thats when i got my first test.. was whe i '' went'' for the physicals, and off to boot-camp,,, but this was in 1987 hahaha,,, oh my belly hurts,,, for some reason i found this real funny...
dude, of course they test you! it's the military. i was in the Navy (late 70's to early 80's) and they tested us when we first enlisted and then you were subject to random searches at any time during your entire hitch. i would imagine that the drug testing with today's methods is superior to when i was in. also, since the marines is actually part of the "department of the navy" and you may be required to be part of ship's company (this means you may be assigned to be on a ship for long periods of time...we had a detachment of marines on my aircraft carrier and these guys were always on the ship just like the sailors)...you will most likely be subject to navy testing possibly at navy facilities. ...when i was in the cold war was still on (i remember a Soviet destroyer sailed about 100 yards off our starboard side during a standdown day in the middle of the I.O...it was rusting and needed paint but that bad boy bristled with guns, rockets, and missiles. and if anyone wonders how the u.s. won the cold war it's simple: we outspent them) ...i have to agree with some of the previous posters...you will most likely be sent to Iraq and/or Afghanistan. that is, unless you possess some special skills or training. by this i mean if you have skills in areas like cryptology, nuclear energy, intelligence, medicine, etc., then you may be assigned to non-combat theaters. but if you're a young, strong, physically-healthy male who can strap on kevlar and carry an m-16 chances are you are going to war. btw, i've often thought that if i were fighting over there i would get real familiar with the ak-47 (the enemy's weapon of choice) because it could save your life. in a battle situation you may have to pick up whatever weapon is closest to your hand...and you had better know how to use it almost instinctively if you want to keep yourself and your buddies alive. just my 2 cents! my advice to you: always be prepared and keep your head on a swivel. if you don't know what this means...you will quickly learn. take care and best of luck! do your best to return home to your parents in one piece (whether they admit it or not, they are going to worry about you like crazy until you come home safe).
you are definitely gov't property once you sign the contract. i was active duty in the navy for 4 years and we were told things like "if you get a bad sunburn that affects your performance at all you can be charged with 'destruction of gov't property'" i'm not kidding at all.
they still say this, but I never saw anyone get charged with it. I remember one time this dude in my unit had fallen asleep on one of the beaches and had horrific sunburn, we gave him shit about it, but all he got was 2 days bed rest and 2 more of light duty. No Non-Judicial Punishment (captains mast or officer hours in the navy i guess it would be) or court martial.
as far as i know you can still be discharged for being gay. when i was in the navy (25 years ago) part of my job included processing paperwork relating to discharges. i actually had a couple of friends who were gay and one was discharged for being gay. i have to agree with one of the other posters...don't waste taxpayer dollars, your time and the military's time with some kind of "experiment". doing so could end badly. during this time of war you could end up getting killed trying out such an "experiment". also, you are obviously naive about the way the military works sometimes...you have no idea the many different and unpleasant ways they can fuck with you if they want to. and make no mistake: once you sign the contract they OWN you. also, when the military processes your discharge (at least this was true when i was in) they have two boxes at the bottom of the discharge form DD214 that states: DISCHARGE REASON: HOMOSEXUALITY DISCHARGE TYPE: GENERAL this will follow you for the rest of your life. and even if you don't care about the "homosexuality" part...take it from me, you DON'T want anything but an "HONORABLE" discharge from the military. just to be clear: an honorable discharge is the type that most folks receive from the military and it's the best type as well. ALL your future employers will be able to see what is written there. and many employers consider anything less than an honorable discharge to be unacceptable and they just won't hire you. that's just the way it is. after an "honorable discharge"...(and in descending order of crappiness) are: - general discharge - other than honorable discharge - bad conduct discharge - dishonorable discharge and if you think a "general discharge" doesn't sound that bad...think again. do some research on the net and you'll find out the truth. joining the military isn't some kind of game...you would be well advised not to treat it as such. just my 2 cents.
i hear you and you may be right about this. however, it always comes down to specific circumstances. for instance, what the threat level facing the military is i.e. is it a hot war climate (like today) or cold war (like when i was in)...i would imagine the probability of prosecution for said infractions of the UCMJ would increase during times of greater threat (hot war). Basically, the military puts up with less shit during times of war. also, the intent would be a factor as well. if the command had reason to believe it was a "self-inflicted wound" (just like shooting yourself in the foot) in order to avoid your duty...that would obviously be viewed in a more unfavorable light than if it were truly an accident. another big factor that was specific to the navy was the ultimate authority of a captain of a ship at sea. if you were assigned to shore duty (and afaik all of the other branches of the military are like this) you can always request and receive a court-martial if you are charged with a crime (esp. when it's a serious charge). not so in the navy at sea. on a ship at sea the captain is GOD. it has always been this way, still is today, and probably always will be. he/she is the absolute authority over the entire ship and all it's crew. this is up to and including the death penalty (judge, jury, and executioner). the captain has the authority to dis-allow any request for appeal to a higher court. (for you civilians this would be like your local judge throwing you in jail for a couple of months for running a stop sign. and you would have NO right to appeal to a higher court for any judicial review. so if the judge was in a bad mood or didn't like you they could assign you an unduly harsh sentence with near impunity. and obviously the sunburn scenario is unlikely to be prosecuted...this is just my long-winded way of stating how i perceive the military's mindset re: it's ownership of all military equipment...that includes human as well as machine.
as far as getting a tat without permission, they dont care as long as its not racist or sexist or anything any one can take offence to.... and they can force you to have it covered up or removed at your cost.... but ive never seen it happen, they do dt at meps, not at basic, most likeley at your mos training, and randomley throughout your carreer.... ive been in 6 years now stuck on stoploss in the middle of the desert and they still piss test us out here. just some advice though make sure you REALLY want to be in the millitary, and you do your research.... im in the army so i dunno how the marines are (8month deployments) airforce has 4 month tours, and navy.... well i wont go into the navy they just sorta tag along here on the land, but im sure they have all those months on the boats and stuff to worry about. this war isnt going to be over any time soon so make sure this is what you want. dust storms HOT weather (100 degrees at midnight) oh and the chance you might get killed . oh and as far as getting out for being gay.... never seen it happen and i know openly gay people out here. the army is hurting for soldiers so bad they willl over look that sorta thing hope that helped a little.... ooh and dont beleive a word your recruiter says, do the research on your job and what the millitary life is like on your own those guys are worse than used car salesman!