Lying To Get In...
By twoey68
@twoey68 (13627)
United States
September 28, 2008 8:54am CST
Most ppl that I’ve known that have signed up to enlist in the military do so in order to not only serve their country but to enjoy the benefits that come with it…great medical care, the pay, career training, schooling, not to mention lower costs in housing, shopping, groceries, daycare and a lot of other areas. For the most part, the ppl I know that have enlisted were single with no children…although many have gotten married since joining.
Although I didn’t know it, it seems that if you have a pregnant g/f and you know about it, the military won’t let you enlist…something about leaving the g/f as a single parent. So, does that mean you give up your dreams of joining the military or do you lie to them and hope you don’t get caught.
I know a guy that just finished his basic training in the Air Force, he enlisted knowing his g/f was pregnant at the time but lied about it in order to get in. Now that he’s finished basic training he’s told them that “Surprise” he just found out he’s a daddy. Should he be kicked out or should they just look the other way? Also her parents and his parents helped to keep it quiet so that he could still get in and eventually marry the girl, so should they be at fault too or in the least guilty of bad judgement for encouraging him to lie about it? Also what if they catch up with him, where does that leave all three of them…he would be dishonorably discharged b/c of lying and kicked out.
Have you ever lied to get into the military, a college, to get a job or to move into a place? Did your family know and help you? Would you encourage your child to lie in order to get what they want…so far as a job, into a college, the military or anything like that?
[b]**AT PEACE WITHIN**
~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~[/b]
5 people like this
20 responses
@carolbee (16230)
• United States
29 Sep 08
If this guy was planning to marry his girlfriend anyway, I see nothing wrong with it. Maybe there should be a stipulation that doesn't allow insurance coverage for a pregnant girlfriend and child and it should be the responsibility of the girl or her parents and the boyfriend's parents. I don't believe he should have lied to get into the military and I also believe he shouldn't be tossed out of the military. If this guy wants to serve our country, he should be allowed to do so unless he's a convicted felon or something of that nature. His personal life shouldn't have anything to do with the military. Don't think I am making myself very clear here.
I never lied when applying for a job, going to school and never encouraged our kids to do it either. Eventually it will bite someone in the rearend. Better to be honest and upfront. Our girls weren't in the military so don't know the laws or restrictions.
1 person likes this
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
29 Sep 08
HE might just get discharged.
and thren he will have to go out and get a job in the real world .
Why did nt he just marry the girl and be done with it before he went itn?
Nope never lied to get a job or anything. kids havent either that I know of.
1 person likes this
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
29 Sep 08
I didn't know people couldn't enlist if they had a pregnant girlfriend. What about those who lived together but not married that have kids together? Does the rules still apply? Well the guy is going to marry her and his girlfriend and others were behind his decision so I don't think they should boot him out. He was just truing to make a better life for himself and his soon to be family. No I wouldn't encourage them to lie to get what they want but he is working for a better life for his child. trying to step up to the plate.
1 person likes this
@teapotmommommerced (10359)
• United States
29 Sep 08
I have never head of such a thing. I know if someone lies to get into the military they will be dishonorably discharged but the military cannot do anything to the family for lying for the person.
1 person likes this
@sharra1 (6340)
• Australia
29 Sep 08
Interesting. Why did he not just marry her instead of lying about her being pregnant? As for lying to get into the military, not me I have never been a member but my mother lied about her age to join the air force during the second world war. This was in England. She was working in a job she hated and it was going to be declared a protected job which meant that anyone working there could not quit for the duration of the war so she added a year to her age to join up.
Apparently they did not require birth certificates in those days. That is how she met my father who was an Australian pilot and after the war she migrated as a war bride to get married.
@kenzie45230 (3560)
• United States
29 Sep 08
I think that if the government finds out he lied, he should be dishonorably discharged, yes. Lying is never right. I'm wondering about this so-called rule, though. They certainly let men and women with children serve the country. There are even some families where both parents are serving at the same time and the kids are left to stay with grandparents.
1 person likes this
@danishcanadian (28955)
• Canada
30 Sep 08
I definitely think the guy needs to be punished for lying. Rules are rules, and in this case, the rule makes an awful lot of sense. I agree about the polibility of leaving the g/f a single parent. Good for the Military for making this rule. i think they need to stick by it.
@winterose (39887)
• Canada
28 Sep 08
I don't know what to tell you, I don't know anyone in the military here in canada and I don't know what the rules are. The military will decide that for him I guess.
1 person likes this
@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
• United States
4 Oct 08
With the shortage of recruits they could amend that rule. There are many men who don't know they are to be a dad. I think it was great that both his parents and his future in-laws lied so he could pursue his dream. Now he can provide for his wife and child.
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
28 Sep 08
I never lied on any kind of application, but I do know a guy who lied about his age to get into the army, saying he was older than he really was. He served his four years and went on to have a normal life, but when he retired from work and tried to file for his social security entitlement, his records were nowhere to be found. It turned out that he had faked his age for the social security card and then used that as proof of his age for the military and then forgot all about it and used his real age to try to collect his benefits.
@beautyqueen26 (16030)
• United States
10 Oct 08
Lying is a big deal to the military.
Hope they don't find out the truth.
I'm wondering why he couldn't
have married her before going
into the military, but after
finding out about the baby.
What's the difference?
Unless he never really planned
to marry her.
Maybe that's a possibility.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
29 Sep 08
I lied once to get a job. I said I wasn't pregnant, even though I knew I was. Once I got the job I told them I'd just found out. They kept me on no problem, but I ended up quitting anyways because the work was too demanding.
Another time I applied for a job but really didn't know I was pregnant, or perhaps I wasn't pregnant yet. By the time I got my interview I found out I was pregnant and told her right up front. It wasn't an issue, but I still quit the job before the baby was born.
1 person likes this
@tamarafireheart (15384)
•
29 Sep 08
Hi twoey68,
The trouble with lies is that they can come back and bit you on your bottom when you least expected, tha is why I never lie it always get found out but this man was just so silly to do that but les hope they won't find out.
Tamara
1 person likes this
@sedel1027 (17846)
• Cupertino, California
28 Sep 08
I have never ever heard of that rule before and since I have no experience with the Air Force, I don't even know if that is true or some recruiter lied to him. Id do know that the Air Force is rather picky with who the let in and never seem to be worried about their enrollment numbers.
I know some branches if you are married and have a child they have to make special concessions for you to join or if you aren't married and have a child with someone there is special paper work that has to be filled out.
If they were worried about leaving "single parents" then why do they even let married men or women with kids or step kids join?
Plus, they let single parents join too which means they leave their kids behind every time they train!
I don't think folks should lie to get into the military. I mean great you get health care, but the pay is poo (sometimes not even enough to live on even with housing benefits), there are long hours and well it really isn't the best place for most families. Is it worth lying for, not in my book. There isn't too much that I would lie for though.
If he is caught, then yes, he should be kicked out. If he was worried about being honest, he wouldn't have signed his name to the papers and committed fraud.
What would they even charge the parents for? They weren't the ones that committed a federal offense.
Base on my experience with recruiters, even if he had told them, he would have been told to not reveal the information to anyone else.
@moondancer (7431)
• United States
28 Sep 08
I don't understand, why didn't they just get married to begin with. if that was the ultimate goal anyway. If it was that because she was pregnant and not married to begin with and it's the principle of the thing. Then it should be no problem that the means meets the end. As long as the couple and the baby are able to be together as a family in the end and they are able to have a decent life together.
The young man had the honorable thing in mind, he just had to go about it in a round about way.
As long as they can be a family unit and him still have a good job with the means to support the family i see no harm in it. It's not like he's getting rich off of what he's doing. ANd he's taking a chance getting kill in his choice of job.
I say good luck to him and his family and best wishes to them and their little one.
@tyc415 (5706)
• United States
28 Sep 08
I have never heard of this before and I find it very wrong. I guess each unmarried man needs to have his girlfriend come with him when he enlists so she can get a pregnancy test??? He should not be kicked out and they should not look the other way, their rules need to change for the days we live in now.
@Phelyne (129)
• United States
28 Sep 08
Personally, I think he should be allowed to stay in. He made sure she and the baby were taken care of. Besides, the recruiters lie too. I have a cousin, that got into the Waves, despite a height requirement. I'm not sure what it is, exactly, but, it's over 5 feet, and she's around 4 foot 8 inches. They really "stretched" the truth. lol
@CatsandDogs (13963)
• United States
28 Sep 08
The REAL issue with the military is this "If the military wanted you to have a wife, they'd have issued you one" because it's true. They don't want the men or women to be married when they first join but if they are then they have a harder chance of getting in. The same goes for kids however, once a person gets married, there's nothing they can do about it unless there's some domestic dispute or if the one who's in the military acts up and doesn't follow the rules then they can make them live in the barracks. I know this because I'm married to a retired service man of 27 years.
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
28 Sep 08
I don't think parents should be allowed to enlist, or if they do they should be given a safe desk job. The military is a great career but parents should not be sent to the fight.
