Derick has joined the Marine Corps!
He has been selected for Marine Corps Officer Candidate School (OCS)!
He ships out for active duty to Quantico, VA in a few weeks! Lord willing he will commission as an officer at the end of OCS and then go on to a couple of other trainings before getting his assignment as a Marine Corps JAG officer!
Becoming a military JAG officer has been something Derick has wanted to do for a long time and he even received a recruiting letter last year from the Marine Corps, but the timing just wasn’t right for our family, and then by the time we were ready, we weren’t sure the opportunity would still be available.
After starting the process in early March, we have been surprised how quickly things have come together and the doors that have continued to open, so much so that we can’t deny God is leading us in this direction.
Lord willing, after Derick’s 10 weeks of intense training at OCS, Jill and the kids will move to join him in Virginia, and then Rhode Island for the remainder of his training.
We’d appreciate your prayers for health and strength for Derick as he prepares for and trains at OCS, and for the rest of us as we survive without him for a bit and prepare for new family transitions!
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praying for you all!
That is exciting! We are a military family. God bless and thank.you for your service!!!
Congratulations! May God continue to bless and keep you and your family as you follow His lead.
Congratulations, Praying for all to work according to God’s plan for your family
Once Marine, always a Marine! Thank you for your choice to serve
That is amazing news!! You are going to do very well at OCS!! Good luck on your upcoming adventures!!
Awesome y’all! Derick thank you for serving our country. Y’all will be in my prayers!
So excited for you all. We are a former Army family. Stationed in Germany and Ft. Lewis during my husband’s enlistment. The best piece of advice I can give you, is find a church family quickly. Whether it is chapel on post or a local one in the community. When your hubby is busy with military stuff, you will have support and friends who are in the same boat at church. You’re never alone.
Praying for you all!!
Good luck with your training Derrick and I love your family stories and wish you well in your new adventures
Amazing! My son was a Marine for 4 years, and it was a huge life change for him. Because of the GI Bill, he received his doctorate in theology! God bless you, Derick, and thank you for your service! And God bless you, Jill and the boys, as family is also serving our country!
I pray for you whole family. Your story is one I hope I will be able to experience with finding the right guy and falling in love.
Your truly a blessing from God.
So, awesome! Thanks for the update. He will do great! You will be great holding the fort at home. Thank you for your service. Godspeed
I’m so excited for you guys! Obviously, God placed this desire on Derrick’s heart & now God is saying….Go & fulfill the desires that I gave given you & your calling! I will be praying for you all, Derrick, Jill & the kids. God will sustain you & give you the strength needed. What an exciting time, & you all get to see more of the USA! God bless!
Congratulations Derick on joining the marine corps. This is a big accomplishment.
My husband did OCS in road Island it is so beautiful up there- challenging weeks ahead, but well worth it. I will say joining the military was the hardest and best thing we ever did as a family. Good Luck to your family
WOW did not see that coming. We are Army parents with son and family in Japan currently after being in S Korea. Enjoy and I totally agree with find that church family. Has been a blessing for our kids !
Derick and Jill, This is Lucy Duggar Burns. I had the privilege of being at your wedding. I am so happy for you to be filling your dream. I know God is leading you in this direction. God bless your family on your new journey. I will be praying for all of you.
Blessings to all Dillards with this new adventure!!! I’m thrilled to hear Derick is following his desire to serve as a Jag and Jill is by his side. The move will be life changing for all of you, especially the boys. I’ll keep them in prayer and Jill-Derek too, of course.
Wishing you the peace and wisdom of God as you step forward to the new unknowns.
I grew up (and still live) outside MCAS Cherry Point. Have a special place in my heart for those who serve. You are in for an adventure for sure! Best wishes to you all.
This is awesome news! Derick, thank you for choosing to serve our country. You and your family will be in my prayers.
congratulations!
Congrats. Retired army spouse. Jill, learn everything you can about military life. You will need to become fiercely independent. He will be gone a lot. It’s a calling and a selfless act with countless, continuous sacrifices. Once, you understand that, you will be able to be such a blessing and light to other struggling spouses.
Congratulations! I grew up an Army brat and it gave me a very well rounded childhood that I wouldn’t trade for anything. We spent a lot of time in Germany just because of the type of job my dad had. Sending much love and prayers for your family over the coming months!
That’s wonderful news praying for y’all! Godspeed!
Even though my husband has retired from the Corps. I still consider myself a Marine wife. Life in the Marine Corps isn’t for the faint of heart. It has more than its fair share of challenges. However, I am thankful for the life the Marine Corps provided our family. Marines can be a rough group and life apart from family, friends, and familiar landscapes can be scary. With that said, after over 20 years I have gained a number of great friends that have been more like family, sometimes better than family. The Lord has commissioned the Dillard family to a worthy mission field, ministering and serving Marines and their families. I know first hand of the power of a Godly Marine. I pray your family will lean on your faith in the Lord as you enter this new mission. Congratulations and welcome to the Marine Corps family.
Hmmm, I’m not sure being away from the family is a good idea. That is never Gods plan. It will be difficult with emotions, and that’s never good. Seems like Derick is not sure what he wants to do. He was an accountant. A Lawyer and now he wants to be in the marines. Well I hope you both as well as the kids are mentally prepared for this. What happened to being a Lawyer? That is a great career. God bless your family.
WoW Micky, way to tinkle in someone else’s Cheerio’s! An Accountant, to learn better how to handle money for the Family. A Lawyer, He is & has been practicing law to hone his skills & now JAG! That’s friggin Awesome! (maybe you need to look up JAG?). He may be lucky enough to run Tribunals for all of our crooked, evil politicians! Derrick knows Exactly what he’s doing & he’s doing it Well! They both are! GOD Bless you Derrick, Jill & kiddo’s! This is FAB : )
he is still a lawyer. He isn’t changing careers. He is trying to be a JAG officer which is basically a lawyer for the military.
Congratulations! I was a military spouse for 24 years and it is a job like no other. At times it can be overwhelming because there are long periods of time your husband may be away, deployed, etc and YOU will need to hold down the fort no matter how you may be feeling or what is happening in your life/family at the time. BUT…..on the flip side of the coin, you will find that meeting fellow spouses and being a part of a close knit, loyal family who will always be there when you need them. Go to the spousal events, battalion parties, etc where you will meet so many of your new long lasting friends/family. I wish you all good luck and hope you keep us posted.
Seems like he’s knows exactly what he wants to do. He’s going to be a lawyer in the Marine Corps (JAG). Maybe if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.
Welcome to VA! Lots of family friendly activities in Manassas, VA you should come visit!
Derrick will be an excellent JAG Officer. Prayers for all of you as you navigate this new adventure.
Praying for you guys! Military life isn’t easy in the slightest. But you can do it! The training is honestly the easy part. It’s the work ups, the deployments, the silence when the phone doesn’t ring and the emails/letters don’t arrive….thats when it gets hard. But you’re strong and will have to be your children’s anchor through it all. You’ve got this!
Congratulations! It’s a big decision but one that carries a tremendous honor and pride. I am a former military spouse (Air Force) and mom to an Air Force son and Army daughter (and a long line of other military family and friends). I agree with Melissa! Join a spouse’s group and find a church family! Lean on their support and experience. We’ll be praying for your family!
My son Caiden is a marine currently. Congratulations prayers for him and your family.
My husband was an Air Force Doctor and we settled in Virginia on discharge- we are only a short drive from Quantico ! It’s busy here but it’s a great area . Praying for all of you in this next season !
I am so happy for your family. How exciting is that? Oh my goodness! Good luck to you all on your next adventure.
Godspeed Derick! Best wishes to you all!
It’s a long ways off, but RI is great! I grew up there and Naval Station Newport is a beautiful spot.
Hoorah!
Congrats!! We are an army family. My husband was a jfo. (Forward observer) We were in from 2003 – 2012 . OIF/OEF , 3rd ID, fort Benning, and black hearts 1-502, 101st – Fort Campbell..It was such an adventure! We had 2 of our kids born in Georgia. Both are in the army now! The army was such a hoot for us and a blessing! Hope it is as good to you and it was for us!
How exciting! Thank you deciding to join the Marines and serve our country. I know you’re going to be able to do so much good! I pray your blessed as you start this new chapter!
Congratulations Derek. Wishing you all the best in your new career. Thinking and praying for you , Jill, Israel , Samuel and Fred.
God Bless
Marilyn and Marion
Hi there,
I am so happy to know you are moving away. We have moved as a family over 15x. Treat it as a n adventure, a new experience to know different walks of life, culture, food, pastimes etc. Nothing will be the same except for your family unit. If you cling to your traditions and learn new ones the moves won’t be as difficult. Weather will be vastly different and every community or province we lived in had different quirks. Mostly in the people. Some were snooty, some welcoming, some came with a rudeness we weren’t used to. One thing we noticed was public burping and farting. The whole province just seemed to do those things in public without a second thought or even an excuse me!!! It was so gross and so rude. It’s funny now, but I remember being at a ball game and the middle age couple beside us were just letting them rip from both ends. We found a new place to sit. The other one thing was a very gruff exterior. Kinda witchy with a B. Anyhoo, if your east coast people are like our east coast people you are in for a big welcoming. Congratulations.