How do I tell my family?

Ive planed on joining the Marines for as long as i can remember and have done a lot of research and have come to the conclution that its truely what I want to do with my life, but my family is all gun ho about me joining the Air Force. Just about everyone whos been in service in my family has served in the Air Force so they asume I will as well. I dont really know how to tell them and I know theyll be disapointed when I do because of a conversation I had with one of my family memebers not to long ago,she caught me looking at the Marines website and freaked out, and when I told her I was just expanding my opptions she said "well your not going to do it in the Marines! your joining the Air Force remember?" she said it as if i didnt have an option.

How do I tell them? How did you tell your family you were joining the millitary? How did they react?
Please help, all answers welcome

I agree with the other guy. If you can't make the decision, and stand by it yourself, then maybe you shouldn't be joining the Marines. I have a husband in the Air Force and we love it. But it's not the right place for everyone. If the Marines is what you want then you need to grow up because they are one of the hardest branches and won't take your whining...

Tell the wingnuts that the AIRFORCE is not really a branch of the military but the Marines are.

Your an adult--and your volunteering for a very dangerous profession--EVEN IN PEACE TIME.

You have to be able to take some criticism from others.
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If your old enough to join the marines---you should be old enough to make a decision and be able to defend it.

Or you could start off by saying.

The airforce has some very hardcore special ops guys, and the SPs are topnotch.

But the marines have cool dress blues.-
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Just sit down with your parents and tell them--I know you want me to join the airforce but I have decided to join the marines because .............I feel it is something that I want to experience for myself.

NOW--after the first enlistment you might change your mind and say--AIRFORCE is the place for me.

Good luck--don't do anything that gets you killed or ANYBODY ELSE--and Semper Fidelis!

And for God's sake--Don't Embarrass the USA.

tell them your reasons why you want to do it, be a marine and stand your ground this is your life.

your parents only want the best for you though, the life of a marine is a great and honorable one yet tough and strenous alot of times maybe more so than most.

if its what you want to do, get them all together tell them like a man (marine) and they will know that they can not do anything to change your mind.

they will still love you after it is all said and done.

good luck to you

www.gonnaenlist.com

John Glenn, Mills Lane,Steve McQueen, Oliver North, George C. Scott , John Philip Sousa, Ted Williams,Jonathan Winters & F. Lee Baily all were and still are MARINES.
Just a few of the FEW GOOD MEN.
This is your dream, your passion and your life. You respect their desire for you to be in the AirForce, but that is there desire, not yours.
I think this is the best way to tell them.
Look up Semper Fidelis.

if you don't have the backbone to tell them AND live the life you want to the USMC may not be the career field for you...don't mean to be harsh but I'm telling you the truth...best of luck

EDIT...I told my parents I didn't want to go to college right away. They applauded my decision to join the Navy. Did my 20 and now work as an air traffic controller (Navy NEC) and life is pretty good.

I face pretty much the same thing. My dad was expecting to see me at Lackland AFB for basic. I went Army instead.

They can yell at you all they want....it's your life. Unless you're under 18 and they have to sign for you, then they can't do a damn thing about which branch you join.

Just smile and nod at them, humming the Marine Corp Hymn. :)

I just joined and told them, i didn't involve them in my decision, after all it wasn't their choice it was mine. i didn't care how they reacted, again it wasn't their choice it was mine so i didn't care what they thought.

LISTEN THIS IS YOUR LIFE, IF YOU DON'T ACT ON YOUR DREAM AND JUST FOLLOW THE WAY OF YOUR FAMILY, YOU'LL REGRET IT EVERY DAY OF YOUR LIFE. YOUR FAMILY WILL GET OVER THEIR DISAPPOINTMENT AND WILL BE VERY PROUD OF YOU IN THE END. GOD BLESS AND GOOD LUCK.

At the end of the day its your choice. Just tell them. This is what you want and this is what you'll do.

They'll get over it.

Good Luck.

Your parents are concerned about you safety. Ordinarily Marines are in the forefront of military activity..

tell them the truth. they will love you no matter what.

Wow! Thanks in advance for your unwavering desire to serve your country!

I went and my family was't to concerned ..i knew how to take care of myself....You need to find the strength to tell you family..The part of being a Marine is being able to assert yourself..You will learn that quite Quickly if you join..I was in the Air force met a few Marines..They were great likable guys..Not so this Navy guy i knew ..He was in a train station in North Japan in the woods...So were 3 Marines and they beat the crap out of him ! If you can't tell your family you better stay home

Be honest with your family. If anything, have your recruiter come to your house and sit with them. Sure the Corps is tough, but they mold you to be the best so tell your fam you want to be the best. Stand your ground. If you're under 18, I'd wait until you turn and just join. Your family will eventually come around and be so proud of you. And if anything, talk with an Air Force recruiter just to humor your family, then sign with the Marines. That way they can't say you didn't explore other branches.
My husband, who has been a Marine for the past 5 years, joined without consulting his family. They were highly upset, but once he graduated from boot camp, they couldn't have been more proud. They can't stop raving to their friends about how their son is a Marine. Good luck!! Semper Fi!

My mom's cousin is a retired Army Lt. Col. and works in the Pentagon. When he heard I enlisted in the Air Force I think he was disappointed, but he understood. If you want to be a Marine, then I say go for it. Sit down with your family and talk with them about it. They've obviously raised you well and you will still be serving your country. They should be proud, and I'm sure they will be regardless of what branch you choose. But remember it is ultimately your choice and your life. If you want to be a Marine then go for it! Semper Fidelis.

Best of luck

I had a similar situation when I decided to join the Military. Both my dad and brother were Air Force and my dad wanted me to follow suite. Whenever I would look at Marine or Army information he would nag and nag about how the Air Force is the way to go. This is common because military members are all proud of their branch of the service. You need to explain to your family that the Marines appeals more to you, tell them how much research you have done and make sure you tell them that you looked into the Air Force too and the Marines just appealed to you more. Tell them it is something you really want. In the end, you are an adult and make your own decisions, and if they cannot support you because of your branch of service that is truely pathetic. Tell them you want to serve your country just as they did but in the way you want to. Hopefully they will understand and support your decision. I ended up joining the Army btw, and im loving every minute of it!

Who's the adult? YOU ARE. YOU do what YOU want. Once you turn 18 YOU decide what you're going to do with your life, not MOMMY or DADDY
My parents were PROUD when I joined the Navy (actually, I had thought about the USAF but wanted to just get out of Delaware). Only thing was my mom worried when I was in Viet Nam. She thought I was on a 'support base' at the mouth of the Mekong. I was, but not in a 'support' sense that she understood. She died never knowing otherwise. Then my brother got stationed on the DMZ in Korea...she knew where she was and often cried herself to sleep.
If you want to join the Marines, be PROUD to do so.
Go to the following web site (www.sgtgrit.com), order their FREE catalog, too, and sign up for their online newsletter. I'm retired Navy but I still enjoy reading the newsletter. I have to admit, I keep a box of tissues by my computer because some of the entries are very poignant.
When you're old enough, just TELL them you're going into the most honorable branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, the UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS.
Salute!
(USN, retired, 1965 - 85/in-country Viet Nam combat vet)