A question for my Australian friends

AZ_Infantry

AZ_Infantry

Active member
I served 8 years in the US Army Infantry. I have an RE-1 discharge (best you can get, honorable). I am 38 years old and in excellent shape.

Back in 2001, I shattered my right leg. I have a plate and pins and screws holding it together, so none of the branches here will take me back despite my honorable discharge. I have filed for EIGHT medical waivers, and all have been denied because the VA will not remove the metal. But I can run and etc.

My last PT test I gave myself:

96 pushups in 2 minutes

165 situps in 2 minutes

2-mile run in 15:47

Not bad for 38.

My question, then, is this:

Will the Australians take me? Again, I was Infantry - I maintain Infantry standards.

Who would I contact to find out if I am eligible to change my citizenship? AM I able? I love this country, but I also love being a soldier. That I have metal in my leg should not affect my eligibility to serve.

If I pursue this, what is "step one?"

Thank you in advance for any insight!
 
I reckon we would. At the moment they're having a recruitment drive and there a lot of priority positions, mostly officers, trades, technical jobs though. Depending on what infantry position you want, it might be harder to get into one or the other.

heres some links you might find useful

ADF Jobs and Recruitment
www.defencejobs.gov.au

Australian Citizenship
www.citizenship.gov.au

Hers is an extract from the DefenceJobs website concerning citizenship:

Citizenship requirements will be met, for Full-time and Part-time applicants, if any of the following apply:

You are an Australian citizen;

You are a permanent resident who can provide a Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) receipt to prove you have applied for Australian citizenship. (A permanent resident is generally eligible to apply for citizenship after two years. A permanent resident married to an Australian can apply immediately); or

You are a permanent resident who is not eligible to apply for Australian citizenship but are prepared to sign an undertaking to apply after completing at least 3 months service in the ADF or at least 6 months part-time service in the ADF Reserve. (Permanent residents become eligible to apply for citizenship on completion of 3 months service in the ADF or 6 months part-time service in the ADF Reserve)

I don't know much about applying for citizenship but if you want help finding more info or anything i'll be glad to help out.
 
Yeah, I would get in touch with Defence recruiting and see what they have to say. They can be pretty strict on medical stuff though, but like you said, if you can still run etc, dont see why not. Just dont get your hopes too high!
 
plates and screws seem like nothing compared to this guy, how is he still deployed?

c5929ca13825.jpg
 
Because it happened while he was still in. They'll keep you with a missing limb if you can still do your job but they won't take you in unless you meet the requirements.
 
AZ_Infantry said:
My last PT test I gave myself:

96 pushups in 2 minutes

165 situps in 2 minutes

2-mile run in 15:47

Not bad for 38.
Click to expand...

I'd say pretty good for 38! :)

Yeah, as the other guys have hinted at, it'll be the "Medical Fitness" that Defence Recruiting may have an issue with (other than Ari's very pertinent point about citizenship req's). If/Once you're over here tho, and the citizenship stuff is squared away, I'd pay a visit to a civvie doc and get some supporting documentation from them to supply to Defence. That certainly assisted me when I reactivated last year after I took a spell.

In terms of doing PT, I'd suggest you train for a 1.5 mile run... I'm unsure about the other branches of the ADF, but the Army certainly bases it's fitness tests around a 2.4km run, so if you train on a 1.5 mile basis, you'll be looking good in that regard. At 38, you need to be doing 1.5 miles in 12:42 (Note that's BFA standard, or the standard you need to be at once you're rank and trade qualified - fitness standards required at the time of enlistment are less than this, but if you're serious then you'll want to be at this standard eventually anyway).

Best of Luck. :)
 
AZ_Infantry said:
....

My last PT test I gave myself:

96 pushups in 2 minutes

165 situps in 2 minutes

2-mile run in 15:47

Not bad for 38.

My question, then, is this:

Will the Australians take me? Again, I was Infantry - I maintain Infantry standards.

Who would I contact to find out if I am eligible to change my citizenship? AM I able? I love this country, but I also love being a soldier. That I have metal in my leg should not affect my eligibility to serve.

If I pursue this, what is "step one?"

Thank you in advance for any insight!
Click to expand...

At 38 and you're still pulling good fitness like the above, I should be aspiring towards being as good as you... :salute:

As others have mentioned, fitness, (citizenship/residency) are the hills to be climbed... On the positive side, you've served as a regular in an allied force.. maintained a good level of fitness and at 38, you're still in your prime... The other positive is that the ADF, (or at least Army) seem to have altered their stance on physical capacity somewhat in the last little while...

A few months ago, I read that a person had just engaged in Permanent Forces, (as a crafty), despite his suffering from the genetic condition Cystic Fibrosis..... Apparently, he is the first to have ever gotten through the screening process and criteria from the Defence Force was the individual's ability to sustain their level of fitness, (ie: self medicate) under service conditions....

At the end of the day, you can only present your case and hope for the best, (perhaps, you might be willing to compromise on trade, ie: instead of pushing for Infantry, concentrate on getting in and then transfer to where you want to be as/when you can)... Alternately, join up via ARES, and see about getting a posting to a regular unit.... longer way of doing it, but if it gets you where you want to be... :)
 
the_13th_redneck said:
Because it happened while he was still in. They'll keep you with a missing limb if you can still do your job but they won't take you in unless you meet the requirements.
Click to expand...

Oh ok, I thought losing a limb would be an instant send home :?
 
I would talk to defence recruiting, but more so I'd contact a unit that you'd like to join and try and get in touch with either the Adjutant or XO. If you can get the backing of a battalion then that'd be a good start.

Also what rank did you hold? Depending on that you may be able to slot across with rank (probably not with the US rank, but an Australian comparable rank).

I'd also email the Australian Embassy in the US, stating your case.

Good luck, hope to see you in a slouch hat soon.
 
Wallabies said:
He won't. We had an American sergeant come over in 2007 and he went to private and he hadn't spent 8 years out.
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Stupid RPL.... I know it can be dodgy. But sometimes it can go either way. We've had a Brit SGT come over and he was made a PTE.... But then again he's being fast tracked through SIO-S as best the Bn can to at least get him some rank.
 
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