How was your Marine Corps experience?
Enlisted for 3 years active. Stayed in for 6years active. Why? It was the best...even the bad times...the best. And now for the story: Did those 6 years help me? Well.....they really helped my son...years later. In 1972 he was 17 and just barely graduated from HS. No job. No training. Lazy. Forget about continuing some kind of school. My advise to him.....you guessed it...join the Corps. Told him either you'll love it or hate it. but either way, you'll get something out of it. The wife took a fit when he enlisted at 18. She didn't talk to me for 3 months. Kid came home from boot camp and Infantry training with a PFC stripe. For the Marines, that's a big deal. Anyway, he had to report to Camp Pendleton, California (grunts). I told him he'll love it. Stayed there 7 months, did a tour in the far east, and came back a corporal. that's also a big deal in the Marines. He had 2 years to go and said that he probably will not reenlist when his enlistment was over. About 8 months into his return tour in California he gave me a call and explained that he has a chance to take the Warrant Officer test. I told him that in the Marines, warrant officer are usually in 'supply' or in 'aviation'. also told him that 'just so you know', "Marine helicopter pilots are the harley davidson's of the sky. took the test. Passed. Became a warrant officer. Became a helicopter pilot, and loved the Corps all over again. That's when I gave him the real advise: "kid, you stay in the Corps for 15 more years...you love it so it's no problem. You stay single. After 20 years and retire, you'll be 38-39 years old. Now you find yourself a 23-24 year old wife. She'll keep you young and on your toes. And you'll still be young enough and wise enough to be a good husband and father. In 1994, my son retired from the Marines, got married, raised 2 sons, both of whom finished college and are now Marine Corps Officers. And I don't take the credit for any of it. I give the credit to Our Marine Corps and how it turned me and my son into men. I hope I've answered your question. Good Luck.
What was your Marine corps experience like?
Any veterans or active duty Marines want to tell me how their experience was in the corps. Do the barracks resemble a college dorm? I want to know the memories you'll never forget bad or good. What was being away from home like? Do you regret not going to college for the college experience or was the Marine corps experience that good? My mos field is 1300 and I leave for bootcamp December 3 and I want to where my duty station will most likely be and where is my MOS school. I did want to go to college for the college experience and party it up but I will benefit from the Marines more and I've always wanted to be a Marine. I'm not worried about partying but do Marines party at all just so I have some assurance. I joined to better my future and I know it's not a walk in the park. I ask of partying because that would just be the sprinkles on the cake. I'm very interested in knowing what being an active duty Marine is like and to hear you're experiences.
What is your experience as a Marine Rifleman?
Stand around in a desert, wait to get shot at while kicking sand and whipping my hair back and forth, shooting the shit with my homies. Adrenaline rush for 5–10 minutes. Lost adrenaline rush and now back to being bored until there are more bullets to dodge. Some times mentioning the weirdest thing a body did after it was kill.Bitch to others that are not of rank about shit details, talk about how small this one dudes dick is and how he’s butch made, die of boredom.Imagine being in detention or in school suspension, then suddenly you’re at homecoming dance, but only for a few minutes and hen you’re back in detention and you become depressed.
What is the experience as a U.S. Marine officer like?
I initially enlisted to escape my hometown then used the GI Bill to earn my degree. I enjoyed my enlisted time but I LOVED being a Marine officer. You have to complete OCS which is essentially boot camp for officers. It's very physical with a lot of running. Your "drill instructors" are called the platoon sergeant and sergeant instructor. You address them by title, not as "sir." They get in your face just like DIs but after a few weeks you candidates basically run the platoon with them there to eat your lunch if you get it wrong.After that, you must complete TBS (The Basic School) which is just a few miles from OCS in Quantico, VA. That's six months of rigorous PT, academics, and tactics. The goal is to make you a basically qualified officer who could lead a rifle platoon as it's very infantry oriented. "Every Marine a rifleman" is still valid. Every officer has been through OCS and TBS from pilots to lawyers to admin officers. All understand what the guy on the ground does and needs. You select your MOS at TBS. You submit three choices and depending on your class standing and how many slots are available, you're assigned one of those MOS's. If you have a flight school contract, you'll go to Pensacola to learn to fly. No guarantee on make or model. You could fly F-18s, C-130s, Cobras, CH-46, or something else.Following TBS, you go to your MOS school. Flight school for pilots, IOC (infantry office's course) for grunts, aritllery officers' school, supply officers' school, etc.From there you'll report to your first duty station in the FMF (Fleet Marine Force.) Performance standards are incredibly high for officers and there's no room for slackers or lazy people. The workload is tremendous and you're always planning for the next op or deployment. Then it's in the field for days or weeks (or gone for months) then back to start more planning. I was gone 5 years of my 25 years which is very low. That said, I loved almost every day of it. If you have specific questions, just ask.
What was the Marine Corps Platoon Leaders Course experience like?
Very simple. It's called chain of command. When that platoon sergeant receive service orders from a higher echelon, company Commander, he hands it down to the platoon sergeant or staff sergeant. And then when he receives his orders, he hands it down to the squad leaders, and then the squad leaders handed down to the fire teams. From top to bottom that's how it works. You follow orders.
What is life like after service in the Marine Corps?
No one Marine's experience can explore the various challenges, joys, frustrations, and triumphs of life after the Corps. The best I can do is tease out a few things I've learned since getting out. Becoming a Marine means becoming a paradox. We are used to it, even if we don't think of it that way. Here are a few examples:We hate the Corps and love our fellow Marines. We hate our recruiter (who lied to us) and love the fact that we serve. We hate the constant stupidity and love complaining about it. We hate the unnecessary formations and love being around other Marines. As you leave, all you can see is the light at the end of the tunnel. You don't realize that you'll be getting off the train. Alone. Back to life after service...As soon as you get out, you start "re-telling" the story of your time in the Corps. Things you hated shrink and morph into lessons that you learned. The stories that used to be told with a grimace are now accompanied with a grin.The Corps was something tough you did. A badge you earned. Friends you made. A nation you protected. You were good enough then, and everyone knew it. You remember the camaraderie most of all. The constant sense of being in a tribe, with people on whom you can rely. They aren't perfect but when everyone shares an ethos, you feel it. We have that dark humor that makes us all the same. Trust me with your life, but not your money or your wife. Now comes the best answer anyone can give to this question: it depends. On what does it depend? For most of us, life after the Corps hangs on whether we find a new tribe. What is going to college?What is moving to a new city?What is looking for work?What is finding a spouse?They are all part of a wandering, lonely road. Marines search - yearn, even - for that lost feeling. You want to be a part of a motley crew that does something that matters. Folks that rely on each other. No matter what. If you quickly finding that tribe then your life after the Corps is pretty good. If you struggle, then you are probably not a happy camper. If you're reading this and fall into the second category, don't fret. I'm there, too. Look into some of the non-profits (e.g. Team Rubicon or Team RWB) or VSOs (I've actually heard good things about some VFW chapters.Or reach out to other Marines. I talk regularly to random guys I've never met who want to get plugged into the SF vet community. You always have friends out - the only crime is not reaching out.
Marine Corps Field Radio Operator (MOS 0621)?
It depends on what kind of unit your assigned to.If your assigned to a infantry unit you'll just be like a normal old grunt or you can be attached to a headquarters unit.People will have different experiences in this MOS, so no one can tell you what it is like because everyone will have a different experience.