How likely is it that the AF will accept an honorably discharged 11b?

PFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 19:00:13 -0500

Hello all, my friend was recently honorably discharged from the army infantry and he’s trying to go AF TACP. Is this even possible? His dd214 has a reentry code 3. So we researched he might be able to do it with a waiver. Any info would be great. Thank you.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 1 at 2022 7:14 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 19:14:13 -0500

The Air Force accepts nothing used lol… but seriously no one up here can answer this. Stop in and talk to your local recruiter to get the ball rolling

Response by Cpl Vic Burk made Feb 1 at 2022 7:14 PM

Cpl Vic Burk — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 19:14:13 -0500

A question I would have is why the reenlistment code of 3 instead of a 1A (Marine Corps code, I am not familiar with Army codes although I suspect they are similar).

Response by CW3 Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 1 at 2022 7:37 PM

CW3 Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 19:37:02 -0500

RE:3 is normally a medical discharge. The best answer would come from an actual AF Recruiter.

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 1 at 2022 8:35 PM

SGM Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 20:35:22 -0500

It's tough to get into the AF as prior service. It's a lot tougher with an RE code of 3, when that will require a waiver.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 1 at 2022 9:01 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 21:01:14 -0500

AF tend to not take prior service...except for very small windows of opportunity. And if he got an RE-3....chances are the AF won't even really put forth any effort. BUT.....no harm in trying. Tell your friend to just go talk to an AF Recruiter and see what happens.

Response by SGT Jonathan Persons made Feb 1 at 2022 9:30 PM

SGT Jonathan Persons — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 21:30:15 -0500

The important thing is the separation code. He needs to talk to a recruiter and bring his DD-214 as so the recruiter can discuss his options.

Response by SSgt Christophe Murphy made Feb 1 at 2022 9:36 PM

SSgt Christophe Murphy — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 21:36:46 -0500

What’s the rest of the reenlistment code? There is more to it than just a single number.

Have your friend talk to a recruiter and bring his dd214. They will be able to talk current numbers and boat spaces for mos’s.

The issue your friend will run into outside of the Army is that other branches are more transferable skill based and the Air Force doesn’t have a 1 for 1 swap equivalent to the Infantry. Transportation, comm, medical, aviation and etc. have transferable skills that the Air Force recognizes.

Good luck

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 1 at 2022 11:57 PM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 23:57:03 -0500

If the Air Force is going to take anybody prior service the best bet is the special ops fields like TACP. The big problem I see is the RE3 code. That doesn’t bode very well for his chances. Best bet is to start with talking to a recruiter. The Air Force is very stingy when it comes to prior service.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 2 at 2022 8:40 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 02 Feb 2022 08:40:37 -0500

From what I've heard, the Air Force doesn't let a lot of prior service in and generally don't give out a lot of waivers. That's just what I've heard from people in the Air Force or posts I've seen on here.

Response by SCPO Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 3 at 2022 4:07 PM

SCPO Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 16:07:37 -0500

The Coast Guard takes prior service and has tactical gunslinging jobs. There are/have been many prior service personnel in the Coast Guard from all the other service branches... And from what I see on current Coast Guard social media they are hurting for recruits right now. As far as getting an enlistment waiver for your RE code I don't know but if they are hurting for people now is the best time to try. I even heard something about possible enlistment bonuses. Good luck whatever you do.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 4 at 2022 6:55 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 04 Feb 2022 18:55:52 -0500

You'd probably have a better chance going Air National Guard.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 4 at 2022 9:01 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 04 Feb 2022 21:01:07 -0500

It's always "a friend of mine" lol

Response by Lt Col Jim Coe made Feb 5 at 2022 1:19 PM

Lt Col Jim Coe — Sat, 05 Feb 2022 13:19:48 -0500

I agree with all those in this string that said go see an Air Force recruiter. The odds of getting into the Air Force as a prior service recruit have been low. TACP Specialist is a high demand, low population AFSC. The training is long (about a year) and physical and mental demands are high. Your friend should approach the Recruiter with alternatives in mind.

Army Infantry has some transferable skills to Air Force Security Forces, also, some to Pararescue. (Pararescue is another high demand, low population AFSC with a long training pipeline.) Most Air Force enlisted personnel are engaged in combat support and combat service support specialties. Besides Pararescue, TACP, and Security Forces, front-line Air Force members are mostly pilots and a few other aircrew members (systems operators, gunners, flight engineers, loadmasters, flight med tech, battle managers, boom operators, and others).