Former U.S. Army Capt. Nicholas Brooklier poses for a photo at a recruiting substation in Killeen, Texas, before heading to Marine Corps enlisted recruit training on Jan. 31, 2024. Brooklier graduated Marine boot camp as a private first class on April 26. (Jaiden Sangster/U.S. Marine Corps)
A former U.S. Army captain has completed a milestone in his career transition to become an enlisted Marine.
Pfc. Nicholas Brooklier graduated from boot camp Friday at Marine Corps Recruiting Depot San Diego in California.
Brooklier declined an interview, opting to spend time with his family and prepare for the next steps of his career, MCRD San Diego spokesman Capt. Austin Gallegos said.
Brooklier will spend the next several months training to become an infantryman at Camp Pendleton, Calif. His life in the Army didn’t feel fulfilling, he said in a Marine Corps statement in January.
“So it was either get out and go to the civilian world, and to be honest, I did not want to do that,” Brooklier said. “I felt like my time in the service wasn’t over. I just felt like I needed a change in my environment.”
Former Army Capt. Nicholas Brooklier, left, and Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Lafeyette Halmon pose for a photo at a recruiting substation in Killeen, Texas, Jan. 31, 2024. Brooklier left the Army to enlist in the Marines. (Jaiden Sangster/U.S. Marine Corps)
He intends to pursue a commission as a Marine Corps infantry officer, the statement said.
If he did end up retiring at an enlisted rank, Brooklier’s career path poses unusual circumstances. Most service members reach their highest rank upon retirement unless adverse action lowers their pay grade.
Under the DOD’s blended retirement system, military pension pay is calculated using an average of the top-earning 36 months of service, also known as the “high-3.”
Neither the Defense Finance and Accounting Service nor the Marine Corps provided an answer by Monday as to how this might apply in Brooklier’s case.
A former DFAS employee, who spoke on background because they were unauthorized to speak publicly, said it’s possible for Brooklier’s time as a captain to count toward his potential retirement pay.
However, it may not matter if he receives promotions and pay raises over the next decade or more that outpace the amount he earned as an officer.
An Army captain with more than four years of service earned $6,469.80 monthly in base pay, according to 2023 DOD pay charts.
That would be a lot of ground for Brooklier to make up. Even with a 5.2% pay raise in 2024, a Marine private first class brings in $2,261.10 per month in base pay.
