Buddy wanting to re-enlist.

[BadAce2212]

Good Afternoon Marines,
While visiting my high school for graduation this year, I ran across an old buddy of mine that joined the Marines about 2 months before I did. He didnt make it through MCT though because he popped on a drug test and got an OTH and sent home. He stated that the Lt.Col he spoke to at SOI before he left said that after a certain waiting period he would be eligible for re-enlistment with a waiver. His enlistment code is RE-4B. He asked me if I knew about his chances and I said he needs to speak with a recruiter but I would also check with you guys and get some input from you. I didnt want to hurt his feelings by telling him, without gathering more info, that he would not be eligible for enlistment. So what do you Marines think?

[Apache]

I think your thoughts are on track and you gave him sound advise

What we need is a recruiter who visits this site to tell us the definition on
His re enlistment code

[DanM]

Doesn't look good for your friend,link to RE codes.

http://www.navycs.com/military-re-codes.html

[BadAce2212]

From my experiences anybody with an OTH for drug abuse is pretty much up s**t creek when it comes to re-enlistment, but him being a good friend I couldnt flat out tell him that he had no chance. Also Im not up to date on the codes so I couldnt give him an answer so to the recruiter I sent him. I did however tell him that it was his own screw up for smoking pot on his boot leave, what possesed him to do that he wouldn't tell, but not a smart choice. MAYBE the Army will take him, thats really his only shot. The Corps doesn't need liabilities like that. But thanks to you Dan for the link, I will sure forward it to him so he can decide if he wants to take the time for a recruiter to tell him no.

[doc h fmf]

I WISH HIM GOODLUCK IN HIS ENDEVERS DOC DAN SHOWED THAT LINK AND HE IS NOT ELGIBLE


STEPHEN DOC HANSEN HM3 fmf

[usmcdanno]

He has no chance of getting back in the Corps. Sorry to say, but that's the facts Jack.

[USNAviator]

Good Afternoon Marines,
While visiting my high school for graduation this year, I ran across an old buddy of mine that joined the Marines about 2 months before I did. He didnt make it through MCT though because he popped on a drug test and got an OTH and sent home. He stated that the Lt.Col he spoke to at SOI before he left said that after a certain waiting period he would be eligible for re-enlistment with a waiver. His enlistment code is RE-4B. He asked me if I knew about his chances and I said he needs to speak with a recruiter but I would also check with you guys and get some input from you. I didnt want to hurt his feelings by telling him, without gathering more info, that he would not be eligible for enlistment. So what do you Marines think?

I can appreciate your trying to help your buddy but as you yourself stated or rather implied, seeing pigs fly in a frozen hell is more likely. What type of discharge was he given? He may be able to upgrade it so it won't reflect poorly on his future employment and his VA benefits

[BadAce2212]

I can appreciate your trying to help your buddy but as you yourself stated or rather implied, seeing pigs fly in a frozen hell is more likely. What type of discharge was he given? He may be able to upgrade it so it won't reflect poorly on his future employment and his VA benefits

OTH if I recall correctly.

[tripledog]

I know this is not what you want to hear, maybe it is.

But what in the Hell would the Corps want with him?

[BadAce2212]

I understand fully. I already had a general idea of what a recruiter would tell him, I know he is not needed in the Corps, and I told him that he muffed up real bad.

[USNAviator]

OTH if I recall correctly.

That's not good. He should try getting that changed if he can over the next few years

"In addition, the majority of veterans' benefits are not available to individuals who receive an other than honorable conditions discharge, including the Montgomery GI Bill and (in most cases) VA healthcare benefits."

[USNAviator]

Hardly an expert on these matters but

Upgrade of administrative discharges and special court-martial BCDs

Once discharge is finalized, General, Entry-Level/Uncharacterized, and Under Other Than Honorable Conditions (UOTHC or OTH) discharges may be appealed for upgrade through the Discharge Review Board of the respective service, however, the appeal must be filed within 15 years of the date of separation, and it must be shown that the characterization of service was the result of an error or injustice. Bad Conduct Discharges handed down by a Special Court-Martial may be upgraded only as an act of clemency. Discharge Review Boards may also consider appeals for a change to the Narrative Reason for Discharge (contained in Block 28 of the DD 214). The DRB will not consider a request for the change of a Reenlistment Eligibility (RE) or Separation Designator (SPD) Code by itself, however, in the case that a discharge is upgraded, the RE and SPD codes are often changed to correspond with the new characterization of service and/or narrative reason for discharge.

[USNAviator]

Good info, Dan

Key words, I guess, Dan, are "error" and "injustice", neither of which are present here.

Yes even my feeble Navy brain caught those two key words

Perhaps this thread might act as a warning to all the young hotshots out there, no matter which service, if you mess with drugs, you most likely will get caught and you will pay quite a price. To lose your GI Bill and your VA benefits is a terrible price to pay but pay it you will

[BadAce2212]

Key words, I guess, Dan, are "error" and "injustice", neither of which are present here.

No they aren't. The only "Error" was in my buddies head over boot leave. Everything was brought upon him because of his actions not the Corps.

[USNAviator]

One of two things have to be shown in order to upgrade an OTH discharge, according to the information posted by Dan

1. An error (in giving him that type of discharge)

or


2. An injustice (in giving him that type of discharge)

In his case, neither an error nor an injustice was done TO HIM.

I hope he and the pooch he screwed are very happy together. I'm not without sympathy here. As I told Dave, I've sat on many administrative CM's and always hoped that the young offender got a clue and moved on with his life before it was too late