Currently in Army DEP

[Snixx]

First off, I hope this is the right section, and already know I am going to get crap for asking this.
Anyways currently I am in Army DEP, I swore in on Feb 2nd of 2015. I have not my second oath yet, and my ship date is july 13th for Fort Benning. Don't get my wrong, I respect both branches and both have their obligations, yet for me as a person I feel like the Marines are more suited best for me. I went with the army originally because I was pressured in by my parents and wanted to make them happy, but I am starting to realize that I need to do what I want to do.
Now, my question here is how do I drop out of DEP with the Army, and what consequences follow with telling my recruiter that I feel like the Marines are the way to go for me personally. How does this process work, and if anyone has done this before please shoot me in the right direction.

[josephd]

Just go tell the recruiter you don't want to join, joining the DEP is not binding in any way. That oath you took means nothing, it's just to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

There is no recourse or punishment for this.....tell the Army recruiter to kick rocks and then go next door and start talking to a Marine recruiter

[troop901]

Crap, wish six shooter was still around here, but you have not taken your final oath right, untill you do, as it was, christ 30 yrs ago, shut up Ed and freakin blooper, but back in the day, until you said yes then no, you could switch branches. But go talk to your recruitor, the Army one will say no, but the Marine one will probally say yes. In the end its your choice. Just make the right one for yourself.
Go with what you want, not what you think they want.

[Snixx]

The only thing I am worried about is i've heard stories where it's hard to get into another branch after dropping out of DEP of any branch. The marine recruiter could just tell me flat out "No", because I could see them saying something along the lines of "How do I know you wont do what you did to the army to us?". Which is understandable
Also, is it true no recruiter is allowed to talk to me from any other branch except the army. .

[Big Boz]

Also, is it true no recruiter is allowed to talk to me from any other branch except the army. .

Not true. YOU are the one doing the talking about YOUR choices and YOUR life.

[USMC 2571]

I can see a concern with saying no to the Army, then the USMC says no, and here he is out in the cold. Does anyone know if once out of Army DEP, Army would take him back.

[USMC 2571]

Snixx, you might want to look into that aspect of it. Keep us updated here on this same thread.

[Failla]

Piggy-backing off what USMC2571 said, put yourself in the best situation least likely to get screwed. I would personally talk with the USMC recruiter first, tell him exactly what you said here (about your parents pressuring you, now you feel Marines are more for you), and ask him if they will take you. If he feels like he is in on the process before/as it all unfolds, I would think he would be more comfortable pushing you through without having doubts about you, rather than you leaving the Army DEP, burning that bridge with the Army recruiter, and then the USMC recruiter not wanting you either because he thinks you'll back out on him too.

[MunkyVsRobot]

I can see a concern with saying no to the Army, then the USMC says no, and here he is out in the cold. Does anyone know if once out of Army DEP, Army would take him back.

Im sure they would but I would definitely go see a new recruiter or even new RS. Imagine you as a recruiter spent however much time and effort doing the paperwork making sure that this individual is fit for service you get them a shipdate maybe even the MOS they were looking for and then they say nah i think i am going to go somewhere else.

To the OP do which ever you think is best if you think the Marines is better jump ship and try joining remember the grass is always greener on the other side.. Unless you are in the air force because your grass is the greenest grass and no one else takes care of their grass.

All of the branches have good things about them and equally as many undesireable qualities. Just keep that in mind when you decide which COA you are going to undertake.

[troop901]

Young pup, you have gotten alot of good advice on here, but its your choice. No branch can come in and threaten you or do anything to you. Talk to the Marine recrutior, then make your final decision. In the end its numbers game, they dont care if you go or not, its how many they sign up. Just tell him you were pressured into the Army and you changed your mind. But remember, Marine boot is not anything like Army boot camp. There is a reason there are yellow footprints painted on the pavement.
We all remember the footprints dont we.
SF

[Snixx]

Thank you guys for all of the input, I haven't had time to go into a marine recruiting station at all, (I don't want to call because I feel like it shows the recruiter how much more of a person I am going in and talking to him face to face than asking him over the phone all these questions). I will let everyone know asap.

[USMC 2571]

Makes sense to go see USMC first, rather than, as someone said, burn your Army bridges first, then perhaps be left out in the cold.....keep us updated here on this same thread.

[Snixx]

Just talked to a marine recruiter. He told me he would not mind at all taking me in after I get out of army DEP, and that they have dealt with this before that the station, now all I have to do is get through the awkwardness of telling the army recruiter I want out.

[djj34]

Just tell him what you told us. You were pressured into joining for your parents' sake, and you are pursuing other goals.

[USMC 2571]

Good advice-----keep us updated here.

[Snixx]

Meeting with the marine recruiter on monday to go over some stuff and what to expect on how this process works. Have not yet told my army recruiter yet about it, but plan on doing it after monday. Also found out that my army recruiter was in the marines, so I think he's going to understand more.

[USMC 2571]

Good luck! Let us know what happens.

[Tennessee Top]

Don't know. There are reasons he left the Corps for the Army. This is getting interesting!

[Snixx]

Don't know. There are reasons he left the Corps for the Army. This is getting interesting!

Well, it was kind of funny today. After we did PT we played football, and some of these kids could not catch a damn ball to save their lives, and were also out of shape. I heard my recruiter mutter to himself when one of the kids dropped an easy pass, "this is why they joined the Army". Lol. Makes me wonder why he moved over to the Army.

[USMC 2571]

Ask him. He'll tell you, won't be offended. And keep us updated, as you have been.

[Snixx]

Sorry for the late update guys, been really busy with finals. I did bring it up to my army recruiter saying that I am most likely going to drop out. He didn't seem mad, he just said it was up to me. He told me straight up they do not want people who don't want to be there. I need to make sure I am 115% percent sure I want to do this before I make it final.

[Tennessee Top]

Decisiveness. Being able to make sound and timely decisions based on accurate information and announce those decisions in a clear, calm, firm, and professional manner.

It's one of our 14 leadership traits. So, yes, it is important you make the right decision. It is also important, after that decision is made, you are committed to it and confident enough to announce it to anyone involved. In other words, don't second-guess yourself or allow anyone to talk you out of it. Our core values are honor, courage, and commitment.

[djj34]

Sounds like you're set. Stay in the books and finish school strong. Good luck on finals.

[Snixx]

For all of those wondering why my army recruiter switched over from the marines, he told me it was because of tattoos.

[Tennessee Top]

The Army just relaxed their tattoo policy. As long as the tattoos cannot be seen while wearing their service uniform (coat and tie), they are good-to-go. Meaning, no tattoos below the wrists and above the collar.