Farnham said:The "killer to clerk/cook/cabdriver" ratio is the least in the Marine Corps, but still fairly high. You're a smart kid, right? Smart kids don't sign up 0311 (this smart kid signed up 0811, Gun Rock, even better ) and then got convinced 0231 was the MOS I (meaning the Corps) most needed. 0231, Intelligence Specialist.
pyrotechnic said:William P.,
You mention that the Force Recon guys aren't too happy these days. Could you explain that, maybe PM me so as not to hijack the thread? My contract is for infantry and I am hoping to be able to qualify for Recon and hopefully get into Force Recon down the road.
Regards,
Maarten
KC&97TA said:I got a buddy over there right now with 1st Force, his Emails sound they're haveing a good time, a really good time. can't tell you much more...
The reason I want to be a sniper or some sort of special forces sniper, is because they are the bes. Not always the best at alot but they are always the best shots, shooting is the most basic soldiering skill. To me that is the most important and most apealing thind, shooting, being able to kill some one from 1000 yards away with them having no ides when they are going to die.KriegHund said:Ive heard time and time again that to be a sniper is the hardest way to kill. You see every detail of the person before you kill them. Not some distant shape, or a fatigue, or a bag of gear with a gun...a real human.
And it takes LOTS of patience, and endurance. In other words, your spirit must be as strong as the granite walls of the rocky's.
Im not bellitling you- im the same age as you, and i also want to be a sniper. The sheer dedication recquired is the thing that attracts me most. But i have to wear glasses- with something like that, no way in heck i can be a sniper, no matter what else i can do.
Though im not sure if i want the army or marines. That has yet to evolve. The army has plenty of more rigid subdivisions that just standard infantry (Not to say that the infantry doesnt deserve the greatest of respect)
In the words of Gunnery Sgt. Jack Coughlin "My idea of a fair fight is clubing baby seals"bogie said:As an officer, if you show promise and leadership skills, you can go to the same schools - in fact, you're expected to. But you're expected to direct the shooters, while hopefully staying alive to direct them successfully. This tends to preclude the concept of crawling out in front of one's lines.
Dead and wounded officers (and soldiers...) instantly turn from combat assets into liabilities. Don't be a liability, and don't let your soldiers become liabilities either.
I think one problem we saw in Vietnam, and that we're starting to see in Iraq, is that too much of our "leadership" in Washington thinks that we're "fighting," and they're trying to make it work according to some sort of rules. Boxers fight. Soldiers kill.
Real world rule #1) There are no rules.
If a join I am not joining to help me later in life, I'm joining to serve my country. I want to fight and I want to be the best, when I come back I will always have my perents house while I get on my feet and will have a job an time I need it at the gun club I am active in.Barbara said:Well, I'll tell you from the other side of this that there is no way in hell I would sign for a 17 year old to enlist.
My nearly 19 year old is in boot camp now, intending to be a Navy Corpsman, and graduating in a couple of weeks. Even with a couple years on you, I'm not sure he fully understands what he's looking at as far as the toll this will take on him, but all I could do is point it out to him and trust him to make his own decisions. And pray.
The only good thing about him joining is that he has a goal of some sort in mind for when he gets out. He intends to be a physical therapist and while being a Corpsman itself doesn't exactly qualify you for much when you get out, it's at least headed in the right direction. As a former HR person, I can tell you that "ability to kill people from long distances" doesn't really translate well into a civilian job. Spending 4 years beating the hell out of your body and soul, and not being able to support yourself is going to suck.
themontashu said:The reason I want to be a sniper or some sort of special forces sniper, is because they are the bes. Not always the best at alot but they are always the best shots, shooting is the most basic soldiering skill. To me that is the most important and most apealing thind, shooting, being able to kill some one from 1000 yards away with them having no ides when they are going to die.
Lupinus said:given what I have seen (and a few snipers I have talked to) shooting is the easy part. It is the stalking and such that is the hard part,
Well, I'll tell you from the other side of this that there is no way in hell I would sign for a 17 year old to enlist.
KriegHund said:Indeed. Its not easy laying in wet grass in 40 degree temperatures for 16 hours!
I recall there was a sniper- one of the best- in vietnam who killed an enemy vietnamese general. He was dropped off several miles away, and when he appraoched the enemy camp, it lay in a field of grass. For several days he crawled inch by inch,. moving no more than the grass did in the wind. His stomach began to be bitten over and over again by ants.
Finally he accomplished his mission and did it all over again in reverse. When they picked him up he was severly dehydrated and his stomach was bleeding raw with ant bites.
The shot may be easy....but getting there is not.
I shoot NRA high power, NRA service rifle and international small bore (If i go to college I am going to be shooting on a team for smallbore)Powderman said:True, snipers are good shots--but remember this well: As a sniper/precision rifleman, you will be trained to aim for the center of mass of the exposed target. With a good rifle, known ballistics and good, clear optics, it is NOT as hard as you may think.
If you want what I would believe the BEST training is to start shooting precision rifle, then take up the shooting sports--namely, NRA Highpower competition.
Like I said, the marksmanship level required of a sniper is nothing--let me repeat, NOTHING--compared to the expertise of a Master-class Highpower shooter. It is most assuredly NOT easy.
An example:
I am one of the precision rifle officers for my department (read, sniper.) I practice at ranges out to 300 yards constantly, and further when I get the chance.
My rifle is a M1A NM, recently refurbished by the factory with a Kahles 3-12x56 scope mounted. My duty ammo is Federal GM Match, with 168 gr. MatchKing bullets, factory loaded. Shooting 6" targets out to 300 yards is almost a no brainer with this rifle.
By contrast, the highpower shooter has to be able to shoot at distances to 600 yards--and out to 1000 (!) for the Long Range championship. And--they have to do it with IRON sights, not scopes.
To get you started in the right direction, take up Service Rifle competition if you can. Use the AR15 platform--full length of course. This will prepare you for basic rifle marksmanship in the Corps--which to me is the best initial rifle training given by ANY military service.
themontashu said:I shoot NRA high power, NRA service rifle and international small bore (If i go to college I am going to be shooting on a team for smallbore)
themontashu said:I am 16 almost 17 and have been wanting to join the Marine Corps and becoming a scout sniper sence I can remember. I have been talking to recruters for some time now. Today one of the recruters called my cell phone while I was in the bathroom and my mom picked up, she is quite upset about me being this serious (she has known that I have wanted to join the military for a long time). My mom is very much supportive of our troops but does not want me to join and will not have it, what can I do to convince her?
That's what I'm thinking as well. If you really want to make a career out of the miliary, it pays to get as much education and training as you can get ahead of time.TarpleyG said:My opinion--go to college, even if you don't want to. Then, if you still feel this need to serve, go in as an officer (or, you can still be enlisted if that floats your boat but the pay is less).
themontashu said:In the words of Gunnery Sgt. Jack Coughlin "My idea of a fair fight is clubing baby seals"