Got a question about enlistment...

[astonamous]

A friend of mine has one child, a son, that signed up for the Marines last fall before his senior year in high school. He was suppose to leave for basic this last weekend, but has been delayed until July. Now he wants to change the branch of service and try the Navy or Air Force. He has been working the last several months with the Marines, but I don't think he has been sworn in yet.

The question is, should he just go straight to an Air Force (that is my suggestion, as I am an Air Force vet) recruiter and let them take it from there, or is he stuck now with the Marines?

Any advice or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

[A HERETIC I AM]

1. If he hasnt signed any contract or obligation...

he should be still free to do as he wishes. You said he "signed up for the Marines". What did he sign?

BTW, I am not a vet, just speaking from a curious POV

[RiDuvessa]

2. If he signed enlistment papers...

He's pretty much stuck. Otherwise he shouldn't have a problem other then the Marine recruiter is going to be pissed.

[HawkerHurricane]

3. Tell him...

Go to the (service of choice) recruiter. They will get him out of any obligation with the Marines.

Not that he has any. Until he raises his right hand and says the oath, he's a 'free man'.

[astonamous]

4. Thank you all...that is what I thought.

I know he wants to serve and I hope he can get a chance to do so in the branch of service that best fits him. He is not Marine material and all they are looking for now is anyone willing to join. I also don't think it was fair that the recruiter told his mother that he wouldn't have to serve in Iraq or Afghanistan.

[unhappycamper]

5. First of all, you need to know that military recruiters lie.

Period.

IIRC, you are talking about something like the 'early enlistment' program. If that's the case, he has NO obligation. Period. The recruiter will try to bully him with some bullshit like "If you don't show up, the US Marshals be at your door"; you can ignore him.

Here's a few sites that have pretty good materials:

http://themmob.org/lmca/faq.html
http://www.afsc.org/youthmil/
http://www.veteransforpeace.org/Recruitment_Education.vp.html

[BOSSHOG]

6. With the tidbits of info we have here I'd suspect he is not contractually

obligated to the Marines. However, I must give a plug to the sea services. If he wants to involve himself with aircraft the NAVY has jets and aircraft carriers and air stations and provides training for such programs. And the Navy uniform is so much more cooler then the Air Force's.

[BlueCollar]

7. I'm with BOSSHOG on this one

The Navy's the way to go if your friend;s kid can possibly get in vs the Marines...

Better to stay away from any organization that spends most of its time on land these days...

There are a few ratings in the Navy that might involve a stint on the ground in Iraq (corpsman/SeaBee) but for the most part the odds of surviving a tour on active duty are better in the Navy these days...

Plus the Uniforms are way cooler....

[Doubting Thomas]

8. Navy uniforms

Sometimes I just have to laugh.

The Navy uniforms are cool??

Give me a break!

USAF 1958-1963

[BOSSHOG]

9. Tom you aren't doubting me are you?

Chicks dig the crackerjacks. And you know it. I graduated from bootcamp in December 72. Stuck in the Dallas Airport in a snow storm. Thousands of Air Force Boot graduates all over the place with their three rows of ribbons. Guess who got the attention with his one little national defense ribbon? The salty one with his dixie cup. You've never seen Jack Nicholson playing a flyboy have you?

And thanks very much for your service to our country. You were serving during the Cuban nonsense.

[Doubting Thomas]

10. Navy Uniforms

The advice to join the Navy is good, considering the current situation.

When I joined, my choice was between the Navy and Air Force, and the Navy uniform was one reason I chose the AF. My son retired recently after 20 in the Navy, and I went on 3 Tiger Cruises. I had no idea how crowded the crew's quarters are on ship, and how lousy the chow. In the AF we always heard Navy chow was the best. Wrong!

I won't say I made the better choice, just that I'm glad I didn't have to wear the Navy uniform. Bell bottoms were not in style in the late 50's and I didn't like them in the 70's when they were. Navy summer uniforms? No pockets, roll them up inside out and put them under the bunk to press them, whites that got stained if you looked at dirt... And I still think they were ugly.

I never had any trouble finding ladies in my USAF uniforms. Maybe you were just different, stood out in a crowd. When some of my buddies and I went to the beach at Pensacola, sailors were a dime a dozen, and we got all the attention.

Is Nicholson your idea of a role model?

Thanks to you, too, and all the other vets for serving.

[Major Hogwash]

11. Not that I'm one that would argue about this.

But, the Navy retired those snazzy crackerjack uniforms about 30 years ago.
They are wearing more khaki uniforms and blue uniforms these days than the old standby crackerjack uniform.

As for Jack Nicholson, I thought he did look pretty cool in "The Last Detail".
But, I also think he looked pretty damned sharp in his Marine uniform in a movie called "A Few Good Men".

"Are we clear?"

LoL

[BOSSHOG]

16. With all due respect Major

The crackerjack uniform is the dress uniform for enlisted personnel E-6 and below. Naval leadership went insane in the 70's and for a short period of time the uniforms did change but sanity eventually reigned supreme and the crackerjacks have to ever since.

Yes Sir we are clear. Jack Nicholson played a compassionate smartass Sailor in the Last Detail but played a murderous marine in A Few Good Men. Did you order the code red. Damned right I did. Sure fucked up a nice rack of ribbons at the end of the movie.

[sarge43]

13. In our day Thomas, the AF uniforms were sharp, at least the men's

(Women's not so much) The silver tan combo was a winner. Now they're going for the Wafen SS look. And the material looks cheap.



One thing to keep in mind about enlistment is that the troops, regardless of branch or MOS/AFSC, are being sent to Iraq to do scut work. Just recently the AF Chief of Staff was bitching about hitting the bottom of manpower barrel.

I've never figured out why anyone finds Col Jessep (A Few Good Men) in any way admirable. He sold out his men to CYA himself and advance his career. A good Marine would never do that.

Answering the original question, as long as he hasn't inked the Form 4 and taken the oath, he's a free man.

USAF, 62-83

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

14. I'd have a tough time keeping those whites clean

given my expedient methods of wolfing down chow.
:rofl:

I like the modern camo fatigues / field gear, where food and oil/grease spots don't stand out.

2 yrs of army (pre-camo).

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

12. Coast Guard

USCG, man.

[TahitiNut]

15. Bathtub Navy. That hard nucleus about which the Navy forms in time of war.

Coasties ... eat Post Toasties.

(And other jibes.)

Yes ... at one time I planned a career in the Coast Guard. Went to the Academy for 2 years - found I just wasn't cut out for military - really bad at giving orders. (I still have a difficult time imposing my will on others.)

I chose the Coast Guard because its peacetime mission (at the time - 1961) was a service to the world. Maintaining about 75% of the world's aids to navigation and its search and rescue function were the best in the world. Even today, the Coast Guard is far more team-oriented and (life-SAVING) service-oriented than any other service ... and the men and women of the Coast Guard are, by and large, truly interested and skilled in seamanship. In fact, I'd say that the PEOPLE in the Coast Guard are its best representation. Visit a base on one of their public days ... tour the cutters. I think most would find the people far more mature, less regimented, more intelligent, and respectful of 'civilians' than any other service.

After spending my time as a draftee and a tour Viet Nam in the Army, I have a fairly decent basis for forming my opinion but, as always, YMMV.

[Lowell]

17. Soldier and Sailor

I did eleven years as a dogface then one hitch as a squid. Trust me, the army uniform was a better fit. I never made a good sailor. I left a puke trail from Norfolk to Keflavik. Army had great duty stations, all I saw in the Navy was Iceland. The only positive was nobody ever shot at me in the Navy.