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SarcasticDwarf

SarcasticDwarf

Diamond Member
Jun 8, 2001
9,574
2
76
So let's see, on Friday I was informed over the phone that the place where I am doing my internship "does not have enough work for me," so that will be ending next week.

Sat/Sun I drilled with my reserve unit, which somewhat sucked since I have finals this week.

Today I get home to find a letter that I am discharged from the Army as of Friday. Now here's the kicker: It is a long, strange story, but suffice it to say that I went into BCT in the summer of 2005 and was injured. I have been recovering since that time and was HOPING to get back to BCT this summer before the discharge process caught up with me. They were supposed to send me for a medical evaluation (again) where they would make a final determination as to whether I could stay in. Instead they gave me an uncharacterized discharge, meaning I get no medical benefits, nothing at all. (For the nonmilitary peeps, an uncharacterized discharge does not look good on a resume [it usually means you could not hack it] and is used for when you could not make it through BCT, usually for psych reasons).

Oh, and I HAVE to get my grad school applications out tonight. As if I don't have enough stress this week.
 
I

Injury

Lifer
Jul 19, 2004
13,066
2
81
Originally posted by: Xanis
Originally posted by: SarcasticDwarf
Originally posted by: Xanis
That sucks, sorry to hear that. Have a :cookie:.
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I really wish I drank, because I would be plastered about now.
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Alcohol solves everything. :p
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... for about 12 hours. Then makes everything worse for the next 12. ;)


Anyway, pops always told me "The sqweaky wheel gets the grease". When he said it, he always meant that I should speak up a bit before just assuming I couldn't do anything about it. Is there any sort of appeal process for being discharged? Could you change whatever your specialty in the Army is to something that satisfies the medical qualifications? Perhaps with your internship, you could VOLUNTEER to stay on and work pay free... ask them if you can work like, 3 more months unpaid and see if any works comes up, and if in that 3 months things don't get back on track, you'd be happy to leave with just a good letter of recommendation. Internships are all about showing dedication and personal growth. Showing you can be mature about it might be something they are looking for, and the economy always gets a bit of a rush after the Christmas season when companies have turned a profit from the holidays.

Regardless, I feel for you man. I wish I could say life was always as good as you hope it to be, but sometimes you just get sh!t on. :(

Drink one for me... but never say die until it's clear that's your only option.
 
SarcasticDwarf

SarcasticDwarf

Diamond Member
Jun 8, 2001
9,574
2
76
Originally posted by: Injury
Originally posted by: Xanis
Originally posted by: SarcasticDwarf
Originally posted by: Xanis
That sucks, sorry to hear that. Have a :cookie:.
Click to expand...

I really wish I drank, because I would be plastered about now.
Click to expand...

Alcohol solves everything. :p
Click to expand...

... for about 12 hours. Then makes everything worse for the next 12. ;)


Anyway, pops always told me "The sqweaky wheel gets the grease". When he said it, he always meant that I should speak up a bit before just assuming I couldn't do anything about it. Is there any sort of appeal process for being discharged? Could you change whatever your specialty in the Army is to something that satisfies the medical qualifications? Perhaps with your internship, you could VOLUNTEER to stay on and work pay free... ask them if you can work like, 3 more months unpaid and see if any works comes up, and if in that 3 months things don't get back on track, you'd be happy to leave with just a good letter of recommendation. Internships are all about showing dedication and personal growth. Showing you can be mature about it might be something they are looking for, and the economy always gets a bit of a rush after the Christmas season when companies have turned a profit from the holidays.
Click to expand...


I *might* be able to appeal it, but it is going to be difficult (and likely cost me a LOT of legal fees). The problem is that I never finished BCT, and so I am (in a way) not actually in the Army. Until you finish BCT, you are considered to be without any rights within the military. To add to that, changing my job would not do anything because 1) I have already been discharged (getting un-discharged will be near impossible) and 2) I would still have to finish BCT to get any job in the Army.

It all pisses me off since I am getting close to being capable of doing BCT again. I was planning on working on it every day starting next week, and hear I get this all of a sudden.
 
SarcasticDwarf

SarcasticDwarf

Diamond Member
Jun 8, 2001
9,574
2
76
Originally posted by: Marinski
Was this a paid internship? "We don't have enough work" is just a nice way of saying your fired. How nice of them to let you go right before christmas. Heartless bastards.
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Yes, it was paid. I *could* see it being a nice way of firing me. I have been vocal to the other department members about the utter stupidity of not providing me with an ID card. I work in all ~25 buildings in the district and have to sign in as a guest at each one and get a badge. I get questioned by staff as to why I don't have a district badge (they question why a guest would be walking out of the building with a laptop in his hands), etc. Considering how concerned the district is with security, it is stupid (and I have had principles at multiple buildings say it was BS). So yeah, it could be that. On the other hand, the new reduced budget DID just come down and the work is slowing down, so it could be either way.

To note, while I have only worked there as an intern since August, I did the exact same job with them since July as a temp, so they know me well.


And yeah, the timing is NOT cool.
 
Marinski

Marinski

Golden Member
Apr 5, 2006
1,051
0
0
classicboxingfights.blogspot.com
I know how you feel. This happened to me before. My boss called me and was like "Hey, why don't you stay home this week, we're slow so we don't need you" Never talked to him again. It doesn't sink in until later on that your really being fired and they're just tying to let you down easy
 
BurnItDwn

BurnItDwn

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
26,170
1,646
126
This might be a longshot, but can you file an appeal to the discharge somehow?
I'd think that they'd love to get you back in the army if you can prove your are able bodied.

(I don't know if this is possible or not, perhaps it is just wishful thinking, but it may be worth looking into)

Also, about the internship, is it possible that during your winter break (assuming you get a few weeks or a month off from school) can you seek out another internship, or even a part time job that's at least loosely related to your field of study, just to get a bit of cash and some work experience?

I agree those are some pretty hefty setbacks, but hopefully you should be able to bounce back OK.

Good luck to you!
 
SarcasticDwarf

SarcasticDwarf

Diamond Member
Jun 8, 2001
9,574
2
76
Originally posted by: BurnItDwn
This might be a longshot, but can you file an appeal to the discharge somehow?
I'd think that they'd love to get you back in the army if you can prove your are able bodied.

(I don't know if this is possible or not, perhaps it is just wishful thinking, but it may be worth looking into)

Also, about the internship, is it possible that during your winter break (assuming you get a few weeks or a month off from school) can you seek out another internship, or even a part time job that's at least loosely related to your field of study, just to get a bit of cash and some work experience?

I agree those are some pretty hefty setbacks, but hopefully you should be able to bounce back OK.

Good luck to you!
Click to expand...

It might be possible to appeal, but just finding out HOW is a huge problem. Realistically, I need a lawyer, but there are only a handful in the entire country that practice this type of law. IF I can prove that I am able to be in, it would probably be possible to rejoin (my discharge does not state that, they normally do though). The problem with that is I would need a new contract. Right now I would have two out of my eight done, with a job I want and a bonus once I complete training. If I signed a new contract, I probably would not get my same job (it is complicated), the bonus, and I would have to serve an ADDITIONAL two years with my previous two years likely not counting towards promotions or such.

Re my internship, I live in a pretty rural area. The place my internship is through (university organization) has submitted my name to a couple of places, I should hear back in the next couple weeks.
 
D

dawnbug

Golden Member
Oct 29, 2002
1,670
0
0
Sorry to hear about everything going badly. Hopefully things will get better soon.

And good luck finishing your grad school applications!
 
SarcasticDwarf

SarcasticDwarf

Diamond Member
Jun 8, 2001
9,574
2
76
Originally posted by: chowmein
MGIB ftw?!
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Nope, not with this type of discharge. It is basically a discharge where it is as if you never signed. No benefits, NO DD-214, no RE code, nothing at all.
 
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