Former Poolees, need your help about the DEP

[THATGUY1992]

This question goes out to former Poolees:

How did you get your mother/ father to allow you to join the Marines before you turned 18? My mother will not let me sign up till after Senior Year, as she still wants me to go to college right out of high school. I have told her many times college right after H.S. is not for me and I told her this is want I want to do.

I have talked to her about it and said that the Delayed Entry Program would help me prepare a little for Boot Camp, but she still will not give in. I also told her (from what I heard from a Marine Recruiter) that if I sign up after High School, I will not ship out for a few months after June, or even more.

Thanks in advance.

Sam

[Mulls]

there's a public list of G.I. rights online. in it, it states that you're completely within your rights to leave the DEP at any time, or by not showing up to your ship date. it usually helps parents to hear that it 's not binding. at any rate, get your HS diploma - you need it.

[Hance23]

Well, I'm still a poolee, but I went through that situation. At first, my parents were very anti letting me join the DEP, and were going to make me wait until I was 18 and graduated from High School. I guess me being their only daughter, and them already going through my brother being a Marine kind of caused it. But I sat them down one day and told them that the Marine Corps was the best option for me, and that I can still get college done (they really wanted me to go to college) while i'm in the Corps. I think if you sit your mom down and calmly lay out what you know about the Marines (will help you mature into a man, great benefits, you can leave the DEP at any time before you ship out, etc) she will be more willing to consider it. I think if you could get her in to talk to your recruiter that might help too. I thought my parents were just going in to talk to mine, and they came home and told me they had signed the papers! Hope this helps!

[devin0116]

I have not sworn into the DEP yet but I was in the same boat. I told them that this is what I wanted, I was absolutely 100% sure. I told them if they did not sign now I was going to when I was 18, so might as well get a head start now. As Mulls said, you can leave the DEP at anytime, thats a huge selling point for parents. Try and schedule a family meeting with a recruiter, they have been trained to be charasmatic and can help in your plight. When you sit, strategically place yourself next to him/her, this shows that your on their side trying to convince your parents, not him/her trying to convince you and your family. Thats what my recruiter told me to do. I did, a week later, he came to the house in dress blues, and we started the initial paperwork.

[Andrew Jackson]

I am currently a poolie, but I since being in the pool the recruiters have been very flexible in letting people PT with us. When we go on the run you can't run "with" us, but if you run "behind or around us" your gtg.

[Vise]

I'm not a Poolee yet because I dont turn 17 until next month but I'm dedicated enough that I do everything the Poolees at my RSS do and go to all the events. The recruiters like my committment and can't wait for me to DEP in. I go to the RSS at least every other day after school and get my homework done. My mom knows this and likes the fact that I'm more disciplined than I was when I wasn't determined to join the Corps. I guess what I'm saying is you need to show your parents that the Corps will be good for YOU. Start hanging around your local RSS, go to PT, and you will start changing because Marines have high standards. At least, that's what I've observed.