--- title: "Hillary Clinton claims she almost joined the Marine Corps" date: "2018-04-02" modified: "2020-10-21" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/hillary-clinton-claims-almost-join-marine-corps/" categories: - "Entertainment" --- # Hillary Clinton claims she almost joined the Marine Corps ![]() Is Hillary Clinton that person at the bar who claims they almost joined the military? --- In 1994, the then-First Lady [claimed]() she tried to join the Marines in 1975, but the Marine recruiter in Arkansas suggested she try the Army because she was too old for the Corps. She reiterated this story in a breakfast in New Hampshire while on the 2016 campaign trail recently. ![]() "He looks at me and goes, 'Um, how old are you?' And I said, 'Well I am 26, I will be 27,'" Clinton said. "And he goes 'Well, that is kind of old for us.'" "And then he says to me, and this is what gets me, 'maybe the dogs will take you,' meaning the Army." She meant "dogfaces." In another version of the story, Clinton, then wearing thick glasses, said the recruiter included bad eyesight as a reason for being dismissed. Maureen Dowd, a reporter for the New York Times, was as skeptical of Clinton's claim as the world is now of Maureen Dowd. She noted Clinton's status as an Ivy League, anti-establishment, anti-war, "up-and-coming legal star" would probably not make the Marines a real consideration for Clinton. The [Washington Post]() asked Marines who were Judge Advocate recruiters at the time if it would be possible the Marines would turn away a prime recruit with credentials like Hillary Rodham's. The answer was a resounding no. Some lawyers in the Marines at the time "had coke bottle glasses" or "weighed 200 pounds." ![]() Clinton's friends at the time [vouch]() for her story, saying that she was likely to press the military to see how far women could go and what kind of career access she would have. Of course, the former First Lady's almost-service certainly prepared her [for the not sniper who didn't shoot]() at her in Bosnia. ![]() She could take some almost training from Donald Trump, who [feels]() like he was in the military because he went to a military boarding school. Clinton isn't the only candidate with a fuzzy recollection of almost serving. GOP candidate Dr. Ben Carson recently [admitted]() he was never offered a "full scholarship" offer to West Point. Carson was found out when the world realized scholarships to West Point don't exist and the dinner where Gen. William Westmoreland met Carson and would initiate the offer process didn't happen because Westmoreland could not have been in Detroit as Carson claimed. If the run for the White House doesn't pan out, maybe Clinton and Carson can join the [Almost-Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America]() to continue their almost service with Brian Williams. ![]() (Featured image by [Keith Kissel]()) ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()