Drug addiction question

[harbo_the_bear]

About 12 months ago I was in a car crash that was my fault. I was driving underage and there were drugs and alcohol involved. I was convicted and spent 60 days of my 90 day sentence in a rehabilitation center. I am not sure what I want to do but I thought that since my uncle was SF then I could be one too and It would give me time to figure out what I want to do with my life. Hey, compared to the rest of my life it will probably be a breeze. My question is, would my history affect me from going SF.

[Special Forces]

Originally posted by harbo_the_bear
About 12 months ago I was in a car crash that was my fault. I was driving underage and there were drugs and alcohol involved. I was convicted and spent 60 days of my 90 day sentence in a rehabilitation center. I am not sure what I want to do but I thought that since my uncle was SF then I could be one too and It would give me time to figure out what I want to do with my life. Hey, compared to the rest of my life it will probably be a breeze. My question is, would my history affect me from joining the berets.

You have failed to read the stickies above.

I recommend that you do so, rather than bargeing in asking questions your very first day here.

BTW, we don't really appreciate people who join SF because: "It would give me time to figure out what I want to do with my life".

In short, you do not sound like someone we are looking for. On the other hand, if all you really want is to be "joining the berets", the Girl Scouts are always looking.

Good luck, kid.

TR

[Doc]

Good luck to you in staying sober. I hope you continue your path and wish you the best in whatever you want to do.

You really need to take The Reapers advice and read more. Not a put down to you, but try to understand that we get a lot of guys that come in here and say they want to go SF and then change their minds.

Taking the long walk (Going SF) is a decision that you'll have to live, sleep and eat for a period of years at the least. It's a life long decision for most who take it.

Talk to your uncle and listen to him. Then use the search mode and find out what's been said to others about this same subject.

Good luck to you.

[Ranger002]

Originally posted by harbo_the_bear
About 12 months ago I was in a car crash that was my fault. I was driving underage and there were drugs and alcohol involved. I was convicted and spent 60 days of my 90 day sentence in a rehabilitation center. I am not sure what I want to do but I thought that since my uncle was SF then I could be one too and It would give me time to figure out what I want to do with my life. Hey, compared to the rest of my life it will probably be a breeze. My question is, would my history affect me from joining the berets.

Young man. I have been sober 15 years and I did so while a member of the SF reserves...You have just read what normal folks think of folks like us. My suggestion is continue to work the steps... get your year... and then enlist in the Army. As my normal friend has pointed out SF is not the place to figure things out. Why not start with something less challenging like your basic Airborne Unit the 82nd or the 173rd or the like. Then if you want you can always volunteer for SF. Right now you do not have the maturity that SF requires. Don't take this advice as a knock but as a challenge to improve your sober charector. You are just starting out in sobriety and I for one applaud your efforts to take on a challenge and excel. Just don't do the typical newcomer all or nothing thing. For you joining the Army and learning to be an excellent soldier is a good start.

And keep your mouth shut for now...It will help you until you get some sober time under your belt.

William Hazen 1 May 1988

[tman]

Not that I belong in the SF forum but I do know a few things about this, so i'll chime in with my $.02 and then show myself to the door. I'm not sure that the service would be such a great place to go early in sobriety. When I came in in the late 80's all we did in the barracks was drink, I pretty much drank every night and got into more than my share of trouble, including a DUI. I pretty much was a vaginal hair from getting the boot but I had a commander who was nice enough to give me one more shot (I'd already been given a few just one more shots). I managed to get myself squared away, and have managed not to have a drink in a good number of days now but those early days were extremely hard being around the barracks.

As far as does it affect your chances of getting into SF, I can't say, but I can tell you that it did affect my career (and rightfully so) after that DUI I temporarily lost my security clearance and was taken off flight status for a year until they figured I was good to go again. It would have disqualified me from entering the career field that I was in if I had not already been in it (history of alcohol dependence or abuse). I'm in the Air Force but I'm sure the Army is no different in that there are certain jobs (MOS's) that automatically disqualify people with a history of drug or alcohol abuse from entering them.

At any rate, it's not the end of the world even if you aren't allowed into an 18X billet. For what it's worth, I'd say go to school or get a job where you can control your environment for a year or two and make it to a lot of meetings. Make sure you are on stable ground and then enlist, like I said the barracks aren't a good place to be when you are just getting started.

You'll be surprised at how many doors open when your not drunk all the time. Hell, if a drunk like me still managed to make E-6 and then stumbled my way into medical school it just goes to show that good things happen when you leave the plug in the jug and stay outta trouble. You've got your whole life ahead of you don't go dicking it up by going back to that shit. Anyway good luck...

BT

Sorry bout that fella's, I'll be going now...

BT

AR

[IrishEKU]

Originally posted by harbo_the_bear
About 12 months ago I was in a car crash that was my fault. I was driving underage and there were drugs and alcohol involved. I was convicted and spent 60 days of my 90 day sentence in a rehabilitation center. I am not sure what I want to do but I thought that since my uncle was SF then I could be one too and It would give me time to figure out what I want to do with my life. Hey, compared to the rest of my life it will probably be a breeze. My question is, would my history affect me from going SF.

O-K, being my first post here and "testing the waters," I am not SF or SOC anything. But, being a service member and as an OCS Candidate I feel I can provide guidence to this.

harbo, congradulations to your sobriaty. I for one still enjoy consuption from time to time. Your situation is a dificult one because of the situation you envolved yourself in because if there were others involved it might be worse. I am not an expert on the SF side but I do know a bit of the recruitment side and the policing aspect (15 credits from my BS in Police Studies).

Now on to the reply, Harbo, your conviction depending on the circumstances is a misdomenor. Since you are underage it should be sealed unless there where injuries to others or extenuating circumstances like property damage. The reason the situation is difficult is that your contact with the local constabulatory was just 12 months ago. You will need to contact your recruiter to see about implications, a DUI in any circumstance is a serious incident and if MJ or another drug was involved, I have no idea of your chances. As for your continuing sobriaty(sp?) it is a good show of faith and if that is your "only" contact with the police, not a DQ. For an SF contract I am not sure but for the Army(Just the DUI, If other drugs were in your system, I think you are a no-go), I don't think it will hurt you that much. Considering the relative date at the offense, because it happened not that long ago you may need to go through a DEP evaluation to ensure that nothing will happen in the future. Usually it is 24 months from the offense, if you are intrested in an AD slot. The National Guard is a little more slack on it's entrance requirements for regular positions but the same for SF.

Best of Luck!

Irish

[Special Forces]

Irish:

Two words for you:

Security Clearance.

You might also consider that you do not know what we are looking for, and cannot say whether we would accept someone with his history.

Other than that, your comments are well-done.

TR

[IrishEKU]

Originally posted by The Reaper
Irish:

Two words for you:

Security Clearance.

You might also consider that you do not know what we are looking for, and cannot say whether we would accept someone with his history.

Other than that, your comments are well-done.

TR Reaper,

I understand that aspect all too well. I know a few folks granted one(Waivers) after a DUI in 2000 or before. I admin a board just for OCS candidates and posted plenty of sticky's for waivers. It's a tricky situation for soldiers wanting to serve, even more so for perspective officers. Thank you for your comment on my post. I will not clutter your board with anything other than relavent information, I enjoy the reading and the potent posts. Belive it or not it is harder to overcome Bankrupsy(sp) proceedings than a DUI.

Keep it up guy's! You wen't before anything I was involved in!

Irish

[Special Forces]

Originally posted by IrishEKU
Reaper,

I understand that aspect all too well. I know a few folks granted one(Waivers) after a DUI in 2000 or before. I admin a board just for OCS candidates and posted plenty of sticky's for waivers. It's a tricky situation for soldiers wanting to serve, even more so for perspective officers. Thank you for your comment on my post. I will not clutter your board with anything other than relavent information, I enjoy the reading and the potent posts. Belive it or not it is harder to overcome Bankrupsy(sp) proceedings than a DUI.

Keep it up guy's! You wen't before anything I was involved in!

Irish

Irish:

Read the first two sentences of his post again, and let me know if you think we have the whole story here, and it is just a simple DUI. Not that I would put the gory details up here either.

I have a pretty good insight into the selection process here, and I do not think that his record looks very good at this time.

Just my .02, and I could be wrong.

TR

[IrishEKU]

Originally posted by The Reaper
Irish:

Two words for you:

Security Clearance.

You might also consider that you do not know what we are looking for, and cannot say whether we would accept someone with his history.

Other than that, your comments are well-done.

TR Sorry for the double quote:

Reaper,

I know for a fact that I "Don't know what you are looking for." I do know this, the Army is looking for motivated soldiers. If an individual is willing to serve....period. No pi$$ing contest. I know nothing of the quality of the poster but, a good recruiter will root a wannabe out. On the other side of the coin, if a recruiter is looking fo points, he will put a POS in. I am not trying to be "Mr Man About Town" and know everything. I wanted to offer a sceanerio where it might be available for a future soldier to join. Wheather it be an 11B or a 63M. If he want's to serve, he will.

Bottom line, I am just trying to help where I can. If his history is a no-go, fine, don't treat him like the 3rd person. Tell him! Then offer options, the biggest thing you can do to improve the quality of soldiers today in either the Regular Army or the AR or NG is to speak directly, to the point and give options if they exist.

Sorry if this rates as a rant, just my .02.

Irish

[IrishEKU]

Originally posted by The Reaper
Irish:

Read the first two sentences of his post again, and let me know if you think we have the whole story here, and it is just a simple DUI. Not that I would put the gory details up here either.

I have a pretty good insight into the selection process here, and I do not think that his record looks very good at this time.

Just my .02, and I could be wrong.

TR O-K, LMAO! Now!

Reaper,

You and I are posting at the same time or close to it. I defer to your judgement. Drive on, personnaly I think considering the selection process he would be "passed over" for at least the first two years of service barring any other charges. Hell, I recived an invite every quarter I was in Baumholder and at Ft. Knox. I never acted on them because of family problems. I am now happily divorced and too old to take part.

DRIVE ON!


Irish

[j5irons]

Here is a story that is relevant to harbo_the_bear. It's about facing the decisions that you've made, and the consequences that follow.

Justin

Sorry for the interruption TR.

Airman learns importance of seeking help

by Senior Airman Heather Shelton
86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

5/20/2003 - RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AFPN) -- My story isn't about how I urinated all over myself while performing a field sobriety test, or how I struggled with the female security forces member who put me in cuffs after I was apprehended for driving under the influence.

My story is about the realization and acceptance of the mistake I made, and the effect it’s had on me and the people around me.

The realization of what I did began to sink in during my verbal reprimand from the wing vice commander about my recent behavior.

As I stood at attention in front of him, he looked up from his desk after reading my charges and asked one simple question, “Why?”

No matter how hard I thought about it, all I could think of was the usual, “I made a bad decision… I had a lapse of judgment.”

He sat behind his seemingly larger than normal desk, in a room in which I felt so small, and said, “No. That’s not good enough. Why?”

As I looked slightly above his frightfully piercing-blue eyes, I stood there trembling, trying to muster a more acceptable answer.

No matter how hard I tried to use my gift for saying what people wanted to hear, I couldn’t form a complete thought. It was like every word in my vocabulary had instantly vanished.

At that moment, his question seemed to be the most profound thing I had ever heard. I thought, “Why? What does he mean, why? How do I answer this?”

Because I couldn’t answer his question, and was completely baffled by it, I sought help. It’s because of the help I received that I can say this: I didn’t care about anyone else -- it was all about me. My need to drink, and lack of control over it, clouded the thoughts of whom I’d disappoint or possibly even hurt.

I too, was one who rolled my eyes at the ever-popular saying, “If you drink, don’t drive. If you drive, don’t drink. If you’re drunk and you need a ride, call someone.”

Personally, I couldn’t really picture my supervisor being too thrilled about rolling out of bed at 3 a.m. on a weekday to come pick me up at a bar. I could just see the look on his face, and hear the tone in his voice during the stern lecture I’d surely receive.

Flashbacks of busting curfew in high school entered my head, and out of sheer fear of reliving those torturous speeches, I thought to myself, “I’m fine. I’m a good driver. I can do this.”

Looks like I was wrong. A quick read of the police report will tell you just how wrong I was.

But, I shouldn’t have been afraid. Because right now, I’d take a good, late-night verbal assault over everything I’ve put the people who care about me through.

The apathetic looks, eyes-to-the-ground headshakes, and sighs of disappointment, will haunt me for a long, long time. The past really doesn’t go anywhere ladies and gentlemen; it just floats in the background waiting to be introduced to those who bring it up.

Day after day, for the rest of my career, questions will be asked. It’s the questions I fear most. Answering the phone and hearing in response to my greeting, “Senior Airman Shelton? Wait, aren’t you a staff sergeant? Whoa … what happened?”

Sadly, questions aren’t the only things that add to the humiliation of a “hard bust.”

When people think about losing a stripe, they usually worry about losing money or having to start promotion dates all over again. But wait, there’s more. There are the little things that get overlooked until you’re forced to face them.

For me, that walk of shame has included:

-- Changing my e-mail signature block.

-- Answering the phone at work.

-- Getting all new uniforms so the unfaded spot the larger stripes once covered doesn’t show.

-- Knowing the entire KMC and Air Force Public Affairs career field will see my name has changed in the base paper and in stories on the Web. See it and simply wonder.

-- Bumping into old classmates or co-workers and getting puzzled looks.

-- Getting a new ID card and new checks printed.

-- Having to pay out of my own pocket to move into the dorm, while finding a place to store my extra belongings that won’t fit in the room.

-- Finding transportation to and from work, meetings, appointments, the commissary, all the while knowing I have a beautiful brand new car I can’t drive.

-- Breaking the news to my parents who are retired military and hearing they’ve shared the news with other retired military family members.

-- Explaining to my little sister, the little girl who used to idolize me, how I shamed myself and my unit.

Unfortunately, the list doesn’t stop here. Every day, I’m presented with a new obstacle or embarrassing moment that I never imagined I would ever have to deal with.

Yet still, I consider myself very lucky. Not only could my punishment have been a lot worse, I could have hurt or even killed someone.

Now, I have a second chance. Because of great support from friends and co-workers, and the help I’ve received, I can get through this. Not only can I get through it, I can prove to others, and to myself, that I am indeed a valuable member of the Air Force team.

But, I can’t do it alone. No one can.

My advice to those who read this, always have a plan and stick to it. However, if your plan fails, pick up the phone and ask for help, whatever your problem may be. Don’t stop if you can’t reach someone right away, keep dialing until someone picks up -- someone always picks up. (Courtesy of USAFE News Service)

[Diamond Dave]

Make it easy...Harbo...go away. You won't make it. See ya.

[Ranger002]

Originally posted by Diamond Dave
Make it easy...Harbo...go away. You won't make it. See ya.

Dave,

You are out of line...This was a serious question posed by a young man who wants to do the right thing. It does not deserve this kind of response.

William Hazen

[Ranger1]

Hazemonster, check PM's.

-Michael

[IrishEKU]

Originally posted by RangerHazen
Dave,

You are out of line...This was a serious question posed by a young man who wants to do the right thing. It does not deserve this kind of response.

William Hazen As a relative cherry to this board I agree with Mr. Hazen, your response is rather judgemental. harbo is looking for guidence, you are not offering any and taking a very judgemental role. If this is his only contact with the law he may be a salvageable camodity provided he has the drive to fufill his wants. I am not saying that he is SOC material, but he may excell in another aspect of military life, wheather it be in the SOC community or in another part of the military. Please don't sour individuals to the military with your one sided point of view. Offer guidence, if they show promise to another aspect of service. Remember, not all visitors to this board are SOC associated.

My .02

Respectfully,

Irish

[Diamond Dave]

Then you babysit his ass. His parents should have been dealing with these issues. Maybe a 10 year after the last conviction I would say ok but just a year ago? This isn't the place. He needs counseling and parenting. If you want the responsibility...then rock on. What...he gets in and senior enlisted get to deal with him until a general discharge or worse someone gets injured or killed? If reality is outta line...so be it. I am one of those BTDT on this issue.

Harbo...get some counseling and rehab. Straight and narrow for a few years and then lets see. The temptation is ALWAYS there...can you dig it.

[Drew]

I'm with the admin here. Maybe after 5 years, maybe after 3 years, but now? Hell no I wouldn't want you in my barracks or on my support by fire. Right now you need help- I've been junior enlisted in the barracks and that ain't it bro. Alcohol abuse is every bit as bad there as in college fraternities. Give it some more time.

[j5irons]

harbo_the_bear:

Both my father, and grandfather were alcoholics. My grandfather was in the army when his problem developed. My father, well he was just fuckin' stupid. But the point being, it took along time for them to function with out the special sauce. Point is, don't do something just to straighten your life out, or rather do something and expect someone else to straighten it out. You have to make a decision, and I don't think that SF is the right one. No one is going to put up with a recovering alcoholic, or drug addict. My family couldn't put up either my dad nor grandpa. It is a hard, long, difficult road. No one ever said it was an easy one. But no one told you to become an alcoholic either.

Justin

[buckeyeguy]

Harbo,

Just read your question and thought I could help a bit. With your issue, I would not suggest going into active duty while you try to figure things out. You would have x amount of years to serve and if you decided you did not like the military, what would you do then? When on active duty, (I am National Guard for now.) I had a lot of new guys in my platoon that decided they had made a mistake by coming in and they did stupid things like go AWOL, fail drug tests to get thrown out, etc. -DO NOT MAKE THIS MISTAKE!! If you are truly interested in serving, think about the Guard. Anybody can do one weekend a month and two weeks in the summer. If you find that you like being a soldier and you do well in the guard, you can go active from there. All it takes is two forms(a conditional release and a 4187) and you are on your way. Good luck, and I hope this helps.

[cannibal75]

Harbo: Ok, I have to agree with some of the BTDTs on the idea that it might be in your best interest to wait awhile. Take care of yourself. Do some personal evaluation and then decide if you are ready for the challenge that military life has to offer and how that challenge may make staying sober while juggling additional responsibilities even more difficult.

Don't let anyone on here scare you off if you are truly and honestly considering shouldering the additional burden of service. Just don't think that "compared to the rest of my life it will probably be a breeze." It only gets harder.

That said... I'll thow out some rope for myself to hang on.

Diamond Dave - Your implication that someone with a substance abuse problem is need of more "parenting" is f***ed up. Are you implying that there is something wrong with our families?

Some of us have personal battles to fight and all the parenting in the world won't fix it. However, that doesn't mean we can't keep up the good fight while serving, it just presents some more challenges. Only the person can know if he's ready when dealing with this. You (and everyone else) might think about reserving your judgement to other factors (and there are many) unless you dealt with the same problem.

Normally, I'd just leave this to the BTDTs and Administrators, but the combative "close with and destroy" Marine part of me wasn't about to take implications about his parents with a smile and an "aye, aye sir."

S/F
cannibal75
sends

[GackMan]

hey gummy bear –

join the army as airborne infantry. nothing super-duper high speed, no secret squirrel clearances or anything like that.

show that you have your shit together and are mature and revisit the topic in 4 years.

[tman]

Originally posted by j5irons
harbo_the_bear:

No one is going to put up with a recovering alcoholic, or drug addict.
Justin


Justin,
Sorry to hear about your experiences with alcoholism, it's been know to wreak havoc on a family or two. That being said you are way off the mark on this, the military is full of practicing and recovering alcoholics as I'm sure you will experience once you are actually in the military yourself. The military makes a point of supporting alcoholics who are willing to help themselves out through the ADAPT programs. Recovering alcoholics are the least of their worries, they aren't the ones getting in trouble all the time. You'd be surprised how many fully functional recovering drunks there are in high places not just in the military but society in general. The Air Force has been putting up with me just fine for 14 years now... That being said as myself and several others have stated barracks life probably isn't the best place for someone just starting out down that road to be. Is there any point to your posts on this subject? Your earlier post about the kid who got a DUI is a nice story but irrelevent to this thread since the original poster has already been there done that, your last post telling him that no one will ever put up with him was fairly ignorant, yes, helpful, no, so what's your point? Hell you aren't even old enough to buy a beer and you haven't spent a day in the military yet so before you go getting on your high horse and preaching maybe you should take a step back and ask if your really have anything worth adding. The BTDT's have added some good, sometimes tough advice but they are in a position to give that advice, are you? At any rate this is not a slam j5irons post but maybe you should think before you post. I wish you the best of luck at your attempt at getting into the STS arena, that too is a long hard road. IF you make it don't be surprised if your team Doc is a recovering alcoholic one of these days down the road, hopefully you'll find a way to put up with me ;)

BTAR

[Ranger002]

Originally posted by Diamond Dave
Then you babysit his ass. His parents should have been dealing with these issues. Maybe a 10 year after the last conviction I would say ok but just a year ago? This isn't the place. He needs counseling and parenting. If you want the responsibility...then rock on. What...he gets in and senior enlisted get to deal with him until a general discharge or worse someone gets injured or killed? If reality is outta line...so be it. I am one of those BTDT on this issue.

Harbo...get some counseling and rehab. Straight and narrow for a few years and then lets see. The temptation is ALWAYS there...can you dig it.

The only one who needs babysitting around here is you. A NCO like me brings out the best in young troops...The guy seems sincere enough to me... He is stepping up to the plate and it's up to guys like me to lead the way. YOU just make sure you keep your sorry ass in the rear with the REMF's podunk... I can easily handle young men with a desire to be motivated. That's what being a leader is all about...Harbo aint making up excuses Dave... You are...

I am STILL sober temptation notwithstanding...

William Hazen SUA SPONTE MUTHA FUCKA!

[j5irons]

Originally posted by tman
Justin,
Sorry to hear about your experiences with alcoholism, it's been know to wreak havoc on a family or two. That being said you are way off the mark on this, the military is full of practicing and recovering alcoholics as I'm sure you will experience once you are actually in the military yourself. The military makes a point of supporting alcoholics who are willing to help themselves out through the ADAPT programs. Recovering alcoholics are the least of their worries, they aren't the ones getting in trouble all the time. You'd be surprised how many fully functional recovering drunks there are in high places not just in the military but society in general. The Air Force has been putting up with me just fine for 14 years now... That being said as myself and several others have stated barracks life probably isn't the best place for someone just starting out down that road to be. Is there any point to your posts on this subject? Your earlier post about the kid who got a DUI is a nice story but irrelevent to this thread since the original poster has already been there done that, your last post telling him that no one will ever put up with him was fairly ignorant, yes, helpful, no, so what's your point? Hell you aren't even old enough to buy a beer and you haven't spent a day in the military yet so before you go getting on your high horse and preaching maybe you should take a step back and ask if your really have anything worth adding. The BTDT's have added some good, sometimes tough advice but they are in a position to give that advice, are you? At any rate this is not a slam j5irons post but maybe you should think before you post. I wish you the best of luck at your attempt at getting into the STS arena, that too is a long hard road. IF you make it don't be surprised if your team Doc is a recovering alcoholic one of these days down the road, hopefully you'll find a way to put up with me ;)

BTAR

Tman:

There was a point. Point being this. Entering the Spec Ops field is demanding enough. So is recovering from alcoholism. Combining the both would take both a VERY strong willed individual, and someone who is inclined to accomplish anything. As stated in his original post he merely wants to dabble so to speak in SF until he figures out what he wants to do. And has added to that with ignorance by stating that compared to the rest of his life, it would probably be a breeze. He has no idea what to do with his life. Considering that he thinks it is going to be a breeze, says to me that he has not a clue. IF he fails, the temptation to turn to alcohol will be there. As SAWPAC stated he would not want him with in his barracks, do you think that most others would share that mentality? I didn't even want my father around when he was recovering. He was an ornary bastage that blew his top at the most minor of incidents. He would rant and rave for days on end about the easiest of tasks. Are all alcoholics this way? No. I never said that my post was fact, just an opinion. I have had the oppurtunity to grew up with a military family, and a civilian one. The story was meant to show what happened to an individual under roughly the same circumstance. If he were to fall off the wagon while in the military. Nothing more. As for my age, has nothing to do with it. I've had many tribulations in my years, this one of them. Based on experience I have the right to offer my opinion on this subject.

Justin

PS. Hooyah to you and your sobriety. 14 years is great to hear. :D

[cannibal75]

Originally posted by RangerHazen
The only one who needs babysitting around here is you. A NCO like me brings out the best in young troops...The guy seems sincere enough to me... He is stepping up to the plate and it's up to guys like me to lead the way. YOU just make sure you keep your sorry ass in the rear with the REMF's podunk... I can easily handle young men with a desire to be motivated. That's what being a leader is all about...Harbo aint making up excuses Dave... You are...

I am STILL sober temptation notwithstanding...

William Hazen SUA SPONTE MUTHA FUCKA!

Amen to that brother.

Dave, I think this part of "The Infantryman's Prayer" says it all:
"Let us never forget our duty in the men whom lead.
May we instill in them the qualities of loyalty, integrity, and duty.
Grant us the patience in dealing with the mistakes of our fellow man.
Let us never forget that no man is perfect,
but that perfection for fragile humans is trying each day
to be better than the day before."

Think about that.

Semper Fi,
cannibal75
SSgt.
USMC
24 more hours sober than the day before

[DFC5343]

Excellent guys...keep going here.

[TMU]

Originally posted by Diamond Dave
His parents should have been dealing with these issues . . . He needs counseling and parenting.

Diamond Dave:

I have to agree with Ranger Hazen here. While it is entirely possible that poor parenting may have played a role in harbo's case, it's not an absolute fact.

Case in point - my brother and I had good upbringings, involved parents, we were disciplined when we got out of line, the whole nine yards. I'm now 30 years old, and I've never touched an illegal drug in my life, I've just never had the desire to try it. But, my brother started taking drugs in high school and has gotten in trouble with the law for it. Our upbringings were practically identical, and we were raised by the same parents. For some, the temptation is simply stronger than for others. And along those same lines, the ability for some to resist future temptations is also stronger than in others.

Harbo:

If you're still monitoring this thread, here is my advice for you. Just take it for what it's worth. You seem sincere in your desire to get your life on track, and the military can certainly help you with that. However, keep in mind that military life will help you do one of two things - 1) you will straighten your life out and go on to do more than you ever thought possible, or 2) you will completely destroy your life, any potential for future success, and you may very likely drag others down with you.

The burden is on you, and you alone. I say again, YOU and only YOU, can determine which route to follow. Before you sign on the dotted line, be absolutely sure you are squared away and you can handle the stresses you will surely face. Military life makes everyone confront their own personal demons in one way or another. Just be sure you have the courage and integrity to make the right choice when the time comes for you to actually face those demons. There are those of us who are here to help and who want to see you succeed. Don't be afraid to ask us for help. It's not a sign of weakness, but rather a sign of intelligence. The only thing is, if you come to someone for help, you'd better listen to what you're told, and you'd better not let them down. Because if you do, it will probably be the last time that person will ever go to bat for you. Good luck.