reporter16
New Member
I'm just going to make this short and sweet with a few details. I am 22 years old and going to MEPS on November 18th to go through the process of enlistment for the NJ National Guard. I have a juvenile record of when I was 17 years old for a small amount of marijuana that I was in possession of. I made this clear to my recruiter and he says that I should be just fine when disclosing. I'm just asking this for a second opinion - Is it possible for me to get in and how likely? I am apparently locked in for MOS 91J -quartermaster and equipment repairer.
Now, do the people at MEPS/departments who conduct the background checks research any arrest that an applicant confesses to? Or do they take their word for it and decide whether or not to grant a waiver right then and there? The end result of my arrest was a bit different from most. I was brought to the station, had my info taken, and given a citation (tan like colored slip). I was never fingerprinted or photographed. Here's where the uniqueness comes in: the citation never had a court date on it. I never received phone call or mail about the incident for a court hearing. Basically, nothing ever came of it. No fine paid, no punishment whatsoever. I have been to DMV's in the past and had my license searched up by officers when pulled over few times in my life way after the incident. No warrants. I'm only explaining these details to see if the specifics of what happened and the end result would only benefit me in the enlistment process.
And for those who wonder why I would even mention the arrest to MEPS in the first place, I went to the police department in which I was taken to recently and requested a background check on myself. Unfortunately it came back positive with full report of the incident. Imagine that. It's still on record even though no action was taken against me afterward. Hell, I never ever even had to go to court for it. As dumb as this sounds, if this gives me a boot on the recruiting process, I would've felt better had I actually been convicted of the damn crime. And I have a BA too if that matters at all smh.
Now, do the people at MEPS/departments who conduct the background checks research any arrest that an applicant confesses to? Or do they take their word for it and decide whether or not to grant a waiver right then and there? The end result of my arrest was a bit different from most. I was brought to the station, had my info taken, and given a citation (tan like colored slip). I was never fingerprinted or photographed. Here's where the uniqueness comes in: the citation never had a court date on it. I never received phone call or mail about the incident for a court hearing. Basically, nothing ever came of it. No fine paid, no punishment whatsoever. I have been to DMV's in the past and had my license searched up by officers when pulled over few times in my life way after the incident. No warrants. I'm only explaining these details to see if the specifics of what happened and the end result would only benefit me in the enlistment process.
And for those who wonder why I would even mention the arrest to MEPS in the first place, I went to the police department in which I was taken to recently and requested a background check on myself. Unfortunately it came back positive with full report of the incident. Imagine that. It's still on record even though no action was taken against me afterward. Hell, I never ever even had to go to court for it. As dumb as this sounds, if this gives me a boot on the recruiting process, I would've felt better had I actually been convicted of the damn crime. And I have a BA too if that matters at all smh.
