Discharging From Military Service: Entry-Level Separation

This article is a bit of a spin on the entry-level experience:
Although the military is a full-time job it is unique and definitely has a more complicated exiting procedure. The main reason is because you agree to serve a predetermined amount of time (typically eight years minimum) and the signing of a legal and binding contract reinforces this commitment.
If you find that the military is more than you can handle, actually getting discharged can be a complicated process, if it happens at all. The discretion to grant or not to grant an entry-level separation is solely placed in the hands of your superiors. Essentially, you can’t decide one day that you do not want to be in the military and then go to your superiors to request a military entry-level separation. In the first place, it is not something that you can apply for; it is a characterization that your superior officers can place on your conduct and performance.
The time frame for this “entry-level status” can only happen within the first 180 days of basic training. Although some sites comment that the time frame caps of at the fourth week of basic training. The process can be a bit drawn out and proper documentation must be presented in order for proceedings to even start for an entry-level separation.
There are sites that provide tips, tricks and advice on how to convince your superiors that you need a military entry-level separation. In my opinion I say take that type of advice with a grain of salt because there is no tried and true method. A military entry-level separation is not granted if there are suspicions that your reasons have been manufactured, so keep that in mind and if you are unsure whether you are cut out for military service make it known. Just realize that a discharge is not necessarily a “right” that you have once you have signed your enlistment commitment, and is impossible once you surpass entry-level status.
Informational Resources That Aided The Creation of This Article:
http://www.objector.org/girights/gettingout/entrylevelfacts.html
http://usmilitary.about.com/library/milinfo/arbasicpol/blels.htm
http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/generalinfo/a/getout.htm
http://www.army.com/articles/article_030505_understanding_military_discharges.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_discharge