How can you get out of Marine Boot Camp?

Question

I have a brother who has just entered the Marines..... In high school he signed up for DEP at 17. He has been in boot camp since July 28 and has 64 days left to go!

He is not doing good mentally and really wants to come home... The sgt that we had talked to said there is no way out, once your in your in.

Is this true?

I know if you say ur g*y you automatically get kicked out but the result of that could also be more traumatizing than staying in. I also heard that you cannot get out even if you get hurt.... Unless it is life threatening then you would sit in a military hospital for at least 6 months to a year before your discharge.

What can you do to get out, is there anyway or is the sgt right he has to deal with it?

Not everyone is cut out to deal with the mental distress and the surrounding environment I honestly believe there is a way that he can get out! Please Please Help!

Answer 1

he cannot just get out.  the mental breakdown is PART of the process.  

Answer 2

some interesting responses.  i've got a different take.  you can advise your brother of what some of the above have said, and he can get out.  and it'll be fun, you can go take some sewing classes together and he can sew himself up a dress, move to san francisco and dance in some g*y club.  might as well; he will have lost all self respect.  for the rest of his life he can look at himself in shame and work out ways to compensate for his inadequacies.  for the rest of his life.

if you love your brother tell him, "look nancy, stop your fricken whining and man up!"

one important thing i discovered in marine corps basic is this.  training is nowhere near as hard as some make it out to be.  what is tough comes from inside you. an important discovery is whether you have the courage, discipline and tenacity to finish what you've started.  if you can, then that too will stay with you for the rest of your life.

i urge you to not encourage this quitter attitude.  if you are somehow able to give him a way out he will resent you for ever.  better you tell him you will come to graduation.

Answer 3

THE QUICKEST WAY HOME is to just finish it. If he quits they take their time and on purpose. So you can hear about your plt graduating that same week or in two weeks. Just so you know your a quitter. What a shame boot camp is sooooo easy. I bet he grewup playing video games all day huh?

Answer 4

A serious mental disorder or having an injury that would make him useless to the military.

Sorry to break it to you but he signed the contract he knew the terms and conditions so now he has to buckle up and ride it through.  

Answer 5

Once you sign on the dotted line, you, in essence, have been adopted by your Uncle Sam for better or worse.

There are ways out, but most of them would involve a less than honorable discharge.

There are exceptions of course; for more info go here:

http://usmilitary.about.com/od/justicela...

Answer 6

The quickest way out of Boot Camp is to graduate.

Sgt.

USMC

Answer 7

Wanting to get out of boot camp is a normal response, give him time.

If he actually needs out, he will find himself out before he realizes what has happened.

Answer 8

my answer is;

(I'll probably catch h**l from people but)

He needs to Go tell his C.O he's g*y and can't handle being around all the other guys in the shower naked. Don't ask Don't tell and he's Out.

Or he needs to go on "Sick Call Every Day" and see the chaplin as often as he can and talk about his inability to coup. That might get him a chapter 5 discharge "Unable to adapt to military Life"

A chapter 5 is a General discharge.

Not a "Bad Conduct" or  Dishonorable.

hope my answer helps.

Answer 9

Short answer:

The fastest way is by graduating.

Long answer:

A good amount of people don't make it through for various reasons and I'm pretty sure they don't immediately go home.

One could get a minor injury and get dropped to a new platoon after they are healed or wait for a medical discharge for a serious injury.

Trying to flee (for example) will most likely earn one some time in the brig since upon arrival, everyone is subject to the UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice).

Another possibility is if one were to claim that their religion or conscience prohibits them to shoot a rifle in hopes that they'll simply be granted a discharge, they'll probably be accused of submitting false information on the paperwork they filled out during the screening process (denying that they are a conscientious objector).

Basically, thinking about anything besides keeping graduation in mind will complicate things.

Answer 10

How do you know that he wants out?  Is it because of letters he has sent you?  Just about everyone goes through that stage in Boot camp/Basic/BCT and that is exactly what they want.  They want the new recruits to be broken down so they can build them back up.  Wait until he is finished and then ask the question again, 99% have changed their minds and proud to be in the military.

Answer 11

Tell that boy to suck it up and press on.

Yes, he needs to get through these doldrums and get with the program.  If he drops back, they will make his life a living h**l.  If he's found unsatisfactory for military service, that could haunt him later.

Answer 12

tell him to try and stick with it a little longer it gets better trust me. Marine wife, daughter and sister

Answer 13

Tell him to fruit it up, they'll kick him out.

Answer 14

Tell him that it's normal to want out at times, most everyone does. Even if he HATES it, he needs to act like he wants to be part of the team. If he can man up and be a part of the team, the team will take care of him.

I was Army, so I'm not gonna pretend that I know what Boot Camp is like for the Marines, but I know it's harder and longer than the Army. That said, after knowing many Marines, I've gathered that the point of their Boot Camp is the same as our Basic Training: to work as a team and minimize individuality.

The sooner he quits complaining, the better off he will be. I can guarantee you that what he's not telling you is that the rest of his platoon is paying dearly for his actions. If he's on suicide watch, some recruits that are giving their all to graduate are losing precious sleep and downtime having to watch him do everything he does. I don't know how someone could sleep at night knowing they are s******g someone for personal gain. That's the way of the military, when one person screws up, everyone pays, especially in combat! That's why he's there, to go to combat! Remind him of this.

I can also guarantee that he has set himself up for having to prove his desire to be a Marine more so than his teammates. That said, I'll bet if he puts on a positive attitude, its not too late to become a Marine. He'll probably see a dramatic change in how he is treated, both by cadre and his fellow boots. He has to make up his mind that he will either come home a Marine or in a body bag from having died on his feet, trying to earn the title "Marine."

The other posters are 100% correct...if he quits, his life will be a living h**l, and they will keep him there on purpose in a state of endless misery for as long as they can. His fellow boots will also pay for failing to make him part of the team! He's making it a "me against them" thing, which it isn't. They're all in the same S****y boat together.

If he must get out, don't tell him to act g*y! That will just make things that much worse. Tell him to talk to the chaplain. I saw this happen in basic, and save for one guy who was just too immature to cut it, everyone that spoke to him came back with a new attitude and graduated. And we couldn't have been happier. We welcomed their change of heart, and could relate to their feelings since it sucked for us too!

The quickest way out is to graduate! he has everything to gain by succeeding, and more than you could imagine it's possible to lose by failing.

It's just 3 months, and then he will go to the fleet, and have a lot more freedom. He can DO IT!!! I advise you to tell him you will be ashamed if he quits, but you'll be more proud of him than he will ever know if he sees it through. Don't coddle him now, and once he's a Marine, you'll never have to coddle him again! Good luck with this!

Answer 15

If he really wants out,doesn't think he can cut it,tell him to talk to the Chaplain.My guess is he will get more honest advise from him than from a Drill Instructor.

I almost got out in my 5th week of basic,am glad since that day that I didn't.But it was the Chaplain who arranged everything,and had I walked at that point I would have gotten a general discharge.It can be done.

YTP