Prior service coming back in after 13 year break. What would you recommend given my background?

Hey I got out in 1992 and came back and finished in 2014 and now it's done. 21 yrs service. Never give up. Never.

Mike,
First and foremost, don't enlist. You will be stuck in an enlistment, and package or no package, you'll have to finish out your enlistment obligation first. I would speak to other service branches before making any commitments, to see what options are available.

I was active duty Navy as an MR from 1992-1997, and, in 2012 put in an officer package for Navy Reserves as a Nurse. Then about a year ago, I started putting together a package for active duty Air Force, as an Operating Room Nurse. I'll be doing my Air Force commissioning next week, and I'm 44 years old. Returning to active duty was my original goal, the Navy told me I was too old for active duty, which is why I went Reserves with them and am now going to AD Air Force.

With your education, you should easily be eligible for a commission. I would shop around with the other branches, they have a lot to offer regardless of the current economy. As far as the sleeves go... waivers are given for lots of things, and I know several folks in my unit that have sleeves.

Good luck, I hope this helps.

Rick

Go Warrant Officer since I believe 46 is the cutoff age. Stay on top in the p.t. It helped me all through my career and I started at age 31 enlisted and age 34 as a commissioned Officer. If you go enlisted and desire civil affairs or warrant, go Army Reserve. I did enlisted MP first. You will start at least as an E-4 specialist if you go enlisted. If you make warrant, the remainder of your enlisted time will still be owed as a warrant (my remaining 5 years was tacked to my initial 6 years enlistment with 2 years in the IRR). Met many NCOs who had Masters or Bachelors Degree. Follow your dreams!!!

Basing this answer on my daughter's experience. She served 10 years in the Air Guard. When she graduated from Nursing School with a BSN, she left her Guard unit and did a couple of years in the IRR to complete her enlistment (12 "good years" total). About 10 years later, she recognized the benefits of being retired military, so she looked around for a position as a nurse. In those intervening years she had completed her MSN and become a nurse practitioner. She talked to the Navy, Army, and Air Force medical recruiters. She went with the Navy Reserve because they gave her the best accession date, credit for pay for all her previous enlisted time, and the best nursing job. She came aboard as a LT (O-3) and was promoted to LCDR after about three years. Navy medical "OCS" was about three weeks. She completed a tour as a detachment commander and she's now on a headquarters staff. She will come up for CDR about the same time she makes her 20.

My recommendation is to talk with Active, Reserve, and Guard recruiters for all services. Of course only Army and Air Force have Guard units, but all 5 armed services have reserve units. They are all limited by age restrictions, which can be waived, and physical requirements--harder to get waived. The services and their components may offer variable credit for your enlisted service and variable choices for you obtaining a commission. Normally you'll have to complete OCS/OTS, but a direct commission may be possible. DO NOT enlist. If you have to wait a year or more to get an officer slot, do it. The difference in retirement pay alone makes waiting for an officer position well worth your while. Retired pay as an O-4 is way ahead of retired pay as an E-6.

MOS/AFSC is a secondary consideration. Know what your would like to do and what you definitely don't want to do, but remain flexible. You should know your strengths and weaknesses, so get into a specialty that will play to your strengths. Coming aboard as an officer means you're expected to be more of a generalist than when you were enlisted. You may have to take a job in an MOS/AFSC that you never considered, but the Service needs to fill. Sometimes it an adventure.

I spent 8 years on active duty and after an 8 year break in service went back into USAF uniform. I had to take all the steps to come back a new recruit as to Physical exam, Testing etc. but came back in at the same rank which was SSgt and AFSC (Air Force Specialty Code) and seven (Supervisor's) skill level as I left with. The only thing I lost was My time in grade as it had gone too many years. From starting over again as a SSgt in the next 14 years advanced from that to SMSgt a grade I held for a few years, and retired with 22 years in uniform.

https://youtu.be/9_LrM8w3NnQ

I'd seen this, it might give you the best of both world's, I !erepy offer it as a thought, watch it, I thuimk you'd find it of interest, honest....

Checking to see how this worked out for you one way or the other?

I wish I could remember all the details, but I had broken service DIVO that worked for me. The only recommendation was to keep hounding the Officer recruiters. Check the other services, too, AF is really looking for people right now. With all of the education and years accumulated, plus the hurting for bodies, it should work out.

https://www.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/army-civilian-careers.html

This could be a really good possibility for you, you might find a way to bridge back to the uniformed side, that's all I'm saying....

Your situation is entirely different than mine, but for what it's worth, and by now you are surely well into whatever became of your plan, I got out for 10.25 years. Came back AF Reserve and absolutely love it. Learned my civ skill on the outside. Use it to live by. Came back in to a completely different skill for a unique experience. Now I have 2 lives.

You probably know that AGR is the way to go if you are close to age limit for commissioning. That have better waivers. Had a guy passed the 40 yr waiver for AD. Went AGR, got his commission, then transferred back to AD.

Anyway, encouragement more than anything, really. Nothing technical here to help you. Good luck, bro.