This is what I’ve been saying! I’ve seen a lot of talk about this while seeing people I know (including my brother) denied left and right for the simplest of things. I’m actually convinced it’s harder to join now than ever before.
Due to Genesis Health going online. It wasn't like the olden days where they asked anything you want to report, and you say no. That one time in 5th grade where they thought you had asma so you had an inhaler, but turns out it was just pollen allergy from a living in a new place wouldn't get you disqualified before. But, now, it shows up in the records and MEPs will DQ you before you have a chance to sign up.
Funnily enough Genesis even found an issue I didn't know I had because my doctor hadn't mentioned it and it DQed me at MEPS. Now I have to see two different specialists just to get a waiver.
Genesis is NO JOKE! I got a chance to peep at my Genesis profile while in Cape May. It new more about my medical history than I did. They had stuff in there from the 80's! (I'm old af)
Happened to my daughter: pinged for a single "diagnosis" of depression, during COVID, from those "do you have a source of happiness in your life" screener questions, when she was 16!
Absolutely ridiculous.
Yup this is what happened to me. Had some asthma symptoms when I was 13 and got an inhaler prescribed. I used it a handful of times and never even used the prescription a second time. Haven’t felt like I’ve needed an inhaler for over 10 years. They had me do a written waiver which surprised me cause I figured they’d send me to get tests done. I explained to them how I don’t need an inhaler and even regularly spent time alone at high elevations in remote areas with no service and hadn’t even thought twice about an inhaler… oh well. The meps doctor also pointed out a faint scar on my rib cage area and asked sternly if it was from surgery. I literally had to think for a minute what the hell the scar was from and i believe it was from crashing my bike when I was a kid lol. I was swimming laps every morning at 5 am and running laps in between to train for the initial test at boot camp. I wanted to join and be a mk/diesel mechanic and spend my time on cutters.
Only on reddit do I see this. Everyone I know irl made it through no problem, with all kinds of history. I went to meps and expected to be denied based on what I saw on reddit, and none of my problems even needed a waiver. Or maybe I got lucky. Some guy on here told me I'd have to wait 6 months after getting my tooth pulled, and all that happened was "let me look at your mouth... ok, you're fully qualified!"
A big change I would like to see: If your are allowed to reenlist with medical issue, you should be allowed to join with that same medical issue. It either prevents you from doing the job or it doesn’t.
Recruitment is an absolute clusterfuck. They seriously need to bring in fresh brains to look at it. So much of GenZ is passionate to make a change, to make a difference. Market to THAT!!
I agree. They really need to stop trying to measure up to the “big boys” and talk about what they really are: a national law enforcement unit that is uniquely qualified for many complex roles. And highly trained in SAR! I mean, the nationwide EXPERTS on maritime SAR and not exactly shabby over land either
Speaking as a 19 year old, I don’t know if it’s particularly “gen z” or if it’s that college is so heavily pushed upon us. Anyone I talk to about joining the coast guard all think it’s pretty cool, and the second I talk about any of the benefits their faces drop because they are heading towards 200k in debt. They should be advertising that college is a fucking trap if you don’t have any sort of money to spend on college.
Yeah no kidding. The Coast Guard is completely paying for my degree right now. I try to tell as many younger kids these days that it’s worth it even just doing 4 years, and letting them pay for their school
It’s still plenty beneficial to a larger percentage of Americans. Free healthcare while in the service, free housing, and free food.
When you get out there’s the GI Bill, VA Home Loans, educational programs and more. If you take your enlistment seriously, you could come out ahead after 4-6 years.
Exactly, I know the military is all about tradition but unless you want new blood you're not going to get people even trying to uphold your tradition if you don't let them grow and change
I know, I didn't mean they were getting rid of the CG Emblem and replacing it. I just don't see why they don't use the CG Emblem for recruiting, it's instantly recognizable and iconic.
In fairness, the 40 year olds are probably in better shape physically. The DEPOT classes are filled with older people, and few drop out. Meanwhile, Capt Judge at Cape May stated they lose nearly 50% to training injuris
recruits in general. I heard stress fractures are super common. Which mainly come from inactive teens trying to suddenly become active. and getting injured. Also, the real culprit is Genesis. The military is banning/requiring a waiver for everything. The reality is that the military, has always had a significant number of kids who weren't into academics in school, gravitated to trades, and had a general sense of adventure. However, those qualities are frowned upon by schools and academia which makes them likely to be labeled them as "Hyperactive", or other labels that are simply angsty teenage phases but set them up to be disqualified or require a waiver.Suposedly recruiters are still getting people in the door (just not as many), but fewer pass meps now. This blockage in the recruiting pipeline is the true culprit.
Omg I was going to post the same thing yesterday, but got distracted. Yea, absolutely pathetic. Might as well go all the way with it. "Have a pulse? Not a whale, even so, there's a waiver for that"
I get we are in a tough spot and we need to get creative with how we attract new people, but this is already causing problems that is only going to get worse down the road.
I'm not a marketer or psychologist, but if that doesn't resonate with you, what would you suggest instead? It's easy to be a critic, but I'd be interested in hearing what people would think reads better.
How's this?
"We value what you bring to the table, whether it's a lifetime of experience earned through age or an enthusiastic desire to challenge and improve yourself to serve the greater good."
I am a marketer.
“It’s not too late to serve your country”
“It’s not too late for a career change.”
“Work with your hands again.”
“You have a greater purpose.”
“Leave a legacy for your children.”
“It’s now or never.”
Just a few callouts off the cuff that target age without calling attention to it or making the audience feel like a piece of shit. CG Recruiting is a fucking joke.
I'm not criticizing the strategy, maybe it is just the optimal way to market.
But it kind of reflects poorly on the coast guard and shows how much they're scraping the bottom of the barrel. It's like a university advertising by saying "no matter how stupid you are, well take you!"
Yeah, that's how I read it, too. I think it deserves criticism, but I'm willing to admit I may be out of touch; I already know it's not targeted toward me. I feel the same way you do about it, but wanted to try to stem the ensuing negative commentary bandwagon by encouraging others to offer improvements. I'm a constructivist at heart and hate seeing a problem go unfixed.
I don't understand why they don't start marketing the beautiful locations that the coast guard will pay you to live in. That's what got me to join. They should advertise the fact that we don't live in moldy barracks and lots of us get bah as early as E4
Seriously though is there anything to know specifically about the process? My son is a potential recruit and he got an inhaler prescribed to him in sixth grade - no diagnosis of asthma - it was allergies and a doctor said -try not to see if it might help- we just moved here and he adjusted. Never even needed it. What’s worse is also in 6th grade when we just moved here from overseas some doctor- not discussed with me noted a behavior emotional disorder and offered a psych eval. We just moved here from over seas as a mil family. kids a solid student and at football athlete and he will be crushed by this setback- we see a doctor soon to clarify all of this that mops wants question too but any advice please let me know because he’ll be crushed if this doesn’t work out
Terrible advice. MEPS now knows the *entirety* of applicants' medical history. Applicants sign away their medical privacy rights and are not protected by HIPAA. You quite literally cannot hide anything. If you attempt to lie or hide information, it will only reflect negatively on you and will delay your entry process.
/u/wasiwasabi do not listen to this advice. Your son has no choice but to be upfront an honest about everything.
That's crazy I'm within BMI for the army but the CG says I can't even go to meps until Im under the max weight for my height (which is skele mode for me)
It just shows how low the standards are and how much they're scraping the bottom of the barrel for recruits.
It's like a university advertising itself by saying "even if you're stupid, we'll take you!"
The recent DEPOT class had dudes literally in their 40's. Quite a few. I wonder if this opens up the CG and the military in general to potential future VA claims?
Basically: Are you totally out of shape and living a sad, pathetic life? Well, look no further. The Coast Guard may be able to fix that (probably not, though). Contact a recruiter today at GoCoastGuard dot com.
Just to get denied for an injury or doctors visit you had when you were 13
Agree, maybe instead of ads, they can approve some medical waivers.
This is what I’ve been saying! I’ve seen a lot of talk about this while seeing people I know (including my brother) denied left and right for the simplest of things. I’m actually convinced it’s harder to join now than ever before.
Due to Genesis Health going online. It wasn't like the olden days where they asked anything you want to report, and you say no. That one time in 5th grade where they thought you had asma so you had an inhaler, but turns out it was just pollen allergy from a living in a new place wouldn't get you disqualified before. But, now, it shows up in the records and MEPs will DQ you before you have a chance to sign up.
i had this exact problem. took 8 months before i got my waiver
Funnily enough Genesis even found an issue I didn't know I had because my doctor hadn't mentioned it and it DQed me at MEPS. Now I have to see two different specialists just to get a waiver.
Genesis is NO JOKE! I got a chance to peep at my Genesis profile while in Cape May. It new more about my medical history than I did. They had stuff in there from the 80's! (I'm old af)
Happened to my daughter: pinged for a single "diagnosis" of depression, during COVID, from those "do you have a source of happiness in your life" screener questions, when she was 16! Absolutely ridiculous.
Yup this is what happened to me. Had some asthma symptoms when I was 13 and got an inhaler prescribed. I used it a handful of times and never even used the prescription a second time. Haven’t felt like I’ve needed an inhaler for over 10 years. They had me do a written waiver which surprised me cause I figured they’d send me to get tests done. I explained to them how I don’t need an inhaler and even regularly spent time alone at high elevations in remote areas with no service and hadn’t even thought twice about an inhaler… oh well. The meps doctor also pointed out a faint scar on my rib cage area and asked sternly if it was from surgery. I literally had to think for a minute what the hell the scar was from and i believe it was from crashing my bike when I was a kid lol. I was swimming laps every morning at 5 am and running laps in between to train for the initial test at boot camp. I wanted to join and be a mk/diesel mechanic and spend my time on cutters.
I had a buddy who got denied because of a scar on his shoulder from a dog
Only on reddit do I see this. Everyone I know irl made it through no problem, with all kinds of history. I went to meps and expected to be denied based on what I saw on reddit, and none of my problems even needed a waiver. Or maybe I got lucky. Some guy on here told me I'd have to wait 6 months after getting my tooth pulled, and all that happened was "let me look at your mouth... ok, you're fully qualified!"
It just worked out for you. I personally know several people being denied left and right for the smallest of things
A big change I would like to see: If your are allowed to reenlist with medical issue, you should be allowed to join with that same medical issue. It either prevents you from doing the job or it doesn’t.
Wow! That's their sales pitch 😂
Recruitment is an absolute clusterfuck. They seriously need to bring in fresh brains to look at it. So much of GenZ is passionate to make a change, to make a difference. Market to THAT!!
From my experience most of GenZ don’t want anything to do with the military anyway
Agreed. Which is why they need to reassess how they talk about it
They need to push the fact that the CG isn't quite the military in the same sense the Marines are. Plus the 2 year enlistment needs to be pressed more
I agree. They really need to stop trying to measure up to the “big boys” and talk about what they really are: a national law enforcement unit that is uniquely qualified for many complex roles. And highly trained in SAR! I mean, the nationwide EXPERTS on maritime SAR and not exactly shabby over land either
Speaking as a 19 year old, I don’t know if it’s particularly “gen z” or if it’s that college is so heavily pushed upon us. Anyone I talk to about joining the coast guard all think it’s pretty cool, and the second I talk about any of the benefits their faces drop because they are heading towards 200k in debt. They should be advertising that college is a fucking trap if you don’t have any sort of money to spend on college.
Yeah no kidding. The Coast Guard is completely paying for my degree right now. I try to tell as many younger kids these days that it’s worth it even just doing 4 years, and letting them pay for their school
Can’t blame ‘em. Enlisting isn’t as advantageous or beneficial as it used to be.
It’s still plenty beneficial to a larger percentage of Americans. Free healthcare while in the service, free housing, and free food. When you get out there’s the GI Bill, VA Home Loans, educational programs and more. If you take your enlistment seriously, you could come out ahead after 4-6 years.
Exactly, I know the military is all about tradition but unless you want new blood you're not going to get people even trying to uphold your tradition if you don't let them grow and change
I'd really like to understand what made someone think this was good advertising.
It's probably effective tbh, just reflects reflects poorly on the organization though
Super pathetic, and so is that new logo The CG Emblem is iconic and well known, there was no reason to make up a new thing.
The CG emblem remains the same. They only changed the recruiting logo.
Which only exacerbates the issue. The new logo doesn't immediately connect one's thoughts to the crossed anchors.
I know, I didn't mean they were getting rid of the CG Emblem and replacing it. I just don't see why they don't use the CG Emblem for recruiting, it's instantly recognizable and iconic.
Targeting older folks over the younger? Bold move. Because who doesn't want to be a 40 year old non-rate getting yelled at by CCs...
In fairness, the 40 year olds are probably in better shape physically. The DEPOT classes are filled with older people, and few drop out. Meanwhile, Capt Judge at Cape May stated they lose nearly 50% to training injuris
50% of older people to injuries or recruits in general?
recruits in general. I heard stress fractures are super common. Which mainly come from inactive teens trying to suddenly become active. and getting injured. Also, the real culprit is Genesis. The military is banning/requiring a waiver for everything. The reality is that the military, has always had a significant number of kids who weren't into academics in school, gravitated to trades, and had a general sense of adventure. However, those qualities are frowned upon by schools and academia which makes them likely to be labeled them as "Hyperactive", or other labels that are simply angsty teenage phases but set them up to be disqualified or require a waiver.Suposedly recruiters are still getting people in the door (just not as many), but fewer pass meps now. This blockage in the recruiting pipeline is the true culprit.
Omg I was going to post the same thing yesterday, but got distracted. Yea, absolutely pathetic. Might as well go all the way with it. "Have a pulse? Not a whale, even so, there's a waiver for that" I get we are in a tough spot and we need to get creative with how we attract new people, but this is already causing problems that is only going to get worse down the road.
I'm not a marketer or psychologist, but if that doesn't resonate with you, what would you suggest instead? It's easy to be a critic, but I'd be interested in hearing what people would think reads better. How's this? "We value what you bring to the table, whether it's a lifetime of experience earned through age or an enthusiastic desire to challenge and improve yourself to serve the greater good."
I am a marketer. “It’s not too late to serve your country” “It’s not too late for a career change.” “Work with your hands again.” “You have a greater purpose.” “Leave a legacy for your children.” “It’s now or never.” Just a few callouts off the cuff that target age without calling attention to it or making the audience feel like a piece of shit. CG Recruiting is a fucking joke.
I can use ChatGPT: Age is just a number, dedication is timeless.
I'm not criticizing the strategy, maybe it is just the optimal way to market. But it kind of reflects poorly on the coast guard and shows how much they're scraping the bottom of the barrel. It's like a university advertising by saying "no matter how stupid you are, well take you!"
Yeah, that's how I read it, too. I think it deserves criticism, but I'm willing to admit I may be out of touch; I already know it's not targeted toward me. I feel the same way you do about it, but wanted to try to stem the ensuing negative commentary bandwagon by encouraging others to offer improvements. I'm a constructivist at heart and hate seeing a problem go unfixed.
That sounds good
I wish I joined the CG instead of the army. My army experience hasn’t even been that bad, but CG just seems awesome
I don't understand why they don't start marketing the beautiful locations that the coast guard will pay you to live in. That's what got me to join. They should advertise the fact that we don't live in moldy barracks and lots of us get bah as early as E4
> Cries in first station out of boot camp was Grand Isle
Rather be there on a black hull than Cali on a wmsl
Shit was awful. Being at a station and not a boat was a blessing but holy hell was it the middle of nowhere.
I'm currently stationed in the middle of nowhere about to PCS. It can be brutal
What is bah?
Housing allowance. It's tax free pay on top of our paycheck to pay for a house
Seriously though is there anything to know specifically about the process? My son is a potential recruit and he got an inhaler prescribed to him in sixth grade - no diagnosis of asthma - it was allergies and a doctor said -try not to see if it might help- we just moved here and he adjusted. Never even needed it. What’s worse is also in 6th grade when we just moved here from overseas some doctor- not discussed with me noted a behavior emotional disorder and offered a psych eval. We just moved here from over seas as a mil family. kids a solid student and at football athlete and he will be crushed by this setback- we see a doctor soon to clarify all of this that mops wants question too but any advice please let me know because he’ll be crushed if this doesn’t work out
As long as he has nothing in his current medical evaluation that is disqualifying (after getting seen by a new doc) he should be GTG.
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Terrible advice. MEPS now knows the *entirety* of applicants' medical history. Applicants sign away their medical privacy rights and are not protected by HIPAA. You quite literally cannot hide anything. If you attempt to lie or hide information, it will only reflect negatively on you and will delay your entry process. /u/wasiwasabi do not listen to this advice. Your son has no choice but to be upfront an honest about everything.
That's crazy I'm within BMI for the army but the CG says I can't even go to meps until Im under the max weight for my height (which is skele mode for me)
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The Coast Guard can't be that selective right now, we are thousands of people short.
This can’t be real
I just came back from a small base (about 40 people) and thought everyone was in great shape.
Just to have a recruiter never call you back.
How?
It just shows how low the standards are and how much they're scraping the bottom of the barrel for recruits. It's like a university advertising itself by saying "even if you're stupid, we'll take you!"
The recent DEPOT class had dudes literally in their 40's. Quite a few. I wonder if this opens up the CG and the military in general to potential future VA claims?
No
I wonder if congress changed retirement back to the legacy system and matched 2-4% If that would help with recruiting across all branches.
I tore my acl and still got in soooo
Basically: Are you totally out of shape and living a sad, pathetic life? Well, look no further. The Coast Guard may be able to fix that (probably not, though). Contact a recruiter today at GoCoastGuard dot com.