i have 2 national defense medals. I have 8 years active duty (5 army, 3 navy). I am here now in the middle east and routinely travel back in forth to all the countries around here including iraq and afganistan, We are pretty much the bomb squad for this whole AOR. In the last 10 years the only place i have not been shot at had been Somalia. I would hope that the places i have been (bosnia, kosovo, iraq, afganistan etc etc) and the jobs i did (Infantry/sniper w/ army, navy bomb squad) would help me in the ways of getting atleast a R/I job some where in MA, RI CONN or NH. I know that vetrans status IS NOT everything or what i have done in the military by no means gives me any special rights. That is why i started this post, i have no problem paying my own way through the full time academy ( i think i can save my nickels and dimes over the next 2.5 years). I believe i have alot of other skills and would benefit a Dept greatly but my military is a going to be the most "visible" on the resume. If i managed to get a R/I job could i use that oppurtunity to self sponsor and pay for the full time acedemy as oppossed to R/I academy? Besides education, it appears to me ( looking through the LEAPs job file) that if you do not have MCJTC Full time acedemy or "know some one" that your job prospects are probally cut by 60-75%. I love the military, I joined to serve this country, no other reason, But after 8 years i realize that at some point and time i have to become a civilian and the only thing i want to do in the civilian world is Law Enforcement. So as i approach 27, and my daughters are almost 1(i have only seen for 2 months and won't see for another 2 1/2 years) i figure that i am not getting any younger and i have done my time and i should come home. The only thing i wanna do is come home to MA. be a father, husband and a cop. Thank you all for all the help. Sorry about the rant- been awake for 4 days... work work work.