A few ?'s about the Marines

[Balog]

Hello all. As you may have noticed in this thread, I'm off to boot camp in a few days. Before I go, I thought I'd tap into the collective THR wisdom one last time.

One of my biggest concerns is that I won't be sent to Afghanistan or Iraq. Let me try to explain why I'd want to. I'm no keyboard commando. I don't think it will be fun or glorious. I'm not itching to kill people.

One of the biggest reasons I chose to enlist was to serve. Even tho there are many noble ways to be of service to your country, I felt that this would be the best and most honorable for me. While enlisting does entail sacrifices, I felt those were worth the cost.
I feel the same way about being deployed to a war zone. While it does entail considerable risk and sacrifice, I feel that it is the area I am called serve in.

That being said, what can I do to help ensure I see action? I'm locked into an 0300 (Infantry) MOS. As I understand it, when I hit the fleet I'll be asked where I would prefer to be stationed: East coast, West coast, or overseas. Which reply would be most likely to get me where I want to go? Any other tips?

 

[mack69]

RE:

Balog, first off congrats on joining the brotherhood....Totally up to you bud...but If it were me and I were looking for action I would up for the over seas duty....it'll let em know right up front that you won't mind leaving home to do duty. Still not a sure bet though. Have buds that have been all over the country and or over seas and some never got sent to a combat zone. BIL in the Marines for life stationed overseas most of his years and never saw one lick of combat. Best of luck to ya Balog, do what they tell ya when the tell ya, go where they tell ya and it'll be cool.....watch your six, stay frosty.....mack

 

[TarpleyG]

I'm locked into an 0300 (Infantry) MOS

That's a start. Now, try and get assigned to 1st Mar. Div. and you are almost assured a spot somewhere in the desert. But remember, it takes 3 others to put one guy on the ground. Most of those guys are 0300. Also remember what I said about boot camp and you should strive to leave there with a stripe and not a blank shoulder.

Greg

 

[Leatherneck]

Hey Balog,
Good on you. Two things I'd recommend:
1. Pay attention and train hard-it will save your life or that of a brother Marine.
2. Do not be disillusioned when you get through MCRD and find other Marines who may not be as Gung Ho as you are. It takes a lot of support types for every combat infantryman.

Good luck.

TC
TFL Survivor

 

[Steve in PA]

First, congrats on joining the Marine Corps....of course I'm partial to them, having served from 1979-1983.

Second, you'll enjoy the 03 field, now somedays you may not think so, but being in the infantry is the absolute best fun you'll ever have. I was 0351(anti-tank assault) but I cross-trained in 0331 (M60 machine gunner) and spent my last year as an 0341 (60mm mortar gunner) while stationed over in Beirut, Lebanon.

Third, don't plan on going anywhere (out of country) for about a year. Now they may have moved things up a bit, but you have boot camp, then you'll be home for about 2 weeks. Then you'll be off to your MOS school. After that you'll be sent somewhere in the fleet. When I was in, we didn't have the choice of east coast/west coast. You could volunteer for duty in Okinowa, Japan for 1 year, but other than that, you stayed on the east coast. You go where there is an empty slot.

After your MOS school you'll be sent to your place in the fleet, which will be a company gearing up to be sent overseas. There is a ton of training you'll have to go through before your unit is deployable.

 

[mons meg]

Quick summary:

1st MarDiv is West Coast, Camp Pendleton (N of San Diego)
2nd MarDiv is East Coast, Camp Lejeune (Jacksonville, NC)
3rd MarDiv is kind of a special case, in Okinawa, Japan.

Both the 1st and 2nd divisions are represented in Iraq. You should probably check out www.usmc.mil and look at the different unit news sites to see what public info is available about what's going on, e.g. 24th MEU(SOC) is in Iraq performing various security operations.

Since your going in a grunt, you might see what you have to do to get into one of the MEU(SOC) units since you'll get to go to lots of different special combat schools. I've been out since '93, but so much has changed since then it's exciting to watch. Where do they get all those cool toys?

That being said, I think either coast as an 03 would get you a good chance of going over there eventually. Good luck and God speed.


Jay


Edit: Oh, and one other thing...no one will ever be able to accuse you of taking the path of least resistance. You will be Marine Infantry.

 

[M2 Carbine]

Congrats Balog.

Welcome to the club.
You are fixing to do something that will be with you the rest of your life.

It is true there are no ex Marines.

I later became an Army Warrant Officer helicopter pilot but I will always be a Marine Corps Sergeant.

I can't tell you much because even the Corps has changed some since my original enlistment in 1955.

Back then the best way it get something was to tell the HMFIC you didn't want it.

I wanted flight school, didn't get it.

I got orders for Aviation Electronics school and was sent to AMTRACS.

I wanted to drive (motor pool) and was sent to auto mechanics school.

Finally I wised up.

I wanted a second summer in Little Creek, VA as NCOIC,
So I went to my boss and told him don't even think about sending me back to Little Creek. You have two other Sergeants, one of them can go this time.
I had a good time on my second summer in Little Creek.

Good luck.

 

[Joey2]

Plt. 153, Parris Island, 14 July 63. MOS 0311, 0331, 0369.

1st, 2d, and 3d Marine Divisions.

7yrs. overseas (Far East).

I don't think I would do it again if you paid me.

Then I joined the "army of juan'" and retired after 26 yrs.

 

[Average Guy]

Uh...none of the above. Or maybe all of the above. Here's the phrase (OK, acronym) that pays: COFG (pronounced cough-jee). Convenience Of the Federal Government. Which means you go where they tell you.

Honestly, I never quite figured out how to get anywhere else--although I did wangle myself a position as company clerk, which had lots of perks. I wanted jump school--no dice. I wanted motorcycle messenger school--nope. I think it was that there were very few slots and they sent other Marines whose MOS was closer to 0311 than mine was (0352). But it can't hurt to ask. Do a good job, get noticed for the right reasons, and that should better your chances.

Good luck, and I'll welcome you to the club when you get back.

Semper Fi, MF!

Cpl Average Guy, USMC, 1988-1992
AT(TOW)Co, 3dTkBn, RCT-7
Marine Corps Air/Ground Combat Center
Twentynine Palms, CA
(Yes, for my whole friggin' enlistment--save for 13 months overseas. "Critical MOS," don'tcha know.)

 

[Jarhed]

Dude, if you are a combat MOS and are not on drug hold or a ****** bag you will go to a hot zone. Thats a given.

Do you realize that the best climate in the world is in San Clemente Ca? 78 degrees year round bro. Do you know what it borders? Camp Pendleton, 1st Marine Division. Never set foot a LeJune but I know it gets cold, and just no way can it be as freaking cool as S. Cal.

Here's some steps. Good attitude out of boot. Become a good basic Marine and show you are a standup guy. Just do what you are told and learn as much as you can. Don't be a complainer, thats hard to do sometimes. Be a rock solid PFC and you'll get swooped up by the good guys.

Be aware not everyone in the Corps is a poster Marine. There are scumbags, nonhackers, druggies, complainers, lightduty commandos. Stay the hell away from those turds. Figure out who the guys are that have their ???? wired and keep company with them. Don't get yourself labled a ????bird because you hang with the wrong guys. I can't stress this enough.

In a year or so if you are still motivated to go farther you can try out for Recon, or apply to Snipers or many other more specialized schools.

Let me tell you this, the Inspector General of the Marine Corps started as a Grenadier, he worked his way to Sgt and got an Officer program. He became a back seater in Phantoms, then went to flight school and flew Phantoms. He is now a General and could be Commandant. How'd he do it? He did his job to the best of his ability, he was a go-to guy, and he strived for more.

Remember, one step, one shot, one day, one pushup at a time.

When you are Commandant, you owe me a beer, shower shoe.

Eric
MCRD San Diego platoon 2061 1984

 

[Jarhed]

One more thing, if you don't go on Sgt Grit you should post this to that web site. You'll get some good reading.

www.grunt.com

 

[Balog]

First off, thanks for the support guys. It means a lot.

Second, I suppose I should mention I'd much rather goto A-stan. I'll have to check out the references listed above to find out which Division has men there, and then shoot for that.

Jarhed: you mention applying for Recon or the sniper program. I must admit that is the ultimate goal. Any ideas about what I could do to improve my chances to get accepted to an elite school (other than PTing like a crazy man )?

 

[mons meg]

As for getting tapped for sniper school, if memory serves...a guy in our training series shot like a 246 out of 250 on the KD course during phase 2. He got tapped for sniper school. This was also back in '87, But I'll betcha it can't hurt to shoot well above the Expert cutoff. 246 is an insane score, if you ask most people....think bell curve.