Mind change

[Chris-Ann]

If a recruit changes their mind before BOOTCAMP starts does that person become black listed!??

[Concernedad]

You need to give more info. Changes their mind how?

[sailorwifenmom]

If you are sworn into the Delayed Entry and you change your mind and get out of it, yes, it can make it very difficult to enlist later.  The criteria for enlisting is getting more and more difficult, as more and more people are trying to enlist and the military is reducing it's overall size.  I wouldn't say it's impossible to "redo" it again later, but you are given a coding that says you swore into DEP before and changed your mind, so it's going to make them much more wary of giving you a spot again (when they could give that spot to someone else who is also qualified and interested, and hasn't backed out before).

It's very important to be sure that you want to enlist before you sign up for DEP, and it's also very important to make sure that  you really do not want to be in the military before you back out of a DEP contract.

So, "blacklisted" - no, but much much much more difficult, yes.

Good luck!

[Chris-Ann]

Has now decided instead of leaving for BOOTCAMP he wants to attend college..

[sailorwifenmom]

This is really going to be one of those hard, "I'm a grownup now" sort of choices that he's going to have to make.  I would encourage you both to go talk to his recruiter, and possibly to the Chief that's in charge of the recruiting office about this.

If he really doesn't want to be in the military, and he's willing to risk the fact that if he changes his mind, there is a VERY good chance they will not let him enlist again, then now is the time to say so.  But, on the other hand, being in the Navy isn't an "all or nothing" sort of thing - you don't have to commit to a career from the get go.  He could go for the length of his contract (and even get some college knocked out while he's doing so), then, at the end of his enlistment, get out and go to college. 

After all, universities aren't going to tell him, "sorry, you were in the military before you applied, so you can't attend", however, there is a good chance the military will tell him "sorry, you broke your deal with us before, so we're going to work with that other guy who didn't back out on us". 

He needs to be very sure that this is really what he wants - either way - and not cold feet, peer pressure, or pressure from his family and friends (they're going to miss him, it's making them sad that he's going, etc...). 

Please don't think I'm bashing him with any of this, because it really isn't meant that way - it really is a hard choice.  I was in the Navy, my husband is still in the Navy, and our son is also now in the Navy, and none of us regret our choice to go Navy.  My sister was considering it, but she changed her mind (she was in DEP when she did) and she got out of it.  She didn't ever try to join again and, as far as I know, doesn't regret her choice to NOT go Navy.
 

It sounds like he's got a lot of thinking to do, and it is going to be a hard choice, but, then again, as moms, we know that sometimes it's hard to be a grownup and have to make grownup life choices.  Good luck to him (and to you as you have to watch him cross this hurdle) - whichever he decides, I wish him well!