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Careers: Military--Army, Navy, Airforce, Marines, Coast Guard/West Point
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Question
If I go to West Point would i have to join the Army or could I join the Marines upon gradution?
Hi Dane,
When one is a member of a specific Military Academy, they are obligated to accept a commission for that particular service branch. In other words, West Point Graduates are obligated for an Army Commission, Naval Academy graduates are obligated for a Navy or Marine Corps commission, and Air Force Academy graduates are obligated for an Air Force commission.
However, there are also provisions in the regulations to "trade." In other words, if a West Point graduate can find a Naval Academy (Marine Program) graduate to "trade," and they both agree, and the services both agree, it's possible to "trade," whereby the West Point Graduate would accept a Marine Corps commission, and the Naval Academy (Marine Corps Program), would accept the Army commission. It doesn't happen often, but it's possible.
For more information about the United States Military, feel free to visit my U.S. Military Information Site at: http://usmilitary.about.com Hope this helps!
Rod Powers
http://usmilitary.about.com
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Answers by Expert:
Rod Powers
Expertise
Rod Powers is considered one of the premire experts about U.S. Military career information on the planet. He has more than 30,000 articles about U.S. Military career information on the About.com U.S. Military Careers Information website at: http://usmilitary.about.com. Additionally, he is the author of "ASVAB for Dummies," "ASVAB AFQT for Dummies," (available in Dec 2009), and "Veteran Benefits for Dummies," all published by Wiley Publishing. He is also the author of "Barrons' Guide to Officer Candidate School Tests," published by Barron's Educational Series.
Experience
Rod Powers is a retired Air Force first sergeant, with 23 years of active duty service, 11 of those years as an Air Force First Sergeant. He has helped thousands of military members, recruits, and military applicants since he took over the About.com U.S Military Careers Information site in 1999. He has a reputation for "telling it like it is," so questions may not be answered based on "what you want to hear," but will be answered based of the bast available information, concerning the service/situation.
Education/Credentials
Rod is a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Noncommissioned Officers Academy, the Air Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy, and the Air Force First Sergeant Academy. He also holds an Associates Degree in Personnel Administration from the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF).
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