DEAR ABBY: I am a former Marine and would like to comment on the letter from the young man who is considering joining the armed forces, but feels he is being "rushed" by recruiters and called "crazy" by his friends.
The solution is to join the reserves. In the reserves, he will get the training any other "boot" will get and still have the best of both worlds. The difference is that when it's time to graduate, he'll be asked if he wants to change his contract to "active duty." If he declines, he returns to civilian life and drills once a month with his assigned unit. In addition, he serves two weeks in the summer with his reserve unit when it goes on annual duty training. The rest of the time, he's a civilian. -- BILL IN FULLERTON, CALIF.
DEAR BILL: That sounds like an intelligent alternative.