Leaving USMMA

You will not get a discharge for leaving KP early. I don't know how they process the separation Navy wise, probably something along the lines of "entry level separation" which is what they give when you separate within the first 180 days of active duty.

If they were going to give a discharge then they still owe me mine. When you sign on acceptance day it is as an E2. Well when you get commissioned from an enlisted status, you always get discharged first so every single graduate should be getting a discharge.

I am sure that the lack of a discharge has to do with the deep deep deep reserve status you are in at KP.
 
Do you actually have references? or Is this just your personal recollection?

KPEngineer:

What in the world do you mean "deep, deep, deep reserve status"? The Merchant Marine Reserve is nothing of the sort, it is a specific set of designators and I assume what you are trying to relay is the very few obligations you have re: annual reporting, etc. so long as you maintain qualifying employment, keep your license in force and whatever else is currently required so you remain eligible to be one of the current MMR designators. Of course it's much more mysterious and interesting to talk about things like "deep, deep. deep reserve status" - is that sort of like being on "double secret probation." :wink:

Seriously this whole thread started with specific questions about this subject and if you have current specific references to the forms Plebe Candidates sign upon reporting to KP as well as something that obligates them, in a legally binding form, to serve in the US Armed Forces upon resignation from KP, and what those specific obligations are either before or after reporting for the start of second class year at the Academy, I am sure many who read these postings would find them most useful and interesting.:cool:
 
The "deep deep deep" part I was referring to was while you are at KP, not after leaving. When I looked at my record online not long ago I was surprised to see the paperwork I signed on acceptance day was in there. I forget what my exact status was except the part about being an E2.

The MMIRRG actually has more requirements than the rest of the IRR, so it's only secret in the sense that no one else knows about it. SELRES is SELRES regardless of designator.

BUPERSINST 1001.39F is the most current instruction on "Administrative Procedures For Navy Reservists"
OPNAVINST 153.1C is the latest CNO instruction on the "MERCHANT MARINE RESERVE, U.S. NAVY RESERVE PROGRAM"

I highly recommend everyone receiving a commission read them both. Anyone wanting to go SELRES should pay a lot of attention to the BUPERSINST. I also recommend keeping up on Naval Message traffic via http://www.npc.navy.mil/ReferenceLibrary/Messages/
 
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the official DD214 answer

A student who resigns will not receive a DD214 as that is for active duty. There is nothing they receive but they may have a copy of the disenrollment form. There is no discharge category as it does not apply.

VR,

Don Wilburn, CDR, USN

OIC Department of Naval Science

U. S. Merchant Marine Academy
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Thank you for all the support, hope others found this thread helpful. Still not sure of outcome but easier with all the correct answers.
 
There was a young man from my church who attended a service academy. Before the end of sophomore year, he dropped on request. There are alot of people who put there reputations on the line for him. He parents were so proud of him, then this. I have seen them once since he been home. It like the whole family went into the woodwork. The plebe really needs to think this through, before he acts. To be at a SA is an honor and privilege. Sounds to me like does not want to be there. But it his choice, which could hurt him, in the long term.


RGK
 
rkrosnar said:
There was a young man from my church who attended a service academy. Before the end of sophomore year, he dropped on request. There are alot of people who put there reputations on the line for him. He parents were so proud of him, then this. I have seen them once since he been home. It like the whole family went into the woodwork. The plebe really needs to think this through, before he acts. To be at a SA is an honor and privilege. Sounds to me like does not want to be there. But it his choice, which could hurt him, in the long term.


RGK
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rkosner: As you note, "it [is] choice." Getting through an Academy is very difficult, in fact for many, it's harder to get through than to get in. The pressure, etc. that students feel while there are great. Further, 99.99% of those who start the program, and then complete there first year but later drop on request or otherwise do not complete the course of study, carefully consider their decision and options. Putting more pressure on someone who opted out, especially without fully knowing what they were dealing with and whether or not they really had a choice, is probably not the wisest course available.
 
Before they make their final decision, have them take a few minutes and read an article in the March 2010 issue of Men's Health by Mike Zimmerman titled Why Men Fail.

Might give them a new perspective from which to approach this adversity.
 
rkrosnar said:
There was a young man from my church who attended a service academy. Before the end of sophomore year, he dropped on request. There are alot of people who put there reputations on the line for him. He parents were so proud of him, then this. I have seen them once since he been home. It like the whole family went into the woodwork. The plebe really needs to think this through, before he acts. To be at a SA is an honor and privilege. Sounds to me like does not want to be there. But it his choice, which could hurt him, in the long term.


RGK
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I may be reading this wrong....however if I'm not, I completely disagree. Most cadets and midshipmen feel some pressure from home. The fear of disappointing those you love weighs heavily. You aren't there to impress. You aren't there to make people happy. You aren't there because it's an honor and a priviledge...you are there to SERVE, and if that's not what you want to do, or if you just don't want to be at an academy, then don't be there.

People putting reputations on the line means one thing, HELPING them in, not getting them in, and those reputations mean nothing to GET THEM THROUGH the entire academy experience. Getting in is the easy part, making it all the way through, that's the harder part.

You don't stay at an academy to keep the parents happy. It's your life in the end, and you WILL owe atleast 5 years active duty (in the other 4 service academies). Reputations, recommendations, etc mean nothing once you walk through the gates.
 
The real problem is that there is no good way to accurately know beforehand what life is like at an academy, especially KP. In some ways, the admissions dept. downplays the difficulty of the program.

I think that is one reason why some leave voluntarily, even if they have decent grades. The relentless grind of classes and regimental duties cannot be overstated and there are few 18 yr. olds mature enough to understand the commitment and academic rigor required over the 4 years. Of course, we parents sometimes don't make it any easier when our own egos are involved. But I know now that if DS doesn't get through KP because of a variety of reasons, if he really wants this bad enough he will go to a state school and get it done there. KP is like childbirth - you can hear a description of what you will go through but you really don't know it fully until you experience it.
 
kpbaseballmom: "The real problem is that there is no good way to accurately know beforehand what life is like at an academy, especially KP. In some ways, the admissions dept. downplays the difficulty of the program."

Very good point. When we did the get together before our mid's overnight, it seemed 75% of the presentation centered on how much money the graduates made! Very little on the cirriculum, etc. I mentioned this to a fellow parent and was informed that it had actually been toned down from the one he previously heard!
 
doktrmom said:
What does this mean?
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doktrmom:

You chopped off the end of the sentence there is a comma not a period there and the end of the sentence is "study, carefully consider their decision and options."

What I mean is simply that, my experience is that at any Service Academy, virtually all the young men and women who attend are generally more serious and contemplative in their deliberations about their decisions. Further if they decide to leave for any reason after they have already completed a full year or more, there are good reasons for that decision and it's usually the right one for both them and the Academy/Service. That said I am not in any way suggesting the decision doesn't have consequences, just the individual making the decision has usually well considered them.
 
Exactly....

nadofr8dog said:
kpbaseballmom: "The real problem is that there is no good way to accurately know beforehand what life is like at an academy, especially KP. In some ways, the admissions dept. downplays the difficulty of the program."

Very good point. When we did the get together before our mid's overnight, it seemed 75% of the presentation centered on how much money the graduates made! Very little on the curriculum, etc. I mentioned this to a fellow parent and was informed that it had actually been toned down from the one he previously heard!
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You are basically being recruited while you are talking to admissions staff etc. - just like at any other college. The overnight visit is a two way street but it's primarily one way - you are being recruited. The application review and selection process is all about your application package. That's why I've said over and over in the discussions about "what to wear, etc." - dress comfortably, ask questions, get the information you want to make your choice/decision. I'm not suggesting you have your DS/DD show up in totally inappropriate attire, I stand by what I've said, except by truly reprehensible/heinous behavior you can't hurt your admission review status by/during an overnight or day visit since no visit is required.

Your interview is your chance to ask the questions you want answered as much as it is for the admissions staff to talk to you.

USMMA, like it's four federal service academy sisters, is categorized by this years US News and World Report college rankings as a "more selective" college for admissions. To keep those standards and attract applications and acceptance of those offered admission, KP like any other school that it competes with for students, needs to attract acceptance of it's admission offers from lots of kids who have choices. During an overnight visit, in addition to explaining the standards they expect applicants to have, they also "sell" the school. If your DS/DD visited KP in the fall or winter, basically anytime prior to Recognition, they spent over 18 hours in the company of an escorting Plebe. During that time, it's hard for me to understand how they didn't get some sort of realistic preview of what their life would be like if they decided to come to the school.

As far as the rigors and how busy they were going to be, etc. again I can't believe that didn't come up at least once during their discussions with the Plebe who was escorting them or that Plebe's friends. Further, the visiting prospective recruit attended classes, etc. as far as understanding the curriculum, etc.

Sure, you never really know what it'll be like until you attend but it's not like during an overnight visit there's any sort of sugar coated, scripted experience.
 
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