Mother of Pearl tell me about the Marine Corp

[Spotted Owl]

I know this isn't logging related but.

Who can tell me what about the Marine Corp. We went to talk to the Coast Guard recruiter today and on the way up he told me he has been thinking about the Marines for some time. Well now my boy is on his way to becoming a, United States Marine. A little bit more school to finish up and a bit more paper and stuff shuffle and then it happens.

Tell me about asvab scores and jobs that the Corps has. Tell me about your experience. Good and bad. I know it's an experience that he will have to make. Be it either a good one or how ever it turns out is on him.

Oh ya, hey will you tell Mom. N O P E !!!. If'n you're gonna be a Marine now is the time to get tough, Y O U tell your mother yourself. The recruiter bout laughed out of his chair on that one.

So what say the Falling/logging masses.



Owl

 

[Gologit]

Marines

Get ahold of 2dogs. His son, Cody, just finished boot camp if I remember right. He should be able to give you the most current info.

 

[slowp]

They will forever imprint their birthday date on his brain. My mom has Alzheimers but she still remembers that date. Nov. 10th??? He will learn songs to sing, and that's all I know. My mom joined the Marines during WWII because she wanted to go into the military and she thought they had the most stylish uniforms. I doubt if that is very important to a guy.

My uncle, an army vet, called them Sea Going Bellhops.

 

[dingeryote]

Owl,

Tell the kid to get hot on one of the ASVAB primers, and run through several times before taking the real ASVAB.
And whatever you do, do NOT let the kid commit to anything period, untill AFTER he has taken the ASVAB.

If he scores high enough, there will be options open to him that he will need to think about.
It's a heck of a thing to commit after the preliminary test, and then find out a signing bonus was available for a MOS that was interesting and ya qualified for. LOL!!


Get the kid running. 3 miles in 18min. 80 sit ups in 2 Min, and 20 dead hang pull ups, is the goal.
Bootcamp is no place to be getting into shape, and really sucks for those who aren't already.
LOTS of interval sprints and hills. LOTS of flutter kicks, and run him uphill in sand if you can. He will thank you later.

The delayed entry program will help get him mostly locked on before shipping out, but he will be better off for getting more of a leg up, before hitting the yellow footprints.

The listing of available MOS's in the corps, as well as a description of each field is available on the Corp's website.
Make him pick one, and get it in writing, specifying that specific MOS on his contract, before signing, or Mother green will decide where he is needed and what he wants to do. LOL!! Recruiters have quotas, but with the drawdown due to budget cuts, who knows what will be available and when, so patience can be an asset to get the MOS wanted.

Is your boy leaning towards some sort of a tech field like aviation and comms, or is he thinking Grunt?
If he's thinking of going Grunt, have him look into the security forces option. It's good duty for a year or two right out of the gate, if he has the aptitude and can pass the requirements for the clearences. Babysitting State dept. geeks, and other assets at an embassy somewhere, can be darn good duty in some very interesting places.

I wish your Son all the luck in the world!
He's making a bold move, and you have every reason to be proud.
There are four other routes to take, and all of them much easier, but with much less reward.



Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[Oldtimer]

Never met an honorably discharged Marine who wasn't calm, cool, collected, and ever ready to defend without hesitation. If he should have the sand in him to become a W-3 or W-4, then he will be highly desirable for most any leadership position in civilian life.

Be proud of the boy, he already has more courage and work ethic than 98% of boys his age.

 

[mile9socounty]

I went into the Marines in 03 and was honorably discharged in 07. ASVABs are a really big thing, so practice ones are a must. The higher score your son gets. The more things open up to him. Jobs, locations, security clearence, the whole lot. Once yall sit down the the recruiter. He is going to ask your son what 3 MOS's/job skills he is interested in. 1 being the one he really wants and 3 being the back up of the back up. Do not allow your boy you enlist with an open contract. He could out to be a cook or even worse, bulk fuel. The folks I encountered in the bulk fuel feel were some really odd ducks. Dont let the recruiter pull a car salesmen pitch on you. Yes you can travel if you in the grunts and go on floats of MEU's. But if you want to be a supply clerk. Most likely not going to happen. Think of an actual job skill that can be used once your son, if you son chooses to not re-enlist. What can a grunt do when he is out? How about a mechanic? (Thats what my MOS was, 3521, 3531, 3536.) How about SJA? Good lawyers, EOD? Armory? HE operator?

Boot camp really wasnt that hard for me. I was 5'11" and 140lbs when I stepped off that plane in San Diego. It was the best choice I made. Just wish I wasnt as arrogant and self centered when it came time to re-enlist. Otherwise I'd still be in the Corps working on making Gunnery Sergeant.

If you have more question to pick my brain with. PM me and I'll give you my phone number.

Kenny

 

[mile9socounty]

Get the kid running. 3 miles in 18min. 200 sit ups in 2 Min, and 20 dead hang pull ups palms facing the chin up bar, is the goal.
Bootcamp is no place to be getting into shape, and really sucks for those who aren't already.
LOTS of interval sprints and hills. LOTS of flutter kicks, and run him uphill in sand if you can. He will thank you later.

The delayed entry program will help get him mostly locked on before shipping out, but he will be better off for getting more of a leg up, before hitting the yellow footprints.
The DEP program also helps working off some of your sons IRR Inactive Ready Reserve duty. Its in the extreme fine print. If your son EASed he would have 4 more years he could be recalled into active duty. The recruiter wont tell you that. I found out the hard way, but I had a broken leg and wasnt fit for duty at the time. Damn wildfires.

}

 

[indiansprings]

Dinger hit the nail on the head, most kids just run in and listen to the recruiter's BS and come out with the civilian skill of a grunt, how to fire and manuver and clean a weapon. Take several practice test, be prepared or you limit your career options, although I have over twenty years active and reserve in the Army, I recommend the Air Force to most young men and women due to the advanced electronic and computer related fields plus the Community College of the Air Force.
I have a high regard for the Corps but most come out with little real world expierence.

 

[KenJax Tree]

My middle brother always wanted to be a Marine as long as i can ever remember, but at the last minute joined the Air Force and had no clue where he wanted to go but he's now a C-130 cargo plane pilot.

 

[wowzers]

I joined in 2002 and got out in 2006. One thing about the Marines is, is that pick your job field. My three choices for jobs were 1) Combat Engineer 2)Infantry and 3) Heavy Equipment. Guess what I got.... Bulkfuel. All because bulk fuel falls into the construction and utilities field the same as Combat Engineer. I also did well on my ASVAB, so when I found out my ocupation for the next four years it was a total shocker. Just something to be aware of. If you have any questions shoot me a message.

 

[mile9socounty]

What unit were you with Wowzers?

 

[wowzers]

7th ESB out of Pendleton. You?

 

[mile9socounty]

CSSG-1, CSSB-10, CLB-7 29 Palms. We changed names about every year.

 

[wowzers]

I think right as a was getting out it changed to CSSB something.

 

[2dogs]

The recruiters, all of them, worked on Cody for over a year before he enlisted in the Marines on November 10 2011. He went to MEPS on January 2 2012 and flew to MCRD San Diego the next day. He was gauranteed MOS 1345 heavy equipment operator (BEEO) and Pfc (Eagle Scout). Boot camp at MCRD was no big deal for him. He said the physical was like wrestling practice on steroids and the discipline was like Boy Scouts on steroids. He said several of his fellow recruits complained about the DIs and the unrelenting discipline. He said "you guys should meet my dad".

Many of the recruits had never been away from home and that was tough for them to handle. Lack of sleep was also a real stressor. Make sure your boy gets plenty of sleep the week prior to leaving. On the positive side the graduation at MCRD San Diego was fantastic. Do everything you can to attend.

After 10 days leave your Marine will go to Camp Pendleton for weapons. 1345 is a non-infantry MOS so Cody went to MCT (Marine Combat Training) for about 6 weeks. The pace is faster but results oriented. Less yelling by the DIs. Then it is on to MOS school. Cody went to Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. 95 degrees and 95% humidity. Bad food too. The Marines PTed twice each day while the Army mandatorily rested in the shade. All in all Cody had a good experience at FLW.

The Marines are in a state of change. Cody's unit is Landing Support Battalion (LSB) but it is now changing to a Combat Support Battalian (CSB). Their mission will change but nobody knows how much yet. Promotions will slow down in the 1345 MOS and others. Cody's unit meets in Concord CA near the old Naval Weapons Depot. His unit may move to Warshington in 2 or 3 years! The land is to valuable to allow the Marines to occupy it.

Owl if you want to talk just PM me and I will send you my phone number.