Job Reservation and Recruiters Against Civilian Doctors

Waiting to sign on the dotted line

"CONGRATULATIONS

A TEMPORARY RESERVATION WAS SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED FOR THE FOLLOWING FUTURE SOLDIER:

Name: Martin

Job: 35F1

Title: Intelligence Analyst

Term: 3 years, 30 weeks

Ship Date: 20111121

WHILE SPECIFIC TRAINING LOCATIONS ARE NOT GUARANTEED, YOU ARE TENTATIVELY SCHEDULED TO RECEIVE THE FOLLOWING TRAINING:

Type: BT
Location: Ft. Jackson
Start Date: 20111128
Length Wks: 12
Length Days: 4

Type: AIT
Location: Ft. Huachuca
Start Date: 20120312
Length Wks: 16
Length Days: 4

School: 301st Military Intelligence Battalion"

Because Army recruiters have access to something called the FSR2 - the Future Soldier Remote Reservations System - they can reserve a job even before their applicants' visit to MEPS. That's what happened for me.

That's the good news. Here's the bad: applicants have 7 days from the time they reserve their job through FSR2 to to pass the physical at MEPS, contract, and swear in. That gives me until next Monday to do that. And if I don't, I lose that job slot, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, as I'll explain in my next entry.

I was supposed to go to the hotel today (Wednesday), but my recruiter called me yesterday informing me that he wasn't supposed to project me to MEPS before their approval. This resulted in a deferral of my visit, and because of the reservation deadline, Sergeant and the other recruiters in the office are trying to push me through in time. I'll be getting a call from my recruiter ASAP. The wait is killing both of us.