TestimonialsA PHD CANDIDATE SUCCESS STORY
IRR Delay and Exemption
Client Testimonial #18 - A PhD Candidate´s Success Story
In November, I found a brown envelope in the mail and I knew I was in trouble before I even opened it. Uncle Sam needed another chemical officer, and somehow he managed to find my name in his rolodex. I left the army in 2006 after four years of service, with a tour in Iraq 2003-2004. My deployment to Iraq had been very hard on my family, particularly on my wife. After I got out, I decided to go to graduate school in chemistry to earn a PhD. I wanted to help build the tools that soldiers really needed in OIF, but did not have. Further service in the Army was not right for my family, but I wanted to find a way where I could still contribute. Needless to say, my family was in complete shock when I received the orders to active duty.
The average time it takes to earn a PhD is five years. I was halfway through my second year, and a tour in Iraq would have made my studies nearly impossible to complete. Research is very competitive, and by the time I returned from another tour, all my work would have been hopelessly out of date. Compounding my difficulties was a case of kidney disease that I had developed during my service and was being treated at the VA. It was rated at 0% despite requiring medication for the rest of my life. I was not confident that I could convince HRC-St. Louis that I needed an exemption. I needed help to make my case the best it could be.
My biggest concern was finding an advocate whom I could trust. While I had friends who were lawyers, I personally had never worked with one before. I found Bill Mieli during a search on the internet, and he did an outstanding job allaying all my concerns. I called up three of the guys who had provided testimonials on this very page. They were all very happy with the service Bill provided and spoke very highly of him. In my own experience, I can say Bill is an excellent advocate, has great professionalism, and is of sterling character. What struck me the most is that after over twenty years of service taking care of soldiers as a JAG officer, Bill is still taking care of soldiers as an advocate on their behalf.
In March, to my great relief, I received my Honorable Discharge in the mail. I will be able to continue my progress towards a PhD. I am very happy with the results that Bill Meili achieved, and more importantly, my family is too.
JR,
Former Captain, Chemical Corps
Return To Testimonials …
|