Hey guys, I’m leaving for BMT in february and had a question about AFSC’s. I originally was going into combat control. I passed the PAST test and was all set to go but failed the eye exam at the MEPS. I got a new pair of glasses and meet the requirements for vision, but the doctor at MEPS will not update my eye profile, and my recruiter tells me that it has to go through the USAF Surgeon General. Well, it doesnt look likely that i’ll get the CCT contract. So right now i’m thinking of how im going to go about getting into CCT. I know that retraining is the best bet and is only a 36 month wait ( i enlisted for 6 years so that may not be the correct time frame) and I am definitley getting on the PRK waiting list. But my question is, is there a way that during BMT I can voice my desire to be a combat control to TI’s or someone that will help me get a waiver or exception to policy? Also if my CCT dream does not come true. How do i get into possibly Security Forces Pheonex Raven, or how do i become a CATM(combat arms training and maintenence)?
Thanks in advanced guys.
If you’re committed to combat-oriented MOSs, why the HELL are you joining the air force?
Because no matter where the conflict, Air force Combat Controller will be the first boots on the ground. They are the people that no one hears about because the nature of their mission is secret. They are the ones that often times save the asses of the green berets or SEAL’s when shit goes nuts.
You will be a low ranking new enlisted man. You will have no say and “they” won’t want to be bothered with you changing your MOS. If that was your contract in my opinion you should hold them to it. CCT or no go. Your first enlistment does not give you any say in your career plans once you are in.
That being said if you can hook up with the CCT school, or a senior enlisted CCT, they will help you. If your vision does not meet the minimum requirement then the CCT guys will not help you.
CCT regulations may not allow eye surgery, have you checked on that?
Good luck.
PS Why didn’'t you join the Marine Corps? Airforce? Stay home and play electronics games. Sheesh an Airdale, whats the world coming to.
Tipy
Please re-think your plan.
I did 21 years in the USAF Security Police, what is now called
Security Forces.
The USAF will put you where they need you, not where you want to
be. All branches of the service are the same way.
CCT Teams make up only a small fraction of the total jobs in the USAF
and it’s very hard to get one of those (very few) jobs.
Security Forces is a lot easier because there are so many of them.
But, SFs are NOT a combat related career field in any way imaginable.
The Army/Marines offer a greater chance of getting the type of job you want,
simply because they are more combat oriented.
If you’re joining the USAF for a specific job, then you’re probably
going to be very disappionted.
For the eye surgery, Lasik is not allowed but PRK is waiverable after 1 year
but my eyes do meet the requirements now. I have talked to a CCT recruiter but he said theres nothing more he can do at the moment than get the updated eye profile to the surgeon general (which im still hoping he gets in time)
But in the air force after 36 months you are able to apply to train into a different job. so if i dont get my cct contract now, after 36 months from the day i graduate tech school for another job i can apply for crosstraining.
And for the reasons i didnt join marines, I just personally dont like the idea of being a marine. No offense to you, but all the marines i have met… have been rather cocky and a bunch of assholes. The whole “im a marine and your not so ur a pussy” attitude kinda pisses me off. Im not saying all marines are like that but iv met far to many of those to ever want to be a marine.
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If they offered you CCT and it’s on your contract already then do not sign the contract if they want to change it. Remember, recruiters are looking to meet quotas. I’m AD AF (7 1/2 yrs in) and at MEPS, they wanted to give me a different job besides the one already listed on my contract. They said that I didn’t qualify for the job because my ASVAB scores weren’t high enough. I told them no and that I will retake the ASVAB if I had too. The guy called the head recruiter and they told him to give it to me.
You need to call your recruiter and have him find the information for you and have it and the job written in your contract. Don’t believe anything they tell you unless it’s in the contract. Same goes if they offered you a bonus. If it doesn’t work out and you want combat then I have to agree and I’d tell you to join the Army/Marines.
You should have a job in writing before reporting to Basic training?
That will be your job in the USAF for the next six years.
Make sure it’s what you want.
Are you in the Delayed Enlistment Program?
You do know you don’t have to join, don’t you?
The DEP Program is not legally binding.
Re-training at 36 months Time In Service is extremely hard to do.
There must be an overage in your present job and a shortage in
the new job you want. It’s not automatic by any means.
CCT jobs are in great demand by people already in the USAF.
Who do you think the AF will send to CCT school? You or someone
who’s been in 4 or 5 years.
The USAF has all the recruits it can handle, so the chance of getting
an exception or waiver is slim and none.
Nobody in BMT can help you, unless there is a severe shortage of
CCT members, which there’s not.
As mentioned if you don’t have it in writing, it doesn’t exist.
Yeah I understand that, but currently the AF is starving for more Special tactics personnel. I have already past the required fitness test and the only thing holding me back is that I missed 1 letter at MEPS for the 20/20 with my 4 year old glasses prescription. Its all fixed now and the doctor at MEPS could have saved me the all the hassle and just replace my old eye profile with my new glasses but she did not. So its off to the surgeon general. If it does not make it through I will be going SF. And one of the factors in crosstraining are the number of ppl in the AFSC your in and the AFSC you want. That being said… there are THOUSANDS of SF and only a few hundred CCT’s. So crosstraining into it should be do-able.
I’m not in it for the combat, I’m in it for the job and nothing else. No other branch has a job like CCT so thats why I joined the AF.
I didnt get the contract for CCT because of my eyes at MEPS. I have to wait to see if the surgeon general gives me the ok or not. Iv talked to a few recruiters now and they all tell me the same thing.
You’ve got it backwards!
The fewer the jobs (CCT), the harder it is to get one of them because of supply
and demand.
The bigger the career field (SF), the easier it is to get in because more are
needed.
My experience in 21 years in SP’s was that there was always a shortage
of SPs and not enough CCTs so crosstraining was out of the question.
Your recruiter should explain all this to you.
Keep digging for the information. Call Randolph AFB (since they handle all personnel issues) and try calling Wilford Hall (Hospital) at Lackland AFB. Someone has to help you. Crosstraining is do-able but what you don’t know is that you have to finish your training first for the job you signed up for. You will have to go to Technical School. Then you will have to learn your job (upgrade training), pass your Course Development Test (after you’ve read all volumes). It will take you at least 1 1/2 - 2 yrs to complete. Then you have to fill out all paperwork to crosstrain and hopefully get accepted. God forbid you get a shitty supervisor and he rates you anything less than a firewall 5 on your Enlisted Performance Report (EPR).
Well Said!!!
I hope he makes it.
As a Supervisor myself, I want to make sure you don’t get screwed. Just make sure that when you sign that contract, it has everything the recruiter promised you.
Thanks for the advice to call those places. I’ll get on that monday.
roger
Please do that. I had hell of a time trying to get my PRP status back because someone at Lackland AFB screwed up. Got it back but it was a lot of running around. I was trying to apply for a pilot slot and ended up screwing up the AFOQT test. But hey, I got a 94 on pilot and still have a Class 1 medical. But I still can’t apply because of my AFOQT score.
Anywhere or anybody specific at Randolph AFB & Wilford Hall that need to be contacted?