marrying young

[jeremy]

i just want ed to know if u guys think its a good idea to be married in ur 1st enlistment or wait.

[Echo_Four_Bravo]

WAIT

[cmbell]

Probably best to get settled first, your life is in for a realy big change..........everything changes including you!

If it's going to pass the test of time it will, married or not.....best not to rush into things.....just remember ultimately it is your choice, but I definately wouldn't until after boot camp at the earliest!

[marinemom]

Definitely WAIT!!!

You do not know where your first duty station will be, how many "floats" you may be on, and a ton of other things as well.

If it is real, it will last for your first tour - if it doesn't, you are better off.

[TracGunny]

Wait, my experience tells me that Sergeants on their second enlistment fare much better... of course there are always exceptions to the rule, but those exceptions seem to be rare - again, this is only my observation...

[Lock-n-Load]

You are only 18 yrs [young]...for cripes sake, Don't get married at this tender age, not even in civilian life...as a Marine, the countless separations would weigh heavy on both of you...the divorce rate in the USMC amongst [18-23] is astronomical...all Marine Commanding Officers have requested their young Marines to finish the 1st hitch before getting married...fore/warned is fore/armed, jeremey...if you do enlist in USMC ...do it by your lonesome, kid....you can always get married, much later.

[jdfairman]

I swear... there should probably be an article in the UCMJ stating that one must be AT LEAST a Corporal or on their second enlistment before they are allowed to be married.
You may think that sounds harsh; however, from an economic standpoint alone, its just not all that practical to be married as a junior Marine. You also have to keep in mind that you and your significant other probably still have a little emotional growing to do. I'm not saying you can't make it or that its impossible, but I definitely wouldn't place any bets on your success at this early point in your life.
I'm a married guy myself, so if you have any questions specifically regarding being married in the Corps, post them here. I know there are many people here with a wealth of knowledge.
Good luck.

[vision836]

WAIT!! She may be the right one now so you think. I did ,after two years with my girl then bootcamp we broke up shortly after I got to my training school. Before finding the right girl you have to have fun with the wrong ones first!!

[vision836]

Now that I've got that first cup of coffee down and can think (a little) I have known quite a few LPCL and PFC's that were married just out of bootcamp and they all seemed to struggle with money and time away from each other. LOCK-N-LOAD is right the divorce rate for Marines is very high and if children are involved the situation just gets worst. I'm not saying the kids make it worst it's what they go thru that can be avoided. You will know when the time is right.

[TracGunny]

This is from a lesson plan from the “Marines Awaiting Training” Program (1998). Go to the website to read main causes and more info - TG http://www.tecom.usmc.mil/downloads/mat/Pf08-ig.doc

1. MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE STATISTICS: (5 MIN)

a. Marriage Rates. The marriage rate in the Marine Corps continues to rise. Figures on Marine Corps marriage rates show that in 1980, 33% of Marines were married. Five years later that number increased to 44%. In 1993, the marriage rate among Marines was approximately 49%.

b. Marriage Age. While the number of young people in the United States has been declining, the number of married Marines between the ages of 17 and 21 has continued to increase. The number of divorces among first-term Marines has, unfortunately, also grown significantly.

c. DIVORCE STATISTICs.

1) The United States has the highest divorce rate in the world.

2) Studies show that in 1980 when the divorce rate peaked in the United States, divorces occurred in one out of every two marriages.

3) While the civilian divorce rate has remained constant into the 1990's, the Marine Corps has seen its overall divorce rate increase.

a) Between 1980 and 1993, Marine Corps divorce rates jumped to 77%. Looking at the percentage of divorces among enlisted Marines only, there has been an increase of 95%. If one looks even more closely at the increase in divorces for first-term Marines, privates through corporals, the divorce rate has increased 117%.

b) The majority of Marines marry and divorce during their first term of enlistment. Data has further shown that military personnel are inclined to remarry sooner than civilians.

c) When one or both partners are still "on the rebound," 40% of military second marriages end in divorce within the first five years.



-Okay, so maybe the second-term Sergeant observation I alluded to in my earlier post is not just mine.... -TG

[jeremy]

ok thanks guys i will definetly take your words into consideration
but i have another question, wat about after my 1st enlistment if i still love this girl and want to marry her but since shes in the corp i cant find her and if i do n we get married, will the marine
corp station us together. SEMPER FIDELIS

[dep_baumy]

Hmmmmmmm, I dont know exactly how that works for sure, but I doubt the Corps will station you 2 together just because your in love, they will station you where you are needed the most im guessing, either way good luck with her.

[CPLRapoza]

I've heard of that happening before, with married couples getting stationed together.

[cmbell]

Either way, whether you two get stationed together or not you can expect some pretty long times apart. Besides a lot of marines come out after one enlistment. If one of you does then you'll have no problems trying to be together. The corps tends to make arrangements for you if you both stay in, but they aren't always easy, and they aren't always what you want.

If it is meant to be, it will be. If it's not then just remember that there are millions of people in this world, the one at 18 isn't always the one at 25. Give yourself time!

[TracGunny]

Joint Spouse Assignments.

When one military member is married to another military member, both must apply to be assigned together. This is called a "Joint Spouse Assignment."

The military will try as hard as it can to assign spouses together (it's considered a "success" if the couple are assigned within 100 miles of each other).

There are no guarantees, however. Right now, the "success-rate" for Joint Spouse assignments is about 85 percent. That sounds pretty good, until you realize that means 15 percent of married military couples are currently not assigned to within 100 miles of each other.

Joint-Spouse assignments work better when both are members of the same service. It's a lot easier, for instance to assign two Air Force people together, as they can usually be assigned to the same Air Force base (depending, of course on their jobs).

However, if one is in the Air Force and the other is in the Marine Corps, it would be much more difficult, as there are few Marine Corps jobs on Air Force bases, and few Air Force jobs on Marine Corps bases, and few Air Force bases and Marine Corps bases within 100 miles of each other.

http://www.usmilitary.about.com/libr.../aa092302d.htm

Ask your Recruiter about Joint-Spouse Assignments - TG