Marine to Air Force: Why I Made the Switch

I’m a veteran; I served this nation from May 1997 until May 2005 when I was honorably discharged. In July 1997, I deployed for basic military training and remained on active duty until about February 1998. After that, I transitioned to my United States Air Force Reserve unit.

Originally, I was going to be a Marine. I trained as a poolie with the Marines, ate like a Marine, learned all the general orders, knew the Marine Corps mission word for word. I was 100% ready to become a Marine. I’ll be honest though, it worked out for the best, and I’d recommend the Air Force over any of the other branches today.

Why did I switch? The recruiters I was working with did not respect the poolies, our goals, or our wishes, especially when it came to the female recruits. They didn’t show respect for the flag, the mission, or their positions and uniforms.

One of those recruiters was later sentenced to several years in prison. When I say these men were problematic, I am not exaggerating.

I’ve always been a respectful person, and seeing how these men behaved and how they tried to influence recruits was a serious warning sign. I mean no disrespect to the Marine Corps as a whole; I still respect the Corps. But I don’t mind being critical of those specific recruiters and their conduct.

The recruiters didn’t want to let me pick the job I wanted. It was the job they chose, period. They also refused to give me a higher rank based on my education.

Their position was that rank had to be earned through service, and that entering basic and coming out at a higher grade wasn’t something they were going to support. They also discouraged me from exploring the officer pathway. They wanted me to become an infantryman, and they didn’t take my goals or aspirations seriously.

These recruiters were skilled at manipulating and intimidating young recruits. Fortunately, I knew I hadn’t signed or committed to anything legally binding, though they made efforts to convince us otherwise.

They told me that because I had sworn in, the commitment was real and there was no turning back. The reality is, I hadn’t formally sworn in. They conducted a makeshift ceremony where the poolies participated in what they framed as an official oath, trying to convince us it carried legal weight.

I realized that if these men treated recruits so poorly before anyone was officially in, the experience afterward would likely have been far worse.

That’s when I started speaking with recruiters from other branches. I looked into the Army, Navy, and Air Force recruiters in the Fordham Road area, but none felt like the right fit. Eventually, I connected with the Air Force recruiter in Brooklyn, Master Sgt Defrulo. He wasn’t completely straightforward, but he was far better than the recruiters I had dealt with in the Bronx.

I always wanted to be a Marine, and I still think about what that path might have looked like. But it didn’t work out, and that chapter has passed.

I believe everything worked out for the best. The Marines are our toughest branch, but the Air Force offers a strong career with generally safer conditions when it comes to combat exposure. I’d recommend the Air Force without hesitation. Just be thoughtful about the job you select. Roles like Military Police carry a higher likelihood of frontline deployment, so unless that’s the direction you want, it’s worth considering which positions are more likely to place you in high risk environments.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.