, but I don't want to pass judgment. I want to believe he's just really busy and not ignoring me. I would be so miserable if after I studied, got a 77 on my ASVAB, went to MEPS, passed my physical, went to college for almost a year to get my 15 credits, and then return to the Coast Guard recruiting office to have them say, "Sorry. We can't take you," because of some miscommunication, the tickets, not paying on my debt as long as I should have, the theft at my job almost 7 years ago (which I put on my SF-86, even though I was never convicted), or because of my age. I often wonder if my determination matters at all? I know they could easily get someone ten times more qualified than me. As always, I would appreciate some advice from you all and hope everyone is doing well.

Ambient...stay focused on your goals and you shall achieve them...do not give up keep going strong!

I had the same problems with a recruiter right out of Highschool. I lost interest and just forgot about the USCG and went to college and started fishing and hunting more . A couple years into college I contacted another recruiter and this time got in.
It seems most recruiters are so busy they don't have time to get back to you and my recruiter told me that they do not have to go out and hunt people down and return all the phone calls like the other services recruiters do. If you feel you have a legit problem then contact that recruiters chief or superior at that office.

Thanks, captkyguy! I appreciate the encouragement.

fearnofishy, I finally got a hold of him. He was out due to surgery.

I explained my situation to him and he told me that the only issue was my traffic tickets. He told me that in order to enlist you can't have recieved more than 2 tickets in the past year. I recieved one back in July of last year, one in October, and two in January of this year. The two most recent ones I still have yet to go to court for and I intend to get a traffic attorney for them. Hopefully, I can get them dismissed. I think i'll be more likely to get them reduced to non-moving violations. I don't know if that would even make a difference for enlistment purposes. I also don't know when the clock for this year time frame begins. I should've asked my recruiter these questions while I had him on the phone, but I was so excited to finally talk to him that I could barely even think straight.

Do any of you have any knowledge on this subject?

It would be calendar year for your tickets.

Gears,

Thanks for the prompt response! I'm still a bit confused though...

Do you mean they will simply look 12 months back from the time they run my background check?

Also, do you know if I get my tickets reduced to non-moving violations, if that would make a difference in my situation?

They would still count. And it is 12 months from date of offense.

Also, do you know if I get my tickets reduced to non-moving violations, if that would make a difference in my situation?

Probably not, they're still traffic tickets. You're best bet at this point, with respect to your recruiter being on light duty, would be to let him/her know what's going on so they can review the situation.