Former Counting On and 19 Kids and Counting star Jill Duggar‘s husband, Derick Dillard, just made a shocking career switch-up after working as an attorney.
On Thursday, April 9, the couple—who have been married since 2014—took to Instagram to tease a major family update. They directed followers to their blog, which revealed that Derick—who passed the BAR exam in 2022, officially becoming a licensed attoryney—had enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps.
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“Derick has joined the Marine Corps!” they began the message. “He has been selected for Marine Corps Officer Candidate School (OCS)!”
The announcement featured a photo of Derick raising his right hand across from another man as his and Jill’s three sons, Israel, 11, Samuel, 8, and Freddy, 3, looked on.
In a “few weeks,” Derick will ship out for active duty to Quantico, Va., they explained. From there, 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!”
The blog update continued, “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.”
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Additionally, Jill and Derick shared that he started the process in early March—and that things will continue to move quickly. “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,” the blog added.
To conclude the update, Derick and Jill wrote, “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!”
The Dillard family’s followers reacted to the surprising family and career news in the comments of their Instagram post. One wrote, “Thank you for your service Derrick. Prayers to you on this journey 🙏🏻.”
Another fan exclaimed, “This is awesome! Welcome to the military family!”
Someone else echoed, “Congratulations Derrick, hope you have a very successful military career. I’m sure your wife and kids are very proud.”
A different follower commented, “Congratulations and welcome to the military spouse/family world! 🇺🇸.”
Meanwhile, yet another Instagram use wrote, “The best of luck, hope Derrick finds his true calling and passion and you enjoy him serving and being apart of something special and meaningful in your futures. Sounds like a chance of a lifetime for each of you.”
Next: Joseph Duggar Released From Jail After Posting $600K Bond as He Awaits Trial