I’m 23 in college and enlisted into the guard with the SMP program. I want to change to 18x. Can I still go 18x with my scoliosis waiver?

PVT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 10:17:48 -0500

I have been accepted an swore into the army national guard with a scoliosis waiver. Through ROTC I scored a great on the ACFT and preform well above average on rucks so my scoliosis isn’t debilitating in any way. I want to drop ROTC and go enlisted I just don’t want to be an officer.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 17 at 2021 10:32 AM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 10:32:34 -0500

Going SF, you're gonna have to be Airborne qualified....among other requirements. The question here, is will you be able to pass the Airborne physical? You needed a waiver for your scoliosis just to get in. You will more than likely need to submit a waiver to the JFK Special Warfare School.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 17 at 2021 10:40 AM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 10:40:40 -0500

I forgot to add....the only way to officially know is to contact the nearest SF recruiter to you. Since you're Guard, find out where the nearest Guard SF unit is and make contact with them and hit them up with this RFI.

Response by SSgt Christophe Murphy made Nov 17 at 2021 10:42 AM

SSgt Christophe Murphy — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 10:42:36 -0500

In regards to passing physicals and getting waivers you would need to submit those questions directly to the folks who would receive and ultimately deny/approve them. Boards and policies change over time and the final decision is those who receive the waivers at any given period of time. It could be difficult.

What has me more curious is your buyers remorse in regards to becoming an officer. What changed? What you need to consider is things you can guarantee and things you can't. 18X is a long road most applicants don't finish. I'm not doubting your resolve or jinxing you but flipping everything around for a maybe is a big decision. But getting a degree and a commission while gaining experience in the guard along the way is tangible experience and also something that will stick with you long after you leave the service. Just double check everything because you could be burning a bridge doing all that

Response by CPT Lawrence Cable made Nov 17 at 2021 12:08 PM

CPT Lawrence Cable — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 12:08:50 -0500

The Army is reasonably lenient of Scoliosis as long as Medical believe it won't effect your duty position. The only exception to that seems to be with Initial Entry flight positions, where it is a DQ. Talk to your recruiter.
18X is a recruiting tool, anyone from any MOS can try out for Selection. If you go 18X and fail, you are needs of the Army for both MOS and duty station. I would suggest a more reasonable course of action, volunteer Infantry with an Airborne contract, then volunteer for Selection after you hit your unit. If you wash out then, you just get sent back to your unit.
You do have the option of 18X in the Guard and you may be able to get that added to your contract. Same training and same time frame. If you haven't attended Basic yet, you can always ask.

Response by SGM Jeff Mccloud made Nov 17 at 2021 11:04 PM

SGM Jeff Mccloud — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 23:04:52 -0500

Can you do it, physically?
Sure, that's 100% up to you.
I went through SFAS, SFQC and every other school with scoliosis and a completely torn ACL.
Can you do it regulation-wise?
Get your SF physical to Bragg for a SWCS stamp and see if it comes back with a yes.

A word of caution, if a fast route to SF is the only reason you want to drop ROTC and college, have a plan for what happens if you don't get a SWCS stamp on the physical.

Another word of caution, a lot of enlisted complete college before going SF, and those that don't, don't have time to complete college when they get there.
And a college degree comes in pretty handy when you're too broken down to SF anymore...

Response by Lt Col Jim Coe made Nov 22 at 2021 11:02 AM

Lt Col Jim Coe — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 11:02:04 -0500

PVT Private RallyPoint Member your question about scoliosis begs the question as to why you want to go into an MOS that requires exceptional physical condition to complete training, officer or enlisted, and continuous arduous physical activity once fully qualified. If you have "back problems" now, the physical exertions of Special Forces, or almost any other Combat Arms MOS, will virtually guarantee continual back problems for your entire life. I knew many Combat Arms officers with various physical problems resulting directly from the hazards of combat operations during my time as a DAC. I hesitate to say this, but you'd be better off in a service support MOS where jumping out of airplanes, off tanks, out of truck beds, etc., isn't required.

My second question is, why not go officer? If you're willing to work hard enough to get your degree, then why not take the extra pay and benefits of being an officer. I have great respect for NCOs in all branches of Service. They are truly the backbone of the Army. Being an officer is very different. It requires a different, but closely related set of knowledge, skills, and abilities. You'll learn some of these through OCS or ROTC, and some through experience with good NCOs. I say give it some time. You can decide to not apply for a commission very late in the progress toward your degree. Continue with you education, gain some more experience, and see how things go.