Expert: Rod Powers - 11/6/2006

Question
my daughter has fractures in her legs, graduated boot camp on crutches. has not had time to heal correctly, forced into mct, broke again, did not finish mct, now is being told that she is getting an admin sep, not even being able to put on her resume that she was in the Marine Corps. Dec.19 will be six months for her. I think she should get a medical sep as the doc told her that her bones were not able to handle the stress of marine training. she was  promoted in boot camp to pfc for her physical performance. and has not gotten in any trouble at all during her time in the Marines.

Answer
Hi Jim,

Who said that she couldn't put on her resume that she was in the Marine Corps?

When we're talking about administrative separation, there are two factors. The first is the "Reason for Separation," which -- in this case, should be "Medical," or "Entry Level."

The second is characterization. This is either "honorable," "general," or "other than honorable." In the case of entry level separation, it's uncharacterized. In other words, it's not "honorable," it's not "general," and it's not "other than honorable." It's no characterization, at all. It's the service's way of saying, "This person has been with us for less than six months, therefore we cannot fairly judge her performance and conduct."

But, an entry-level separation must certainly doesn't mean she was never in the Marine Corps, and most certainly doesn't mean she can't put her service on her resume (whoever told you this, simply doesn't know what he/she is talking about).

Hope this helps!

Rod Powers
http://usmilitary.about.com