Can you quit usmc boot camp

You have signed a contract, yes. But there are rules that provide for letting you go if you are not a good fit or fail to adapt to a military environment. Being courteous and professional pays in these situations. But at the end of the day, you can quit military service without graduating from boot camp and go back home like nothing happened.

The caveat here is that those who choose this route are NOT veterans, do not qualify for veteran benefits, and are not viewed to have served at all. Remember, those who do not complete basic training can never be viewed as service members, prior military service members for purposes of going into the Guard or Reserve, etc. Once you have completed basic training and report to your first duty station, you are officially serving in the United States Military.

You have signed a legally binding contract obligating you to fulfil the terms of that contract and there are no provisions for early outs, quitting, or abbreviated tours unless the Defense Department decides it is in their best interest to let you go before your original date of retirement or separation.

That said, there are provisions for certain special circumstances that may give some the alternative they are looking for when it comes to getting out of the military early or quitting the military.

You could be given an administrative separation for failure to manage your military travel credit card properly, for not meeting initial physical fitness standards at your first duty station, failure to successfully complete professional military education, etc. And admin sep is not automatically punitive, but many of the circumstances that require one make them seem punitive. You can be involuntarily separated for breach of contract—and what that often means for some recruits is that a lie they told the recruiter during the screening process is revealed to be just that—a lie.

Philip Kulczewski, a Parris Island spokesman. Your Marine Corps. By Philip Athey. Friday, Oct 8. Lance Cpl. More In Your Marine Corps. Fate of Marine battalion commander connected to deadly AAV sinking to be determined in December A board of inquiry will be held for Lt. That is one loophole that those shipping out to MEPS and basic training are typically unaware of. Did you get all the way through the recruitment process and to MEPS only to get cold feet at the last moment and change your mind?

Just because you arrive at MEPS does not mean you are fully committed with no chance of deciding not to commit after all. It is considered professional courtesy to inform a recruiter as early as you possibly can to let them know you are changing your mind. Be professional as possible when trying to withdraw in this context. In this situation, you are a lot closer to being fully committed legally and physically to being in the military. Anyone who departs the military prior to graduation from boot camp will be processed as an entry-level separation as mentioned above.

What does this mean? You would be required to finish basic training, complete any additional advanced training required, and accept your first military duty assignment before being eligible for such benefits as the GI Bill, VA home loans, etc. Once you have completed basic training and report to your first duty station, you are officially serving in the United States Military.

There are few, if any opportunities for an entry-level separation at this stage, and you are required to meet the terms of your enlistment contract or commission. There are few provisions for early outs, quitting, or abbreviated tours unless the Defense Department decides it is in their best interest to let you go before your original commitment ends.