Thursday, August 21, 2003
Kyle's dad back again.
Yesterday was an eye-opener for both Kyle and myself. All along Kyle had planned on going into the military. No matter what happened, he thought the military would take him. We sat down with both Army and Air Force recruiters last night. The Air Force is pretty much out. The guy was ready for us, having pulled court records showing every offense from the first traffic light violation he got when he was 16 to the convictions he just had. Even though they dropped some of the charges such as the marijuana charge, they still consider those for admission purposes. The guy said he would do the paperwork if Kyle asked him to, but that the odds of getting it approved at the top of the chain were very low.
The Army offered a little more hope. In 6 months he would be eligible to ask for his exception. But even with that, it still has to be approved by a General at Fort Knox. But the recruiter did seem interested, and not particularly concerned about the process. He told Kyle, however, that the specialty he wanted, Chaplain's Assistant, was probably not an option given his record.
I really feel sorry for him, and he is very disappointed. It seems like wherever he is, or whatever he does, previous bad choices constantly haunt him. The consequences we have always tried to make him understand are now slapping him in the face.
He still holds a sliver of hope - we're going to try and sit down with the Navy tonight. He really hadn't ever considered the Navy, and they are not his choice, but hopefully it will work out. Maybe their requirements are not so strict...
We have discussed what he can do if this falls through. He wants to consider JPUSAs mission program in Chicago - JPUSA - but I'm not wild about that idea. He really does have a strong desire to serve God, and he is incredibly compassionate. I think he should learn as much as he can about construction, starting with foundations up to roofing, then he could be invaluable with mission organizations or even the Peace Corps.
Keep him in your prayers now as he is forced to confront these issues and his future...
Yesterday was an eye-opener for both Kyle and myself. All along Kyle had planned on going into the military. No matter what happened, he thought the military would take him. We sat down with both Army and Air Force recruiters last night. The Air Force is pretty much out. The guy was ready for us, having pulled court records showing every offense from the first traffic light violation he got when he was 16 to the convictions he just had. Even though they dropped some of the charges such as the marijuana charge, they still consider those for admission purposes. The guy said he would do the paperwork if Kyle asked him to, but that the odds of getting it approved at the top of the chain were very low.
The Army offered a little more hope. In 6 months he would be eligible to ask for his exception. But even with that, it still has to be approved by a General at Fort Knox. But the recruiter did seem interested, and not particularly concerned about the process. He told Kyle, however, that the specialty he wanted, Chaplain's Assistant, was probably not an option given his record.
I really feel sorry for him, and he is very disappointed. It seems like wherever he is, or whatever he does, previous bad choices constantly haunt him. The consequences we have always tried to make him understand are now slapping him in the face.
He still holds a sliver of hope - we're going to try and sit down with the Navy tonight. He really hadn't ever considered the Navy, and they are not his choice, but hopefully it will work out. Maybe their requirements are not so strict...
We have discussed what he can do if this falls through. He wants to consider JPUSAs mission program in Chicago - JPUSA - but I'm not wild about that idea. He really does have a strong desire to serve God, and he is incredibly compassionate. I think he should learn as much as he can about construction, starting with foundations up to roofing, then he could be invaluable with mission organizations or even the Peace Corps.
Keep him in your prayers now as he is forced to confront these issues and his future...
