Careers: Military--Army, Navy, Airforce, Marines, Coast Guard/Expert Profile


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Expertise

Rod Powers is considered one of the premire experts about U.S. Military career information on the planet. He has more than 30,000 articles about U.S. Military career information on the About.com U.S. Military Careers Information website at: http://usmilitary.about.com. Additionally, he is the author of "ASVAB for Dummies," "ASVAB AFQT for Dummies," (available in Dec 2009), and "Veteran Benefits for Dummies," all published by Wiley Publishing. He is also the author of "Barrons' Guide to Officer Candidate School Tests," published by Barron's Educational Series.

Experience in the area

Rod Powers is a retired Air Force first sergeant, with 23 years of active duty service, 11 of those years as an Air Force First Sergeant. He has helped thousands of military members, recruits, and military applicants since he took over the About.com U.S Military Careers Information site in 1999. He has a reputation for "telling it like it is," so questions may not be answered based on "what you want to hear," but will be answered based of the bast available information, concerning the service/situation.

Education/Credentials

Rod is a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Noncommissioned Officers Academy, the Air Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy, and the Air Force First Sergeant Academy. He also holds an Associates Degree in Personnel Administration from the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF).

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Recent Reviews from Users

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    K = Knowledgeability    C = Clarity of Response    T = Timeliness    P = Politeness
UserDateKCTPComments
Christopher Kowalew11/05/0910101010Mr. Powers was exact and to the .....
pierre11/03/0910101010thank you so much
Rita11/02/0910101010Thank you so much for your rapid .....
Eric11/02/0910101010Thank you for your quick reply. I .....
Tracy11/01/0910101010I appprecicate the help. If the bonus .....

Recent Answers from Rod Powers

2009-11-08 age waiver:

Hi George, In your case, I'm afraid the answer is "no," unless you are a doctor or a nurse. The maximum age to remain on active duty is set by federal law, and therefore cannot be waived. For more

2009-11-08 Military Discharge / Security Clearance:

Hi Drew, It probably won't have an impact. The discharge was characterized as "honorable," and for SECRET clearances, they are primarily concerned with issues that have happened within the past five

2009-11-08 Navy. BUMED Approved Waiver.:

There is no such thing as a "Navy Doctor" at MEPS. All of the doctors at MEPS don't work for any individual service. Instead, they work for the "Department of Defense." It sounds to me as if the Navy

2009-11-07 USMC Recruiting:

Hi Devon, It won't be an "automatic" disqualification, but if he admits to any items that are otherwise disqualifying factors, it will require a waiver (see: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/a/moralwaivers

2009-11-07 Retirement versus Medical:

Hi Robert, See my Military Retirement Pay article at: http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/generalpay/a/retirementpay.htm. Much depends on how much the Military is willing to rate your disability for medical

 

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