Soldier reveals why he turned his back on the US Army to enlist in the Marine Corps instead
- Nicholas Brooklier was a captain in the United States Army before re-enlisting in the Marines
- He did this because he was not ‘fulfilled’ and wanted to continue serving his country
A soldier has revealed the surprising reason why he decided to leave the US military and re-enlist in the Marine Corps.
Nicholas Brooklier of Los Angeles was a U.S. Army captain before deciding to change branches and seek a new life in the Marines.
According to ZipRecruiter As of April 2024, a Marine Corps recruit in the US earns approximately $18.75 per hour. That’s the equivalent of $37,500 per year.
A U.S. Army captain with less than two years of experience earns more than $61,000 per year, while a captain with four years of experience earns more than $81,000 per year, according to the US Army.
βI was at a point in my life in the military where I didn’t really feel fulfilled,β Brooklier said Marine Corps.
Nicholas Brooklier of Los Angeles was a U.S. Army captain before deciding to switch branches and reenlist in the U.S. Marines
Brooklier joined the Army as a transportation corps officer and left as a logistics officer. In 2018, he was commissioned through the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program at Washington State University. (photo: Brooklier in a 2021 Christmas video)
βSo it was either leave and go to the civilian world, and to be honest, I didn’t want that. I felt that my time in the service was not yet over. I just felt like I needed a change in my environment.β
He will graduate Friday from the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego before beginning infantry training. His ultimate goal is to become a naval infantry officer.
Brooklier joined the Army as a transportation corps officer and left as a logistics officer. In 2018, he was commissioned through the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program at Washington State University.
He was featured in a video sending a Christmas video to his family in December 2021.
“I want to thank you all at home, I love you, happy holidays, go ahead,” he said.
Instead of renewing his contract with the Army, he decided to join the Marines after meeting recruiter Lafayette Halmon.
βI respected his high level of commitment and conviction,β Halmon said.
He will graduate from the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego on Friday before beginning infantry training. His ultimate goal is to become a naval infantry officer
βIt was a slow process, but he was willing to take a step back, basically all over again, to advance and earn his way into the Marine Corps. It motivated me to do the work for him and give him the opportunity to earn his title.β
After nearly a year of preparation, Brooklier left for boot camp in January and within two weeks completed The Crucible, a capstone course for Marine training.
The event must be completed by every recruit to become a Marine and consists of field exercises over several days.
According to Naval Recruiting Depot San Diegothe training leads to the moment when each recruit is handed an Eagle, Globe and Anchors – something Brooklier credits as a reason why he “chose the Marine Corps.”
βThe Eagle, Globe and Anchor mean a lot to me trying to become a United States Marine.β
βI also realized that the Marine Corps is the nation’s premier 9-1-1 Crisis Response Force, and that gave me a lot of purpose in my life to continue on that path,β he said.