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Several months ago me and my wife were going through a rough patch and I mean ROUGH. To the order of she wasn't sure she wanted a life with me anymore and I was starting to feel the same. During this period, there was some fence riding on her part, so to help knock her off the fence one way or the other I let her know that I've spent a large part of my life wishing I had joined the military after school instead of getting a factory job. I told her what I would do was join the reserves and tough out my 2 years if I realized it was gak or augment to full-time if I fell in love with it. Soooo, then I talked to the recruiters. It was between the Army and the Marines. The army recruiter acted like a git. Wasn't very attentive and was offering me terrible advice for losing weight to meet the requirements. Stuff like wearing sauna suits while working out in South Carolina's sweltering summer weather (typically high 90's with 85%+ humidity).. yeah, like I was really going to risk a heat stroke and dehydration over a few pounds of water weight..
So I went to the Marine recruiter, this guy seemed very on top of his game. He asked me questions as to why I was interested, he answered my questions readily and his advice for things was dead on. Then, we discussed the delayed entry program. Basically, it was explained to me that it was an organized way that potential recruits worked together to lose weight and prepare themselves for boot camp. Sounded great, I knew I wasn't going to lose the weight on my own and the Army recruiter acted as if assisting me in that goal was outside of his job description so I agreed and off to MEPS I went. Once there I blew hell out of the ASVAB. According to the recruiter I scored a 99. Then again, that means I only scored 99 on the portion the USMC looks at. After that we went to the hotel and the recruiter made it a point to drag me down to the gym and told me "I need you to wear this to work out" and hands me... a sauna suit. With every step I took on the tread mill the recruiter's questionable credibility slipped further and further into non-existence. After having sweated out 4 lbs of water weight, I passed a physical (with laxer standards than actual recruits require, due to being D.E.P.) and I went through form after form all of them basically saying "to the best of my knowledge I'm healthy, have no gang related tattoos or piercings". Then I was sworn in and filled out enlistment/reenlistment document. Once back, the recruiter told me "now, for the next few months, I'm your new momma. ANYTHING happens that might effect your DEPing in I need to know about".
After all this, I went back to work and worked out in the afternoons. The DEP work outs were all scheduled mid-evening and at the time I had to be at work at 3 am, so the whole getting support to get in shape went right out the window. I was working out on my own. After a month or so, I got moved to a different area at work and had to start lifting 50-80 lbs parts at work and setting them down into crates at odd angles.. Anyone with a spine can already see where this is going.. I hurt my back. So I called the recruiting office... answering machine. I called his cell... voice mail. I called his personal cell... voice mail. I called 20 or more times in a week and a half (all of which are long distance for me and I never paid the extra bit for free long distance), eventually I said feth it and his credibility fell even further. Everyone at work I talked to about it (many ex-military folk) said all that stuff I did for the D.E.P? Doesn't mean gak.. I even have a friend that tells me that MPs can't do anything because I'm not a uniformed member nor do I have an ID. So, knowing that recruiters have low credibility and this guy has even less with me now I trusted my co-workers and blew off the whole thing. During this period me and my wife patched things back together (we're actually doing surprisingly well now) and I had some job opportunities present themselves and other generally "yay for me" things happened. Then a couple of days, the recruiter shows up at the front door, I tell my wife to answer it as "I'm not here" and I listen in to their conversation from the other room. He basically flat out threatened her that if he doesn't hear from me that the next time we see anyone from the USMC that it will be MPs and I better be ready by March 9.
SOOOO, here I am, in better shape than I've been in for years but still nowhere near the "let's go to Marine boot camp" stage(more than likely I'll be shoved over to "fat camp" and have an extended visit at Paris Island), I'm strapped for cash as part shortages at work have drastically reduced my wages and I have a mortgage to pay for. If I go to boot, I'll end up taking a massive pay cut. I pretty much make more now after taxes as an E-1 makes during taxes. Also, the way the recruiters described their method of payment while in boot was some arcane non-sense that would have been much better if they could just direct deposit it into me and my wife's joint account. So, I'll be gone for 3 months(at best), losing money due to a lower wage and I'm not guaranteed to be able to get what money I do earn to my wife to pay the bills while I'm gone.
So... is the recruiter bluffing about the MPs? Am I 100% committed to joining? Is there any way of weaseling out of it at least for the short term (until money can be saved and I can get my sorry ass into even better shape)? Any advice to offer?
C'mon dakka.. I need some serious help here.

The first and most important question: did you sign anything?

It seems to me you need some qualified legal advice.

You've been sworn in. Contracts can be made verbally, you don't need to have signed or put on a unifirm.

There may be a way out via some kind of medical discharge due to your back problem.

Just to be clear, I have no military experience but I have studied the law.

Kilkrazy wrote:You've been sworn in. Contracts can be made verbally, you don't need to have signed or put on a unifirm.

There are verbal contracts certainly, but they are more complicated than written in certain aspects. Knowing whether there is actual proof in writing up front changes the course of the conversation. Obliviously a lawyer should be consulted, but I imagine this is going to be one of the first things they want to know.

What law have you studied Killkrazy? US or British? (this isn't sarcasm, just curiosity)

I don't know balls about legal or military.
But maybe you should get some gang tattoos or something else that disqualifies you. Become Muslim?

Ahtman wrote:

Kilkrazy wrote:You've been sworn in. Contracts can be made verbally, you don't need to have signed or put on a unifirm.

There are verbal contracts certainly, but they are more complicated than written in certain aspects. Knowing whether there is actual proof in writing up front changes the course of the conversation. Obliviously a lawyer should be consulted, but I imagine this is going to be one of the first things they want to know.

What law have you studied Killkrazy? US or British? (this isn't sarcasm, just curiosity)

English, there is no British law since Scots law is separate.

I have studied business law which of course includes contracts. Much contract law is the same between the US and England as it is based on the same common law up until 1776. A number of key contract law cases predate the 1776 separation. There are differences, of course, which have come into operation since then.

I'm not claiming to be a lawyer, just saying I have studied the main bits of law that apply to business.

Dude, you're in the army. The thing to do is, go to boot camp and fail. Or you can just go and be the best you can be and get a good retirement plan.

Military law is not the same as civilian law, just a fair warning. The military is not something you want to be blowing off. If you've sworn in, I'm pretty sure you're theirs for now, pending some sort of medical discharge. That said, don't necessarily believe everything recruiters say (this applies more to what they tell you before you enlist, really), but I wouldn't count on him bluffing about the MPs.

Blowing the US military off after enlisting will probably mess up your life a lot more than taking a three month pay cut. Maybe you should talk to a JAG.

I know of a great place to ask these types of questions. It's a forum for active duty/retired/family of/prospective members of the U.S. Armed Forces. There are even a few recruiters there. It's been a while since I have been there, but here's the site: http://gruntsmilitary.com/board/

Just make sure to stop into the Intro forum and introduce yourself or your questions will never get answered.

For specifics, if memory serves me correctly, JMPMarine or HairyEyeBall should be able to answer your questions.

Let me know if it helps.

I actually do have some experience in this matter, however I will offer the caveat that when I was going trhough this, it was in1990.

When you go the MEPS station and fill out the paperwork you do indeed sign a contract, which you say you did. Here is the caveat. That contract was an agreement that specifcally says you INTEND to JOIN the USMC. It most definitely does NOT mean you are obligated to join the military. For starters, you have not recieved any compensation from the USMC. They have to date met no contractual obligation to you. They can try various things, but you can get out of it.

The simplest way to get out of it is as follows:

There are basic requirements for a recruit to be allowed to go to Paris Island. For example, it used to be a requirement that you be able to run 1.5 miles in a certain time frame as well as do 3 pull ups. If you did not meet those requirements, you can not go to boot camp. Easy answer? make sure you jog slow enough to not qualify. Also, do not complete a single pull up.

If you were truly subject to the UCMJ (uniform code of military justice) The recruiter would have been able to get the police or mps to force you to go to the DEPs program meetings.

Since you are not at this moment an active or inactive member of the military, you are NOT subject to the UCMJ. You are subject to civilian law. Therefore, the recruiter CANNOT get the mps to come and arrest you. He is bluffing. It is a common tactic that recruiters use to get people who are obviously interested in joining, but are having second thoughts, to make the decision that the recruiter wants.

As to the other questions. The pay that you get in bootcamop will be even less than you expect. They (or at least used to) deduct the cost of your uniforms from your pay. In my day your uniforms cost about the same as 1 months pay. you are there for 3 months. Do the math.

With that being said, for me, being in the USMC was one of the most meaningful things I have ever done in my life. I treasure the yeas that I spent in, the lessons I learned, and the men I served with. (I say men because I was in the infantry. I occasionaly saw a female marine, but I never served in the same unit with one). I treaure the pride and the feeling of accomplishment in successfully doing things that many people simply could not. That is part of being in elite unit.

But, I am fonder today of my experiences while in the Marines, than I was while I was IN the Marines. While you are in, a lot of being in the military is boredom, pain, discomfort, seperation from family and loved ones, lack of sleep, to much sleep, and work. With the occasional bout of fear and terror. The food sucks, the pay is worse. And if I had to do it again, I would in a heart beat.