What's up guys? Brian Silva here for another episode of the Ones Ready podcast. Thanks again for joining us. Today in the studio we have TSgt Spring. He is a recruiter out of the 330th Recruiting Squadron and he's here to talk to you guys a little bit about what they do. We're going to talk about some of the requirements for you guys that are interested in coming in the SW career field, why it was originally made and how they can actually help you guys additionally we will discuss how we're going work with them in order to help you guys and make sure that you're ready to go for the future. So get in receive mode, take out a piece of paper and pencil. We're going to throw a lot at you. So , if you guys have any questions about any of the things that we're talking about, you can always hit us up through our website or on Instagram. We're always open to questions and we're always available for you guys to throw out any questions you've got . In the meantime, just a couple of things that I want to also mention is we still have, if you're a , you need some energy drinks or you need some coffee, so we're affiliated with the strike force energy, go ahead and throw in the ones ready code for 15% off of there or alpha brew coffee company. A 10% off for their ones ready is the, the code what at checkout. So go ahead and check that out and uh, also make sure that you go ahead and leave any comments and check out the YouTube video. If you guys are listening to this on the podcast, we have YouTube videos. You can watch the full episode on there as well. All right . So like I said, we're talking to TSgt Spring and we're going to go into a little bit about our experiences going through this process of recruiting, which is a big beast and people can get a little bit lost in what to do next, what to expect next. So we want to clarify that for you guys and we'll go through some of our experiences with Peach and Trent. So, TSgt Spring, if you don't mind just introducing yourself a little bit and then, t ell us a little bit about what the recruiting squadron is and kind of what you guys do.
Jared pietrasso I'm
TSgt spring. Like I said, I'm , a recruiter out of the Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri area , and part of the flight of the Midwest. So with that, why we became a squadron is the chief of staff of the air force. He noticed there's a trend of not getting the people through the door, not getting enough operators out the out the pipeline. So with that , he decided to take the route of the recruiting force of separating your traditional enlisted jobs as opposed to them recruiting for these jobs as well. We're going to take it and that's our primary focus of recruiting for six jobs. We stood up in 2017 so we're still relatively new squadron. With that , I'm sure you guys can all attest to how you guys came into the air force was kind of really the reason of why we did this. When you guys came in, I'm sure your recruiter was kind of not too knowledgeable on your said jobs. You probably brought more to the table then than they did. I was part of that as well, so I'm not knocking our enlisted brothers, but as soon as you mentioned these jobs or that you are focused on these areas, they probably pushed you right for a PAST test right away. And if you're lucky enough to pass, then you were shipping out probably immediately under that job. So that's not how we roll anymore. We'd take it more of a grooming standard. We want to make sure you guys are mentally prepared, physically prepared, and just have kind of a good shot at making it through the pipeline.
Brian SilvaYeah. And I think one of the key things there is that, you know, focusing in on these six career fields , specifically. So as the four of us and then EOD and SERE, the other ones that are on the six list, but focusing in on those allows you to really, you know, focus in on these guys that need this extra kind of attention a little bit. Granted you guys should be showing up and being as prepared as possible, but you know, the whole reason that we're doing this kind of thing is so you guys have the information to get that prepared to show up to these guys door and you're like, I'm ready. You know, I know I've been reading up, I've been looking up whatever I need to perform and I am putting in the work. But these guys are also doing the fine tuning as you guys continue on through , the recruiting service, the DEP program, and then through all the rest of the programs that they have set up . So that's just the fine tuning you should set up, you know, show up with the 70% mold at least , as prepared, as ready as you guys can be to go. With that and kind of the things that you guys are looking for, can you talk about a little bit, like if guys are in different parts of the country and t hey're looking to join the air force, is it different or is it the same.
TSgt SpringSo it should be a pretty standard process. When you get into the regionslike Florida, a good demographic of where we see a lot of operators come out of Florida, Texas, California areas. Your service should always be there. So at the 330th we really harp on trying to provide the best quality service for you guys that have come into our doors. Just keep in mind that with large scale numbers of individuals coming out of those regions, you might not get an answer right away or you might not get help right away. So , it's different. Obviously in the Midwest I, I have a little bit more time to kind of key in on some of that stuff. So, but overall your service, your customer service should be on par with all of us. But yeah, just keep in mind though, they're dealing with a sheer volume of numbers where as maybe the Midwest is not as much. So it's not a knock on where you guys live. It's just the nature of the beast. We don't have water in Nebraska. So
Jared pietrasI will say we got a lot out of here in Florida, man. I mean I know that I've got , one special ops recruiter right here in Tampa and then right down the road is another one in Orlando. So I know that there's a big pool coming out of Florida.
Trent SeegI'm just g onna say I'm excited about this because I remember going to my recruiter and they didn't know anything about these jobs. In fact, it was never even mentioned to me that it was a, a possibility. So I'm pretty stoked about getting everybody out there, the right information from the people that they should be getting the information from.
TSgt SpringA nd I think i t's great too, cause we have a liaison, obviously not only between us a nd o ne's ready but also versus t he special operations community as well. So w e, we are just able to plug in the correct information, any changes to the pipeline, anything that goes on, we're just, I mean, it comes out as soon as the d ecisions made through through big air force t hat comes out and you know, you guys w ere able to get it out, w eren't able to get it out on our side. So, it's just great to have a good link. Like y ou're you're saying, it's great to have this.
Brian SilvaYeah. So for me personally, whenever I first came in, it was a , my recruiter knew nothing about pararescue. He literally just showed me a video of, you know, it was a VCR, threw it in there and he said, Oh, look at what these guys do. And I was like, Oh, that's kind of cool. What are they, they're coming down on a, some kind of a rope out of a helicopter. I didn't know anything about what that meant or what it was. I was like, I guess that's cool. So they just go and save people? And I was like, all right , I guess I'll do that. I'll try it out. And he didn't really talk to me about anything that I need to prepare for. Just said, you know, you're going to be doing some swimming, you're gonna be doing some running and you are going to be doing some CALS . So that's all I did to prepare for it, and I was just like, okay, hopefully this is enough. Cause he didn't tell me like any limitations or things that I should be aware of or mindset type of things. He's just like, yeah, here you go. This is a test. So just be ready for that test and all right...
Jared pietrasI see. That's, that's one of the things that like, so you've only had a little bit of information, right? And just like I did, he had me like a trifold freaking pamphlet, right? Like here you go, here's what pararescue is. No , mention of, of combat controller or anything like that. Right. And now you guys have got so much information out there, it's kind of, you know, trying to sift through all the information and find out what's actually relevant, what's current and and not, you know, going down any tracks or just bad info. And I think that's where you guys as a SOR recruiters really make your money.
TSgt SpringYeah. I mean it is, it's a daunting in a good way really. Cause I have so much stuff at our fingertips just, you know, reaching out, I can reach out to Brian if I need to , um, anywhere and just say hey, this guy's interested in this, Can you give him a little bit more perspective on top of what I can actually give you as well, and like you said with , you know, you guys kept mentioning it that quick turnaround with you guys with our program now, it's not as soon as you pass, we want to get you out the door. We like to have that kind of timeframe of three to six months really with an with an individual to where we can give you the best possible tools to get you ready to get out the door. So I think that's a great concept just so we're not slamming, cause we don't ship as often as we used to. I'm sure when you guys all left for basic training it was Hey, we have this Tuesday, you're going. Um, so now it's only five times a year. So we give you guys a lot of leeway to, to build yourselves and mainly just mentally , through our developers and everything else as well.
So that being said, I know you said three to six months. I get, and I'm sure peach gets a lot of questions and Trent also, but a lot of questions about like, Hey, I'm interested in joining, you know, within the next year and leaving for basic training. Should I go now and talk to recruiter or should I wait to talk to recruiter ? So are you saying that they should wait until they hit that three to six month window or can they go and talk to you and just like leave the door open kind of thing and just talk about their options?
TSgt SpringYeah, so I mean to me, I personally as soon as you possibly can get, get to out, go talk to a recruiter , um, you could be training for something that you are not qualified to join. Um, that we want to stop any of that stuff early on out gate. I say three to six months, I've, I have high school juniors, well they were juniors or seniors now, but in my DEP program for about over a year . So it's great. I mean, you're not missing out or you're not, you're not going to hurt yourself by being in our program for that long. Really, we're going to build you, we're going to get you everything, you know, and at least at the end of the day, even if it's a year out for that year, you have that mental check that, Hey, I know exactly what I'm going to be doing. As long as I'm checking the boxes and I'm passing my past test and I'm ready to rock and roll and I don't do anything dumb to get disqualified. I know that I am going to be, and you name your job that you're going to try out for, but that , and I think to me it's one less thing that you have to really worry about. So
Jared pietrasYeah, because you guys are keeping these guys accountable for the entire time that they're part of your program. I mean, I know some of the groups I've talked to, they have to check in at least once a week and , and at least show up or at least some kind of contact. Obviously they have school and work and stuff like that. But you guys seem to keep a pretty regular , um , not leash, but accountability of those guys.
TSgt SpringYeah, I mean, especially with how everything's changing so much inside of these career fields. A lot of times they're getting research done and they're figuring stuff out in there or they're just realizing, Hey, what's, what's new about this or what's new about this? And we're so, yeah, we're in constant contact with them, whether, you know, a lot of times I don't even have to force it on my guys. I'm just sitting there kind of doing my thing and all of a sudden I'll get a phone call from one of my guys, Hey, what, what happened with this pro , with this change on this and what's going on with sr program. And then , and I'm just like, Whoa , Whoa , Whoa. Like, you know, let me, let me get my bearings straight first before you come out. And with a lot of this, cause I mean it's, it's fresh information and I love it about it. Just that I can sit there and be like, okay, now let me reach out my avenues and kind of figure out what's going on. But yeah, we're in constant contact with these guys and I enjoy it. It helps build that, you know, kind of what we're expecting as, as a military as well.
Brian SilvaYeah, and I think one of the important things is not just, you know, can be with you guys, but accountability to each other. Like, you know, a lot of these guys aren't really used to preparing with other individuals and just having that contact and you know, shoulder to shoulder doing the same kind of workouts. And if you see that you're , you know, the lowest on the totem pole as far as work outs then you know, that you've got to start busting your butt in order to get up back to that top tier or those guys that are all always in front. So I think that's important on the accountability aspect. So basically if you go see the recruiter earlier, earlier, the worst thing that can happen is you're more prepared coming in the door.
TSgt Spring100% yeah, 100%. And I would like to put a little caveat too , if you are already working with , an enlisted recruiter as well, don't let that stop. You don't just think, Oh well, you know, I'm already kind of down this path of doing this. If this is something that you really want to do, make it known to them that, you know, Hey, I'm , I'm really highly interested in special operations careers. Can you get me in touch with my sor, my special operations recruiter? Because I mean that's really, I love going out to um , enlisted recruiters depths, their DEP calls where they meet up once a month. Um, and just kind of really talk about what opportunities are out there. Some people have no clue that the air force offers these jobs. And so just for me to be able to go out there and just kind of spread that message, you know, perpetuation is huge
That's what I was going to talk about too actually. So I was just going to say, you know, like we just keep on mentioning the , this information keeps on churning and churning and it keeps on changing as actually the past two years has been a total evolution of the entire, you know , pipeline or at least the beginning of it. So, you know, one of the reasons that we're doing this podcast is because we're going to be putting out episodes every week. Just a disclaimer for you guys that are out there. We're going to continue to bring recruiters in that kind of information out there. But this stuff that we're talking about right now is current as of November, 2019. So we'll continue to put stuff out there and you know, as things change , but like we said, it's a dynamic process and we need to respond to that with a dynamic solution, which is why we're doing this podcast right now. We can continue to update every week what you guys need to know and you know, it's an outlet for them to get your guys' ears and eyes if you're watching the YouTube video and that way you know, you're the most UpToDate because I know you guys are going to watch some of these videos and texts and be like, Oh man, do you got , do you see trents hair? I was looking on point today or did you guys see whatever like, or you hear about this and that. So , uh , continued to spread it. Like we're not against any type of stuff like that. We want you guys to know as much as possible. So , uh, yeah. So I just want to make sure that you guys are clear on that. And while we're doing this and how we're working with the recruiting services and we're not personally recruiters or anything like that, we're not trying to get paid for the number of people that join the air force. Like they don't do that either. They're not trying to get a certain number of people. We just want you guys to know what you're getting into again and pick the right career field for you because that's what you feel like in your heart that you want to do. Not just because we need numbers or any of that kind of stuff. We are not trying to do any of that stuff. So yeah, go ahead .
Jared pietrasWhich is kind of why that were so when you bring up the integration that we're going to have with the recruiters, that's why there's actually going to be a link on a ones ready.com for recruiters and you're going to be able to select that and then you're going to be able to submit a question that you want and that's going to go direct to a recruiter or a recruiter, you know, email inbox. Right. And then the recruiters or the , the SOR recruiters have told us that they guarantee a response within 72 hours. So that's going to be a great place for you guys to be able to go to get information or ask very specific questions. If for some reason you can't make it to a, an actual recruiter. So these guys would be able to give you some good information. Really. It'll be able to give you a chance to ask more than just, I mean you guys are going to be looking for specific special operations questions. You've got sure. You guys can answer questions for the norm, the other, you know, whatever it is, 150, 160 other air force jobs. But really you guys are going to be able to provide pinpoint information to , to special operations jobs. You know, the six career fields, the PJ, the CCT, the special reconnaissance TACP , SERE and EOD,
TSgt Springright ? Correct. Yeah. So that's our primary focus. Um, and we're going to be able to give you guys, you know, most UpToDate and accurate information on qualification questions. Um, if it is questions about the pipeline and stuff like that, we might not know then. Yeah, well that's where we can reach out to to ones ready as well as, you know, any, any special operations units that we have around us. Um, to get the most UpToDate accurate information, you're going to get a response. Um, it might not be the response you're looking for. It might be, Hey, let me figure this out right now and I will email you back. You know, and it might not be within that 72 hour window, but I guarantee you're going to hear something back from us and it's going to be,
Jared pietrasand you're right. And that's, that's the important part of that because you , you brought it up earlier is that, you know, you'll get guys that they , they, you know, get training plans from Brian or, or some other, you know , uh , other company and then they start training for six months and they just, they , they spend the money, they spend the time and all the effort and then they have something that disqualifies them based off of something medically or, or whatever. You know, and that's so really if you guys were out there, you're saving yourself time by hitting a recruiter first, getting those, those initial things set up to make sure you are good to go and then you can start busting your ass and training.
Trent SeegI think a lot of people just seeing the movies and there if you go talk to a recruiter, you're automatically enlisted. Your life is over. Uh, and if you could just clear up what is the point of no return. Um, I mean it's , it's like right before they ship. Correct. So talking to a recruiter doesn't do anything
TSgt Springnegative. So yeah, in my, in my office there's a no legal binding document. I can have you sign that will enlist you for the air force for six, four to six years. The , um, the, the point of no return, really. I like to have the commitment. Um, I don't like sending you up to MEPS without that commitment. Um, but yeah, the , the point of no return is 100%. When you go to maps and you're swearing. Um, that's where I like to have, you know, like I said, that commitment beforehand. So I feel good about the process moving forward. Um, but yeah, short answer to that one is as maps is when you're going to be 100% committed into this process.
Brian Silvaa ll r ight. Yeah, cause I'm sure, yeah. Like Trent was saying that that old t ale, the parents don't want you to go w alk d own. I t's c ause once they snatch you up, you're going to be, unless t here's, you need to be wearing like an infantry hat or something immediately and they're g oing t o put you in a job that you know, they need numbers for, but it's not the case with special operations recruiter. That's w hat we're providing you guys with that link on the website. It's going to be ones ready.com. A forward slash and recruiters. So it's g oing t o say recruiter. So you guys can go to that. And again, the thing is that we want to do, just like you guys have open access to us, w e want to allow open access to a recruiters and be able to provide that. We're not trying to hide anything f rom you guys. You know, that old thing of the recruiters trying to be shady. Like these guys are not trying to be shady. Again. They're trying to do as good as a good a job as possible to get the right guy into the door. That way you can go out there and you know, do the mission, whatever it is that you want to do, whether it's any of those six career fields, but they want to find the right guy for that. And again, be as transparent as possible. So these guys are willing to help you that he's been , you know, this weekend right now, drove out here so we could do this so we can provide you guys information. So again, I appreciate you coming out here and doing that stuff, but , um, more importantly, you know, it's about you guys. Our job doesn't end until, you know, it doesn't end. Actually. It never ends . There's no one number and then we're done. There's no, there's no end. So we're gonna help you guys as much as possible. And we truly believe in this mission just like they do. So , uh, that being said and being something that we truly believe in, I wanted to go over, you know, people that were going to be trying to go out there and find, I know you guys do, you know, go to high school, you guys go to different kinds of events , um, and uh, try and scout for guys and just see who really has what you think it takes or has the attributes without you actually putting in what they should be doing. Like naturally we want those kind of guys that are always outdoors and always trying to stay in shape because this is a lifelong thing like peach and Trent can attest. It's not just something that you wake up one day and then start doing it and then you stop as soon as you make it through the pipeline. Like you guys stay in shape for the rest of your life and it becomes that kind of thing. It's that mentality that you're like always measuring yourself a little bit against like, Oh man, I kinda got out of shape cause I saw, you know, Trent was throwing up some videos of him or like I saw him working out or whatever. And he's way more in shape than I am right now. So anyways, it's always that little bit of competition and that little bit of, you know, you want to be prepared for whatever's going to come. So Trent, can you want to talk a little bit more about like who we're looking for and stuff?
Yeah, I actually get this question a lot from the recruiters. They're like, Hey, who are you guys looking for? Who's successful? Um, and a lot of the things that you've touched on, I think , team sports or individual sports, just sports in general are pretty good background to have. Not only physically, but it teaches you the discipline and how to work with people. So I think one of the big things is , um, is that environment. So being on a team with a whole bunch of other people, same purpose , one purpose as a team is essentially exactly what we do. So having that as the physical and the mental side , um, and wanting to serve for a , so there's the, the physical thing that I was always asking about, right. And then there's the, the one to serve a side. So it's hard for me. I can't be like, Hey , um , yeah, look for Tight ends. Tight ends always make it right. I'm going to , it's just not the case. It's, I'm looking forward, the people that are willing to grind and not necessarily the most physically talented people are always the most successful. It's the people that are willing to put it out there to grind that , that want it for a reason beyond just looking cool. Cause that gets almost no one through the pipeline. It's, it's whether you want to do it for your country, for your family or whatever. And then having that mentality that nothing is going to stop you and it being a very important thing for you. So , uh, I mean, I've seen high level athletes make it, I've seen high level athletes fail. I've seen people that have spent most of their life behind a computer or a video console, whatever gaming thing. Um, and then one day they decided to , uh, to, to start training and to, and to pick it up and whatever it is, it's , uh , they flipped that switch and , and they have a reason for it and they're getting after it. But, being familiar with the outdoors and the elements and the team environment is definitely not going to hurt , in my opinion.
Jared pietrasYeah, I'd agree with that. Just, you know, and I , I get the questions at the same time too, but I think what I like to kind of say is, Hey, if we were all football players are all wrestlers, like, you know, Hey, that'd be, that'd be great. But we would really show some serious weakness on, on whatever areas of our lives or of our mission sets. Right. So by April, you know, if we're getting gamers, we're getting, you know, computer programmers, we're getting football players, wrestlers, water polo players, like putting all of us together and going on an admission is what's going to really make us stronger because any gaps that I'm, I'm weekend or missing in, you know, Trent or Brian or Aaron or somebody else can help plug those holes because I am definitely not good at everything
Brian Silvalike reaching high places. All right . So yeah, I think you know with that being said though, when I was an instructor, I kind of noticed that there were some things that like people did back in high school that kind of helped them out a little bit. One of them was if the dude was like a surfer, you know, getting crushed in the waves and getting used to kind of not being in control of the splashing and getting water up your nose and that kind of thing. I think that kind of helped them a little bit. Wrestlers, like you said, like just the conditioning aspect. You go until your smoked, you have to dye it and do all that stuff to cut weight? So those are two things that like really stick out and then anybody that has some team sport team sport experience and is able to work well with a team. So those are some of the things that , uh, I don't know . I saw when I was an instructor, but again, like you said, we want everybody, we want like a wide array of things. I think one of our last IG posts was talking about that just, you know, we want the , uh , people to look at things from different viewpoints because if I'm looking at his microphone, all I could see is this front part. You know, Sgt spring can see this side. Another dude can see the other side . So together we have the full picture of what the thing looks like. But if you're only looking at it from one angle, then you know, you're only gonna see one thing and you're going to try and solve just this little problem in front of you, not the whole , you know , spectrum of things that you're supposed to be looking at. So , um, you know, Sgt Springs. Is there anything , uh, that you guys specifically kind of look for or places that you guys go , um, things like that that would help out? Uh, I mean
TSgt Springreally we just try to get the word out there that , that we do have stuff. Um, Spartan races, mud run , stuff like that where we're individuals really want and strive for that. Um, I think to me though that there's no absolute right or wrong person out there. Um, it could be anybody, even if you didn't play team sports in high school or something, but you're, you're still striving for that team, team membership aspect. I mean, to me, I'm, there's no absolute, Hey, you have to had played this or played even a sport. To me it's, it doesn't matter. I mean you can be a carpenter for all we care. As long as you're just looking and you have that mental ability, that mental toughness to, to make it through these jobs, then I think you're the right person really.
Brian SilvaAnd carpenters are actually pretty useful. Like if you get deployed, you want to charge the team lockers tables. And I've actually gotten pretty decent at carpentry since I've been in just because of that reason. Like every time I go down range it's like let's find some pallets of wood and start building stuff. So over time that I can make stuff that looks pretty though. Yeah, yeah, exactly. All that matters though is that it stands up and it can hold your gear or your little MRE or whatever. So , um, yeah. Okay . I think that's, that's pretty good. So you guys have a good idea of what you know we're looking for and the things that you can practice in order to get there. The biggest things I think are, you know, you don't want to be a person that's just, you know, playing dungeon and dragons or whatever in your basement and you like, Oh, I'm going to join the military and be in special operations because that's going to be heinous on your shins . You probably gonna break your legs the first time you throw on a ruck and stuff, you're going to do that. So do yourself a favor and then start, you know, if you are whatever, 13, 14, 15, make sure you're joining sports and you're doing as much as you can to prepare your body, prepare your mind and get used to that team environment so you guys can actually perform like a team whenever the time comes for you to actually join the military and your body's used to it. Your used to carrying the weight and that kind of thing. So reduce your chances of getting an injury. so that being said, talking about getting stuff ready and things that might qualify or disqualify you, let's get into that. Um, so what does it take? Can you go over like what it takes to get into the air force to qualify just the basic standards right now I know we always get questions about eyesight. We'll go over that in a little bit, but just in general what it guys need to join the air force.
So you need a passing ASVAB score. That's anything over 31. U m, obviously it's a little bit different for each job. U m, we, you know, we can post something up on the website of what each job is as l ab score wise. U m, I know a big thing is if you do get a pretty bad score on your initial ASAB, what should you do? U m, the biggest thing I can say is do not proceed any further along with your process. U m, so if you're up there at MEPS and you're about to go take the ASAB one night and then go take, u h, the physical the next day and if you get your scores and y ou decide and they're not qualifying for these jobs, definitely stop your process right there. U m, myself as a recruiter, I know I every time, if I know you're looking at a certain career and you're not open to anything else that you do qualify for with those scores, I'm g oing t o immediately pull you off and kind of, you know, change, change direction a little bit and get you a 30 day wait and then you're going to retest again on the ASVAB.
Jared pietrasOkay. So can I, can I ask a clarifying question in there? Yeah . So if a, if a guy goes to MEPS and he takes us as admin, it does not meet , uh, you know, the, the minimum score or at least the score, the minimum score to get that specific job, he can, he or she can just hold it right there, not proceed on and, and they just raise their hand and say, Hey, I want wanna . Like, how's that work? So there's, there's no definitive like, so myself, this is me personally, I'm , I'm not every single recruiter obviously. So for me, if, if someone comes in , they're like, Hey, I want to do, I'm open to special operations career fields. And I'm like, okay, that's great. And you score a 41 on your asthma , it's, you're not going to qualify for anything of, of, of the jobs that we're looking for. Um, so once you do proceed forward and you go to MEPS and you do all that stuff, that's when you're swearing in and you're getting into our delayed enlistment program from there, it's very hard to come back out of that process. We kind of have to DEP remove you and it's a more of a long drawn out paper paper process. So yeah, I would, I would 100% to me prefer you to that night when you're at MEPS and you're taking your as bad , I'm going to call you as soon as you're done with your test, I can pull your scores and be like, okay, this is what you scored. You don't have a chance at any of our jobs. Do you want to proceed forward with the air force or do you think if you studied you can pull out a better score and perhaps get into one of these jobs? Um, but yeah, if it's not passing and they want to proceed with, with just spec ops alone, then yeah. Drive home. Right? Because there are , I mean, there are books and there are tutors out there that will help people with their testing for the asthma,
TSgt Springcorrect? Correct. Yeah. So I mean, there's more , I mean, a lot of people just don't even realize it . I mean, we're putting in guys who are 24, 25 years old. The ASVAB is basically designed for a high school junior. So it's stuff that you've probably tucked way deep in your brain that you're not gonna really ever look for again. And then all of a sudden I'm like, Hey man, do you got to take this test over algebra? And they're like, Oh God, I failed that in high school. I'm like, Oh, well you probably should go get a book and brush up a little bit. Some people heed our advice and study, but
Brian SilvaYeah. So I think the key takeaway here is don't be the guy that requires a reset or redo of the test. You know that the test is going to come if you're trying to join the military. So study for that test and like a peaches was saying, There are some courses out there, people that offer like online books, there's plenty of resources out there that you can go to or I'm sure if you like go to a local high school, they probably have some kind of ASVAB class that they put on for guys that are doing it. Swallow your pride. I don't care if you're 30 years old or you're trying to join the military, swallow your pride and go to the class because no one in that class is gonna remember anything about you. All that matters is that you go to the MEPS and pass that test. If you don't pass it, then you're screwed and you're going to have to figure out some other kind of thing. Are you waste another month of your life trying to retest or do any of that kind of stuff? So again, show up prepared, do your due diligence and get the stuff done that you need to get done. Because like I said, we're looking for guys that are going to be responsible for their actions and take control of their, their life and their career. So you do that by starting out the gate, showing up, prepared like we were talking about earlier. And then also, you know, studying for the test, you know what's coming up. We're not hiding anything from you and I'm going to just like, Oh, he didn't pass our special little crazy test or whatever. Like even selection, we're telling you guys, we're going to talk about all the attributes that you guys need to have, the kind of shape that you need to be in the kind of stuff and all these tests, including the past test and the new other tests that they're going to be coming out with are a marker for you to do that. If you're just trying to meet the minimums all the time, obviously you're not going to make it. So again, don't just go for the minimum for the ASVAB shoot for above 90, you know, shoot for as high as you can go.
TSgt SpringUm , so yeah , I'll just keep on rolling on with more stuff on the, on the uh, MEPS part. So once you do get a good qualifying score, you obviously will go up to MEPS and take the MEPS physical. Um, it's nothing strenuous or anything. You don't have to be able to accomplish 59 pushups and do it is a glorified sports physical. They're going to make sure that you are your eyesight's good, your hearing's good, your range of motion on all your joints are good to go, that you're qualified for general military service. Um, the big thing I think we are seeing now a lot is , is talking about eyesight and talking about this where you go up to MEPS and I'm not knocking our maps. I love our maps. Legos and our guys , um, our , our equipment up there is kind of archaic. They're just, the DOD is not spending money on that type of stuff. So the, I , the vision machine might be a little bit outdated versus what's your optometrist has. Um, so if you do go up to MEPS and we, and we catch a little surprise on your eyes, aren't qualifying for those jobs , um , we're doing what's called a PULHES upgrade, where you go out to your optometrist, you gather your own results as well, and we can kind of match those up to what MEPS has, has got you at. And , uh, we run a waiver to our surgeon general and bypass our MEPS directly. So, and that goes for there's hearing. Um, and just, I mean we could really go down the gambit of, of everything. We can try to upgrade, but it's not really a waiver per se , cause I hate, I don't like that word when it comes to medical cause if you don't have it, you don't have it and there's nothing we can do about it. Um, but if you do have it and it's been proven, even though our map says one thing, we can kind of bypass that and go the other way. So , um, so yeah, if you guys have any other stuff on that one as well. I know you guys get a
lot of questions .
Brian SilvaYeah. I mean, the question that I get most of the time is LASIK versus PRK. And should I wait before or after I joined the military in order to get those done and then am I allowed to join special operations with LASIK having been done? That's the one that I get.
TSgt SpringYeah. So I mean I , I there's so far in our regulations, there's nothing that says either LASIK or PRK. You can get either one of them. That's an option. Um, the big one is if you do get it done beforehand, it's a year wait. And then if you get it done while you are in the DEP , um , that's a six month wait after that. So that is an option for you guys. If for some reason you try out for one of our jobs and you're, Hey, my eyes are just atrocious, I can't see anything and you want to get it upgraded, then that's fine. Um, that , that's a different options for you. Um, I'm trying to think of anything else on that topic right there. Just cause he had the PRK and Lasix huge right now. Um, but just make sure you keep all your doctor's notes. Realistically talk with us before you even go out to there. Cause we're going to give you a form to have your optometrist or surgeon fill out that whoever does your eyes so we can give you a form and kind of alleviate the paperwork on the backside.
Brian SilvaCool. And are the vision requirements different for any of the specific six career fields that you guys cover or like for your PJ?
TSgt SpringSo there are , um, for PJ's sr and combat control , um, they have a different eyesight of 20/70 in one eye and 20/100 and the other , um, TACP is 20/200. These are all uncorrected. Everything has to be correctable to 20 for those four jobs. Um , TACP PJ CCT and SR. Um, when it goes to sear and EOD, you're , you're allowed to have a little bit of a more laxed eyesight. Um, there , I don't think there is any, when you go up to maps , you get a pull us pull the score. Um , your eyes can be ones for PJ CCT , SA , uh , sr. and tack P and then for EOD and sear it can be a two . So , um, and what we'll be able to kind of discuss a lot more of that and give you guys more like definitive numbers on 100% of what your eyesight can be as well.
Brian SilvaAnd again, this is November, 2019 that were updated. So a lot of the stuff at the eyesight, you know there are different procedures that are coming out now like the smile stuff and some of the other type of eye procedures. Um, and the , the waivers and all the regulations on that stuff are going to change. They're going to continue to change as we progress through and this pipeline of all. So we'll update you guys continuously when we do that. Again, if you guys have questions specifically about eyesight, then you guys can use that link one's ready.com forward slash recruiter in order to ask them a question directly and again to get that response within 72 hours. So we want to make sure that you guys are able to do that. And if you have questions about it and you're not getting a clear answer from your normal recruiter that you're talking to, then and you can talk to them, we can hook you up with the soar . So going over that. And then one of the other things is talking about law violations and drug use . I do get a lot a lot of questions on that and they're like, you know, I was arrested one time for doing this or that, or like , um , I smoked weed. I don't know how many times for a certain period of high school, you know, am I still allowed to join the military? So that kind of thing. Where do you guys, I know it's a little bit hard to ask you to gauge it because there's not like, well if you smoked weed 97.5 times a nd you're, you know, out, I d on't k now, I d on't k now what the g auges on that, but what would you say to guys a s a general
rule?
TSgt SpringSo , uh, w we'll hit the drug usage first. Cause that's a pretty, pretty easy topic. We don't care about the quantity of times you've done it, but just keep it with marijuana. If it's anything else, you know, that's, that's no boy, no one on all branches. Um, the big thing with law violations, yes, we do run waivers. We're, we're not the air force of 2000, early two thousands where if you had a traffic ticket and you're gone , um, we've ran DUI waivers, we run , um, kind of simple assault charges. Anything along those lines, we can, we can within reason of running those up. So within reason means if you're a habitual idiot and you get caught doing a lot of stuff, like you know, DUIs and you ran from the cops and you did this and then the next week you did else, obviously you probably didn't learn your lesson. So that's something we're not looking to try to push. But if it was a simple mistake, then our commander is pretty level headed about things and he knows people do dumb stuff. I've done dumb stuff. I just didn't get caught. Um, as a , as a pretty good motto that I like to say of just I'll, I'll run your waiver, I'll help you out. Um, that also goes into, you know, I like to kind of go back to the zones I like in the Midwest. We can run waivers, maybe in Texas and your , um , California weather having a surplus of people, they might not be able to have the time to run those waivers as well. Um, so kind of reach out and engage them . Recruiters, I know I'm open and honest with you. If, if you're close to a busy market in recruiting and they don't have time to run your waiver, maybe make that two hour drive to go see another recruiter and they'll definitely hook you up. So , uh, they're cause they're looking for anything. They're looking just for attention. So , uh, to me, make the drive if, if they're not willing to do it right then and there.
Jared pietrasRight. So I got this question the other day, then you may or may not be able to, to answer it just based off of this, but along the line of drug use, right? This was not recreational drugs they had gotten out of , they were prescribed Adderall or something like that as a, as a little child. But then, you know, once they were past 10 years old or something like that, they didn't have to take it anymore and they weren't prescribed it. Um, are you guys seeing those issues and are those , uh, able to be waived or anything like that? I mean, I'm asking a very specific question and I know you're not going to be able to answer it for, for everybody cause everybody's stories are going to be different. But , um, is there a way to get past that kind of , um, prescribed drug use?
TSgt SpringUm, so if it's, there are, there are, there might be certain ways I'll just, I'll just blanket out there. We can do , um, like drug eligibility determinations versus a drug waiver. So eligibility determination would be like, Hey, he had this stuff. He, he did certain things that we don't like but he openly admitted to it. So it kind of shows like, Hey, there's some remorse in this. Is there a way around this , um, Adderall and add ADHD medications on the stuff that's kind of a whole different boat that, I mean we could dive into that topic and it would take quite some time. There are rules we can put people in that have had a history of it. Um , that does limit your jobs down. Cause I know for a fact SERE one of them that you can not have a history of emotional instability. So with that it shows instability. So , um, but yeah, with, with that, I mean anything outside of marijuana is kind of one of those, those, those touchy subjects with us just because it , it shows you need that. It's a chemical dependency really outside of that. So
Jared pietrasno worries. I had a feeling that was kind of be the , the way it was. So I didn't ask the question just cause I know it's going to be a long drawn out answer in every single person's case is different. But I mean, I , I can't tell you how many times I've gotten that phone, that a question. So I figured that one out there.
TSgt SpringYeah. I mean add , ADHD is kind of one of those hot topics. Um, we are as, as a military branch , um, probably one of the easiest, easiest ones to work with for add, ADHD. So we've got pretty clean cut guidelines whether or not the MEPS doctors kind of see that , um, how , how they want to see things. But it is one of those things we can work with and , and talk about, you know, that's put it on the Q and a questions. You know, that someone can email us indirectly and we can kind of give you our guidelines 100% on , on what we see. So,
Trent Seegso we saw this at the prep course a lot were uh , people would come in and then they'd make it all the way through basic and everything else they'd get to us and it would come out, I don't know if they did a more thorough scrub of their medical records or whatever that , they had been on this medication before. And I think , uh, it's really difficult to get it passed . Uh, get guys passed it, especially it looks like they were hiding it. Um, and then they came in. Uh , so I would say everybody know what's on your medical records and deal with it on the front end. Cause if you're already in, it just looks like you're a liar and the affects , you know, a lot of facets of the job and it's a hard to deal with.
TSgt SpringYeah. I mean especially, I mean, I know it's kind of a smaller market, but if your parent was in the military or anything like that, I mean, you're under Tri-Care, it's very easy for once you get pulled over into our system as an enlist [inaudible] and your tracker records merge. I mean, it's game over, so if you are lying or hiding anything, it's, yeah, just the harp on that. I mean, it merges pretty quick and those, those doctors on a San Antonio will , we'll see it. So,
Brian Silvaall right . So again, summarizing this whole thing, we're looking, looking at trends on what you're going to be doing. So they're looking for a smooth person. That's stable and is going to be able to not show up on the radar as much. So if you're a person that's kind of all over the place, like you've been in jail, like he said, for taking drugs and then you also had some other issues that are domestic or you're have some kind of drug dependency, like your constant depression or constant, something like that that you may be a risk or you may put you in a nondeployable type of category specifically for these kinds of jobs. I'm not talking about like other recruiter kind of things. We don't want to really , we don't want to put our mission in jeopardy or our people in jeopardy because of, you know, another issue. And I'm sure that those people that may have those issues would understand that this is a high stakes kind of thing. And if people are sick in any kind of way, even if you have like some kind of asthma and the team has to carry you through the field or has to do something, then that's going to hamper the mission overall. It's going to put your guys and your team in danger. So , um , again, it's not like, you know, we're trying to be discriminatory
against the person or the disease or any of that kind of stuff. It's just is what it is and we want to make sure that the mission gets done. We have people that are able to actually do it , we need them to do so. Hopefully that kinda clarifies a little bit of that. But again, you can always hit up that link if you guys have specific questions about any of that kind of stuff. All right, last couple of questions about this. Are us citizens versus non-citizens , um, and are they able to join into special operations? Cause I get this actually like once a month at least. So I don't know. You know, you know, we're on the internet so people can see us anywhere in the world. YouTube people are watching this while we're deployed or whatever and they want to see, be a part of this.
TSgt SpringSo guys that are non citizens are citizens. Can I join for any specific career fields or what are their options? Um, so right now our jobs as special operation jobs are off the table for non us citizens. Um, the air force does have other jobs that can get you to that process. So if you are a green card holder or anything along those lines , um, kind of find your, find your best path in . Um, if it is joining through a traditional air force job, do that and then maybe leave this option open as a cross training event later. Um, so I mean a pretty basic on that one. I would not, yeah, no non us citizens. I'm sorry. Um, another one with the age 17 to 39 , um , 17 obviously with parental consent , um, uh , other than that, there is no waiver , um , authorized for that. The only other type of caveat would be prior service, which we're not getting into. Um, that's where they deduct your time and service off your age. All that fun stuff that , that's the only kind , I don't just don't want you guys to turn off the screen right now and close your computers and like , I'm never going to join anymore. But, so yeah, it is an option if your prior service, but outside of those age ranges, yeah, it's , it's a no go. Um , and just being generally healthy I think is this huge. Um,
Brian Silvawhat do you know ,
uh , guys that, you know, their star football player blew out. Their ACL had to get some kind of surgery on their knee or they have a broken leg, so they have a rod in there or they have a plate because they crack their skull or something like that. What about those kinds of dudes with hardware? You know, they're hard chargers and they're , they're in shape, but they have a prior surgery and stuff. How does that kind of shake out and who decides on that?
TSgt SpringSo what we do is we get all your medical records. So from preop post op , um, releases any PT physical therapy that you might've had. Um, and we just run that up to our CMO, our CMO at the MEPS. So our chief medical officer is going to deny you outright. That's just his job just because he has a DOD standard. Um, then we individually take it up to our, our air force surgeon general who in turn looks at it and they'd look at a lot of different aspects of it. If you do have metal hardware in your body , um, does it need to be there or is it just not medically necessary to take that thing out where it's going to cause you more pain and grief and longer recovery times? Um, that could be an aspect of it. Um , just kinda how bad everything was. Or are you prone to probably break in this again? So we , we get pretty thorough medical records from you guys. Um, that we will , we will request. It's not just you guys randomly bring us stuff, we just, we'll, we'll tell you exactly what we need. Um, but yeah, I've put in guys with ACL repairs to ACL repairs. Um, you name it. I mean we've got guys in with rods and uh, or no , I should say hardware and joints and stuff like that as well. So , um, it just kinda really depends on case by case. There is no black or white answer on that stuff.
Jared pietrasCool. Um, so I actually didn't think that that would be the case, but that's pretty cool.
TSgt SpringYeah, it surprises us sometimes. Sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it's like, okay, yeah I kind of saw that one coming. Um, so I mean it's , it's not one of those, I don't want to get your hopes up and say, yeah, 100%, but it is an option out there and any recruiters should be able to run that waiver up for you and kind of get you,
Brian Silvaso again, same kind of thing with the trend. You know, as long as you've been stable with like you had it when you were a kid or whatever and you, it's repaired and you haven't had any issues or recurring type of things. And for the most part, you should be good to you , but obviously we can't give you any like, Oh yes, you're solid. Cause we're not the guy that's gonna be putting our signature on the thing and saying that you're good to go. So we can't give you that. But we're saying there's a chance
So , uh, last couple things again, like , uh, kids with that you had asthma , I'm assuming that, you know, it's back when we joined, it was like you had asthma ever. You're done. You're not allowed to join the military. So is that kinda something that,
TSgt Springyeah, I mean right now we , we've completely revamped it along with the add, ADHD stuff. Um , we look at timeframes . So if you had maybe , um, childhood asthma or something like that and you haven't had a history of it and you can get a good , uh , pulmonary lung function test , stuff like that , um, they will, we're easy . We can, we can bypass a lot of that stuff and just run up to our surgeon general and get, get clears on that stuff. So we're good to go with that. Um, it's not a guarantee. 100%, nothing is in the military. If you guys can't figure that one out. Um, so we can, what we're gonna do is our best shot though. We're going to run it up and just put definite dates on there of, Hey, I had it from this age to this age. Um, here's my medical documents, here's all this stuff that shows I'm, I'm good, I'm clean. I don't have any issues with me. And even if you've played sports outside of that, so that helps out a little bit too. Um, let's see. Did we mention the weight, the weight standards?
Brian SilvaOh, that's right. Yeah. A BMI and that kind of thing. I've had a couple of guys that are like, they're making me wait until I get into this certain BMI because whatever, even though they're pretty Jacked.
TSgt SpringYeah, we got some pretty yoked guys. I'm coming. Our offices were like, Oh yeah, I love you step on the scale. And it's like, Oh wait, nah . Uh , yeah, we do. We can put you guys in as long as there's an age range. And I don't want to , I don't want to misquote myself. Um, but for the most part it's under 20%. And so it's not one of those where you step on a GNC scale and they're gonna , you're going to hold your little metal rod up there and they're going to get your weight, they're going to tape your neck three times and they're going to tape your Adulyadej crest , so around your belly three times. Um, they're going to average out each one of those measurements and then subtract your weight from your waist, your neck from your waist, if that makes sense. So that's how we get our percentage. It's not a a mathematical equation, it's simple subtraction and all that. So we're looking at 20% , um, being under 20% when you, when you haven't done for the most part, for , for a vast majority of people, I think when there's a certain age range that it jumps up to like 25%. Okay . But a lot of guys who I see, yeah, I , I put a lot of people in just under the BMI as opposed to wait standard.
Brian SilvaOkay . Uh , peach, Trent, you got any questions about a stuff that we talked about the Eye sight weight, surgeries, any the just re hacks before we close it out with Sgt spring?
Jared pietrasNo, I mean these are the questions that you've answered and I appreciate you coming on because , uh , even I've, I've learned part of it now, which is good. Um, it's , you've pretty much covered most of the questions that I've received. Um, there's some occasional , um, ones that are kind of far out, right field kind of thing, but , um , not bad. I appreciate it. I've learned a lot.
Speaker 6Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. No, this is, this is fantastic. Uh , just like you were saying, but I do have one , uh, save round and it's um , uh , prior service guys, do they go straight as a recruiter? How does that process work? A little bit cause , uh , I'm going a lot of questions from them.
TSgt SpringYeah. Prior service is one of those , um, at all cost . So everything else I'm telling you for a kind of hit two points on this one. If you're a um, regular enlisting, not a prior service, feel free to always talk to an a , a regular recruiter, so a traditional air force recruiter and um , make sure it's kind of in touch with us as well. So let that recruiter know that you want to go in to special operations. They'll get you in touch with us. Um , prior service guys are, are the big one on that one. EA ha wants nothing to do with anyone prior service that has , um, intentions of going special operations. Um, so talk with them, make sure they're qualified. If you do walk into an enlisted recruiter, that's completely fine. Just talk with them, let them know. Um, but more than likely you're going to get in touch with us and yeah, they'll , they'll come running to us. We'll get a couple of things of paperwork from you guys. Three 60 eights , um , two fourteens, any type of certificate , stuff like that that you guys have and we'll start your waiver process. Um, the big thing is we're prior service. Yes. W w we invite you guys out. We have a few very few boards a year. Um, so kind of show up ready to rock. Don't, don't show up in black. Why kind of need to work on my run a little bit now that , sorry you missed the board by that time. So , um, show up. Ready to go is I guess my , my main point, you know, have all your paperwork in hand. You guys are big boys by now cause you've, you've served time in the military. Um, it's fine to ask me a couple of questions of what do you need. That's I , I'm understanding on that aspect. But other than that though, you , you know what you need. Um, we tell you what you need and just show up ready to rock.
Brian SilvaAnd again, we're going to go over more in depth exactly what prior service, you know, stuff kind of is required and cause that's a whole, whole different beast. But yeah, I think it's important to throw out there though. Like you were saying, like I get that question all the time. Like I'm career in the military. I was in the military, I'm in the Marines or I'm in the whatever. So we'll get more into that specific details on that right now. But if you guys are prior service , then don't hesitate to reach out or again, easily link like we were talking about ones . ready.com , forward slash recruiter and we can go with that. So , um , any other saved rounds from you guys? All right , sorry, I'm spraying you. Got anything that you want to hit up and tell these guys before we , uh,
TSgt SpringI'm really not, I mean for the general populace , I mean I would want to thank you guys. That one's ready first off for having us on. I really, really do appreciate it. It helps us kind of merge two different paths that these guys take. A lot of people take district, traditional air force, air force.com air force, social media routes. Um, and then some of you guys are just kind of on these pages alone trying to figure out your own method. So it's great that we can merge this stuff together. So I really do appreciate it. You guys have been having us on as a recruiting force. So , um, let's see. I did write down a little bit. Um, Oh, just, I mean mainly just helping you guys out. That's what we're here for. 100%. If you're not getting the answers , um, from a recruiter near you, they might be busy. Don't, don't completely knock them out of the boat. Um, just know that we're here to help 100%. And if it's not you, it might be somebody else that needs a lot more dire attention. Um, so be a little bit patient with us and if you're really not seeing anything, like they said, go to that one's ready a website and ask questions. That's what I mean. That's gonna be my primary focus for a while until I leave. So
Brian Silvaand so, yeah, just like Sgt Springs saying we're going to have on the website a little FAQ page based on the stuff that we're talking about today, just so you guys can read up like bullet point style. You guys can be like, all right , what would they talk about? Boom . Like, if you want to reference it after you listen to the episode and just be like, Oh, what were they talking about? Like just, we'll throw up some pertinent information on there. Again , um, you know, this is November, 2019 so anything's going to keep on changing. We're going to continue to do episodes and make sure that you guys have the most relevant information possible. But again, thank you for coming out here. We really appreciate, you know, working with the recruiting service. It's a full spectrum kind of thing. So you know, they can get the information from us but we don't have all the information that you know about the recruiting service specifically. So that's why we wanted to bring you guys on here , um , to make sure that we can cover that aspect. So again, like we were talking about the microphone analogy you can have the full picture of the guys that are coming in and can have the full picture. Like, all right, this is what I'm going to be doing. You know, we've got that from, you know , peach Trent, Aaron, me, and they kind of know what to expect on that aspect. But how do I get to that point? We've got the recruiting service right here that can talk to you about that and you know all the guys that are in the recruiting service, we're going to go into like the development sessions. We're going to go into how to pick a job. We're going to go into all that stuff coming up on the next couple of recruiting episodes that we're going to put up. So make sure that you stay tuned for that. This is not going to be a onetime recruiting episode or anything like that. We're going to continue to cover all that stuff and make sure that you guys are as up to date as possible with that. So that being said , um, we really appreciate working with you guys. We look forward to continuing to work with you guys in the future. Again, that link that we're talking about is one's ready.com forward slash. Recruiter. You guys can hit that up and make sure that you check out, did you know Strikeforce energy and alphabet coffee company for those discounts if you guys are interested in being awake and alert all the time, I think everyone is. Um, so again go ahead and check out. You guys always have an open door for us on the IgE page or on the ones ready.com page and you can hit us up. We'll answer all your questions as soon as we can with you know the four of us that are working and you know, Sgt Spring, you can always reach out to him as well. So I appreciate you guys listening. Make sure that you guys check out the Facebook, Instagram page and YouTube, please leave us a review if you guys have any things to put in the comments on the YouTube video, you guys can have a discussion down there. We'll answer your questions on there as well. If you guys just tag us and email us at onesready.com we'll make sure that we get you what you need to do. So key points from today is be studied. And they know if you have any , uh, specific things that need to be addressed that are not outside of what we talked about today, you can always hit them up. And, you know, if you guys have any questions, let us know . So appreciate you again and we'll see you on the next episode.