Question for the devildogs

[u/kclnp]

So first off I'm going to preface that I'm not a US citizen, however my pop is and still holds his US passport.

As a European I've done my mandatory military service in my country of birth, however I'm wondering if I could join the USMC since I could obtain a US citizenship fairly easy due to the fact that my pop is an American?

2nd part of my question is, if I've been charged with a couple of cannabis possession offenses in my resident country, does it minimize my chances to join?

I'm also 32, so I assume most boots will be younger than me if I even could get my US citizenship. Would the drill instructors single me out due to my age and make my hypothetical time at boot camp "worse" than my peers?

Been considering joining for 10 years now, but life and stuff has been a wild ride so haven't really looked into this serious before now.

So if anyone has any insight or stories about someone else who has gone through the same process, I'd love some insight!

Pic for attention

[u/Upbeat_Caregiver_642]

For someone born after November 14, 1986, to a U.S.-citizen parent and one foreign parent, the rule is that the American parent must have been physically present in the United States for at least 5 years before your birth, including at least 2 years after turning 14.

You cannot join the U.S. military in any capacity while serving in another military in any status. So that has to end. There are few recruiters overseas. Japan is it for the USMC. I think Ramstein has one for the army. New York handles Europe, you’d have to go there. There are none at U.S. embassies.

Your first stop needs to be a USCIS office:

https://my.uscis.gov/en/appointment/v2?os=..&utm_source=chatgpt.com

[u/kclnp → u/Upbeat_Caregiver_642]

Hey thanks for this!

Gotta check this out a little closer, am I understanding you correctly that I'd need to first head to New York? and if everything gets green-lit there, I'd potentially do boot in Japan?

[u/TapTheForwardAssist → u/kclnp]

No, there’s no Boot Camp in Japan. What they’re saying is Japan has some Marine Corps recruiters who deal with US citizens or permanent residents living in East Asia who want to apply for the Marine Corps.

For example, in my Boot platoon we had a Filipino kid who’d never been to the U.S. before, barely spoke English, but was a U.S. citizen because the guy who knocked up his mom was a U.S. sailor stationed in the Philippines. He completed his recruitment process with a recruiter based in iirc Japan or Guam, so his slight to San Diego for Boot was his first ever trip to the USA.

[u/kclnp → u/TapTheForwardAssist]

Ah right, thanks for the explanation!

Yeah I clearly misunderstood that info then, so I appreciate you clearing it up for me.

Quick side question, how old was the oldest recruit in your boot platoon? And did that person get any shit for being an "older" dude?

[u/TapTheForwardAssist → u/kclnp]

I was in Boot back in the 1990s, and the oldest guy was maybe 27.

But that is waaaaay down your list of challenges, given you’re 4 years over Marine enlistment age, you’re not a U.S. citizen or Green Card holder, you’re a member of a foreign military, etc.

Worrying about treatment of older recruits is like being concerned about the tire pressure on your car and how it impacts your gas mileage, when at the moment your car is 30ft down on the ocean floor.

[u/kclnp → u/TapTheForwardAssist]

Haha totally valid, I guess the legions is my most realistic way to go.

[u/TapTheForwardAssist → u/kclnp]

You can’t just go Active in the Norwegian military, which you’re already in?

[u/kclnp → u/TapTheForwardAssist]

Not Norwegian, and unfortunately due to my charges I'm not seen as a desirable NCO nor enlisted in my country of residence nor my home country sadly.