Any chance of getting into Drill Sergeant school with a type 1 morality waiver from when I joined the military?

SGT Jody Trapp — Fri, 15 Jun 2018 19:58:36 -0400

Despite having a pristine record of service I’m being denied a chance to go to school because of this waiver from when I first joined. The incident happened 11 years ago prior to service and I haven’t had any issues since. Does anyone have any advice on how I can get this taken care of so I can go to DS school?

Response by SFC Marc W. made Jun 15 at 2018 8:46 PM

SFC Marc W. — Fri, 15 Jun 2018 20:46:12 -0400

Probably not Drill, but I bet Recruiting would take you.

Response by SSG Paul Strobaugh made Jun 15 at 2018 10:18 PM

SSG Paul Strobaugh — Fri, 15 Jun 2018 22:18:01 -0400

Depending on the infraction, waivers are considered, and potentially approved, by the TRADOC or USAREC commander, depending on which direction you go. For both, there's a lot of scrutiny on morality waivers but I know tons of people (pre-2013 ALARACT) who were able to go either direction with entry-level waivers. Call Drill Branch and ask the question or check out http://www.jackson.army.mil and find the DS Academy link for contact info.

Response by SSG Paul Strobaugh made Jun 15 at 2018 10:18 PM

SSG Paul Strobaugh — Fri, 15 Jun 2018 22:18:49 -0400

Response by SSG Paul Strobaugh made Jun 15 at 2018 10:19 PM

SSG Paul Strobaugh — Fri, 15 Jun 2018 22:19:13 -0400

Response by SSG Paul Strobaugh made Jun 15 at 2018 10:20 PM

SSG Paul Strobaugh — Fri, 15 Jun 2018 22:20:55 -0400

Response by SSG Paul Strobaugh made Jun 15 at 2018 10:21 PM

SSG Paul Strobaugh — Fri, 15 Jun 2018 22:21:11 -0400

Response by SSG Paul Strobaugh made Jun 15 at 2018 10:22 PM

SSG Paul Strobaugh — Fri, 15 Jun 2018 22:22:32 -0400

Response by SSG Paul Strobaugh made Jun 15 at 2018 10:24 PM

SSG Paul Strobaugh — Fri, 15 Jun 2018 22:24:17 -0400

Really sorry about all the repeat comments. My app went crazy, told me it WASN'T posting but I guess it was. Again, I apologize.

Response by SSG Paul Strobaugh made Jun 15 at 2018 10:32 PM

SSG Paul Strobaugh — Fri, 15 Jun 2018 22:32:51 -0400

Response by SFC Kenneth G. made Jun 16 at 2018 6:27 AM

SFC Kenneth G. — Sat, 16 Jun 2018 06:27:06 -0400

Getting in to Drill Sergeant School is a hard task and only the ones with clean records are selected or are allowed to volunteer. I served as a Drill Sergeant from 1989 to 1991 and I am sure that the standards are still the same today. The Drill Sergeant Corps prides itself on high morale, discipline, and values which the Drill Sergeant must live by. When selecting a candidate, they are going to look for soldiers with no morality issues in the past. If you came in with a morality waiver, it is going to be a problem getting into Drill Sergeant School, no matter what you have done in your career thus far. You may have to call your Congressman and get him involved in your selection process to see if he can find out how to get you selected. I had to go to Korea and apply while there to be able to get selected, coming off of a hardship tour. I had a clean slate and had a hard time getting it. Good luck in your selection.

Response by SFC Joseph McCausland made Jun 16 at 2018 1:32 PM

SFC Joseph McCausland — Sat, 16 Jun 2018 13:32:23 -0400

First who is denying you...your Command or TRADOC. Is this a non-waiver offense IAW regulations that apply to applicants applying for DS school? If so, then I think you're out of luck, if not then I would suggest you submit your packet and include a "hand-written" letter spelling out what your waiver was for and any extenuating circumstances that lead up to you committing the said act. You may or may not have any, just be careful not to sound like you are not taking responsibility for your actions or are passing the blame on to someone else.

If you want to include personal references then I suggest, as I did to all my OCS and WOFT applicants, that these letters should come from the most prominent people who know you personally.

Lastly, When you send your packet in to the approving authority (if that materializes) I would make sure to put a CF (copy furnished) to the Commander, TRADOC as well as the SGM Of The Army... this way if someone down the line has a "hard-on" for you, they will think twice about denying you on personal reasons.

Best of Luck

Response by SGT Scott Mandigo made Jun 17 at 2018 7:57 AM

SGT Scott Mandigo — Sun, 17 Jun 2018 07:57:15 -0400

Speak to military lawyer. They will know more about that than I do. Good luck.