Need advice on joining the Marines

[Mr Pink]

Hi all, I used to be a regular posting everyday but didn't have internet access in my apartment for a while so I stopped coming to the board. Anyways i'm about to make an important life decision and since I know a lot of members here have been in the service I thought this would be a great place for advice. Im in college right now, 22 years old and basically college isnt my thing right now and I cant afford to keep paying tuition for only minimal return. I want to enlist in the marines for the four years active duty, and then after that decide if I want to contenue college or make a career out of service. Im going to talk to a recruiter next week but if anyone has some helpful advice or comments or information, all would be appreciated. I dont want to just go in blindly, I want all the information I can get. Also Id like to hear experiences good and bad if anywants to share. And if anyone has been in or knows about Force Recon id like to hear about that too, that really interests me. Sorry this is so long but thanks for all the help any of you can give.


Mr Pink

 

[moneyman]

dude what ever u do make sure you really look at the pros and cons. Im happy i did join

 

[stryker]

Hey bro not to dis the other services but Air Force is the way to go. Being a Loadmaster on the C17 has been the greates experiece ever, we arent right on the front line shooting but we do fly into iraq and afghan daily and get shot at. You will definately get treated better as an air force member. Pm me if you have any question bro, my 4 years in has been some of the greatest moments of my life. Also while army and marine grunts are getting paid $3.50 extra in the desert, us flyers are getting up to 100$ extra a day and getting are hotel paid for on top of that. If any one else has any question i will answer to the best of my knowledge

 

[MACHI]

IMO - USAF would be the best branch to join. However, have you considered the ROTC for any branch? Avoid enlisting if you can. The benifits of being an officer are far better. You said your 22 - How many more years of college you have left? The best thing to do would be to join an ROTC or just finish college (I know you said it wasn't your thing but you gotta sacrifice) and afterwards enroll in OTS/OCS Officer Training/Candidate School.

 

[AirBorne]

I would agree about becoming an officer. Alot more responsibility but the benefits and experience will be second to none.

Yes, USAF is great, but any branch is good. Just want to say a couple things....



DO NOT join if you are not willing to work harder than you ever have in your life
DO NOT join if you are not willing to get deployed and be in combat
DO NOT join if you are not willing to give your life if necessary
DO NOT join because Force Recon sounds cool...that it the wrong reason and you will most likely not make it into that field if you arent prepared or if you are simply looking for that badass title that you can tell people...force recon marine!

Prepare yourself...CARDIO CARDIO CARDIO!!!!!!!!! If you want that recon spot, you need to be in the absolute best shape possible. RUN RUN RUN your fuckin ass off every day.

If you can, go talk to ROTC at your school and see if any options will open up for you. Im tellin you if you get into that program and finish, you will have made the best decision of your life.

Just please bro, dont join for the wrong reasons. I am sick and fuckin tired of hearing about family members of fallen service men/women blaming president Bush because their son/daughter died in combat. They say how their son/daughter joined so they could get money for college, etc etc. Well, that is fine and dandy, just dont lose sight of the PURPOSE of the military. Like I said before, dont join if you dont want to fight and be in harms way. Because in all honesty, if you join the marine corps now, you will without a doubt see combat within a few months after. Good buddy of mine joined the army, and 72 hours after he graduated basic training, he got shipped over to Iraq. So just be ready for that because it will probably happen.

Well thats all I got bro. Just make sure you have your priorities straight and make decisions for the RIGHT reasons, not for money, a title, etc. If you have any questions on ROTC or anything Air Force related, PM me or stryker and we will fill you in on whatever you want to know. Take care bro and good luck!

AirBorne

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."

-John Stuart Mill (1806 - 1873)

Hi all, I used to be a regular posting everyday but didn't have internet access in my apartment for a while so I stopped coming to the board. Anyways i'm about to make an important life decision and since I know a lot of members here have been in the service I thought this would be a great place for advice. Im in college right now, 22 years old and basically college isnt my thing right now and I cant afford to keep paying tuition for only minimal return. I want to enlist in the marines for the four years active duty, and then after that decide if I want to contenue college or make a career out of service. Im going to talk to a recruiter next week but if anyone has some helpful advice or comments or information, all would be appreciated. I dont want to just go in blindly, I want all the information I can get. Also Id like to hear experiences good and bad if anywants to share. And if anyone has been in or knows about Force Recon id like to hear about that too, that really interests me. Sorry this is so long but thanks for all the help any of you can give.


Mr Pink

 

[SikFuk!]

Not sure if you want to be a Marine with a name like Mr. Pink...

...I also don't think you should decide about which branch to go into if you are worried about how much $$$ your going to get paid and whether or not your hotel rooms are paid for...And personally, I don't think it is something you should choose b/c you have nothing better to do...

But then again, I don't think the armed forces are for me, but thats just me...

Airborne has some good advice...be prepared to put down your life

good luck with your desicion.

 

[stryker]

Not sure if you want to be a Marine with a name like Mr. Pink...

...I also don't think you should decide about which branch to go into if you are worried about how much $$$ your going to get paid and whether or not your hotel rooms are paid for...And personally, I don't think it is something you should choose b/c you have nothing better to do...

But then again, I don't think the armed forces are for me, but thats just me...

Airborne has some good advice...be prepared to put down your life

good luck with your desicion.

Hey SikFuk this is exactly something someone would say that has nothing to do with the military, I was just giving him pointers and some of the benefits of what i do, and being a flyer and having over 400 combat sorties in afghan and iraq and every flight having at least 5 army-marines-navy coming up to me and say man i wish i had your job!!!! i am just speaking from personal experience though. no flame just trying to help a bro out in one of the most important decisions in his life.

later

 

[SikFuk!]

Hey SikFuk this is exactly something someone would say that has nothing to do with the military, I was just giving him pointers and some of the benefits of what i do, and being a flyer and having over 400 combat sorties in afghan and iraq and every flight having at least 5 army-marines-navy coming up to me and say man i wish i had your job!!!! i am just speaking from personal experience though. no flame just trying to help a bro out in one of the most important decisions in his life.

later

wasn't saying anything directed towards you bro - just giving my two cents - no worries

 

[stryker]

wasn't saying anything directed towards you bro - just giving my two cents - no worries

same here just trying to help out a fellow BB with a major turning point in life, like some other bro's mentioned if you can become an officer that is def. the way to go...


Hey Airborne how's it going

 

[Gentlestrength]

In my youth I was going to join the rangers, but as I accepted my sexuality, the homophobic rules of the military meant it was no longer an ethical or emotional option for me

 

[ramboj70]

I would agree about becoming an officer. Alot more responsibility but the benefits and experience will be second to none.

Yes, USAF is great, but any branch is good. Just want to say a couple things....



DO NOT join if you are not willing to work harder than you ever have in your life
DO NOT join if you are not willing to get deployed and be in combat
DO NOT join if you are not willing to give your life if necessary
DO NOT join because Force Recon sounds cool...that it the wrong reason and you will most likely not make it into that field if you arent prepared or if you are simply looking for that badass title that you can tell people...force recon marine!

Prepare yourself...CARDIO CARDIO CARDIO!!!!!!!!! If you want that recon spot, you need to be in the absolute best shape possible. RUN RUN RUN your fuckin ass off every day.

If you can, go talk to ROTC at your school and see if any options will open up for you. Im tellin you if you get into that program and finish, you will have made the best decision of your life.

Just please bro, dont join for the wrong reasons. I am sick and fuckin tired of hearing about family members of fallen service men/women blaming president Bush because their son/daughter died in combat. They say how their son/daughter joined so they could get money for college, etc etc. Well, that is fine and dandy, just dont lose sight of the PURPOSE of the military. Like I said before, dont join if you dont want to fight and be in harms way. Because in all honesty, if you join the marine corps now, you will without a doubt see combat within a few months after. Good buddy of mine joined the army, and 72 hours after he graduated basic training, he got shipped over to Iraq. So just be ready for that because it will probably happen.

Well thats all I got bro. Just make sure you have your priorities straight and make decisions for the RIGHT reasons, not for money, a title, etc. If you have any questions on ROTC or anything Air Force related, PM me or stryker and we will fill you in on whatever you want to know. Take care bro and good luck!

AirBorne

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."

-John Stuart Mill (1806 - 1873)

great advice, bro if you want to become a recon Marine your not inless you become a Marine first, I was in the Corps 10 years, first 5 (0311) grunt, then last 5 wear security forces, during my first 5 years I went force recon, let me tell you its hard as fuck, you must be in the best shape of your life, not just for your safety and life but for your fellow Marines as well, If your married good luck you are away from home way to much to be married, if your not married great, but dont get married, If the Marine Corps wanted you to be married they would have issued you a wife in boot camp. Now the best thing to do is to not sleep for a 96 hrs and then go run 10 miles at a quick pace with a cup of water and a cracker, then go swim for 3 hrs, then sit in the hot ass sun all day, do that for 3 months streaght, and you will kind of get a idea on what some of the shit we special forces go through, or even any infintry unit,but keep in mind you are being shot at and watching people and even your friends around you die, as far as the Airforce if you want the best do it, Marines and Army have verry little, we get the leftovers.

Think about what you want out of the Military, Officer is a great way to go, but my opion leave it to those who want the stress and the easy way out. you will start yor new carrer out at the bottom of the ladder. Now one of the good things you have going in now is your age, you can deal with most of the stress around, just keep your head up and start training now, for the recuriter make sure you get everything in writing, once you sign the contract thats it, if you want recon go to the infintry route first, but have in your contract upon compleation of infintry training you will be sent to recon indoc training. if you have family make sure you tell them what you are doing, the last thing our country needs more of is family members crying and blaming the government for there sons death, but they had no idea what his job function was, good luck and if you want more information PM bro, the great thing about being a Marine is once a Marine always a Marine,

 

[SikFuk!]

Rambo - "If the Marine Corps wanted you to be married they would have issued you a wife in boot camp."

Someone should have that in their signature....good stuff

 

[ramboj70]

Rambo - "If the Marine Corps wanted you to be married they would have issued you a wife in boot camp."

Someone should have that in their signature....good stuff

yep and I went out and got married 1 year before I was going to get out,and I went out and got married and got out of the marine corps for me and my family, so you see marine corps and marriage is very unique or even any military, your wife has to be a strong lady to deal with you being gone for 10 months out of the year and for her not knowing if your dead or alive,

 

[Massive690]

In my youth I was going to join the rangers, but as I accepted my sexuality, the homophobic rules of the military meant it was no longer an ethical or emotional option for me

plus the fact that you're a fatass

 

[ramboj70]

plus the fact that you're a fatass

Massive690 what are we going to do with you bro, you crak me up!

 

[Mr Pink]

A lot of great information here guys, I really appreciate it. The officer route would be nice but I dont believe its an option for me. I only have 34 credit hours, and Ive been in college for 2 years. its not that im not a bright person, I got a 1240 on my SATs, its just that school cant keep my interest. And staying in school to become an officer isnt an option because I really cant afford it anymore. Im not planning on getting married anytime soon so theres a plus. A big reason I want to join the service is because my whole life ive served my self and in the end ive gotton little satisfaction out of it. I want to do something significant in life and make my mark. I love my family, my friends, my country and above all God. After considering all those things, the first 3 help me realize that I want to make the sacrifices mentioned earlier in this thread, the last will give me the strength to actually make those sacrifices. I dont want to do Force Recon because "it sounds cool." I would do it because I want to push myself further than I ever possibly imagined I could, but if that doesnt work out, being a marine is such an accomplishment itself and I could easily be happy with that. Money and benifits are nice but they are not what drive me in life. If they did, than the armed forces is not the way to go period. So while the air force maybe great for some, I don't think its really what im looking for.
Could someone whos been through this please tell me the process of what happens after I walk through the door at the recruiter's office? Im going to go sometime this week, and I want to know everything to expect and how to prevent myself from getting screwed into doing something I dont want to do. thanks again for all the help guys.


Mr Pink

 

[ramboj70]

A lot of great information here guys, I really appreciate it. The officer route would be nice but I dont believe its an option for me. I only have 34 credit hours, and Ive been in college for 2 years. its not that im not a bright person, I got a 1240 on my SATs, its just that school cant keep my interest. And staying in school to become an officer isnt an option because I really cant afford it anymore. Im not planning on getting married anytime soon so theres a plus. A big reason I want to join the service is because my whole life ive served my self and in the end ive gotton little satisfaction out of it. I want to do something significant in life and make my mark. I love my family, my friends, my country and above all God. After considering all those things, the first 3 help me realize that I want to make the sacrifices mentioned earlier in this thread, the last will give me the strength to actually make those sacrifices. I dont want to do Force Recon because "it sounds cool." I would do it because I want to push myself further than I ever possibly imagined I could, but if that doesnt work out, being a marine is such an accomplishment itself and I could easily be happy with that. Money and benifits are nice but they are not what drive me in life. If they did, than the armed forces is not the way to go period. So while the air force maybe great for some, I don't think its really what im looking for.
Could someone whos been through this please tell me the process of what happens after I walk through the door at the recruiter's office? Im going to go sometime this week, and I want to know everything to expect and how to prevent myself from getting screwed into doing something I dont want to do. thanks again for all the help guys.


Mr Pink

ok when you first walk through that door he calls you a big piece of shit! LOL kidding that comes latter, he will sit you down and ask you questions, then he will give you a small test to see if you are not stupid, then he will see if you want to proceed, if yes then he will set up a date for you to go into the meps center, thats where you take a ASVAB (armed service vocational apitude battary test) 3.5 hrs long, be advise that test will deceide what job you get, then a physical, so dont smoke any pot, and if he asked if you ever smoked pot, say no, you will get a better security clearence if needed and there is no way of them finding out if you ever smoked SO SAY NO! I NEVER IN MY LIFE SMOKED POT! then you go over your contract then you swear in and your off to boot camp, that is where you are a big piece of shit, 13 weeks long training, and let me tell you it sucks big time but you get used to it quick anad time goes so fast.

Now force recon traing is lots harder then boot camp, so get ready for it now, push yourself like never before until you cant walk then go father, it hurts but suck it up or you will die, any special forces in any military is a great honor, and you should be proud of what you do and who you do it for, These are the men that help make the Military today what it is, and thats the best! By the way you made a good choice of thinking about the Marines, not many can handle it that is why we are the Few The Proud The Marines, no flaming any other branch, Have many good friends that I had the pleasure of working with in the Rangers and Seals, great bunch of guys and I woul dgive my live for any one of my fellow brothers, Semper Fi to all

 

[Massive690]

Hey man, I'll try to break down the enlistment process for you. I know exactly what you're going through, I did the same thing last spring. Dropped out of college, started going through the enlistment process, (which took forever because i had to try to get a shitload of medical waivers). I was planning on going 82nd Airborne Infantry, but in the end i ended up not getting in because i had a pretty bad knee surgery in highschool.

Anyways, the recruiting station is a good place to get information and start getting your paperwork filled out and shit, but most of the stuff is done at MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station). it is your recruiters job to get you into the Marines, its is MEPS job to fail you. Period. that is where you will have to go a few times to take your physical and get your contract. let your recruiter know Exactly what you want to do and get it in your contract. if its not in your contract- your not getting it.

Talk to your recruiter about the different jobs (MOS) and which one you want (Everyone i talked to said infantry is the way to go). and also if station of choice is available. After you fill out some forms and stuff, your recruiter will set up a time for you to go to MEPS and take your ASVAB test to see if you are smart enough to be in the service . then you will go back again to get your physical done. For me i had to stay in a hotel the night before (they pay for it) then a bus comes at like 4:30 am and brings you to the MEPS station. the physical takes a while to get through but its a lot of waiting around. The do a hearing test, vision test, piss test, take some blood, you know, normal shit. then you have to go into a room and they make you walk around and jump up and down and shit to make sure your not flat-footed and your joints are OK. then you go into another room by yourself and the doc checks out your balls and your asshole- he doesn't touch it, just looks at it for some reason
then assuming your ok, you will go back to MEPS and sign your contract and get sworn in and they will give you a date for basic. probably around September or October. hope this helps man, feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.

 

[ramboj70]

Hey man, I'll try to break down the enlistment process for you. I know exactly what you're going through, I did the same thing last spring. Dropped out of college, started going through the enlistment process, (which took forever because i had to try to get a shitload of medical waivers). I was planning on going 82nd Airborne Infantry, but in the end i ended up not getting in because i had a pretty bad knee surgery in highschool.

Anyways, the recruiting station is a good place to get information and start getting your paperwork filled out and shit, but most of the stuff is done at MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station). it is your recruiters job to get you into the Marines, its is MEPS job to fail you. Period. that is where you will have to go a few times to take your physical and get your contract. let your recruiter know Exactly what you want to do and get it in your contract. if its not in your contract- your not getting it.

Talk to your recruiter about the different jobs (MOS) and which one you want (Everyone i talked to said infantry is the way to go). and also if station of choice is available. After you fill out some forms and stuff, your recruiter will set up a time for you to go to MEPS and take your ASVAB test to see if you are smart enough to be in the service . then you will go back again to get your physical done. For me i had to stay in a hotel the night before (they pay for it) then a bus comes at like 4:30 am and brings you to the MEPS station. the physical takes a while to get through but its a lot of waiting around. The do a hearing test, vision test, piss test, take some blood, you know, normal shit. then you have to go into a room and they make you walk around and jump up and down and shit to make sure your not flat-footed and your joints are OK. then you go into another room by yourself and the doc checks out your balls and your asshole- he doesn't touch it, just looks at it for some reason
then assuming your ok, you will go back to MEPS and sign your contract and get sworn in and they will give you a date for basic. probably around September or October. hope this helps man, feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.

GET EVERYTHING IN YOUR CONTRACT OR YOU WONT GET IT, That is the biggest mistake many make when they first join, I wanted to go Tanks, then Recon but did not get it into contract then they gave me GRUNT anad 6 months after that I went Force recon, REMEMBER YOU NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER SMOKED POT OR DID ANY OTHER DRUGS, INCLUDING STEROIDS! you will thank me for that advice latter

 

[ramboj70]

GET EVERYTHING IN YOUR CONTRACT OR YOU WONT GET IT, That is the biggest mistake many make when they first join, I wanted to go Tanks, then Recon but did not get it into contract then they gave me GRUNT anad 6 months after that I went Force recon, REMEMBER YOU NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER SMOKED POT OR DID ANY OTHER DRUGS, INCLUDING STEROIDS! you will thank me for that advice latter

shit sorry one more thing, they will feed you a line of bull shit saying they will find out if you ever did anything ilegal, just always stic to your story, I NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER DID DRUGS, they are like fucking cops interigating you,