I have been doing some research for some time now, and decided upon 97E not only just because its something I'm interested in doing in the Army but for life/career after the Army reasons. Also I think the face of war is changing and mass ground wars are almost all but over. So I feel I may help more in this area not only for the army but after.

I understand that you no longer are required to be fluent in a specific language any longer. I have been playing around with Russian for a little bit but by no means am I fluent in it.

So If/when I choose to go to DLI for Russian lets say when exactly is the time I would go hypothetically. After I finish MOS training for 97E?

Also I know a security clearance of SECRET is required I have some previous police run ins, I was roughly 13 at the time, Currently 21. I understand that they look at the time / age the events occurred on a bases of maturity. I was first arrested with someone who was carrying a gun (going to shoot it in the woods), then second was for being with people stealing out of cars. "friends" that I no longer associate with of course. Also no "jail" time was involved in this. Court date probation type of thing.

I do not have any thing from then till now besides the talking on cell while driving / speeding stuff. Would you think this would be a problem? Everything was expunged but I do believe the government can still look the stuff up.

I have good credit rating for my age I think also. I read they look into that also for security clearance.

Also I read that reference letters could help also with this. My step father was graduate of West Point and went on to be a Ranger in the Army would this qualify as a "good" reference?

I tried googling this but did not come up with much. But as far as bills go once shipped to boot camp what has everyone done? Housing / rent is not a concern as things will be shipped back to parents house. But what about Car? I currently have USAA for car insurance do they have "hold" option or something that can be done or just cancel insurance until get back? Also cell phone, can the same be done? What have you guys done in this area? I'm sure nothing about car payments can be done as far as putting them on hold... or am I wrong?

For those that have taken the DLAB I know that there is nothing that can "truly" be studied to study for the test. But I've heard people say several times that basic English grammar is good to refresh your self on. Has anyone read an actual book for this (any recommendations) or just study what ever get your hands on? I think the fact that truly not knowing what its about makes you more nervous then should be but better to be prepared...

Ive been studying for the ASVAB so I'm good there and know what sub-tests make up the tests for 97E (ST).. so I know what areas to study more then the others.

Any other info you may think I need please let me know. Thanks a lot!

The MOS you refer to as 97e is now known as 35M.
Language is not a requirement until you become an NCO. You almost never get to pick your language, although your DLAB score supposedly plays into language selection somehow.
I cant speak about your ability to gain a clearance, however I urge you to be as honest and as complete as possible. The concern about your past activities isnt necessarilly because they are trying to Disqualify you, its because if you are hiding anything you are at risk for blackmail. I worked with a soldier a few years ago who did 6 months in the county jail for assault and he still got a Secret clearance. Ive also heard some RUMINT that a TS clearance is required now for 35M.
as for your finances, I personnaly recommend that you have a trusted family member take over the responsiblity for them while you are in Basic (thats what I did) or you could have the companies take the money right out of your bank account (especially with something like car payments)
My personal opinion is that you cannot study for the DLAB, you either get it or you dont. Just my opinion though.
I dont think you can use your stepfather as a reference. I doubt the clearance investigators would take anything he says very seriously anyways (not meant as a an insult, but he is too close of a relative to offer an unbiased opinion about you) However, I would recommend putting your parents friends who know you as references, because they may know you, but they probably dont know about anything really crazy that youve done, and they probably wont lead the investigators to any of your associates who you would prefer the investigators not talk to.
again, these are just my opinions. take them for what they are worth.
35M is a great job, that i think most people would enjoy, you get to do some pretty cool stuff that most people in the Army dont get to do.

The questions about language and DLI are not really relevant... Like JC said this won't be a concern of yours until you make NCO and even then it isn't a requirement until you are looking at E7 I think now.... So don't worry abou that...

As far as finances are concerned, call USAA and ask them about the hold... this is thype of thing they were created to deal with. Just a note on the cell phone issue... I have horror stories about my cell service putting my contract on "hold"... the rep I talked too failed to tell me that it was only a 90 day hold and then when that hold expired they started billing me again except the send the bills to the original address I had on the account... about 3 moves previous to where my mail was being forwarded too... Just a heads up to make sure they have all the info correct and also be aware that in Ft. Huachuca there are certain providers that don't have coverage which would mean roaming charges possibly.

As for the clearance... BE HONEST!!! Also make a list of about 10-15 people you know well that you have lived with, worked with, known well, only about 1 or 2 of these people should be relatives... After you have this list get current addresses and phone numbers for all of them... this will help immeasurably when you go to do your security interview...

What you have doen in the past is not as much a concern as how you live your life now and the people you assocaite with... Red flags are obvious things like drug use, criminal behavior, etc... but other things that can cause concerns are drinking problems, financial concerns, relationships with people from other countries, history of travel to other countries, and anyhting else that might be somethign you wouldn't want everyone in the world to know about you... Like I said BE HONEST!!! Some recruiters will talk about how you don't have to tell the whole truth and that is just bad advice... things will catch up to you and it is better to have come clean and have the adjudication take a little longer than to have something pop in the future...

Good Luck HUMINT is an awesome field and there are some great people in it... Trust me for the next couple years worry about learning to be a Soldier first and the MOS training will take care of itself...

The only way to get language training as an entry level 35M is as a National Guard soldier; the language requirement has been suspended for entry level active duty soldiers (and will very likely be removed entirely in the near future). It's not about you "choosing" to go to DLI. About the only way you're going to get there is if your unit decides to send you (very unlikely), or you re-enlist and get it as an option.

If you do manage to get to DLI as an active duty soldier at some point in your career, you won't be selecting your language. You can list your preferences, but you will be assigned according to your DLAB score and what courses are available when you arrive at DLI. As of right now, you won't be going to DLI with a DLAB score less than 100, and the odds are very strong that you will end up in a GWOT ('global war on terror') language (arabic, pushtu, farsi, etc). By the way - National Guard soldiers can select the language they want, as long as they qualify for it, and a need exists for it in their unit.

As for scoring well on the DLAB - I'll just echo what others have said: you either get it or you don't. You're given the rules to a made up language one at a time. You gradually have to integrate them all together, listen to a set of choices, and pick out the correctly structured phrases and sentences. It helps if you know what a noun/verb/adjective/subject/object/etc is, so that you know what the rules are that you are trying to apply. All I can say is good luck. I've taken it twice. Both times I thought I'd failed miserably, yet both times I scored well enough to get qualify for Category IV languages.

For the security check, your finances are a key issue. You don't necessarily have to have "good credit", but you should not have "bad credit" - no defaults, collections, garnishments or bankruptcies; not 90 days late on any accounts. You can have debt issues, as long as you have a reasonable plan to take care of them. Find a copy of SF-86 and look over the questions. That will give you an idea whether or not you're going to have problems getting a clearance.

Good luck, and I hope you qualify.

Got first initial meeting with recruiter done and took the "pre test" received estimated AFQT score of 72... They told me that its a good score.. although seeing is the max is 99 id like to try and get higher then 72 on the actual test.

I am currently being setup to go to MEPS next Saturday in the Brooklyn, NY. Should be much fun!

Im not really feeling nervous about any of it even considering basic.. (im sure that may change once get off the bus) but the Penicillin shot is making me nervous now... haha.

Still have some steps to get to before that though, in time...

NoCherub:

Don't worry so much. First off if you are looking to join the Army to work towards a civilian intelligence job then you are on the right path. Get a clearance, get some stripes and you will be golden. IGNORE ASVAB score. Only the line score matter. Most of the Army looks at GT but MI looks at ST as well. You need about a 110 or 115. Your recruiter can explain this more.

And basic training (boot camp is a Marine thing) for you will be at Relax'in Jackson of Frt. Lost in the Woods. It is like summer camp with out the swimming. They are not even allowed to yell at you anymore. You will get a stress card! When it is over you will laugh at the whole thing. SO try to Enjoy it.

In regards to your cell phone you can always try to cancel it by using the Soldiers and Sailors act. Again your recruiter can helo you with this. I used it in 04 when I got orders for Germany.

Good Luck!

ps Any West Point Ranger that will speak on your behalf is a good reference!

Took the asvab was not able to get my line scores but im sure Ill be good. AQFT was calculated by the lady who administered the test (paper test) and score she said I got was 85. So quite a bit better then what the estimated score was...