captaincamaro

i cant get my parents to sit down and talk with me about enlisting early for the marine corp. the first thing my mom said was "Iraq" and has been in a bad mood all night. shes gonna fight me the whole way and i cant even talk with her. what the hell can i do?

aggiez28

iTrader: (19)

are you trying to enlist at 17? i would go talk to a recruiter. im sure he see this kind of situation all the time. he can help you deal with it.

iraq isnt allways a bad thing imo. i wouldnt trade those experiences for anything

brook

captaincamaro

yeah im going for the delayed entry program. ive talked with the recruiter. ill just have to have him talk to her and hopefully get her to change her mind

brad8266

iTrader: (23)

Either way she cant do anything about it, if you want to enlist you will. Just try to help her to cope with it the best you can.

ss1129

iTrader: (16)

My parents did the same **** when I was young. Then a few years later when I was doing nothing with my life they were happy as a pig in **** that I was joining the Marines.

captaincamaro

is there any way for me to get into the delayed entry program without her signature i really want to do this more than anything but she cant see that

aggiez28

iTrader: (19)

you want to get into dep when your 17. will you be leaving for bootcamp while your 17 also?

if you will be 18 before you go to boot camp then your good to go. you wont be able to get into the dep untill she signs or you turn 18.

i would just sign up after i turn 18 and im ready to go. no reason to get in the dep for a long time. i think i was in it for 2 weeks

brook

brad8266

iTrader: (23)

I was in that dep **** for like a week, just wait till you are 18 then they only need you to sign.

captaincamaro

alright then no biggie ill can wait for another 6months so the DEP isnt that important?

msgZ28

iTrader: (1)

I don't think the dep is anything other than the recruiters holding you until they have a month where they didnt fill their quota. I have no idea why it took from march to september to send me to boot camp. Wait, I think that was my doing actually. Damn me and my horrible memory.

Anyway, my parents were also against me signing up but I was already 18 so it didn't really matter. The recruiter would be the guy to turn to for helping your parents cope with your decision. They just need to realize that it is what you want. There are so many benefits and they are just slaves to the media if they are afraid of Iraq.

All parents, well almost all, are reluctant to let their kids join the military, especially the Marines. Don't let them change your mind.

SmokeySS

iTrader: (7)

I was in nearly the same boat as you CC but 18 at the time. If you can stand to wait until you're 18 then do that. Not to pry into your personal life but do you have a dad that could sign your contract with you? If not you can wait. Most of my arguments were with my mother about going for the Army (NG though). Anyway, I'll say this, if your parent(s) are able to attend your graduation ceremony, the attitude will be a turnaround and they will feel very proud and supportive of you.

SSHADOW

iTrader: (2)

One thing about being in the DEP, is the time that you in are in it counts towards your inactive reserve time on your contract. I joined the DEP when I was 17, My mother didn't like the idea and said she wouldn't sign. I sat down with her in a friendly enviroment and explained the benifts of joining, then I told her if she didn't want to sign, then so be it. I would join when I was 18 and there was nothing she could do about it, but I would rather have her blessing and her signature. She went to the recruiters office the next day and signed the papers for me to join.

captaincamaro

well i know with as crazy as my mom is my dad will never sign it. ill just have to wait until i turn 18. my dad was drafted during the vietnam war and didnt really like the old way it was.

i cant get them to understand the benefits and how the marines are today. she keeps talking about them brainwashing me and how im too smart to waste my life.

msgZ28

iTrader: (1)

Wow. Any place you go will "brainwash" you. Everyone picks up things from their environment, not just Marines. And how could defending your country be wasting your life? Mothers crack me up. Well, women in general do, but mothers more than any.

sgt0704

iTrader: (3)

yeah, the Corps is a general brainwashing of sorts, but like was said, so is anywhere you go. you'll pick up the language, the habits, and all the other **** that goes with being a Marine. for instance, i don't like capitalizing anything, slow the typing process, but when i use words like Marine, or Corps, they get capitalized.

CAT3

iTrader: (9)

CaptainCamaro...I think it might help if you can find the courage in you to have that face to face with your Parents, one or both. Sometimes a parent worries more so when you approach them on something as sensitive as this, they tell you hell no, and you cower. I dont believe too many parents out there are truely happy with sending their children to the Military at the times we are in, much like they weren't during Vietnam. However, if you can sit, with sincerity, openly listen, respect where they are coming from and then explain how important this is to YOU, it may help them understand. They may see that they can assist you now and support your needs and desires, or you will simply do it later without them.
FWIW, I joined the DEP with the Army when I just turned 17. I had already tested for the Air Force when I was 15 and again at 16 for the Army. My mom was scared of course, but she knew that it meant that much to me when I was persistent and relentlessly so, and respectfully stood my ground. I listened to her go on and on, never once glancing away. Then, when it was my turn, I let her know I loved her but this was what I had to do, for me and my future. She signed. 18yrs later she still isn't happy about it, she is proud, dont get me wrong, but everytime I packed up and left home to go somewhere oversea's, everytime some ****-ant 3rd World Country had a squabble she was phone side waiting for "the call" and she still does. Thats a mothers job, and fathers too. Try it out, it may help both you and her come to terms with what you want for your life. I wish you the best.

Charlie

OnewayDave

Man Cat3 that makes me want to join the Army! I for one (Parent) waited my son out until he was 18. Talked alot about the services and was there for him every step of the way. But to sign, that is hard to do. You need to sign for yourself. Your mom and Dad will always be proud of you on your choice.