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First of all, we don't have cooks in the Air Force, so someone is not telling you the full story. That's not even a job choice at all.
Did she take her original naturalization certificate to BMT? Maybe there is a question as to her documents if she is only being offered non-citizen jobs.
The contracts state that if you are not qualified, the Air Force will reclassify you. There may be some issue she isn't fully explaining, but my best guess is that something went wrong in her security clearance interviews, or the interviews they did with her friends and family. Could be as simple as a sibling telling a clearance investigator she had a Pakistani flag in her room as decor while growing up...
It was a Dietitian, I just related to Army lango. It's probably not the same, I apologize.
It could be a number of things, I'm not sure either. But she seems very demotivated and she can't pick any jobs that she wants besides the 10 she chose. I came here for answers, but there are questions I have for myself. I can only pray that she makes the right decision, I only gave her my opinion. Which is not take any job you don't want to do. It's her life and choices afterall and Ill support her no matter what.
Edit: I just got a letter from her today. This is what is says. "We don't want to give you a top secret clearance because she is from pakistan" "people in pakistan don't like the U.S so me and my boss decided that you most likely won't get cleared because you have family that you will keep in touch with from there". It sounds to me that it is up to them. Like they are stopping it before they can finish/start the investigation.
I'm very sorry this happened. The Air Force person making the decision is probably trying to save $100K in tax payer money by not starting to train her or spend money on a clearance they feel strongly won't go through. As I said, being from Pakistan should not stop her from getting a clearance by itself, but it does sound like she still has family there based on your above post. I would guess it is highly unlikely she could get a clearance because of that. Pakistan is a country that is involved in terrorism and it's not exactly a coalition country as far as the US is involved. If she really does still have family there, we would never let her work on any intel that involves Pakistan.
Imagine this, her original job, a Signals Analyst, they produce reports using intelligence, and those reports are used for combat. The information produced by signals analysts determines where and who we kill, bomb, and destroy. What if she figured out an enemy of America was living in the same building as her aunt? She'd have to decide to alter her report to save her aunt's life, or to provide a report that would lead to the death of her aunt. You see the conflict?
What if she discovered her brother was selling radios to a terrorist cell in Pakistan? She would need to provide that information to US combat troops so that the communications supplier could be stopped, thereby hindering the terrorist activity... but it's a family member... what does she do?
I know these examples seem far fetched, but they are the type of thing that gets considered before a clearance is given.
What if she posts on facebook that she just got a job as a signals analyst in the USAF? Believe it or not, terrorists have very sophisticated online presence. Maybe she is friends with her cousin in Pakistan, on facebook, and a terrorist sympathizer is also friends with her cousin, and thereby sees that your wife is an American intelligence operator? That could DIRECTLY lead to her innocent family members being kidnapped so that your wife can be blackmailed into providing intel to the terrorists, or to providing false info to American forces.
These things are not outside of the realm of possibilities, and they are why we don't issues TS clearances to people with family members in Pakistan.
What if she decided to visit her family, and someone found out she had access to TS US military information used to target terrorists? She would be in grave danger of being kidnapped, tortured, and forced to give up information.
It sounds like the movies, but the type of information she would have had access to as a signals analyst is directly responsible for how we conduct warfare, covert operations, and how we keep American troops and civilians in Embassies and such, safe.
I know this doesn't change the fact that she is unhappy with her job choices, but what I'm hoping is that it will help you understand, and maybe understanding will take out some of the sting. The Air Force is not being mean. They have to protect the integrity of our Nation's Defense.
It was a Dietitian, I just related to Army lango. It's probably not the same, I apologize.
It could be a number of things, I'm not sure either. But she seems very demotivated and she can't pick any jobs that she wants besides the 10 she chose. I came here for answers, but there are questions I have for myself. I can only pray that she makes the right decision, I only gave her my opinion. Which is not take any job you don't want to do. It's her life and choices afterall and Ill support her no matter what.
Edit: I just got a letter from her today. This is what is says. "We don't want to give you a top secret clearance because she is from pakistan" "people in pakistan don't like the U.S so me and my boss decided that you most likely won't get cleared because you have family that you will keep in touch with from there". It sounds to me that it is up to them. Like they are stopping it before they can finish/start the investigation.
I am not calling your wife a liar but you are only hearing one side of this.
Is it possible that she is having second guesses of joining during/after basic?
It sucks that she won't get the job she wants, but it doesn't have to be the end of the world. I would have to ask this question, and be very truthful with the answer. What career path does she want if she drops out of the Air Force with a less than honorable discharge. That discharge can really hurt her in the future. Their are worse things than sticking it out. She might even like the job she is offered.
My uncle was going to be drafted during Vietnam. He decided to enlist in the U.S. Navy because he didn't want to be involved in ground combat. The only job they had available was as a Mess Specialist (cook). He hated cooking, but it was that, or risk being infantry after being drafted. He wound up loving the job and spent the next 12 years in the Navy. He then went to culinary school, and spent decades as a chef on cruise ships.
My daughter made a list of 13 jobs based off her pre-test scores. When she went to MEPS for the DEP program, she failed the depth perception test, so that removed 3 of the jobs on her list. She also scored a few points lower on her ASVAB than she did on her pre-test, and 3 of the jobs were apparently right on the high side of the scores because she lost 3 from that. She was told she HAD to put down 9 jobs from the new list she was given from her ASVAB scores. She put down the 7 jobs she still had on her original list and then had to choose 2 more. They really rushed her and did not let her research the jobs. There were jobs on there that were not on her pre-test list because her electronics score went way up frpom her pre-test (her general score dropped but her eletronics went up). They told her to put Client Systems, that it was a great computer job so she did. The other they said to put was vehicle operations. That night she researched client systems and really regretted putting it down. She called her recruiter immediately and asked if it could be removed and if she could put something else. She was told no, but not to worry because it was the 9th on her list and she would likely get something in her top 5. Long story short, she got a call yesterday that she booked a job in client systems. She doesnt want it. Has no interest in it. She told the recruiter she would rather wait for something else or go in under an open aptitude. The recruiter wont let her. Says she has no choice now. (She has not signed anything with this job on it yet) The recruiter says if she doesnt take the job she will be discharged from DEP and will never be able to get into the AF in the future. I dont understand this because I have read many times that people declined a job and was willing to wait for one they wanted. Why is that not an option for her?
It was a Dietitian, I just related to Army lango. It's probably not the same, I apologize.
It could be a number of things, I'm not sure either. But she seems very demotivated and she can't pick any jobs that she wants besides the 10 she chose. I came here for answers, but there are questions I have for myself. I can only pray that she makes the right decision, I only gave her my opinion. Which is not take any job you don't want to do. It's her life and choices afterall and Ill support her no matter what.
Edit: I just got a letter from her today. This is what is says. "We don't want to give you a top secret clearance because she is from pakistan" "people in pakistan don't like the U.S so me and my boss decided that you most likely won't get cleared because you have family that you will keep in touch with from there". It sounds to me that it is up to them. Like they are stopping it before they can finish/start the investigation.
(3rd paragraph)
I highly doubt anyone involved in checking out security clearances would use such poor English......"so me and my boss decided "
It sucks that she won't get the job she wants, but it doesn't have to be the end of the world. I would have to ask this question, and be very truthful with the answer. What career path does she want if she drops out of the Air Force with a less than honorable discharge. That discharge can really hurt her in the future. Their are worse things than sticking it out. She might even like the job she is offered.
My uncle was going to be drafted during Vietnam. He decided to enlist in the U.S. Navy because he didn't want to be involved in ground combat. The only job they had available was as a Mess Specialist (cook). He hated cooking, but it was that, or risk being infantry after being drafted. He wound up loving the job and spent the next 12 years in the Navy. He then went to culinary school, and spent decades as a chef on cruise ships.
I worked with a Vietnam vet who joined the US Navy to avoid combat but ended up in the USMC and saw a ton of combat.
He said at one point ( maybe boot camp - heard the story 25 years ago ) everyone was lined up in the middle of the night. They brought in a lot of security and some officer went walking down the rows of men calling out ' One, two, three, four - Marine Corp ' and the fourth man was now in the Marines.
My old friend said they practically had a riot on their hands - no one wanted to end up in the Marine Corp and see combat.
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