Staff Sgt. William Valentine knows the value of good credit.

“I am in the Signal field which every position requires a security clearance. I was given a letter of intent to deny my security clearance because of the poor financial decisions I had made. I had to get those issues resolved in order to keep my clearance and keep my current signal MOS. I was also about to get considered for promotion. I was put into a promotable status, but I had to fix my security issue before I was able to be promoted,” wrote Valentine in an email.

Some Soldiers don’t realize how important their credit score is, said Diane Sarber, chief of Financial, Relocation and Community Service with Fort Gordon’s Army Community Service.

Military occupational specialties and civilian jobs requiring a security clearance also require a good credit report.

Employers in the civilian realm also use the credit report as a measuring stick for whether a job candidate would be good for a position. Someone applying for a position that includes handling money or other financial dealings most likely will not hire someone with a poor score because if a person can’t handle his or her own finances properly, that person will probably not be a good manager of a company’s financial resources, said Sarber.

In the military, the stakes are higher.

“Someone who has financial problems may be more vulnerable. There are people who will make it worth their while to provide information,” said Sarber.

An offer of payment for information might be tempting to someone with financial difficulties. If a Soldier doesn’t have financial stresses, then the temptation would probably be less.

Many new Soldiers come into the Army already saddled with debt, and only have a few months at Fort Gordon while training to get some things on the track to financial recovery.

If the problems are severe, Soldiers may have to rethink their MOS and reclassify to one that doesn’t require a security clearance.

Sarber recalls a single mother of three who had a lot of medical debt that was beyond her ability to pay.

“She could not pay it and survive,” she said.

She ended up reclassifying and found another MOS she enjoyed.

Valentine was able to get a grip on his financial situation and turn it around. He’s now eligible for promotion and has had his security clearance reinstated.

“I worked very hard and very long paying off my debt. I was referred to the ACS office while trying to setup payment plans with some of my creditors. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. I focused the seriousness of having to choose a different MOS and getting my promotable status taken away from me. It was a very stressful few months working on the issues I had,” he said.

To find out more about options, call ACS at (706) 791-3579.