Advice from former/current enlisted men

[Moody]

I'm 21 years old and have hardly anything going good for me in life except my loving fiance. That being said, I'm setting up a meeting for a marine recruiter to come to my house and talk with me and my grandparents about joining. I know I want to join the marines, so thats not a issue. But does anyone have any other advice such as a good MOS, or the things they dont talk about. Thanks

 

[mightyray]

First thing, You're fiance better be in this 100% because when you join the military your life will drastically change. She needs to be the most flexible understanding and supportive woman on earth for your marriage to succeed. 2nd you better be super hardcore and physically fit if you want to excel in the marines. It is not for the faint of heart. If you want a good lifestyle for you and your wife, join the Air Force. Otherwise, you're just a number. As far as talking with the recruiter, if anything feels shady trust your gut because they get bonuses for every person they recruit. Not saying they are all dishonest but, just get a second opinion on anything that may sound too good to be true. Lastly, this is a pretty big decision so I say pray on it and ask God to make it clear to you what you should do. If you're not a praying man, than I suggest you start because you're going to need all the help you can get in the marines. Good luck and God bless...

 

[16902]

^Good advice^ I second the part about your fiance. It will change your life. Whatever you do, don't do it for money or financial stability. Recruiters will feed you all kinds of BS about doing something special for you that they don't normally do as well.

Be prepared for deployment. It WILL happen.

As for MOS. Do something that sounds interesting not something that has an awesome bonus.

Good luck man.

 

[Moody]

Thanks guys. She told me that its going to break her heart to leave everything she's ever known but wants not only for me to be happy but for us as a married couple to be happy. And I have the option to get out after four years. So that's not a completely huge deal. And the main reason I chose the marine corp is I want the biggest challenge of my life bc as a person I thrive off of challenges. And so far I've never let anyone down. I guess this would be the ultimate test for me, my health, and my relationship with my fiance.

 

[16902]

Thanks guys. She told me that its going to break her heart to leave everything she's ever known but wants not only for me to be happy but for us as a married couple to be happy. And I have the option to get out after four years. So that's not a completely huge deal. And the main reason I chose the marine corp is I want the biggest challenge of my life bc as a person I thrive off of challenges. And so far I've never let anyone down. I guess this would be the ultimate test for me, my health, and my relationship with my fiance.

You are right. It will be a huge challenge. It will challenge the people that love you nearly as much as it challenges you.

 

[808MP5]

Chair force ftmfw.
Marines are hard core. You don't have to be fit. All you have to do is pass the physical and meet height and weight. Trust me they'll whip you into shape. As for mos if your scores are high enough choose something technical like computers or communications. Don't be a grunt and go infantry. That's for ppl that can't do s*** and score high enough on the asvab. Good luck in your military career if you choose to enlist. Oh and receuiters don't get a bonus for every person. They have a quota and if they reach that quota for the month then they get a bonus.

Sgt. Salvador
411th en Bn
74b, 25u
usar

 

[Spiced MSP]

(iagree)...Im in the Army and I agree with mightyray. Your fiance has to really understand and be with you 100% on your decision. I did a year and 3 months in Iraq and it really tested my marriage, but we got through it. The military as a whole will push you to your limits but it can be done. Some of the most important things to remember are to "never take anything personal". That is a huge mistake that a lot of people make and they don't make it through Basic Training. "always look at the positive side of things" and I gaurantee you will always be in a good mood. Always "think ahead" and don't "look back". What I mean by that is..for instance, during training, the days will drag if you are constantly thinking about how long you have left. Time will fly if you think about how much time has passed already. (if that makes any since)This really works for deployments too. Once you join and start training, you will probably think you were crazy for signing up, but you will not regret it at all once you are done training and start doing your job. There is nothing like wearing a military uniform and having our nation look up to you for what you do. There is really no way to describe that feeling. Sorry I can't help you with Marine MOS's since Im in the Army..not too familiar with them, other than Infantry. I strongly suggest you start a routine to get in shape if you are not physically ready for the challenge ahead. PT, Ruck marches, long days/nights. It will get very stressful but never give up. You will thank yourself in the end. Always be on time to all formations, be in the right place at the right time in the right uniform and you should be ok. That is the golden rule across the military. There are so many things I could talk about but Im not going to make a novel out of this post. If you have any questions, feel free to pm me. Just for good times sake, I attached a pic of what I work on when Im not working on my car.(cool)...Hellfire Missiles, Rockets, and a 30mm gun ready to rock!!!
SPC Laurie(usa)
U.S. Army, 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment
Outlaw Attack Helicopter Troop

 

[Spiced MSP]

^Good advice^ I second the part about your fiance. It will change your life. Whatever you do, don't do it for money or financial stability. Recruiters will feed you all kinds of BS about doing something special for you that they don't normally do as well.

Be prepared for deployment. It WILL happen.

As for MOS. Do something that sounds interesting not something that has an awesome bonus.

Good luck man.

This is also true, Recruiters have a quota to make every month and they will do or say anything just to get you to join. When I joined a while back, I made the recruiter show me everything on paper so I would know he wasn't feeding me any BS. Make sure you know it is what you want to do. If you start second guessing it, don't do it. Just because you walk into a recruiting station and talk to a recruiter doesn't mean you have to sign up right away. I went to my recruiting station 7 times before I actually signed up. and yes, prepare for deployments, they will come. I did a year and 3 months in Iraq and got back in January of last year and I may be up for another deployment to Afghanistan this time. Just know your time will come for deployment sooner or later. Also, I agree with what others have said, don't do it for the money or sign up bonuses. Money is always good but some people join for the wrong reasons and end up miserable not knowing what to expect in the military...like joining just to go to school. Yes they will pay 100% tuition but they fail to remember that ...THEY ARE IN THE MILITARY. There are lots of other things you have to do as a soldier/marine/airmen/sailer other than school. School is done on your own time. But anyway, choose a MOS that is closest to your highest line score when you get your ASVAB results back. Hope we are helping and not scaring you away...coming from a fellow soldier. PM me if you have any questions.

 

[ScratchNSniff]

I am not and don't plan on going into the military, but my father is a retired Navy Master Chief...he was in for 26 years and got to visit 113 different countries...the pictures, artifacts, and experiences he has told me about are mind blowing. That was his first job right out of high school and he says he doesn't regret a single day of it. He was on a stationed on different ships for the 20 of those years, then 3 in a naval weapons station, then 3 as a recruiter before retiring. Once he got out he immediately started applying at a few other government jobs and now is head dispatcher for the Norfolk Southern Railroad Station here where we live...something he would of never gotten without the Navy seeing as he beat out almost 1,600 candidates. I do not have the desire to go into the Navy, but with my teaching degree I hope to do Military teaching at Elementary schools on base...

 

[HKPRO5]

Lets see. Im 23, I got out of the Marines as a Sergeant little over a year ago. I have been everywhere in Asia, some parts of South America, all over Europe. I think that the Marines is a good choice if you dont join as a Infantry or Motor transport. Yes its still going to suck but its something that I will never forget. I believe that it was total worth it. As for MOS I would say for for an admin, IT, communications, or supply. Maybe even the construction/utilities field.

Make sure they give you the job that you want. See it through. I got screwed but it helped me get the job that I have now. (making bank...lol)

Anyways good luck!


EDIT by the way if you have any questions let me know

 

[autoxes]

I may catch some flack for this, as we're kind of the "black sheep" of the Marine Corps, but I would definitely recommend trying to net a job in the air wing if you end up going with the Marines. I'm a C130 loadmaster and I absolutely love what I do. I'm about to be stationed in Okinawa, and from there will likely deploy to Guam, Phillipines, Australia etc. If you do end up deciding on an airwing job enlisted aircrew is definitely the way to go. Enlisted aircrew encompasses all of the aircrew jobs, so you can end up with Hueys, CH-53s, CH46s, V22s or C130s. I would have gladly taken any of those airframes, but actually got lucky and ended up with the airframe I really wanted.

My advice as far as recruiters is to keep them focused on what YOU want. Think of your recruiter as a sales person more than anything. They're going to try to sell you what they want to sell you (recruiting is also based on the needs of the Marine Corps for people in the various jobs). Just make sure that you lay down what you would like to do, and get it on your contract. One of my buddies just signed without ever really discussing his job and they sent him to bootcamp with an open contract.

I have had loads of fun so far in the Marines (I'm 2 years into a 5 year contract) and have already seen so many different things and met some really great people. Not to mention learning skills that are directly transferable to the civillian sector.

My job: Some of these are USAF videos, but Marine loadmasters do mostly everything Air Force loadmasters do.

HALO testing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zil35cdECP8
Heavy equipment training: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuLNcv8jkE4
CDS (container delivery system) airdrop: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9iHuqUmcWc
Night vision HE, and combat offload: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtmcWAG3DK8


Best of luck to you.

 

[RacerXGirl]

has it already been two years Michael???

 

[autoxes]

Two years since I signed my papers. I went to bootcamp in October, so in actuality it's only been like a year and four months.