Gage Shriver asks judge to replace prison sentence with Marine Corps enlistment

I rather doubt the military, any branch, accepts felons like that anymore. In the Vietnam era, this could be done, but not now.

Dude…serving in the USMC is privilege not some sort of punishment. Marines may joke about being one of ‘Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children’ and others may call them jar-heads. Don’t think your sorry-ass could stand up the to tradition of honor & sacrifice needed where the title United States Marine. Have fun in the “pokey” numb nuts!!!

Military or Jail? Here’s the straight scoop on the old cliché by Military Blogger and Vet Rod Powers: “Many Vietnam and Korean War veterans have heard tales of fellow soldiers who were in the Army (or other branches of the military) as an alternative to prison. Stories abound of military members who were told by a judge, “join the military, or go to jail.” Can a Criminal Court Judge Order Someone to Enlist? But can American courts really do that? Can a criminal court judge sentence a person to military service as an alternative to jail? Can a prosecutor mandate someone to join the military as an alternative to criminal prosecution? While a judge or prosecutor can do whatever they please (within the limits of the law for their jurisdiction), it doesn’t mean the military branches are required to accept such people and, in general, they don’t. Here’s how the separate branches address the issue: Army: The Army’s Recruiting Regulation, 601-210, paragraph 4-8b: states that any “applicant who, as a condition for any civil conviction or adverse disposition or any other reason through a civil or criminal court, is ordered or subjected to a sentence that implies or imposes enlistment into the Armed Forces of the United States is not eligible for enlistment.” Air Force: The Air Force Recruiting Regulation, AETCI 36-2002, table 1-1, lines 7 and 8, makes an applicant ineligible for enlistment if they are “released from restraint, or civil suit, or charges on the condition of entering military service, if the restraint, civil suit, or criminal charges would be reinstated if the applicant does not enter military service.” Marines: The Marine Corps Recruiting Regulation, MCO P1100.72B, Chapter 3, Section 2, Part H, Paragraph 12 states: “Applicants may not enlist as an alternative to criminal prosecution, indictment, incarceration, parole, probation, or another punitive sentence. They are ineligible for enlistment until the original assigned sentence would have been completed.” Coast Guard: This branch’s enlistment prohibition is contained in the Coast Guard Recruiting Manual, M1100.2D, Table 2-A, and simply states “An application may be denied when, based on articulable facts,… Read more »

It’s the Less Brothers……

Use and Worth

While the old stories many Vets tell about “If I didn’t go into the service I might have ended up in jail” are feasible, as soon as I hear ” The Judge gave me a choice, the military or jail” My BS meter pegs the needle.

Back in the days when enlistment in the military was a common rite of passage for young men (and when the draft was in effect) I would imagine that if a young guy got into some minor trouble, the judge might suspend the sentence on the grounds that the boy enlist in the service, if for no other reason than to get him out of the town he’s in. And of course there’s always the thought that “a little discipline and structure will straighten him up.”

But we’re talking minor, stupid-kid type infractions: Underage drinking or public intoxication, fighting, petty larceny, etc.

I never heard any credible report of anyone who committed a felony being offered enlistment for the obvious reason that people who commit felonies in the civilian world are likely to do so in the military as well.

My dad was a platoon leader (commissioned through ROTC) in Germany in the late 50’s – early 60’s. He said that the enlisted guys there often got into trouble but in most cases, the guys had been troublemakers in the civilian world before they enlisted, too. Courts-martial were pretty common (as an officer, my dad often had to pull court martial duty) and many installations had confinement facilities for minor offenders.

In any case, all that disappeared with the end of the draft and the all-volunteer military anyway. Ever since I enlisted in 1980, the military would much rather avoid the troublemakers altogether, or kick them to the curb at the first opportunity, than to try and “rehabilitate” a minor criminal.

My NCOIC in th RVN told us about the day he and his entry group were at Ft. Sheridan, waiting to go to Basic. They asked the group if anyone had been convicted of a felony? ( I remember that, when I was in a similar bunch) This guy in the back puts his hand up. “What?” says the NCO. “Is rape a felony?” Ken said the guy disappeared, quickly.

He can enlist in the “Man Corps” in prison. I hear they are always recruiting for fresh fish.