Expert: Cynthia Bedell - 2/1/2008

Question
I was discharged from the marines and given an other then honorable discharge and an RE-4, it was about 3 years ago and i am looking for go back into the marines and was just wondering if it is possible and what i might have to do. i have talked to a recruiter and he is also seeing what i need to do.

Answer
Dear Charles --

You will either need to get the status of your discharge changed, or get a morality waiver, if you want to enlist when you have an RE-4 discharge.

If you can prove your discharge condition (other than honorable) was more harsh than it should have been, you can get your discharge classification changed.  This will take a lot of documentation and time, as well as tracking down character witnesses, and others that are familiar with the circumstances surrounding your negative discharge.

In lieu of that, you can apply for a morality waiver by documenting that you have learned from your prior mistakes, and are no longer a discipline risk.  Your recruiter should give you a list of the type of documentation you will need, but no recruiter can predict the outcome of your waiver request.

Good luck to you.