I am beginning all the paper work necessary to enter the Marines DEP. I am not done yet, still some things with the medical paper work that needs to be taken care of. The problem is that many people have told me that once I am in the DEP program I am stuck, that when I join the program I have made the decision to be a Marine, and there is no turning back. I have every intention of joining the Marines, but a lot of things can change in a year, so I need to know that I am not signing my life away just yet. If that is what the DEP does, I need to know now. I have asked my recruiter who I trust and he says that there is no commitment in joining the DEP program, but recruiters have a bad rep, and many friends and family members swear up and down to me that they know all about this and claim that I would be stuck if I went into the DEP. So please, someone, clear this mess up for me!
Thanks.

Yes, you ARE obligated under the DEP. I was in DEP for half a year, fortunately nothing happened to me during that time. If you go into DEP a whole year before your ship date, you leave little wiggle room for an unforeseen injury to heal in the later stages. If you DEP with time left, and something happens, you can delay it up to a year, so you have a buffer zone as an insurance policy.

btw, I used my DEP time to get a higher paygrade going into basic, I don't know how the USMC does it, but Army you can do that.

nothing like that for the USMC as far as I know. Well now I am kinda pissed at my recruiter. He told me I had no obligations under the DEP. Christ I am 17 years old I don't want to decide right now whether that is what I want. Well at least I checked it out before I went all the way. Thanks. Makes me feel better.

In the old days.... like 1970, I joined the Navy on the delayed entry program. (the marines are a part of the Department of the Navy.)

At that time once you signed the papers you were committed. It was an enlistment with a departure date sometime in the future.

If you are committed now to join the Marines, be committed.

The service is looked down on by many people, in my opinion it is one of the finest organizations around. It takes young men and women and gives them some lifetime training along with giving them an atmosphere to grow into responsible adults. There are some that will serve and never be responsible but that falls to them in the blame game.

Always remember, those that are faiures as Marines are ex-marines, the rest of them are Marines for life. Ask around and you might hear some of the same sentiment.

Good luck at Paris Island and remember that they will not put any obstacle in front of you that you cannot overcome.

Remember the line Clint Eastwood used in "Heartbreak Ridge"?

I don't remember word for word but it's something like this:

Adapt, improvise and overcome.

I don't know what the Marine Corps core values are, but the Navy's is Honor, Courage and Committment.

Semper Fi!

I agree 100% on your opinion of the service. I know many people who look down on it, which pisses me off. I hope to become a Marine one day, but I don't feel that at the age of 17 I am ready to commit to a life decision. What troubles me most about this whole thing is the fact that my recruiter lied to me. He has been very honest with me on everything, not feeding me BS on anything. He told me upfront, "You will have a rough time in boot, you will go to Iraq. People won't baby you through, no one will be there to hold your hand. It will suck. Are you sure you wanna do this?" and I said yes. He has been honest about everything EXCEPT this. But oh well I don't care. I just can't wait to go. I am kinda upset that I have to wait.
Thanks for clearing that up. I think my name is going on those papers now anyways, I just feel better knowing what I am getting myself into.

Listen LOUD AND CLEAR. you are NOT obligated once you are i the DEP Program. i got off the Island in feb 05! i will clarify in detail with references if you need me to!

Originally Posted by implicature

Listen LOUD AND CLEAR. you are NOT obligated once you are i the DEP Program. i got off the Island in feb 05! i will clarify in detail with references if you need me to!

How about clarifying? I have never signed a contract that didn't obligate you.

When I signed a Delayed Entry contract I was obligated, not only by contract but by my word.

You are not obligated with any branch, anyone who tells you that you are is lying, if you want to quit then quit, I dont want anyone in my Marine Corps who dosnt want to be there. Simple as that.
When you signed you did obligate yourself by your word, but not by the contract itself, you have to read the small print.

REMOVED!!!

mod edit: under review

Originally Posted by GunnyD

You are not obligated with any branch, anyone who tells you that you are is lying, if you want to quit then quit, I dont want anyone in my Marine Corps who dosnt want to be there. Simple as that.
When you signed you did obligate yourself by your word, but not by the contract itself, you have to read the small print.

I think that you are somewhat out of the loop with the definition of delayed entry. As stated, when I signed the delayed entry contract in 1970 it had me for 6 years, four year contract starting at a date in the future (November 1970 delayed until April 1971). There were no loopholes.

I think your use of language in this matter could be a little more adult to give you credibility. Your manner of speaking does not line up with all of the Gunny's I've worked with in my career. Around Marines they are rude, crude and socially unacceptable. In public they are perfect examples of what a Marine should be. If you are a Gunny, go back to school and learn how to deal with the public.

Before posting any advice in this forum, all of you please read the sticky posted here:
http://www.military-quotes.com/forum...ead.php?t=6518

Originally Posted by implicature

Listen LOUD AND CLEAR. you are NOT obligated once you are i the DEP Program. i got off the Island in feb 05! i will clarify in detail with references if you need me to!

Do not give advice like this without citing official verifiable sources. What island? Fantasy or Parris?

Originally Posted by GunnyD

You are not obligated with any branch, anyone who tells you that you are is lying, if you want to quit then quit, I don't want anyone in my Marine Corps who doesn't want to be there. Simple as that.

Not the type of reply I would expect from a senior marine. The young fellow is looking for advice. You, by your reply, imply that he is trying to get out of his obligation, which is nowhere to be found in his posts.

Any further violations of the rules as cited above will be dealt with by a temporary or permanent ban depending on each member's prior behavior.
Nuff said.