Expert: MARK A. HOWELL - 10/22/2009

Question
When i was 15 years old, my brother, whom is a Marine, was leaving for Afghanistan. My friends did it, and i thought it was okay,plus I was angry/sad about the fact he was leaving, and shoplifted, from a Marine Corps base. It is very hard, and shameful to say this, considering the fact that many Marines see what i say. Yes it is against the Corps values, and would not be tolerated in the Corps, but im 17 now, and I have changed. When it happened i was confronted by MCX security, and they quickly notified the PMOs. I was asked my information, and questions, and was not cuffed, and had to go to the PMO office. They let me drive with my parents in our car as we followed them. We walked in the office, and filed a report. I was in there for about 15 minutes, and left. I went home to NJ, and a couple days later i got mail from the base. I had an option. It was a packet i had to fill out while listening to a cd included. i completed it and returned it. I never had to go to court. There was a $200 fine. I am curious and if it sounds like it went on my record, can you tell me? and if it did, it is on a military base, so is it a FEDERAL offense? I am 17, and planning on enlisting when im 19.
Since it was juvenile, will it be on my record considering it was on a base?
Will i be eligible without a waiver? i know that they dont do waivers now, so i am wondering if i would be eligible.


I do apollogize for my wrongdoings, and i have straitened up, and realized what i did was wrong, and will not do it again, and i look at myself and am disgusted, and ashamed, and that if i do want to become a Marine, i at least have to act like i want to become one, and grow up, which i have done.

Will this stay on my PERMANENT record throughout my entire life?

consider the facts:

I was NOT handcuffed
Was not arrested or detained
I didnt have to go to court
I never talked to anyone besides PMOs
I was 15 and a juvenile


Answer
Ant,
I'm glad to hear you've seen the error of your ways, and have straightened up.  As you discovered, friends seldom give good advice.

Basically you got off Scott free, for 2 reasons.  1. you were a family member and 2. you were a minor.

As a base commander I've run across this very same problem many times.  In the Air Force we had what we nicknamed "Kiddie Kourt".  Whenever the Security Police caught a family member doing a minor offense like shoplifting in the Exchange, they brought them to me and I would convene a Kiddie Kourt and determine the punishment.  The packet of info you read and the CD you watched are provided courtesy of the Exchange.  The whole idea is to scare you into not doing it again.  Legally, they couldn't do anything with you but they didn't want you to know that.  The most they could do was reprimand your dad (assuming he's the military member) for not controlling his dependants, plus make him pay the fine.

The Marines do it a little bit differently in that the Provost Martial's Office talks to you, not the base commander.

So bottom line, you have NO record, period.  The PMO CANNOT keep a record on a civilian family member, especially an underage one.

Yes, you WILL be eligible without a waiver.  Don't even mention the incident to a recruiter because as far as anyone (but you) knows, it never happened.

I think you'll make a fine Marine.
Colonel H