Military discharge and firefighter

I was discharged from military "General (under honorable condition) about 4 years ago. I was having major marital problems and made a stupid decision to try pot for the first time and was caught from a urine test. My life is very different now and I'm divorced. My question is: I want to join Oklahoma City Fire Dept. b/c it really is my passion. Should I bring up my situation or should I just not say I was in the military? I need help

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Permalink Reply by lutan1 on July 14, 2008 at 7:26pm

honesty, honesty, honesty- better to tell them than for them to find out afterwards...

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Permalink Reply by ffbam24 on July 15, 2008 at 12:34am

Yeaahhh.....withholding the fact that you were in the military will go over well....pause....NOT.
It is a question on every single application I ever filled out. "Were you a member of the military/armed service?" Putting down "No" will then venture into a willful misrepresentation of your application and PRESTO! No longer in the running. Not even invited to take the written test.
Even if you get to take the test and you make it to a background investigation, it will be found out that you were in fact in the military when you declared you weren't. Try to talk your way out of that one. You know right and wrong. This is withholding the truth, aka lying. Not a trait we look for in our military members or the fire service.

Was this a one time thing, or are you still sparking up? (Rhetorical question) Hopefully the former.
You can give explanation and even provide documentation when the time comes to explain this lapse of judgement. Lying and saying you weren't even in the military does not offer you this. Just because you tried marijuana does not automatically disqualify you from everywhere. Although many departments have varying standards.

Good luck,
bam

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Permalink Reply by jones on July 15, 2008 at 11:03am

Thanks guys! I will be honest because that is the type of person I am and I don't want to hinder my integrity. No, I'm not smoking of drinking. I did that one time while going through a tough divorce and it is something that happened for a reason but I have to live with which really sucks. I appreciate your insight and I will go for it and leave it in Gods hands.