Old 09-08-2020, 17:56   #1
TOMAHAWK9521
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Is the 18X going away?

Gents,

One of the students from BYU-Idaho who worked on the research for my business is graduating later this year and is getting ready to join the army on an 18X contract. He went through MEPS last week and was cleared for Airborne but his recruiter has recently informed him that the 18X program was being cancelled so the recruiter is trying to convince him to do a different contract.

This sounds eerily familiar to what one of my nephews went through when he was joining up back in 2002. My nephew's recruiter said the Ranger contracts had been cancelled because they were full and they sent him to the MPs instead. I was in A-Stan at the time and wasn't informed of what had transpired until after the damage was done.

This college kid that worked with me is about my size (190, 6'-1"/2"), training in MMA and is fluent in Russian. He's a solid guy. If the 18X program is indeed at an end, that's going to suck. But if it isn't and his recruiter is playing shenanigans, I'd like to do what I can to help this young lad stay on the path he has chosen.
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Old 09-08-2020, 20:58   #2
Ambush Master
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Check here: https://goarmysof.com/specialforces/sfrecruiting.html

May have to circumvent whoever he's talking to. (I know nothing!)
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Old 09-19-2020, 03:55   #3
Scimitar
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I haven't been near the recruiting AO for a few years now, but...

I would be surprised if they're killing the 18x program.
The last numbers I saw showed that it was unlikely the regular Army could produce enough interested parties to continue to front fill the regiments increase in size, and 18x was pretty much going to remain a set fixture. YMMV.

However, this young lad's experience with recruiting was a common issue back then.
1) Either, the recruiter doesn't want to do the extra paperwork for 18x, or
2) On the recruiter's database they are not seeing an open 18x slot for quite some time, and the SOP is to fill a more urgent slot.

Either way, the fix is the same;
- This requires a bit of tact.
- Meet with the recruiter in person, WHILE the station commander is also in the shop.
- Advise the recruiter "Hey, a contact of a family friend said that there are 18x slot available and if you call The Rock they'll be able to open up a 18x slot, how about we grab the station commander and see what we can make happen!"
- Communicate politely and professionally, be contrite but firm.
- Also important to understand the narrative the young lads already told the recruiter, to make sure this new narrative gels.

If it's still a no-go, let me know via PM, there's a couple of other options available.

HTH

S
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Last edited by Scimitar; 09-19-2020 at 04:00.
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Old 09-19-2020, 10:26   #4
TOMAHAWK9521
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I checked with the training and readiness group at HQ/5/19 and they said it was news to them. And a colleague I served with for many years checked with the recruiters near him to see if the average army recruiter was putting out the same information and it was a very clear, “NO. The 18X program is still very much alive.”
I reached out to the kid in question and passed the information on to him. He has taken me up on the offer to accompany him to said recruiter to press his desire to join SF.

IMOO, unless one has been drafted or until they raise their hand, the needs of the army/quota of the recruiter are subordinate to the path or goals of the individual. That may be a jacked up way of looking at things but I don’t agree with the military dictating one’s desired career choice other than what they want prior to signing up, provided one possesses the prerequisites (GT Score, fitness, etc) to pursue that career.
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Old 09-20-2020, 09:44   #5
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Glad to hear you got what you needed.

Let me know if you get stuck.

S
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"Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men! Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for power equal to your tasks."
-- Phillip Brooks

"A man's reach should exceed his grasp"
-- Robert Browning

"Hooah! Pushing thru the shit til Daisies grow, Sir"
-- Me

"Malo mori quam foedari"
"Death before Dishonour"
-- Family Coat-of-Arms Maxim

"Mārohirohi! Kia Kaha!"
"Be strong! Drive-on!"
-- Māori saying
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Old 09-20-2020, 17:12   #6
miclo18d
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LOL! Good to see recruiters using the same old tricks they were using in 1988 when I joined up! And why is it always the MPs that are the “only thing open”?

I wanted a Ranger contract and when I went to MEPS to sign the dotted line, they used this on me. I politely told them that I would not be joining the Army that day and whaddya know, a Ranger 11X contract just popped up at that exact moment! Wow!
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