Son Being Sent Home?

[USMC 2571]

I asked admin to consider merging the thread in Marine Family--Open Discussion with THIS thread, for convenience of all concerned.

[USMC 2571]

I asked admin to consider merging this thread with the one already in Open Squad Bay, for everyone's convenience.

[m14ed]

My wife got a call about the boy

They said he is pretty much about to come home
but has to meet with the company commander .

discipline issues
on top of getting a cigarette in the mail
He would have been ok
had he not hid the smoke
and subsequently written a letter about how bad the drill instructors were.

Question is
what are the chances the CO lets him stay?
Or was that phone just a prep call to get us ready for him coming home?

Apologies if this isn't in the right forum.

Momma is stressed
and I'm looking for qualified opinions from real Marines.

David82d

"Bootcamp" is one of those places
somebody can just tell someone about,
IF somebody tries , they will either UNDER
tell it, or OVER tell it...no happy medium...

As a child long ago and having gone thru
Parris Island at the ripe age of 17-

your "son" didn't sneak one thru the mail from a
dumb friend who had mailed him one-
*twice in boot i had to open envelopes by moistening
the glue from the outside while doing pushups...

ONE envelope had a stick of ?spearmint gum and the DrillInstructor
was dying to see what was inside ( Trust me when i tell you he knew
what it was by the feel and smell) from the outside.
tother envelope was marked on the outside
S.W.A.K. and the Drill told me it wouldn't be fair for me just to
open it with out matching her kisses/-
^ told you that to tell you this.

Very little is ever pulled over on Drill Instructors....
they pick thru the mail, eyeball it, smell it, and finger-fark* it
probibly 20 times before it ever makes it to the squadbay where it
is handed out most times .

Your son , had been having problems before the Cigarette-
I wager - the "drills" let him hang himself - thinking he was pulling the wool
over their eyes-

Your son is getting the chance to "Sell himself" to the CO -

EITHER WAY - it isn't up to you or the lads mother -
Balls gonna be in your son's court if they let him stay
to try "harder".....

All of us wish you and your wife the best

[doc h fmf]

There was a certain standard I as a DOC always followed that was SEMPER FI, I was always faithful to god country but most of all I always was faithful to my Men in my company and platoon

Semper Fi and Godbless my brothers

[m14ed]

I asked admin to consider
merging this thread

with the one already in
Open Squad Bay,

for everyone's convenience.

WHAT ?

Do something that makes sense ???

Christmas is coming.....

[Tennessee Top]

I still belong to a Parris Island Family Support Group on Facebook from when my niece was there. Occasionally see posts about recruits being sent home for myriad reasons. Most of the time, it's because of medical issues but obviously there are also examples of "failure to adapt", "refusing to train", etc. It is true these problems mostly appear during the "breaking down process" in 1st Phase when the scuzzy civilian is removed from their bodies. By 2nd Phase, training moves to more Marine type things like Martial Arts qualification, swim qualification, and rifle qualification so attitudes markedly improve. Also, by 2nd Phase, recruits have figured out what their DI's expect of them and have adjusted to the training schedule.

From what I see, recruits are given the benefit of the doubt and, as long as they exhibit the desire to graduate and earn the title, the DI's will give them multiple opportunities to succeed (DI's do want to graduate recruits believe it or not). This can even include switching the recruit to a different platoon within the same training company so the recruit can get a fresh start with a different team of DI's (sometimes that makes the difference).

Nobody likes their DI's. Taking shots at them in letters is expected and will never upset a DI (they probably like it that way I'm sure). Only time a DI is allowed to read a letter is if contraband (the cigarette) is suspected. I seriously doubt they would hold your son accountable for something his idiot friend set him up for. Just like they don't hold recruits accountable when a girlfriend/wife sends perfumed envelopes (other than a few rounds of pushups, squat thrusts, etc). If your son is being threatened with being sent home, it's for other reasons besides these.

Bottom line (in my opinion). If your son wants to be there and earn the title, they will keep him. They will iron out any disciplinary issues and your son's life will be miserable for it. On the other hand. If he says/shows he has no desire to be a Marine, there is no reason he should stay and they'll send him back home with a nonpunitive/administrative separation.

Good luck to your family and your recruit. Let us know how it all works out.

[David82d]

Well dang. This kid

They took them out into formation and did a search. When they found the smoke, a stupid cig, they asked him and he ran away.

That's the end right there. He's in the sep platoon. Hope his state of mind is okay. Thank you everyone, for all replies.

[oldtop]

Dave, these days, there is one other kind of discharge, reserved for those that HAVE NOT COMPLETED THEIR INITIAL OBLIGATED SERVICE or boot camp... it is called "UNCHARACTERIZED SEPARATION" ... on the form DD214, where it calls for "character of discharge" it will state "UNCHARACTERIZED"... and to the military, it's like giving a kid a "do over"... it is like they were never there.... someone with an UNCHARACTERIZED Separation can actually enlist in a different branch at a later date

[USMC 2571]

Thanks, William. Very interesting. In the late 70s early 80s I think they just gave them honorable discharges and let them go.....is that part accurate, do you know or can you confirm that?

[Old Marine]

Further, YOU should call the Company Commander's office before or after your son meets with him, and get the entire story, as well as the Corps' plans for your son. Because "qualified opinions from real Marines" as you put it, don't count. We can opine all we like, but would be no closer to letting you know about your son's specific situation. Only you talking with the CO would be productive. Any answers you get here would only be opinions, like mine, and hardly definitive.

Parents call the Company Commander's these days. WOW. Does the CO actually talk to them? What the hell is going on in the Military these days. When I said Military, I didn't include the Air Farce.lol

[Tennessee Top]

Don't know if parents can call and talk to the CO (that's all the CO's would be doing all day). I do know, when a recruit gets dropped from training, the next of kin receives a phone call explaining the circumstances and what to expect next (dropped to medical, legal, separation platoon, etc). That call can come from an officer or one of the DI's with the recruit standing by so they know the call was made. In most cases, the recruit is given a few minutes to speak to their family in the presence of the Marine placing the call.

[Tennessee Top]

He pretty much sealed his own fate. Marines don't run away from anything. Sounds like a maturity issue to me. Hopefully, when he gets home, he can work on growing up.

Good luck to your son.

[USMC 2571]

"Company commander's office".

[USMC 2571]

OP, keep in mind what oldtop said, in his last sentence, about perhaps trying to join other branches at some later date.

[FoxtrotOscar]

NOTE: This thread is also in Open Squad Bay with the same title, just so you know there are two threads going on the subject.

Be advised the two threads have been merged to avoid confusion effective 2005, 11-7-17...