stefano

I agree completely, and MTC only took four and a half years to compose his response!

Marine,
First off, thank you for your selfless service. 3 tours, 2 purple hearts, a Bronze Star?! You are an inspiration and what I aspire to be. 
So far all i can find is mixed answers on this kind of subject and the only Marines who respond to these kind of threads and posts are recruiters and people who work for MEPS. So if you dont mind, I would really appreciate some answers from a down to earth Marine such as yourself. A veteren purple heart, Bronze Star recipient at that! I believe my situation may be somewhat similar to yours so your opinion is appreciated. I am 19 years old. I have wanted to join the military for many years and the USMC represents everything that I want in life. Im not even a poolee but I try to live a God Country Corps kind of life. Unfortunately, I too have made some stupid decisions in my past. I have only smoked marijuana maybe 4 times or so, but one of those time was a drunken mistake about 6 months ago. The other times were around grade 9 or so. This marijuana use is my #1 regret in life. I also took a pill from a friend one time (I know, stupid decision) but it didnt even do anything and I didnt feel any different after taking it and it was only the one time. I have only seen my recruiter once but when I saw him, he asked me if I had smoked marijuana before and I said no because my dad was there and I didnt want my dad to know. Now im filling out the "Questionnaire for National Security Positions" paperwork and I want to come clean about my marijuana use because the lie is just killing me inside and I also dont want to jeoprodize my life/career if I get caught in this lie. I know if I just went on with it, I could probably get away with it if I stay remain a lower rank, but I also plan on taking the infantry route and I dont want to ruin my career and life if I have to take a polygraph test. I know maybe it sounds cheesey and Im sure youve seen many keyboard warriors say this but I want to be an 03xx first and foremost, and I have dreams of trying my best and hopefully having what it takes to be a Scout Sniper or a Recon Marine, but I dont want to risk and have to go to jail because of a polygraph test. Right now my plan is to disclose the marijuana use to my recruiter but Im scared that it will keep me from getting in (especially now with the draw-downs). I think I should just not say anything about the pill though because it didnt even do anything or have any affect on me so for all I know it wasnt even a drug. Still makes me feel a little uneasy when I read the drug activity part of the questionnaire though. So I would greatly appreciate your help and any advice you have to offer. I know a lot of people say this and I know I cant fully understand what it means until Ive seen what youve seen, but I truely believe I have what it takes to be an outstanding Marine. I am honest, selfless, patriotic, and I refuse to be a part of the conformist liberal pussification that is my generation. Easier said than done, but I truely believe that I would die for America, for the people I would be fighting for, and for any Marine. I feel so disheartened that my career, passion, and life calling might be over because of a couple stupid decisions I made a long time ago that will never happen again. Even though I tried minor drug use, its never been my thing. For the most part ive always known I want to be a in the military, and as soon as I knew that this shit didnt fly with the military, I cut it out. I just find it absurd that a couple stupid decisions in grade 9 and a  drunken mistake that I barely remember like 6 months ago (mind you I didnt even get high, i just took a puff) could destroy my life. I know I would be an outstanding Marine. My biggest worry about this occupation use to be that I wouldnt be able to carry on the family name (im an only child) if something happened to me, but Im still willing to sacrifice that in service of something greater than myself. God Country Corps. But now I have to worry if il even get in, and even if I do, I might go to jail because of a polygraph that nails me on some minor silly shit from my teenage days....Its my biggest fear. I feel like such a bitch right now but I cant sleep, cant eat, cant think, because Im so disheartened by this. All I want is to live a life of service to God Country and Corps in the Marines, and now it looks like that might be too much to ask for. I cant even wrap my mind around it. So please Marine, any advice or opinion from you would be greatly appreciated. 
And all my fear aside, thank you so much for your service to America, the people of Iraq, and the United States Marines Corps....

By the way, if theres any kids out there reading this, thinking about trying any drug (including marijuana) even once, dont do it! Its not worth it. I wouldnt wish this fear and discomfort that I have over this matter on anyone.

Sorry, I dont mean to be rude but, just as you said, anyone can say what they want. And my message was directed towards a Marine. The Marine who created this thread. If you truely are a Marine then I really appreciate the offer to email you, but I dont feel safe giving out me email on a thread issue as sensitive as this. If you truely are a Marine, and could answer the questions I asked, then please respond on this thread. I dont see an issue with that.
Like I said, its nothing personal, but I dont feel safe risking my anonymity. I would still greatly appreciate some answers to my questions. Im freaking out about this whole thing.

Bill,
Like I said, I have already started the application process. I havnt handed in any official paperwork or the Questionnaire for National Security Positions but I told my recruiter in person that I hadnt smoked marijuana before. So basically, if im going to tell him (which i want to do but im scared he'll DQ me) I want to tell him the truth in person. I guess compared to some Marines who have gotten in, smoking 4 times isnt too bad, especially since I only got high once and the other ones I just took a puff. And that pill was probably some pill that my friend thought was a drug but actually wasnt because I didnt feel anything and nothing changed, but even so, Im scared he'll DQ me because he doesnt need me or anything because of the USMC draw-downs. I dont mean to sound full of myself but I know I would be an asset and would make an outstanding Marine, but I dont know how I can show my recruiter that, as well as tell him I had lied to him. I think I'm going to write a letter, that gets everything that needs to be said out in the open, and give it to him in person. And then I guess I just have to hope he is understanding, calm, and can see past the stupid mistakes ive made and see the potential to be a great Marine. 
What do you think?

Your recruiter will understand your explanation I'm sure.  Your dad was present and you did not want him to know, tell the recruiter this in person, don't write a letter about it, just tell him.  I think you are stressing yourself out over something your recruiter would laugh at.  Honesty is a good quality and one you really have control over, use that quality.  

Hey guys, thank you very much for you advice and opinions so far. I still feel pretty uneasy about a few things though. 
Stefano, I thought maybe it would DQ me because they are being picky with who they let in since the demand is small since the current drawdowns and the supposed withdrawl from Afghanistan in 2014. I have heard recruiters are not giving waivers right now, and I would probably need one.
Also, Im scared to mention the pill thing because even thought I didnt get high or see some funky hippy shit, I dont want to not tell the recruiter about it and eventually have to take a polygraph and end up being nervous and they read it as lying because from what ive heard those polygraphs can really make the distinction between lies and nervousness. But I also dont want to get DQ'd right away because from what ive heard, anything other than marijuana is a automatic perminant DQ. And I would imagine that means LSD, acid, mushrooms, meth, cocaine and heroin and shit like that. Now im pretty sure I didnt take any of that stuff because the pill didnt even affect me, and I didnt find myself wanting more (in fact it was quite the opposite as I felt guilty and couldnt believe I was stupid enough to take a pill from a "friend"). So should I disclose the pill or should I risk it and not tell him? Like I said, I dont want to get DQ'd right away by the recruiter and end my dream career before it really starts, but I also dont want to get nailed on a polygraph down the road and go to jail and get my whole life ruined, although right now it seems if I got DQ'd at the beginning, my life would be ruined almost just the same. A life of service to God and to the world in the United States Marine Corps is all I want, but apparently that is too much for me to ask. Meanwhile I have heard countles stories of people lying about so much stuff and then getting in and nothing bad happens to them. I just can bring myself to do that though. If God blesses me with a career in the USMC I want it to be based on integrity and honor. Not lies. 
What should I do?

I think you have gotten yourself too worked up over this. The advice Bill gave you is the way to go. If there was some pill that you had no idea what it was, do a memory dump on it. 

Just chill out and everything will be fine.