Expert: Rod Powers - 5/5/2007

Question
hi i am currenlty enlisted in the USMC DEP (reserves.)  i have not gone to boot camp yet and would now like to chage branches.how long does a USMC DEP Discharge usually take?  and what papers or procedures are involved so i know my recruiter isnt lying to me that he will do it? it took half an hour or argueing to get to this point. i plan i going right over to the Navy reserve after i recieve papers notifying me of official discharge. what career field in the Navy would you suggest. my previous MOS in the USMC was 0311 riflemen. thanks

Answer
Hi Dave,

You should submit your DEP Discharge request, in writing, and include a statement in your request that you would like a response, in writing.

See my DEP article at: http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/joiningup/a/dep.htm

There's no way to tell how long it will take. It *could* take up to a year. For obvious reasons, your recruiter isn't going to be very happy about it, after he/she has dedicated a lot of very valuable time (recruiters are busy animals), in processing your enlistment. Don't be surprised if processing your DEP discharge request isn't his/her number one (or two, or three, or even 200th) priority.

It very well may be a year or so before it gets processed (I've seen this happen before), and you'll be clear to apply to join another branch. When you piss a recruiter off, DEP-discharge paperwork has a tendancy to get misplaced, delayed, or lost. In the recruiter's mind, it's often, "You caused me a lot of paperwork and time, so I'm going to return the favor."

If it takes too long (more than three or four months), you can always threaten to make a complaint to the appropriate Inspector General's Office (address for complaints can be found in the DEP article). That will sometimes "motivate" the recruiter and his/her superiors to speed up the process.

I'm afraid I can't recommend any specific Navy ratings (enlisted jobs). Each and every person has different likes and interests, and dislikes. A job I might find "exciting" and "interesting," you might find boring and uninteresting. Everyone is different. I might find learning a foreign language fascinating, you may hate it. I might find aircraft maintenance the best thing since sliced bread, you might hate it.

All I can do is to point you at my pages for Navy job descriptions and qualification factors. You'll have to make up your own mind about what particular jobs interest you. See: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/enlistedjob1/a/navyjobs.htm

For more information about the United States Military, feel free to visit my U.S. Military Information Website at: http://usmilitary.about.com

Hope this helps!

Rod Powers
http://usmilitary.about.com