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https://www.moaa.org/Content/Publications-and-Media/News-Articles/2018-News-Articles/Disappointed,-But-Not-Defeated,-Former-NFL-Player-Pursues-Waivers-for-Army-OCS.aspx?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=TMNsend&utm_content=CA+ATFHSR+2+Ret+B+NC
Interesting story. Turned down three times but he didn't quit.
Interesting story. Turned down three times but he didn't quit.
Disappointed
Posted from moaa.org
Inspiration
NFL
OCS
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 16
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Thank for sharing my friend Lt Col Charlie Brown I received a page not found.
By the way I am a lifetime MOAA member.
Update. I logged in and am posting the information since you have to be logged in as an MOAA member to view.
This reminded me the USMC rejected Audie Murphy in WWII and the Army accepted him. The USMC has rejected Arthur Lynch and the Army provided a waiver for him to serve.
Image: In this file photo, Arthur Lynch catches the ball while playing as a tight end of the Georgia Bulldogs. Lynch will soon join the officer ranks of the U.S. Army. (Photo by Radi Nabulsi/University of Georgia/Collegiate Images/Getty Images)
"After injuries unexpectedly cut Arthur Lynch's NFL career short, he spent months chasing down doctor approvals and congressional support to secure something he'd desperately hoped for - a spot in Officer Candidate School.
Three times he would be denied medical waiver due to his injuries. Nevertheless, he tried every avenue he could fathom to break through the obstacles.
“Until they looked me square in the face and told me this was not going to work, I was going to work through it,” Lynch said from his home in Boston. “It would have been much easier if they had given me the waiver right off the bat, but my friends in the military told me to 'Embrace the suck,' and 'Find ways around it and don't complain.' And I think that's kind of what I did.”
Lynch spoke to Military Officer magazine from his home in Boston, where he was packing up his civilian life. In a few weeks, he will be off to Fort Benning, Ga.
“There's a little bit of nerves,” said the 28-year-old Lynch. “I've talked to people about what to expect and how to succeed. I think I'm more than prepared to do a good job.”
Lynch's began playing football in high school, where he dreamed of earning a scholarship to a Division I university.
Living in Massachusetts made that challenging: It's not a hotbed for gridiron stars and is often overlooked by football recruiters.
But Lynch did attract attention from southern universities. He selected the University of Georgia, where he was named a first team All-Southeastern Conference selection as a tight end in 2013, his senior season, alongside future NFL standouts Odell Beckham Jr. and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.
As his college career matured, Lynch said he realized professional football wasn't such a pipe dream. He trained harder, hoping to make it to the NFL after graduation.
In the 2014 draft, the Miami Dolphins selected him in the fifth round. Shortly after his arrival to the team, he suffered a partial fracture to his lumbar spine and was placed on the team's injured reserve list.
Miami waived Lynch the next year. He spent time under contract with the New York Jets, Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons, never reaching a regular-season roster; Atlanta cut him loose in August 2016.
Even before he'd hung up his pads for good, Lynch began reflecting on what he could do next. Whatever it was had to have purpose and fulfill his life, he said.
“Unfortunately, I didn't get to play as long as I liked,” Lynch said. “But had I not been in the NFL, I would not be where I am today. The experience I had while in the NFL helped steer my ambitions and goals toward serving in the military.”
Those experiences included visits by veterans to NFL practices, where they shared their stories of service with players.
Lynch spoke with a military recruiter for the first time in 2016. At that point, he said, he wanted to join the Marine Corps.
Lynch was officially released from the Falcons in fall of 2016. He decided to keep training and give the NFL one last shot, but he knew his career was over when he suffered a slipped disc during training. That meant surgery, and an infection after the first operation required a second.
With his NFL career behind him, Lynch refocused on training for a career in the military.
The Marine Corps recruiter put in Lynch's paperwork, requesting a medical waiver for his back issues, which had been documented by NFL doctors. He was denied immediately.
Disappointed but not defeated, Lynch contacted offices for his home state lawmakers, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Bill Keating, for help. They authored letters of support for Lynch's waiver.
Denied again. Lynch recalled the Marine Corps recruiter telling him, “Unless you know the president of the United States, there's nothing I can do.”
The recruiter steered him toward the Army, saying the largest military branch may have more resources to assist with his waiver request.
In April 2017, Lynch requested a waiver through the Army.
Denied.
Lynch put his military dreams on pause while he pursued professional jobs in Boston. He worked for a tech startup company, then a financial company.
Finally, the Army called and said a military doctor would evaluate him to decide whether he was fit for service.
The doctor examined Lynch, who was in prime physical shape, and laughed, commiserating over military bureaucracy.
Then he signed off on the waiver.
“I guess one thing you can learn from this is perseverance pays off,” Lynch said. “There's multiple times I thought this (waiver process was) dead in the water. I knew I had to keep trying while there was still an option.”
Lynch has requested a job in infantry.
He knows he'll be attending boot camp with soldiers 10 years younger than him. He hopes he can teach the young soldiers life lessons, and he hopes to pull from their youthful zeal.
“I have to continue to remind myself, there's a goal at the end of the tunnel,” he said. “It's not going to be easy. It's going to be wildly different than working in finance in Boston, but this is what I chose.”
As he packs up and prepares to head out, he has talked to enlisted military friends about their favorite leaders. He was advised to be a good listener, and to ask senior enlisted troops for their opinions.
“I'd like to have a strong enough relationship with them that they can call me,” Lynch said. “Ultimately, I want these individuals to be able to trust me and lean on me years after I'm out of uniform. The military should be about how can you help the person next to you. I think it'd be a much better world if people put out a helping hand instead of being self-center.”
Amanda Dolasinski is MOAA's staff writer."
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC Ivan Raiklin, Esq. Capt Seid Waddell Capt Tom Brown SFC William Farrell SSgt Robert Marx SSgt (Join to see) TSgt Joe C. SGT John " Mac " McConnell SP5 Mark Kuzinski SPC (Join to see) Maj Marty Hogan PO1 William "Chip" Nagel SP5 Robert Ruck SCPO Morris Ramsey SGT Michael Thorin SPC Margaret Higgins SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL
By the way I am a lifetime MOAA member.
Update. I logged in and am posting the information since you have to be logged in as an MOAA member to view.
This reminded me the USMC rejected Audie Murphy in WWII and the Army accepted him. The USMC has rejected Arthur Lynch and the Army provided a waiver for him to serve.
Image: In this file photo, Arthur Lynch catches the ball while playing as a tight end of the Georgia Bulldogs. Lynch will soon join the officer ranks of the U.S. Army. (Photo by Radi Nabulsi/University of Georgia/Collegiate Images/Getty Images)
"After injuries unexpectedly cut Arthur Lynch's NFL career short, he spent months chasing down doctor approvals and congressional support to secure something he'd desperately hoped for - a spot in Officer Candidate School.
Three times he would be denied medical waiver due to his injuries. Nevertheless, he tried every avenue he could fathom to break through the obstacles.
“Until they looked me square in the face and told me this was not going to work, I was going to work through it,” Lynch said from his home in Boston. “It would have been much easier if they had given me the waiver right off the bat, but my friends in the military told me to 'Embrace the suck,' and 'Find ways around it and don't complain.' And I think that's kind of what I did.”
Lynch spoke to Military Officer magazine from his home in Boston, where he was packing up his civilian life. In a few weeks, he will be off to Fort Benning, Ga.
“There's a little bit of nerves,” said the 28-year-old Lynch. “I've talked to people about what to expect and how to succeed. I think I'm more than prepared to do a good job.”
Lynch's began playing football in high school, where he dreamed of earning a scholarship to a Division I university.
Living in Massachusetts made that challenging: It's not a hotbed for gridiron stars and is often overlooked by football recruiters.
But Lynch did attract attention from southern universities. He selected the University of Georgia, where he was named a first team All-Southeastern Conference selection as a tight end in 2013, his senior season, alongside future NFL standouts Odell Beckham Jr. and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.
As his college career matured, Lynch said he realized professional football wasn't such a pipe dream. He trained harder, hoping to make it to the NFL after graduation.
In the 2014 draft, the Miami Dolphins selected him in the fifth round. Shortly after his arrival to the team, he suffered a partial fracture to his lumbar spine and was placed on the team's injured reserve list.
Miami waived Lynch the next year. He spent time under contract with the New York Jets, Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons, never reaching a regular-season roster; Atlanta cut him loose in August 2016.
Even before he'd hung up his pads for good, Lynch began reflecting on what he could do next. Whatever it was had to have purpose and fulfill his life, he said.
“Unfortunately, I didn't get to play as long as I liked,” Lynch said. “But had I not been in the NFL, I would not be where I am today. The experience I had while in the NFL helped steer my ambitions and goals toward serving in the military.”
Those experiences included visits by veterans to NFL practices, where they shared their stories of service with players.
Lynch spoke with a military recruiter for the first time in 2016. At that point, he said, he wanted to join the Marine Corps.
Lynch was officially released from the Falcons in fall of 2016. He decided to keep training and give the NFL one last shot, but he knew his career was over when he suffered a slipped disc during training. That meant surgery, and an infection after the first operation required a second.
With his NFL career behind him, Lynch refocused on training for a career in the military.
The Marine Corps recruiter put in Lynch's paperwork, requesting a medical waiver for his back issues, which had been documented by NFL doctors. He was denied immediately.
Disappointed but not defeated, Lynch contacted offices for his home state lawmakers, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Bill Keating, for help. They authored letters of support for Lynch's waiver.
Denied again. Lynch recalled the Marine Corps recruiter telling him, “Unless you know the president of the United States, there's nothing I can do.”
The recruiter steered him toward the Army, saying the largest military branch may have more resources to assist with his waiver request.
In April 2017, Lynch requested a waiver through the Army.
Denied.
Lynch put his military dreams on pause while he pursued professional jobs in Boston. He worked for a tech startup company, then a financial company.
Finally, the Army called and said a military doctor would evaluate him to decide whether he was fit for service.
The doctor examined Lynch, who was in prime physical shape, and laughed, commiserating over military bureaucracy.
Then he signed off on the waiver.
“I guess one thing you can learn from this is perseverance pays off,” Lynch said. “There's multiple times I thought this (waiver process was) dead in the water. I knew I had to keep trying while there was still an option.”
Lynch has requested a job in infantry.
He knows he'll be attending boot camp with soldiers 10 years younger than him. He hopes he can teach the young soldiers life lessons, and he hopes to pull from their youthful zeal.
“I have to continue to remind myself, there's a goal at the end of the tunnel,” he said. “It's not going to be easy. It's going to be wildly different than working in finance in Boston, but this is what I chose.”
As he packs up and prepares to head out, he has talked to enlisted military friends about their favorite leaders. He was advised to be a good listener, and to ask senior enlisted troops for their opinions.
“I'd like to have a strong enough relationship with them that they can call me,” Lynch said. “Ultimately, I want these individuals to be able to trust me and lean on me years after I'm out of uniform. The military should be about how can you help the person next to you. I think it'd be a much better world if people put out a helping hand instead of being self-center.”
Amanda Dolasinski is MOAA's staff writer."
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC Ivan Raiklin, Esq. Capt Seid Waddell Capt Tom Brown SFC William Farrell SSgt Robert Marx SSgt (Join to see) TSgt Joe C. SGT John " Mac " McConnell SP5 Mark Kuzinski SPC (Join to see) Maj Marty Hogan PO1 William "Chip" Nagel SP5 Robert Ruck SCPO Morris Ramsey SGT Michael Thorin SPC Margaret Higgins SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL
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