Discharged USMC UA

FREEFROMTHEUSMC · May 21, 2007

What is the name of your state? MA.

I went UA for a year and 2 months after bootcamp. I turned myself in to MCB Quantico and spent about 40 days getting separated out with an OTH.

If you made it to the fleet and missed a movement, it's tough. You wait around for a few months before your court martial, usually 90-120 days in the brig with a BCD. A few kids got 150 days for going UA multiple times. It really DOESN'T matter if you turn yourself in or not. Out of the 20 people there, 3 turned themselves in and the punishments were pretty much the same. One kid who turned himself in was still getting charged with desertion. If you didn't miss a movement expect to get NJP'd with 45 days restriction (you only serve about 20 of those days). A few kids got heavy fines around $10000 or so at their court martials. It's a toss up because some kids got fined a lot, some got no fine, and some got little fines. I guess it's just case by case.

All in all, get it over with. We all made the mistake, but be a man and own up to it. Contrary to what everyone here will tell you, it's not so bad. You'll be with Casual Platoon and a few troop handlers watch over you but they're cool. Quantico as a base is a joke everyone there knew who we were and no one cared so don't expect to be belittled or battered all the time. I'm writing this because I came to this site about a year ago when I went UA and I even called the GI Rights and all the advice I heard was WRONG. The GI Rights are clueless when it comes to the Marine Corps. I've been home for about a week now and it's still fresh so I can answer and help out anyone with questions or fears.

Feel free to ask away and for the usual crowd go ahead and let me have it.

FREEFROMTHEUSMC · May 21, 2007

I figured I'd post my experience in case anyone searches for a thread with answers in the future.

Basically, you do working parties until you are either NJP'd and separated out or your court martial comes and you go to the brig. You're in barracks, 2 to a room and you get up at 0600. You go to chow on your own and usually head out to the working party at 0800. You work from 0800-1100, 1100-1300 is lunch break, and you finish off the day at 1600. After 1600 you can change over, go to the gym, do whatever you want the time is yours. You have formations occasionally just to keep track of everyone. Lights out is at 2145 but you can stay up however late you want.

You mostly do police calls and cleaning details. Sometimes you landscape and move furniture.

We had a few guys in Casual Platoon who got out of the brig and they told us it's not so bad at all. So if you're heading there don't worry too much, you get a ping pong table and pool and a TV and just sit around all day hanging out. I'm sure it's not the best experience but it's not as bad as you might think.

Keep your nose clean, don't get caught drinking and just do your time. Trust me, I left after boot and I was scared as hell but everyone there is cool about it. Most are just curious. Casual Platoon is for Marines who have gone UA so they know who you are and what to do with you and they leave you alone. I can't stress enough how easy going of a base Quantico is. The only real chewing you'll get is from the XO or CO when you meet them. They'll just call you a quitter and a ****bag and that's about it.

You can have a cell phone, radio, pretty much anything you want to take down. Some kids had video game systems and iPods. Bring some clothes and your cammies and boots or you'll be charged for a new pair. You don't run any PT's or anything either.

The only kids that got hassled to retain were kids who were gone for less than 45 days or so. When I was there, I saw only 3 kids get sent back to SOI or their units. ANYONE can retain they will ask you. Marines were gone for 4 or 5 years and still had the chance to retain if they wanted. Most Marines down there are Privates and PFC's but we did get a few Lance Corporals and a Corporal.

Again, I'm only here to answer questions and give advice to those Marines who are in a similar situation and need some truthful, first hand advice that's also recent and up to date, not here to argue about the ramifications of a BCD or OTH.

garrettt333 · May 28, 2007

hope you have an answer

so i enlisted in the usmc go to boot camp in a month and had some legal trouble i had to get waivers for. some of it was when i was a juvinille and my recruiter told me there wasnt anyway to find it and trying to get a waiver would just dq me. now ive heard there gonna find it and im gonna get discharged when they do a background check for security forces (not the nuke gaurding one just the basic one) and i have called him he has assured me it wont be found and if it is it doenst matter ill just get a slap on the hand, do you know if this is true ( i know i can be discharged but was told this is unlikly) what do you think will happen

also what does it take (waiver...DQed) to get married well in the delayed entry program and if i dont disclose it before boot camp what do you think would happen to me.

i have a post on this but i only got one reply from someone in the army saying i WILL get discharged

Rock75 · Jun 5, 2007

FREEFROMTHEUSMC said:
I figured I'd post my experience in case anyone searches for a thread with answers in the future.

Basically, you do working parties until you are either NJP'd and separated out or your court martial comes and you go to the brig. You're in barracks, 2 to a room and you get up at 0600. You go to chow on your own and usually head out to the working party at 0800. You work from 0800-1100, 1100-1300 is lunch break, and you finish off the day at 1600. After 1600 you can change over, go to the gym, do whatever you want the time is yours. You have formations occasionally just to keep track of everyone. Lights out is at 2145 but you can stay up however late you want.

You mostly do police calls and cleaning details. Sometimes you landscape and move furniture.

We had a few guys in Casual Platoon who got out of the brig and they told us it's not so bad at all. So if you're heading there don't worry too much, you get a ping pong table and pool and a TV and just sit around all day hanging out. I'm sure it's not the best experience but it's not as bad as you might think.

Keep your nose clean, don't get caught drinking and just do your time. Trust me, I left after boot and I was scared as hell but everyone there is cool about it. Most are just curious. Casual Platoon is for Marines who have gone UA so they know who you are and what to do with you and they leave you alone. I can't stress enough how easy going of a base Quantico is. The only real chewing you'll get is from the XO or CO when you meet them. They'll just call you a quitter and a ****bag and that's about it.

You can have a cell phone, radio, pretty much anything you want to take down. Some kids had video game systems and iPods. Bring some clothes and your cammies and boots or you'll be charged for a new pair. You don't run any PT's or anything either.

The only kids that got hassled to retain were kids who were gone for less than 45 days or so. When I was there, I saw only 3 kids get sent back to SOI or their units. ANYONE can retain they will ask you. Marines were gone for 4 or 5 years and still had the chance to retain if they wanted. Most Marines down there are Privates and PFC's but we did get a few Lance Corporals and a Corporal.

Again, I'm only here to answer questions and give advice to those Marines who are in a similar situation and need some truthful, first hand advice that's also recent and up to date, not here to argue about the ramifications of a BCD or OTH.

So pretty much basically.. by "retain" you mean.. get back to where you were before you went UA? I have procastinated and have been meaning to go back. It's just so hard. I actually do want to go back. What exactly did the fellow Marines that retained do for punishment? Did they go to the brig, get NJP'd, or what? I heard a lot of things like the whole 45 days-1/2 months pay.. blah, blah, blah.. No one actually knows.. they just assume or think they know.. I have only seen 2 other Marines besides myself on this forum. Everyone else is from another branch and only know how they deal with stuff in that branch. The Army for example.. what the heck is up with that number you call to see if your packet is in..?!?!?!?! I mean, seriously... I know I am in no position to talk crap but come on! The Marine Corps isn't that merciful. There really isn't much known about the Corps when it comes to stuff like this... I heard they give you another chance if you want it.. given you don't pop positive or did something really stupid.. like hurt another Marine and go UA.. I know a Marine who did just that recently.

I will most definitely go back as soon as everything gets taken care of here. I just hope I get to fix my mistake and continue serving.

FREEFROMTHEUSMC · Jun 7, 2007

So pretty much basically.. by "retain" you mean.. get back to where you were before you went UA? I have procastinated and have been meaning to go back. It's just so hard. I actually do want to go back. What exactly did the fellow Marines that retained do for punishment?

Yes, retaining means staying with the military. As for punishments, I'm not sure I was with 3 Marines who retained and after 6 months one of them was still "pending legal action." He was back with the regular Marines not us Casuals who are pending separation. They will most likely NJP you and probably knock you down a rank and restriction for 45 days with 1/3 pay or send you back to your unit and let them deal with you.

As far as punishment, until they figure out what to do with you (either send you back to your unit or find a new unit for you) you'll be doing police calls and working parties with the rest of Casual Platoon.

If you want to retain, they will gladly take you back.

Rock75 · Jul 9, 2007

QUESTION:

Were you ever contacted by Marine Corps or Navy personnel while you were UA?

I've been gone for almost 6 months and I just got a phone call today. I wasn't at home at the time of the call but they left some information. It was a California number, caller I.D. says "U.S. Navy ASW".. whatever that means.. the guy on the phone says that now in days.. the military has a lot of UA's and deserters.. that it's been a while since I have been gone and for me to go back. I won't get in trouble just out processed. The number of UA's is so high that it would be pointless to keep us all there. They say the most it will take is 30 days for the paperwork then I will get discharged.. an OTH or even a General. He said theres too many. Surprise surprise, huh?

If i'm correct, you said you were with a couple of people who were gone for longer than 6 months... even years.. and they got to retain, right?

I do want to retain and I know this will follow me for the rest of my doubtful Marine Corps career..

It's not so easy giving up something you worked so hard for, but people do make mistakes.. of course.

Did you ever discuss similar topics with the fellow Marines that were in seperations with you? As dumb as it may sound, I am not ready to go back but I still want to retain. I know I can't have my cake and eat it too.. the time is coming for me to make my decision.

FREEFROMTHEUSMC · Jul 10, 2007

Were you ever contacted by Marine Corps or Navy personnel while you were UA?

Yes, right before I turned myself in thankfully. About two days before I was going to turn myself in I got a message from some MP's saying that I was UA and were looking for my whereabouts. So that's about a year and a few months after being UA. I heard it's just a standard phone call that everyone who's UA will receive at one point but like I said earlier, only 3 of us turned ourselves in everyone else got arrested so be careful.

Your call sounds legit because I talked to the XO of Casual Platoon (the UA Marines) a few months before turning myself in and he told me to actually WAIT a few months because they had too many guys down there and not even enough racks to sleep them. The good part about that he told me was that they'd be moving everyone out faster, usually in 2-3 weeks but since you're retaining that's irrelevant I guess.

But also let me remind you I was surprised at how many Marines actually had the police go to their house and pick them up. A few even said they were tracked down through their myspaces which surprised me considering how many people will tell you NO ONE will come get you at all. So just be careful, getting arrested for being UA might really hurt your chances of retaining.

And yes, I can almost guarantee that they will let you retain. They gave everyone a chance to retain, at least while I was down there. I was gone a year and 2 months and the Captain tried to get me to retain a bunch of times.

FREEFROMTHEUSMC · Jul 10, 2007

Did you ever discuss similar topics with the fellow Marines that were in seperations with you?

Well, only 2-3 Marines were retaining while I was down there, you have to understand that the rest of us weren't. Most of the people down there just want out of the Marine Corps and don't care how, so yeah, we talked about getting out and talked about how long we thought each others cases were going to take and stuff...but it's hard for the Marines who are retaining because they're staying. You'll be treated real different from the rest of us in terms of respect and stuff. It's really not so bad though but definitely take your time and prepare yourself mentally for the road ahead. I know exactly how you feel because it took me so long to finally prepare myself to get it over with, but once it's all said and done you'll feel like a much better person.

marinemom2075 · Jul 18, 2007

My son was recently picked up for being awol from the marines 11 months, how do I find out where he has been taken. I stayed in contact with his unit commander several months after he went absent trying to assist in his return. But I can't get anyone to respond.

FREEFROMTHEUSMC said:
What is the name of your state? MA.

I went UA for a year and 2 months after bootcamp. I turned myself in to MCB Quantico and spent about 40 days getting separated out with an OTH.

If you made it to the fleet and missed a movement, it's tough. You wait around for a few months before your court martial, usually 90-120 days in the brig with a BCD. A few kids got 150 days for going UA multiple times. It really DOESN'T matter if you turn yourself in or not. Out of the 20 people there, 3 turned themselves in and the punishments were pretty much the same. One kid who turned himself in was still getting charged with desertion. If you didn't miss a movement expect to get NJP'd with 45 days restriction (you only serve about 20 of those days). A few kids got heavy fines around $10000 or so at their court martials. It's a toss up because some kids got fined a lot, some got no fine, and some got little fines. I guess it's just case by case.

All in all, get it over with. We all made the mistake, but be a man and own up to it. Contrary to what everyone here will tell you, it's not so bad. You'll be with Casual Platoon and a few troop handlers watch over you but they're cool. Quantico as a base is a joke everyone there knew who we were and no one cared so don't expect to be belittled or battered all the time. I'm writing this because I came to this site about a year ago when I went UA and I even called the GI Rights and all the advice I heard was WRONG. The GI Rights are clueless when it comes to the Marine Corps. I've been home for about a week now and it's still fresh so I can answer and help out anyone with questions or fears.

Feel free to ask away and for the usual crowd go ahead and let me have it.

SHORTY LONG · Jul 19, 2007

marinemom2075 said:
My son was recently picked up for being awol from the marines 11 months, how do I find out where he has been taken. I stayed in contact with his unit commander several months after he went absent trying to assist in his return. But I can't get anyone to respond.

Where ever your son's last assigned duty station is where he will be returned to.
Was it the Marines, or FBI that picked him up? Depending on how far you live from
where he went AWOL from while be an estimate of time for he returns. That is,
he might be on a greyhound bus traveling back to base and picking up others
who have been arrested. You can wait for about 7 to 10 days, then call the base.

FREEFROMTHEUSMC · Jul 26, 2007

Another update.

I just started driving again, roughly 5 months after my discharge and I was pulled over and my deserter warrant popped up. I had my discharge papers on me and the cop let me go, although he was hesitant. I've been pulled over twice more just because the cops know my car and the warrant and they are really getting on my ass about it.

So I've been calling Quantico and they keep jerking me around. When I turned myself in the second day I was there I received a legal document stating the warrant had been withdrawn and that civilian authorities were no longer needed in assisting my return. Guess they just hand those papers out without doing any of the real work behind it to get the warrant down.

The cops told me the next time they pull me over they're taking me in, I think that's funny because I'll be spending a few days in jail until the military says "our fault, he's not a deserter anymore he can go free."

If I spend any time in a civilian jail because of the military's failure to complete their paperwork concerning my warrant and take it down after 5 months of being discharged, what sort of legal action can I take for things like not being able to show up to work because I was in jail over a warrant that should have never been out?

Discharged USMC UA

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