Becoming a Marine...

[builtolast]

To all you Marines out there, I wanna hear your input on becoming one. I wanna hear both the negative sides and/or postive sides. Hold nothing back, either good or bad. Let it fly gentlemen! I just met with a recuiter this morning and we talked about all the pros/cons and I must say I'm very, very interested. I just wanna hear it from those currently on active duty or who were in active duty before. Thanks for your help guys! This is a big decision and I'm try to see all angle before John Hancockin' it!

 

[ryansm]

Some hate it, and some love it. The recruiter is not someone to trust. You have to ask yourself if that kind of lifestyle is right for you, and what job (mos) you qualify for. Me personally I did 4 years and got out, I actually miss it now, and realize how much it helped me mature into being a man.

Would I do it again after what I know now, yes.

 

[natedogg]

Hmm, tough question. I had some great times and I had some really shitty times as well. Near the end I couldn't wait to get out because I couldn't put up with the bullshit anymore (due mainly to a shitty command). I met some of the greatest guys I will ever meet while I was in also. You meet someone and after a while you'll be friends like you've known each other your entire lives. Seriously though, you will never be as close to another male (no, not in that way you sick fucks) as you will be in the Corps (figuratively and literally). As far as training, I'm not gonna lie, It won't be easy bro. I did the whole Infantry thing so you can image the **** I went through. 13 weeks of basic, another 6 weeks or so of Infantry training (2 and a half weeks of infantry training for non-grunts), then because I also did security forces for the first year I had to do another 4 weeks of training on top of that. The negatives were being treated like a speck of ****, no/hardly any freedoms, long hours, lots and lots of field time rain or shine, sleep depravation, and the list goes on. Then again the comraderie was awesome between us. We learned how work together as a team to accomplish goals and objectives. And like Ryan said, it makes you into a man (although I see you're 26 so I'm not going to question your manhood). And being a infantryman I got to fire some badass weapons. On the other side of the coin, anyone who was someone other than a grunt had a much easier time of things. I couldn't image myself being anything other than a grunt though. It really is night and day between the grunts and non-grunts. I have a shitload of knowledge and experiences I could tell you. Just ask and I'll answer to the best of my knowledge.

 

[ryansm]

That's what I miss, the friends I made were hard to leave.

SOI is a bitch

 

[natedogg]

That's what I miss, the friends I made were hard to leave.

SOI is a bitch

Yeah man, I had some great friends. I have no friends now. I think I'm stuck up. Nasty civilians!

 

[tanto]

To all you Marines out there, I wanna hear your input on becoming one. I wanna hear both the negative sides and/or postive sides. Hold nothing back, either good or bad. Let it fly gentlemen! I just met with a recuiter this morning and we talked about all the pros/cons and I must say I'm very, very interested. I just wanna hear it from those currently on active duty or who were in active duty before. Thanks for your help guys! This is a big decision and I'm try to see all angle before John Hancockin' it!

First I have to say that I'm on active duty serving in Iraq right now. And it's just like natedogg said there is a night and day difference between POGs and Grunts. I'm on the other side of the mos spectrum since I'm not a grunt. So most of the time my life is pretty easy compared to what grunts have to put up with. The corps is truly a love/hate relationship the comrade and friends are the best, but the BS sucks. And even though I'm not in the field like the grunts all the time, and stuff does'nt mean that POGs don't get there fair share of bullshit it's just a different flavor of bullshit. I'll try to explain it alittle, all marines have to put up with alotta dumb ****-**** games, shitty commands, and getting treated like your a 4yr old. But training wise the grunts have it much worse, much more time in the field and **** like that. But they are the true badasses of the marine corps. I work in the 02XX field which is HQ support type **** most of the time. I got alright job, not to difficult but working with a shitload of SNCOs and officers sucks and diminishes the amount of comrade and friendship, plus having 5yr contract which REALLY SUCKS . But I don’t regret my decision to join (3 ½ yrs ago), I definitely would not change a single thing. The corps has taught me how to be a man and how to deal with adverse situations that I don’t have any control over. And my time here in the marines has really been the time when I have been able to define myself as a person and figure out who I am as an individual. (What can I say I hate conforming even though I do it every day and being made to conform has prompted me ask myself who I am as a person and who I want to be and who I don’t want to be.) I would suggest that you figure out first if you wanna join, and then if you do want join be careful choosing your mos, mos has a huge huge HUGE influence on what, where, and how your life in the marine corps will be. Oh and bump on what the recruiter is not to be trusted. Because of my field I have wide range of knowledge about different mos’s and stuff so if you got any specific questions about mos descriptions just lemme know and I’ll try to help. I’m worked with the wing and ground side so anything you wanna know just ask and I’ll give you the info. All in all I pleased with my experience and it has made me mentally and physically tougher.



Also just food for thought….

Would I do it again? Yes

Would I pick the same mos? No

Would I pick any mos with a 5yr enlistment? Probably not

Would I join another critical mos? No, unless I knew 100% that was the only job I would ever want in the marine corps since lateral moves are next to impossible from a critical mos.

Will I be re-enlisting? Not a snowball’s chance in hell.

Would I trust anything a recruiter told me? Hell no.

 

[unfknblvbl89]

I am currently on active duty and will be hitting 8 years next month. I have been on both sides of the Corps. I was in a victor unit and served my first 4 years as an Assault Amphibian Vehicle (AAV) Operator. Then long story short if I wanted to stay in the corps I had to lat move into another MOS. I ended up with an office (POG) job. The only cool thing about was meeting Beelzebub in MOS school. We have become great bros. If I was able to do my latmove over I would have went to tanks or the grunts. I miss going to the field, shooting machine guns on weekly basis, and getting dirty. Like everyone else has said it is a love/hate thing and like any other fucking job out there it definitely has it ups and downs. At the end of my current tour I will have almost 12 years in (basically I just reenlisted) and I am already considering getting out (I don't wanna hear it Beez). It has to do with getting tired of the bullshit. My only problem is knowing that I would miss it if I got out. The more rank you gain the more political the job gets. If you are really interested I would say go ahead and do it. Make sure you are guaranteed your MOS. DO NOT GO IN OPEN CONTRACT! Bootcamp is a breeze as long as you can handle being screamed at and taking orders.

 

[Magickk]

Make sure you are guaranteed your MOS. DO NOT GO IN OPEN CONTRACT!

Best advice given thus far, imo. If you don't get a guaranteed job, they will stick you in whatever mos best suites the "needs of the corps", and there's a 99% chance you'll absolutely hate it, unless you're just shithouse lucky

 

[natedogg]

Best advice given thus far, imo. If you don't get a guaranteed job, they will stick you in whatever mos best suites the "needs of the corps", and there's a 99% chance you'll absolutely hate it, unless you're just shithouse lucky

Open contract in the Corps most likely will translate to grunt.

 

[jarhead]

Open contract in the Corps most likely will translate to grunt.

I went in open contract to get The Marine corps college fund(it doubles th GI bill). I wanted grunt anyway so I figured what the hell, and my recruiter ensured me I would get infantry. But I scored high on the asvab and ended up spending 5 years swinging with the wing. I later found out that very few get grunt out of open contract at that time.(that was 98). The needs of the corps are surely different now that we're at war, and they probably pull alot more grunts now. As far as my time in the corps- Glad I joined...glad I'm out.

 

[natedogg]

I went in open contract to get The Marine corps college fund(it doubles th GI bill). I wanted grunt anyway so I figured what the hell, and my recruiter ensured me I would get infantry. But I scored high on the asvab and ended up spending 5 years swinging with the wing. I later found out that very few get grunt out of open contract at that time.(that was 98). The needs of the corps are surely different now that we're at war, and they probably pull alot more grunts now. As far as my time in the corps- Glad I joined...glad I'm out.

Very true. When I joined, open contract usually translated to grunt or cook. But since they're doing away with cooks (civilians employees) and the war in Iraq still going on the chances are very high of becoming an infantryman. There are many things to do in the Corps (not that I really care for), but make sure you know what you want before making a hasty decision. If all else fails, join the Air Force.

 

[builtolast]

Tanto and/or unfknblvbl89,

what do you know (especially inside info) about these MOS's? These are the one's I'm planning on talking to my recruiter about early next week. Any information you could gimme would be super helpful! Also, any opinions on MOS's that are downright horrible bar-none or MOS's that are super popular for all the good reasons. I ask this cause I scored pretty high on my practice test (one that prepares you a bit for asvab) and that might give me ability to get the better MOS's.


*Not in any particular order:

1.) Military Police
2.) M1A1 tank crewman
3.) Air Delivery Specialist
4.) SATCOM operator
5.) Assaultman or Rifleman
6.) UAV operator

 

[natedogg]

1.) Military Police- There is a chance you might get deployed to Iraq and be used primarily for base security or convoy security (very dangerous). If not, being new you will no doubt do gate duty (checking ID's, that sort of thing). A lot of sitting on your ass type of work.
2.) M1A1 tank crewman- Tanks gets deployed on a regular basis just like the grunts. Don't know too much about tanks except they get to drive around in tanks which would be pretty cool. Safer way to fight too.
3.) Air Delivery Specialist- Not sure.
4.) SATCOM operator- Not sure.
5.) Assaultman or Rifleman- Read my previous posts. Grunts are the backbone of the Corps, but it's not an easy job. Can be one of the more satisfying jobs especially when you have a chance to fight for your country like I did.
6.) UAV operator- Not really sure or remember what UAV stands for, but I do know about AAV's (Amphibious Assualt Vehicle). These guys basically drive the grunts around on missions. One of our many ways of getting around (from sea to land and vice versa).

What is it that you want to do? That's a pretty wide array of jobs if you ask me. Narrow it down a bit. Do you like shooting weapons on a regular basis? Do you want to sit on your ass behind a desk? Or do you like being outside and getting down and dirty? Do you like machanics? Or flying? Do you mind being deployed or away from home for long periods of time?

 

[Magickk]

If all else fails, join the Air Force.

:icon_lol:
No doubt

 

[builtolast]

Just curious (and not meaning to offend the Air Force guys) what is so funny about joining the air force? Maybe you have to be in the military to know, but I hear people crackin on em all the time. What gives?

 

[builtolast]

The tank crewman MOS sounded pretty slick, but I wouldn't exactly call it safe. Are those things that safe? Not scerred, but just curious.
Another question: Which MOS gets the most respect (enlisted) and if Infantry what aspect of the infantry? (Ex. Assaultman, Anti-tank guy, reconaisance man, etc.)

 

[natedogg]

Just curious (and not meaning to offend the Air Force guys) what is so funny about joining the air force? Maybe you have to be in the military to know, but I hear people crackin on em all the time. What gives?

They're ain't nothing funny about it really. Put it this way, being in the Air Force is more like being at a civilian job. Being a former Marine we didn't make from of the Air Force. We were actually jealous because they have more money to buy better facilities, better equipment, better gear, better everything. We'd get a lot of hand me downs and old equipment from what seemed like the Korean War era. You want luxury and a good job that will actually translate to the civilian world, go AF. You want comraderie, discipline, to fight for the greatest country in the world and to know that you are the best, go Marines. You want to be on a ship for half of your enlistment, go Navy. You want to go to Iraq and die because no one knows what the hell they're doing, go Army.

 

[natedogg]

The tank crewman MOS sounded pretty slick, but I wouldn't exactly call it safe. Are those things that safe? Not scerred, but just curious.
Another question: Which MOS gets the most respect (enlisted) and if Infantry what aspect of the infantry? (Ex. Assaultman, Anti-tank guy, reconaisance man, etc.)

Infantry gets the most respect by far. Ok, lemme break it down, the Infantry has the MOS code of 0300 which is your basic infantryman. After boot camp you go to SOI (school of infantry). There you can create a wish list of what specialties you want in the order you choose. Being the Marines, you won't always get what you want, but you usually will.

You got:
0311 (Rifleman)
0313 (LAV Crewman, Light Amphibious Vehicle)
0321 (Recon, which is apart of special forces and you have to qualify for that before you can actually get chosen to go)
0331 (Machinegunner, I was a machinegunner, you get to fire some cool weapons)
0341 (Mortarman)
0351 (Anti-Tank Assualtman)
0352 (TOW Gunner)

From here it just depends on what particular weapon or specialty you like. They're all pretty cool MOS's.

 

[JonesersRX7]

Whatever you do don't go reserves... I took the advice of my recruiter because I was in the process of finishing college and wanted a break. "Go reserves and get more respect when you become an officer because you will have been enlisted"

What a joke that was.... My best memories were of boot camp... I ate it up every last bit, especially "the pit" super sized and extra hot sauce.... I'm sure I would have gone longer if I was active duty and a better MOS. 1391 - Bulk Fuel :rant: myself..... Not to dis all reservists... but I came out from MOS school motivated as hell and was placed with a bunch of fat nasties that didn't know how to roll their camies or what a can of starch was....

I think it's what you make of it and what MOS you get. I do miss it tho. Seeing all these posts reminds me how much I miss it and makes me wish I would have gone longer and taken an MOS with computers...

 

[JonesersRX7]

If you do go infantry.. and like being the best of the best... make sure you do your endoc for Recon. You will hear all about that tho when you are in SOI.

 

[natedogg]

Also, you'll hear about the STA Platoon, or the Scout-Snipers as they are called now. I would much rather be apart of the Scout-Sniper Platoon than Recon. I always wanted to Snipe, but never got up the courage or balls to go along with it. Besides I'm a horrible shot, that's why I was a machine gunner.

 

[ryansm]

Fast teams, and scout sniper, that's where it's at. Not exactly easy though. . .

 

[natedogg]

Whatever you do don't go reserves... I took the advice of my recruiter because I was in the process of finishing college and wanted a break. "Go reserves and get more respect when you become an officer because you will have been enlisted"

99.9% of recruiters are liars. It's all about the quotas. Like anything, do lots of research before making a final decision. 4 years is a long time to be miserable.

 

[natedogg]

Fast teams, and scout sniper, that's wher it's at. Not exactly easy though. . .

Can't forget about FAST. That would be apart of the Secuirty Forces MOS. I was in security forces for a year, but chose not to go to FAST because I wanted to go to Bahrain instead where I was making twice an enlisted person makes in the states. I had a blast. I knew quite a few guys that were in FAST. Lot of real world missions involved there. A lot of close quarters combat and marksmanship. Cool stuff. BTW, if you choose Security Forces (which I would in a heartbeat if you like that kind of stuff), you have to be aware of the fact that after you're done with your tour, whether it be a year or 3 years, you WILL be shipped back to the fleet as an infantryman. SF, is considered a secondary MOS like recruiting or drill instructing duty.

 

[James]

**** scout sniper! Unless you dont like to eat. At 26 you should go for an easy mos, hehe j/k. You will be an old man in boot camp. The marines can be a blast sometimes. Other times you may feel like its a waist of your life. Btw try not to get in to much trouble. The brig sucks. Good food though.

 

[Beelzebub]

Said it before and I'll say it again:

It was the best time of my life but I'll never do it again.

damn near 8 years spent in before I called it quits. pretty much like the rest of the guys say, too much bullshit and ****-**** games. lotta wanna-be drill instructors that wouldn't dare say **** to you if you weren't in a uniform with a lower rank. it's mainly a test of willpower and patience. the physical **** isn't really that bad, and i can say this from being on the artillery side of the house, then going to the airwing for a different "flavor of bullshit". it all sucks equally, just in different ways. you'll meet great people, most of which you'll never talk to again, maybe 1-2 that you'll email or call once a year. most get out and disappear back to their homeland a little bigger, a lot meaner, and with a helluva tolerance to any alcoholic beverage. yeah, drinking is a big part of the corps. hell, it was started in a damn bar. tun tavern sound familiar devils? :hammer:

anyhoo, if you do it, you'll hate life for the first year then you'll adjust.

1) avoid all WM's. they're trouble waiting to happen. WM=woman marine, aka wasted money. for those of you who might get offended by this, i could give a **** less. the worse time i've had in the corps was whenever i ever had to work with a WM. whine too fucking much and do too fucking little.
2) if you buy alcohol for minors, make sure they ain't going to rat you out if they get busted. it would be cool if the marine corps didn't give a **** about such things, but they do.


3) for unfklnblvb89, when you go to myrtle beach, don't attack the privates and pfc's, threaten to drown them in the ocean, break the hotel mirrors with your fists, and then attack a lifeguard and pull a whole line of chairs into the ocean. :rofl: good times.

 

[tanto]

Tanto and/or unfknblvbl89,

what do you know (especially inside info) about these MOS's? These are the one's I'm planning on talking to my recruiter about early next week. Any information you could gimme would be super helpful! Also, any opinions on MOS's that are downright horrible bar-none or MOS's that are super popular for all the good reasons. I ask this cause I scored pretty high on my practice test (one that prepares you a bit for asvab) and that might give me ability to get the better MOS's.

*Not in any particular order:

1.) Military Police: Pretty much the same as what natedogg said I never cared for um



2.) M1A1 tank crewman: Sounds good but I don't know enough about it to say



3.) Air Delivery Specialist:If you can get a specific MOS # I could tell you more, but you'll work as a HQ/support marine, your experiences will be very different based on who you get attached to. Most likely you will work in MWSS (Marine Wing Support Squadron) or be attached to another misc HQ element. Chances are that you will have to deal with a lot of really dumb **** coming from your Officers and SNCOs, and you will hardly ever get to do any good training because you 'in the rear with the gear'. Your peer group in this MOS will be small, which sucks cause you won't get to work in a plt setting. Not all bad because some squadrons are really good if you can get attached to one, lots of deployments and a chill environment. Hard to tell with out an MOS#.



4.) SATCOM operator: Very wide range of positions, but all are HQ most likely (HQ like REG and Group and above pretty much sucks if you wanna get out there and do real marine type **** and stay away from a desk). This job will evolve alot of 'watch' where you're on continuous standby waiting to fix com if it goes down.



5.) Assaultman or Rifleman: I wish this is what I chose, refer to natedogg and the others for this one. Keep in mind that you could always lateral move out of the infantry if you don't like it, and plus you know that you've had the full marine corps experience as a grunt. For instance some one can lat move out of grunt but it is difficult to lat move into grunt, me for instance I can't lat move because the corps wants to keep me where I am. Plus you want respect from your fellow marines be a grunt because they are the ones who rate it. I would recommend going straight into SF(Yankee White) like natedogg said. I was going to go into SF but chose my current MOS at the last min and I regret it.



6.) UAV operator: Total **** MOS.... I work directly with some of these yahoos (one of my roommates got fucked into this job), get ready for long boring hours starring into a screen watching the sand bake... Oh FYI (UAV Unmanned Aerial Vehicle)


Figure out why you want to join, like what do you want out of it? If it is the experience, challenge, and comrade then I suggest SF(Yankee White) first then any other 03xx you want. If you want training to make money when you get out, go for COM, Intel (02XX or 26XX be ware these are 5yr contracts)

 

[unfknblvbl89]

Tanto and/or unfknblvbl89,

what do you know (especially inside info) about these MOS's? These are the one's I'm planning on talking to my recruiter about early next week. Any information you could gimme would be super helpful! Also, any opinions on MOS's that are downright horrible bar-none or MOS's that are super popular for all the good reasons. I ask this cause I scored pretty high on my practice test (one that prepares you a bit for asvab) and that might give me ability to get the better MOS's.


*Not in any particular order:

1.) Military Police
2.) M1A1 tank crewman
3.) Air Delivery Specialist
4.) SATCOM operator
5.) Assaultman or Rifleman
6.) UAV operator

1.)MILITARY POLICE- Slow promotions (very slow and I'm sure you've seen the pay charts), If you become what I will call a "garrison MP" as stated above: Alot of time on the gates, behind a desk or in a patrol car. The up's to being a "garrison MP" you could be a dog handler if you wanted or be part of the SRT (Special Reactions Team) in other words SWAT. On the flip side you could become a field MP, however, I am not sure what all they get to do.
2.) *M1A1 Tank Crewman- Decent promotions and think about this- 72 tons of armor surrounding you with superior firepower, capabilities to shoot on the move, lock on more than target and once, and able to haul ass across the desert at about 60mph.
3.)AIR DELIVERY SPECIALIST (ADS) 0451- Very Small community in the Marine Corps. Your primary mission is deliver goods by air. In other words shove 463L pallets with gear on the out the back of a MC-130 aircraft. I believe it promotes slow. That is all I know about this one.
4.)SATCOM- I am not sure about this one. I have seen them operate in the field. basically from what I understand you set up satellite networks for all types of communication. Don't know anymore and not even sure if that is correct.
5.)ASSAULTMAN or RIFLEMAN- Again you are the primary fighting force for the Marine Corps. Things are getting way better for these guys on the admin side of things. Reenlistment Bonuses, Quicker Promotions. I believe they are promoting over 400 to SSgt. which trickles all the way down for everyone.
6.)UAV- Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. You provide air reconnaissance by flying the plane from behind what looks like a huge X-Box. I don't know a damn thing about these besides that.
7.) AAV Crewman(1833)- A fun job indeed, but I hated those pigs. I'll explain. Promotions are average, the MK-19 and .50 cal are you friends. A labor intensive vehicle. If you are a good crewman, you have a crewchief that gives a ****, and a good mech. in your section your vehicle will never let you down. You can **** **** up on land, they are slow in the water, easy to drive and again a small community in the Corps. They weigh 26tons ,their armor sucks, it's easy to mess with grunts when they are on your vehicle (slamming on the breaks, putting washers in the cargo hatches so when you splash the water pours in and they are soaked, turn off your bilge pumps an let the water build up in back). You only do that when have shitheads on there. I always worked with Echo 2/1 and they were a good group of guys that respected the vehicle as much as we did. Splashing from shore to ship sucks. From ship to shore is fun. If you can get enough momentum out of the back of the ship you can fully submerge the vehicle and pop back up like a bobber.

As for the comment of joining the Air Force. Don't count them out. I am currently pursuing my degree in Sports Medicine and have comtemplated going to the Air Force for the remainder of my 20 after this enlistment. The one thing that really persuaded me to join the Corps was the comfort of knowing that there isn't a million in one fucked up places I could be stationed. You have four primary places to stationed out of Camp Pendleton, Camp Lejuene (including Beaufort, SC and Cherry Point, NC), Quantico, Hawaii and Okinawa (where I currently am and the pay over here is good!). The other thing that persuaded me was watching them **** up Iraq the first go-around. That's when I first heard and learned what the Marines were.

*NOTE- I am not and have not been a recruiter (this is in regards towards tanks).

 

[unfknblvbl89]

3) for unfklnblvb89, when you go to myrtle beach, don't attack the privates and pfc's, threaten to drown them in the ocean, break the hotel mirrors with your fists, and then attack a lifeguard and pull a whole line of chairs into the ocean. :rofl: good times.

I'd still like to get ahold of that pole smokin motherfucker, but damn that was a good time. He's lucky we weren't by the ocean or he would of been shark food. Did I break a mirror:think: ? I remember kicking the door off of the hinges. I didn't attack a lifeguard, but I did still his chair . Damn it I wanted to sit down in a chair, in the water and all the chairs just happened to be chained together. Nothing I could do about it:lol:

 

[natedogg]

Yeah, talk to an AF recruiter before you decide solely on the Marine Corps. I made the mistake (although I don't regret it) of going straight to the Marine recruiter and no one else and signing up. If I were to do it over I would have joined the AF in a medical field, most likely Physical Therapy. I'm now in the AF Reserves as a Mental Health Tech. because they weren't excepting prior service for active duty and that's all they had available in the medical field. Like I said before, you like getting dirty and being the best the military has to offer, join the Marines. You want a good job who's skills will translate to the civilian side of things and the bullshit factor is A LOT lower, join the Air Force.

 

[builtolast]

What kind of fitness regiment should I be following up to going to basic training? I suspect a lot of push-ups and running.

 

[tanto]

What kind of fitness regiment should I be following up to going to basic training? I suspect a lot of push-ups and running.

In order of most important:

Pullups (1/3 of you PFT is calculated based on pullups alone); plus the more you can do the better chance you have to be recognized.

Pushups (helps with pullups)

Cardio vascular strenght, running, circut HIT training (preparing for quarterdecking)

Crunches (also a PFT portion)

 

[unfknblvbl89]

Run, then run some more, then run a little more. Did I mention running? Pull-ups and crunches are also good as these like tanto said make up your PFT (Physical Fitness Test) score which counts towards your promotion points. My senior year I busted my ass in powerlifting to be as strong as possible thinking I could only build off it. I lost 25lbs in the 12 weeks I was there. I went in at a very, very lean 160lbs. I came out a sickly looking 135lbs. If you work on those three things and continue to lift you will survive just fine.

When do you 27? If it is before you go (if you go) then you will only need 200 out of 300 points for a 1st class score. However, the higher the score the more points towards your cutting score you will get. Seeing your age there is something else you will have to learn to deal with and that is Marines younger than you, but higher ranking giving you orders, climbing in your ass when you mess up, and making you do stupid ****. Just remember though you are not the first to go in at that and you damn sure won't be the last. Good luck with your decision!

 

[James]

Work up to 20 pull ups bfore you join if you can. Run 3 miles and work on that time.

 

[Magickk]

Yeah, talk to an AF recruiter before you decide solely on the Marine Corps. I made the mistake (although I don't regret it) of going straight to the Marine recruiter and no one else and signing up. If I were to do it over I would have joined the AF in a medical field, most likely Physical Therapy. I'm now in the AF Reserves as a Mental Health Tech. because they weren't excepting prior service for active duty and that's all they had available in the medical field. Like I said before, you like getting dirty and being the best the military has to offer, join the Marines. You want a good job who's skills will translate to the civilian side of things and the bullshit factor is A LOT lower, join the Air Force.

Nate is full of good advice. And he was right on about the description of the 4 services in his earlier post. If you're hardcore, go marines. If you want a pretty much civilain job + PT, go Air Force. I work 730 - 1430 and do PT (run 6 miles / week [1.5M 3W 1.5F]). If I had it to do over, I would have done the same thing, but gone medical right off the bat, instead of going COM like I did, because I want to be an anesthesiologist, and it would've been easier if I already had the Medical Exp.

But think about it, there are no tank operators, UAV operators, infantrymen, aerial gunners, etc. in the civilian sector; so if you do that hardcore stuff via marines, you don't have much to do on the outside, except go back to school. Hell you could go AF right off the bat, do the EASY 7 week basic training, and if you didn't like your job when you got to your first duty section, you could go army / marines EASY. Hell I could go Army right now as a warrant officer and fly helicopters if I wanted to; all I'd have to do is go through Army BMT. Army / Marines is always recruiting, and you can switch over really easily from AF to either branch.

 

[builtolast]

hoooooy.....ok.....don't get mad at me guys, but i have to be honest....im only 18....the age was a mistake that I kinda just let fly on my profile so people wouldn't BS with me during AAS discussions (not that I use them). So, being only 18 I'll be just like all the other piss-cared young ones at boot camp. But letting by-gones be by-gones, how can you act to recieve bonus points for promotion?
Another question: Is there anyway to train to become a Commissioned Officer while IN the corps.?

 

[builtolast]

Nate is full of good advice. And he was right on about the description of the 4 services in his earlier post. If you're hardcore, go marines. If you want a pretty much civilain job + PT, go Air Force. I work 730 - 1430 and do PT (run 6 miles / week [1.5M 3W 1.5F]). If I had it to do over, I would have done the same thing, but gone medical right off the bat, instead of going COM like I did, because I want to be an anesthesiologist, and it would've been easier if I already had the Medical Exp.

But think about it, there are no tank operators, UAV operators, infantrymen, aerial gunners, etc. in the civilian sector; so if you do that hardcore stuff via marines, you don't have much to do on the outside, except go back to school. Hell you could go AF right off the bat, do the EASY 7 week basic training, and if you didn't like your job when you got to your first duty section, you could go army / marines EASY. Hell I could go Army right now as a warrant officer and fly helicopters if I wanted to; all I'd have to do is go through Army BMT. Army / Marines is always recruiting, and you can switch over really easily from AF to either branch.

You're right, natedogg has been a big help with info. I do appreciate your guys' input into this. This is a big step in my life and the fact your guys are so earnestly helping out means a lot.
Doing that with the AF sounds interesting, but I do think I'd still rather join the Marines instead for the sole reason of combat training. That's the main reason for me joining. Not so much for the education (though I still plan on getting some education out of it, whether in and/or out of active duty) but for the excitement, traveling, service to country, and overall just growing up. My grandpap joined when he was only 15, and went on to become a nuclear engineer making bookoo bucks. He says it gave him the drive to do whatever he needed/wanted to get done. That sounds good to me!
Anyways, keep the info coming!

 

[JonesersRX7]

hoooooy.....ok.....don't get mad at me guys, but i have to be honest....im only 18....the age was a mistake that I kinda just let fly on my profile so people wouldn't BS with me during AAS discussions (not that I use them). So, being only 18 I'll be just like all the other piss-cared young ones at boot camp. But letting by-gones be by-gones, how can you act to recieve bonus points for promotion?
Another question: Is there anyway to train to become a Commissioned Officer while IN the corps.?

Talk to your recruiter about bringing on some people. Make sure you are noticed for your motivation and PT scores... Be a leader.... you don't need the other recruits to like you... just listen to you. Go for squad leader or guide. If you bring in people that gives you PFC and if you can keep the position of Guide when you graduate you will be Lance Corporal.

 

[builtolast]

how to you become a squad leader or guide? I love to become a leader, but don't know how to approach starting that.

 

[natedogg]

In boot camp get a feel for you're surroundings, sit back and take everything in for the first couple of weeks. Eventually, once you begin to feel comfortable, start taking charge. Show the DI's that you can be a leader. Stay out of trouble and do what you're told and you shouldn't have any trouble being assigned a leadership position, whether it be squad leader or guide. They usually give everyone a chance to be a leader at some point. Take advantage of it when you do.

 

[builtolast]

So everyone gets to be a squad leader and/or guide each week, like it's rotated or something? Is this the case?
Also, here's another MOS i'd like to talk about: Security Forces

1.) Is this an interesting job?
2.) Is it a 2ndary MOS (like, in addition to MP, infantry, etc.?)
3.) Do you get to travel at all with this MOS?
4.) What're the physical requirements?
5.) Do you get to play with diff. types of "toys"? (diff. weapons, armor, etc.)

 

[builtolast]

oh, and 6.) What's the probability of getting this MOS? Is it a very sought after job?

 

[Magickk]

Security Forces is the Police... You're HIGHLY deployable, and it's probably the most in-demand MOS in the military right now. Physical requirements are some of the toughest, training is the most intense. A friend of mine I grew up with joined the Air Force as a SF troop, and he was such a good leader after he got to his first duty station they put him up for sniper training... He's now one of approximately 200 snipers in the Air Force.

 

[builtolast]

Security Forces is the Police... You're HIGHLY deployable, and it's probably the most in-demand MOS in the military right now. Physical requirements are some of the toughest, training is the most intense. A friend of mine I grew up with joined the Air Force as a SF troop, and he was such a good leader after he got to his first duty station they put him up for sniper training... He's now one of approximately 200 snipers in the Air Force.

So, in order to become a Security Force you have to be an MP first, is this the case? Also, what is the profile of the job? Whadya do? What's the importance of it? What is so special about the training? What do I have to do to get in? This is making me quite curious.

Ok. Here I just read that it's not related to any specific MOS. So, could I join up with an Tank, AAV, Infantry, etc. unit and then transfer to this MOS?

 

[Magickk]

So, in order to become a Security Force you have to be an MP first, is this the case? Also, what is the profile of the job? Whadya do? What's the importance of it? What is so special about the training? What do I have to do to get in? This is making me quite curious.

Security Forces = MP, it's the same thing bro. At first your job will consist of probably working 4 days on then 3 days off, 12 hour shifts, some nights, working the gates to the base, checking IDs, sitting guard at certain posts around the base, etc. You also will patrol the base in the police cars, looking for things normal police look for, people not wearing seatbelts, speeding, etc. The training consists of a lot of running and physical conditioning, you'll be trained on the M-16 as well as the 9-mm pistol. All you have to do is sign up with Security Forces (MP) as your guaranteed job, then go through basic training, then when you graduate basic, you'll go to tech school which is basically your hardcore Security Forces training. Hope this helped.

 

[builtolast]

Shameless bump.

 

[builtolast]

Security Forces = MP, it's the same thing bro. At first your job will consist of probably working 4 days on then 3 days off, 12 hour shifts, some nights, working the gates to the base, checking IDs, sitting guard at certain posts around the base, etc. You also will patrol the base in the police cars, looking for things normal police look for, people not wearing seatbelts, speeding, etc. The training consists of a lot of running and physical conditioning, you'll be trained on the M-16 as well as the 9-mm pistol. All you have to do is sign up with Security Forces (MP) as your guaranteed job, then go through basic training, then when you graduate basic, you'll go to tech school which is basically your hardcore Security Forces training. Hope this helped.

This doesn't sound like the same security forces I read about past couple days. This sounds more like security guard. I'm talking more about the 1 F.A.S.T forces that are a kind of SWAT team for naval ships/bases and other special operations. Are talking about the same thing here?

 

[builtolast]

Ok. Tomorrow I'll be meeting with my parents and the recruiter to discuss the Marines, MOS's, marine lifestyle/ethics/morals, education stuff, etc. My question to you guys is this: What the heck do I have my parents ask them, and what questions should I NOT have them ask? I'm very interested in the more phyically demanding and dangerous jobs, but don't wanna make my parents flip out as they hear the recruiter(s) talking about those MOS's and me being interested in them! What did you guys do, if you happened to have gone through this same ordeal? Thanks as always for helping me out.

 

[unfknblvbl89]

If I am not mistaken most if not all Marines who are on security forces is an 03XX. They send them right out of SOI. You basically stand guard duty, guarding sensitive materials such as nuclear weapons.

How did the meet and greet go with the parents and the recruiter. Here is one thing to keep in mind- A recruiter CANNOT lie to you, they can, however, twist the truth if that makes sense. I would try to explain it, but I don't think I can and have it make sense. Some will disagree with the statement I just made. Good luck with your decision or have you made one yet?

 

[tanto]

This doesn't sound like the same security forces I read about past couple days. This sounds more like security guard. I'm talking more about the 1 F.A.S.T forces that are a kind of SWAT team for naval ships/bases and other special operations. Are talking about the same thing here?

I suggest that you push for Security Forces called "Yankee White". Your MOS is 03XX but you must be single and be able to obtain a TS security clearance, this was what I almost did. You are part of a special security team (FAST maybe not sure) that is assigned to do specific jobs directly from the president. Maybe some of the others (03XXs) on this board can shed some light on specifics but I know that you will not be acting as a bonafide MP. I think that you do two or three years (cant remember) in a Yankee White billet then you spend your remainder as a regular grunt.