How to Join the Marines Fast
Joining the Marine Corps is not as easy as it used to be. But with a little due diligence and proactivity on your part, you will be on a bus to Paris Island to start your basic training in no time!
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Things You'll Need
- Social Security card
- Birth certificate
- Driver's license or state ID card
- Marriage license if married
- Medical records if you have any
- High school diploma or high school transcripts: GED
- Children's or dependents' birth certificates
- Bank account
Instructions
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Drop by the local Marine Corps Recruiting Station. There's a good chance there won't be anyone there because recruiters must cover a large territories (usually multiple counties) and always seem to have a busy agenda. Instead, pick up a business card or get his/her number off the sign out front. If you still have no luck locating a recruiter, call the 1-800 number and speak to a representative over the phone. The hot line is available 24/7 and can answer a lot of questions. Also they will put you in touch with your local recruiter either by patching you through to their cell phone or setting up an appointment for you to meet with them. Visit the United States Marine' s website. Find a link in the References section.
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Your recruiter will prescreen you by asking you a series of questions. If you pass the current enlistment standard criteria, you will be allowed to take the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) test. This is basically the entrance exam into the military, whether it's for the Army National Guard, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines or Coast Guard.
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After you speak with the recruiter, your next step is the initial interview. If you want to streamline this process, make sure you have all of your documents listed in the "Things You Will Need" section when you go to your initial interview with the recruiter. Your recruiter may want to give you a practice ASVAB test to see where you stand academically. Hopefully you will do fine on the real test regardless of how you do on the practice exam. You can expect to see algebra, word knowledge, paragraph comprehension and arithmetic reasoning.
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The physical! After you successfully pass the ASVAB you can pat yourself on the back because the hard part is over with. The physical exam is all that is left between you and your new exciting career in the Marine Corps. Your recruiter will set you up an appointment to go to MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station) and you will be examined by the military doctors who are looking for any sign that you may not be a suitable candidate for a soldier.
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You're 99.99 percent there. All you must do now is sign your paper contract and raise your right hand. After you repeat the Oath of Enlistment you are now officially a soldier in the Marine Corps.
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Tips & Warnings
Be open and honest with your recruiter. If there is something you need to tell him or her, then do so up front. It will also make your enlistment process go a lot faster.
Be sure to go over your contract before you sign the paperwork.
If you have a medical condition that you know will cause problems later on down the road, please notify the doctors at MEPS so they can make determine you will be in any serious medical danger by joining the military. Your life and welfare is very important. Do not lie just to be allowed to enlist.
Try not to disqualify yourself by speaking too carelessly at MEPS. Your words will be taken seriously, even if you are just joking around.
References
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