Air Force Birthday 2024 is on Wednesday, September 18, 2024: Air Force Enlistment?

Wednesday, September 18, 2024 is Air Force Birthday 2024. Kristens Cakes and Kreations Camouflage / Air Force

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Bad news Jesse. The Air Force is probably NOT going to happen for you, sorry.

Although not totally impossible, you need to talk to a recruiter YESTERDAY and take whatever is available - ANYTHING, or you will run out of time, and if that means leaving for basic in January or even late December - you do it. I can understand wanting to be able to do "half what they do in basic" - but you don't get any points for style or for time, you can just do PT without being as sore and exhausted. So taking a month to be "more prepared" is admirable, but time is NOT on your side.

Here is why: You are correct on the wait for basic training. right now - most recruits from the first time they walk into the recruiter's office (and assuming they start the paperwork that day) to the day they ship are waiting on the average of 7 months to ship, 8-9 for some jobs. And that is assuming the recruit has no issues in their background (no excess speeding tickets, arrests, etc), has good credit (you can have debt, but nothing in collections or past due), has no trouble getting their high school diploma, transcripts, etc. Using even a SIX month number (a little ahead of average delay), you'd still be looking at MAY, and you'd run out of time.

Why would you be out of time? Because to enlist in the Air Force, the rule is you must SHIP to basic PRIOR to your 27th birthday (NOT enlist by 27, there is a difference). That means you must leave for basic no later than the day before you turn 27 (not 28). The day you turn 27, if you have not left for basic yet, you are disenrolled from DEP, and that’s it. If someone has told you different, you might want to double check that. One of my friends is an Air Force Recruiting Area Supervisor (he lives 2 houses down from me in fact) told me that was the current policy. Right now, with retention rates as high as they are, the sheer numbers of people trying to enlist in the Air Force (about 6 people applying for every open position), and the fact the Air Force is getting SMALLER - I would say it is going to be nearly impossible to get an age waiver for that - as the Air Force really isn't processing any waivers right now. The bottom line is, there are just so many recruits that don't need ANY waivers at all to even invest the time in the paperwork to justify a waiver for someone who is going to need one – and an age waiver is a big one.

By all means, don’t let me discourage you from trying, because if you don’t at least ask, the answer will always be “No”. But a lot of recruits don’t hold out for a specific job prior to leaving for basic (extremely common – my friend says most of his recruits go in ‘open’ or get to choose from a list of things they are qualified for, and then actually choose their job in basic) so many of those applicants are already taking ‘anything’, and even they are waiting on the average of 7 months.

Given that, it may be difficult to find a recruiter that will even work with you, because you are facing very long odds to beat the clock. About the best you can do is go to a recruiting station TOMORROW, explain your situation, take 2 forms of ID, copy of your birth certificate, marriage license, SSAN, etc – and say you’ll take anything, whenever and wherever. If everything falls in to place perfectly, I think you could be ready to go in a month (no one leaves the same day, and no one leaves in 2 weeks anymore in any service) – problem is, will there be any jobs available? That my friend, I cannot answer. But go see a recruiter TOMORROW – not soon – TOMORROW and see what, if anything, they can do. You may find one willing to try, but even he will tell you the sand may run out of your hourglass before it can happen. The recruiter can put forth the paperwork if you sell yourself and try to rush it, but keep in mind, the final decision is not his. Your application could be shot down at anyone of a number of places.

Sorry – I know you didn’t want to hear that, but I tell all who ask about joining the Air Force, to knock on the door no later than the day they turn 26, because you can only be on DEP a year, but even at 26, they are almost out of time.

Not knowing when in April you turn 27, I would use April 1 as a cutoff, and that gives you FOUR months to make it happen. If it is toward the end of the month, you have almost 5. Keep in mind, not too many recruits are processed the week of Christmas and New Years, and I am not sure if anyone ships during that time, because the Air Force does not train over the holidays.

Don’t pick up the phone and call. Drive there tomorrow. Your best shot at serving is going to likely be the Army. To a point, the Navy. You can be up to age 32 for the both of them, but the Navy is also getting smaller so the older you get, the less likely they are going to work with you.

Good luck and get to work!

Asthma and the Air Force?

No one gave you a totally correct answer. Whether a waiver is needed depends on how long before your 13th birthday you had your last prescription or asthma symptoms. If your last asthma attack was when you were 6 or 7, they aren't going to care. However, if you were still being given a prescription and inhaler up to age 12, even with no symptoms, you will probably need a waiver....which the Air Force is not really giving these days with so many folks enlisting who do not need waivers.

What are my chances of flying for the Air Force?

1) Air Force Academy Cadets do not get first slots. The Air Force assigns 500 Flight School Slots to the 1,000 2nd Lt's commissioning at the Academy and 500 Flight School Slots to the approximately 2,000 2nd Lt's commissioning through Afrotc. Academy Cadets and Afrotc Cadets do not compete with each other for Flight School slots. Any extra flight school slots needed for the year go to Ots. Usually around 100 slots. This past year there was one Ots rated selection board. It took place in June and had a 20% selection rate. It was a rated only board so all the applicants were qualified and wanted a Flight school slot. This was actually the only Ots selection Board for 2010.

2) A college student can apply for an Appointment to the Air Force Academy as long as he has not yet reached his 23rd birthday on July 1 of the year he enters the Academy. He can validate classes for course credit but he must still complete all four years in residence at the Academy.

3) There is no need to transfer to another college to join Afrotc. Middle Tennessee State U is a cross Town School of the Afrotc Detachment at Tennessee State University.

You need to contact the detachment to begin the application process now. Since you did not start Afrotc this Fall, the three year program probably is not possible and you will have to complete a six week Field Training this summer.

Good description of Afrotc:

4) Attaining a flight school slot through Afrotc:

The surest route to training as a fighter pilot is to rank at the top of the National Order of Merit List and attain an ENJJPT slot.

Flight School Slots are quite a bit less competitive for Nrotc Mids than for Afrotc Cadets. The Marines will offer an Aviation Contract to Nrotc Mo Mids and Plc Officer Candidates who qualify as early as Freshman year of College.

Bdcp with Aviation as a Designator is another possibility:

http:// www.cnrc.navy.mil/noru/orojt3/ generalofficer.htm

[You will need to remove the space between // and www and between 3/ and general at the above address. Yahoo is now limiting an answer to ten links.]

http:// www.waynesdyno.net/Aviation.html

[Same deal.........]

The above is the unofficial website of the Navy OPO in your area.

http:// www.navyofficer.info/

[Again........]

Good Luck!