Know more about

military discharges and conscientious objection

“Entry Level” refers to your training period, including boot camp and your specialized training that follows. This is your first 180 days, or approximately six months.

During this period the entry level discharge may be used if a recruit is not adjusting well to being in the military. It is not something you can ask or apply for, it is your command that sets it in motion. But it is important that you know it exists and is a possibility if you think you might have made a mistake in joining. You can show your command that you are struggling. Talk to a GI Rights counselor for help!

Members of a reserve component who are not on active duty, and have not completed 180 days of continuous active military service, begin entry level status upon enlistment in the reserves.

Everyone has a conscience. Few people wrestle with their conscience as much as members of the military, especially those in combat. Counselors with the GI Rights Hotline talk with military personnel every day who are questioning the morality of the orders they have received or jobs they are expected to perform.

If you are one of those people, you came to the right place. You should know that you are not alone. In fact, every year hundreds of military personnel apply for conscientious objector status. Conscientious objectors have been with us as long as there have been wars.

Conscientious Objection is what Rosa Del Duca describes as “the great secret” because within the military people rarely talk about it, even though it is a very real and legitimate discharge.