Thank you for raising a fine young man who wants to serve his country. Has either of you even spoken with a recruitor? I ask because I’m pretty sure the USMC won’t accept him at all without a diploma or GED. They’ll welcome him at the age of 17 into the Delayed Entry Program so he has time to prepare for bootcamp beforehand, but that’s not an automatic “in.”
If he wants to have a say in his choice of MOS - no guarantee there but they DO try to at least get you into your chosen field - he’d better his negotiating platform by staying in high school or, if he’s especially motivated, passing extra credit courses at a CC so as to graduate earlier than his peers.
He just is impatient and wants to go NOW. He's in the Naval Sea Cadets and going to summer camp. Last summer he did Master at Arms (high point pistol marksman with a perfect 240 score) and Port Security training, this summer he's going to be an Assistant Instructor for Recruit Training.
He wants to serve a hitch and then go to college either in ROTC or the GI Bill, or some other plan, then go back in as a career officer.
And this is a kid who has never planned 10 minutes ahead in his life.
It's all good.