<p>I just got my appointment to USAFA and was looking over some of the forms. Particularly, I have a few q’s for the security clearance form. </p>
<li><p>Did any of you put down adults for references (eg teachers, adult leaders, principal)?</p></li>
<li><p>Do you want to select your best friends for references?</p></li>
<li><p>Should I ask people first for permission to put their names down on the form?</p></li>
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<p>and 4. Do all the people you put as references get interviewed?</p>
<p>1-yes, I put down adults: friends of the family, teacher, friend's mom (iirc)
2-sure?
3-it's not nice to use people's info without asking ;)
4-don't know.</p>
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<li>Best idea since those people will have established themselves in the community</li>
<li>I would only put one down, that way it shows you have shown yourself as a person of character outside your circle of friends.</li>
<li>I agree with missmuff on this one - I made that mistake on mine and got a funny story about it. An old boss of mine got interviewed and he was working for a burrito place (like chipotles) and when they asked him if he would trust me with top secret information he replied, "Man I don't know! I work with burritos but I guess if I had a top secret burrito recipe I would let him know it."</li>
<li>Possibly, it depends on a lot. I moved a lot when I was younger so they had to track down people from the other places I lived to get character references, plus I was going for TS so I they put a bit more effort into it. The best way to view this is only put people you are SURE wouldn't mind getting a visit from a suit and are going to give a good impression of you.</li>
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<p>Ahhhh, the dreaded "security clearances" process. Welcome to the wonderful world of having to put you entire life history onto paper (or at least into an electronic file somewhere). But think about this for a second; this is only the beginning. Most, if not all, of you who graduate from an Academy and go on to a career in the service will be placed into a position of TRUST by the American population. You will eventually have access to information that if released into the wrong hands can have SEVERE, even life threatening, consequences. The American public deserves to know you are worthy of that trust, and the people in charge of security investigations take their jobs VERY seriously.</p>
<p>So first, to answer your questions:</p>
<p>1) YES! Get an adult on that list of references. You want somebody on that list who may not know exactly what to say, but will at least have an inkling of just how serious this is. Tell them it's like an IRS audit; they'll get the idea to take it serious. Listing all your football buddies probably isn't the best idea ("yeah, he's a decent guy. BUT YOU SHOULD SEE HIM PUT AWAY A SIX PACK! WHOOOOO, TJ FOOTBALL RULES! IN YOUR FACE, WILSON HIGH!")
2) Put down people who know you well, and people you have a good relationship with. If you think your best friend would fit, sure. Don't just put down some people you barely associate with, only because you think they might be someone or do something you think would impress the interviewer ("Nice kid, seems kind of quiet though. I talked to him once about my career as a Marine. Don't know him too well, but he talks about guns and the army a lot. So much, he scared me..." :) )
3) YES! Tell the people you put down as references that you used them as a reference! How do you think they will react when someone comes knocking on their door one day flashing a badge and asking questions about you without any warning ("Oh my, officer! Is he in trouble with the law again? I always thought that kid was a rotten apple!" :( )
4) Sometimes yes, sometimes know, depends on the work load of the folks conducting the investigation. I will tell you that EVERYONE I've ever listed was at least CONTACTED(and remember, the clearances last only 5 years, so you have to do tis all over again shortly after your commissioned. I've been through 5 investigations over my past 25 years. Thats a LOT of people I've known who have ben asked some pretty detailed questions about me. I'm amazed I'm not in GITMO at this point! :D)</p>
<p>The current cadets can correct me, but I think once you get your clearances checked out, you will be allowed to attend some interesting briefs and seminars, and some additinal classes are avaialble to you as well. Treat the classified information as just that: classified and PROTECTED! </p>
<p>Lastly, keep a copy of this record somewhere safe! Trust me, in 5 years from now when you have to do it again and re-look up ALL that information, you'll kick yourself for not listenening to me and storing this somwhere...</p>
<p>Depending on the level of clearance, many of the references are first contacted by mail with a standard form to fill out. Pick people who can be trusted to turn these forms around quick - it will make things go faster. Contact these individuals (of course) and tell them not to be alarmed if they recieve a visit from an FBI agent (or other investigative agency rep.)</p>
<p>It isn't so much that it is a pass/fail for the academy as much as that you NEED to be able to obtain a Secret clearance to be an officer, and as before mentioned you may need higher than that after the academy depending on your AFSC. It isn't that hard to get a secret as long as your finances are good without too many bounced checks and you don't have too many friends from places like china, russia, and venezula.</p>
<p>The only reason I have a higher clearance is because my job as enlisted required me to have it. It took a LONG time for mine to clear because most of my friends ARE from places like Russia. My best friend is from Bolivia and at the time tensions were rising between our countries, to the point that not too far in the past our embassadors were asked to leave. Not good when going for a TS clearance, but since I had accurate records of where I lived and when all the way back to when I was born I got it. If you are a military brat like me it may help if you ask your parents if they have copies of their orders to the different posts/bases you have lived at.</p>
<p>EDIT: There really isn't a lower clearance you can have. Unlike the movies tell you there are only two real levels of classification, secret and top secret, all other designators are just ways to make sure you have a need to know the information. The only true lower designator would be FOUO - For official use only, basically an indicator that would help fight any legal action if the wrong person opened it.</p>