What happens once you decide to enlist??

[airforcemommy]

I hope that question is not to vague, but I basically want to know once you go to the recruiter and decide you want to enlist in the AF, what is the timeline on how things happen? Do you go home and wait a few weeks to get sent off to basic training? After that is over then what - do you go somewhere else or do yo go back home and wait to be sent somewhere else? Just trying to figure out how it goes down. thanks for your help..

[tmckinley]

Once you decide to enlist, if you havent taken the ASVAB you will take it, this will let you know what jobs you can qualify for. You will be sent to a MEPS squadron where they will do a physical and let you know what jobs you qualify for. Once you pick what job you would like they will give you a date for basic training. I have seen people leave in a matter of a day or two and others be 6 months or more.

[airforcemommy]

What is a MEPS squadron? When do you go there? I am clueless about all of this. :)

[VFFSSGT]

MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station) is just a location where you do all of your enlistment "in-processing." You will probably take your ASVAB there, they perform a physical on you, fill out a bunch of paper work, take your oath of enlistment...

You will go there when your recruiter tells you to... :) You two will work out a date, time, and all...

Like the other guy said, depending on when you want to go, what job you get, and a number of other variables depends on when you leave for BASIC. With me, it was all my decision because of the job I had; I could have left practically right away or months down the road... I choose right at a month if I remember right.

Your recruiter will run down all the specifics on this with you though...If you have made your decision or are pretty sure you want in, the best thing you can do at this point is go talk to an Air Force recruiter...

[USMC_8156]

As soon as you leave MEPS they issue you the puppy you have to raise until the end of basic. You have to name it a girl's name...

[technomage1]

Yes, the timeline really depends upon you. If you do not have a specific job that you want, then you can enter open general and be gone in a week. If you want and qualify for a specific job (get it in writing) then you can enter the delayed enlistment program and wait until a training slot for that job opens up. I was DEP for almost a year. There are two keys to DEP. 1) you can change your mind if you want to and 2) you have to stay out of trouble in the meantime. You've still a civilian at that point, you've just declared your intent to join the service and either party can back out of the arrangement if they want to.

I did the physical and the ASVAB about a year before I actually took the oath and shipped off to Basic. I used the time to make sure I was in peak physical condition and got my affairs in order. Whenever you decide to entlist, if you ship out in 1 day or 1 year do yourself a favor and make sure you are in decent shape. I saw many people really struggle on this when I went through. They made it, but it made basic a lot harder for them that it had to be.

[twoZJbrass]

Work on that extra weight, you do not know the feel of humiliation until you reach this point in your life
After you have completed all the acronyms and before you step off the bus at LAFB for BMT, learn which is the left foot and use it for every first movement before bringing the right foot fwd for the next step. Even better, find a recent honorable discharge Marine to teach you the basic marching and formation moves. Check with your local VFW or AmerLegion Hall. These people will jump to your aid.
Your cloths pockets are no longer to keep the hands warm, forget them being there. Your left hand is to carry all your 'hand carries" for now on. Your rt hand is to salute and hold that hand up until all the brass has moved by you. You don't have to stop walking, in fact if you see officers coming down the walk a-ways twd you on the other side of the street, cross over and walk twd them to make them to return the salute. Make them raise that hand for you.
Pray, start now!, that you will always get a male-one for a Co and 1st shirt. Why?, for one, the male-ones are so full of PC to their chins and worse, those crusty female-ones have heard-it-all from the same gender trying to skate the task assignments and that poor single male will always gladly fill in the slack.
Have fun.... remember don't let your eyes bounce, pick a far-off subject to focas on until the TI pronounce "forworrrrrrrrrrrrd..........................hace"! or is it 'hoo', hoe, harch? ......

[BRUWIN]

One of the first things that happens you call your folks from MEPS and tell them you signed up but have to wait 10 months delayed enlistment. Then you come home and find all your shit in boxes sitting in snow on the driveway.

[goldbadge]

If your practice asvab indicates a passing score we do whats called one-stop processing. You will take the asvab one evening, we put you up in a hotel overnight, the next day you physical, you put down 4 job preferences and the area you are interested in and qualify for, swear into the DEP(delayed enlistment program) and wait to book a job. Wait to book a job averages around 1 month, sometimes sooner, sometimes longer. Once you book a job your date to go to basic training you are looking at approx 2-4 months before you leave. Hope that helps.