Full question:
My nephew, who is 17 years old and still in high school, was approached by a marine recruiter. The recruiter was able to get him to sign and agreement to enlist by telling him he would be able to get him a job that would insure him that he would not have to go to a war zone. His parents were told the same thing and told to sign a waiver. Many other lies were told to them by the recruiter. Two to three months have passed and the recruiter is backing down on everything. My nephew wants out. The recruiter is telling him and his parents NO. My friend has told us the same thing happened to them and his son, but they were able to get him release by filing some type of forms. The marine recruiter will not help. Is there legal grounds? Remember, he is 17 and still in high school.
- Category: Military
- Date:
- State: Kansas
Answer:
Individuals must be at least 17 years old to enlist in the US Military with parental consent and 18 without parental consent.
Recruits must also have a high school diploma or GED.
Commitment to the military is based on a contract, which means that people are legally bound to serve their term. However in some cases, if during basic training they are found to be grossly incompatible with the military they may receive an administrative discharge for the convenience of the service.
You may want to closely examine the consent signed by the parents to verify exactly to what they gave their consent. The consent may have included a waiver of the high school diploma requirement as well as the age.
If it is believed that the minor and the parents did not fully understand the implications of enlistment, they could petition the recruiter's supervisor for him/her to review the situation.
This content is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Legal statutes mentioned reflect the law at the time the content was written and may no longer be current. Always verify the latest version of the law before relying on it.
