[jyl]

My nephew was college-bound and had the grades for it, but decided he was tired of school and enlisted in the Marines. A number of us, including my brother-in-law the former USMC officer, pointed out to him the advantages of going ROTC and entering the military as an officer with a college education and no school debt, but he insisted, so that was that. He is a sniper and in the Pacific, no Middle East deployment so far. I believe it has been good for him in some ways (discipline) although he's since told us that he regrets the decision. My main issue is that when he is discharged, he'll be married (got married to his high-school sweetheart after basic), perhaps starting a family, several years older than the average high school graduate, and may or may not have the discipline/patience to resume his education. Like anything else I guess, he'll have decisions to make. But being a 22 y/o guy with a high school education, a family, an honorable discharge but not any particular trade skills, in a rural low-wage area of the country - is not really the path I'd want my life to be taking.