Prior service restrictions should be lifted

I am a former Soldier, honorably discharged in 2005. I served with the 3rd Infantry Division in support of Operation Desert Spring and, subsequently, during the first phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
I eventually PCSed to South Korea, and from there, served another combat tour in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, before reaching the end of my terms of service.
Since then, I have earned my bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida.
Since graduating from college, it has been my goal to return to the active duty Army. I have discovered, however, that since the Army’s Recruiting Command, based at Fort Knox, restricts prior service applicants via its “business rules” in such a way that it is nearly impossible to return to active duty service.
Although I understand the Recruiting Command’s general reasoning and manning principles backing its business rules, I believe that the prohibitions are ultimately harmful to the betterment of the active duty Army, as well as to the young veteran population which is today encountering unemployment at a disproportionately higher rate than non-veteran counterparts.
The most frustrating restriction stated by the Recruiting Command’s business rules is the prohibition it sets upon recruiters from administratively reducing an applicant’s previous rank for the purpose of enlisting. Noncommissioned officers who left the Army for various reasons have no options available in order to bring their experience and education back to the force.
If only these applicants were afforded the opportunity to accept reduced rank, they might be able to qualify to return to active duty, and the service would potentially gain educated, combat-experienced Soldiers. More importantly, the break in service for these Soldiers may be exactly what was necessary for them to become reinvigorated to tackle the current pace of Army operations.
Systematically preventing prior service applicants from returning to active duty is short-changing the Army of valuable returnees.
I hope the Recruiting Command will rescind its excessively stringent “business rules” and consider the application of prior service Soldiers on a case-by-case basis.
Steve Bogucki
Washington, D.C.
The success of the Army Retention Program, coupled with the requirement to eliminate the congressionally mandated Temporary End Strength Increase by the end of FY 13, and additional projected end strength reductions by FY16, has caused limited opportunities for prior service Soldiers to come back into the Army.
However, the Army is accepting a very limited number of prior service Soldiers providing they meet the criteria established by the Army Human Resources Command.
Each month (or as changes occur), HRC provides USAREC with a list of MOSs authorized for prior service Soldiers who wish to come back into the Army. This
list of available MOSs is determined by Army requirements and training availability, if training is required.
Prior service Soldiers who do not meet the established HRC criteria are denied entry into the Regular Army; however, they are encouraged to contact the Army Reserves and Army National Guard which may be in need of the their skills and experience.
—Human Resources Command