USMC enlisted, please check in

[stroguy]

Good day Jarheads,

Have my last son hinting at becoming a Marine. I couldn't be happier unless he followed my path.

Want to hear what your career MOS was and how you went that route. (Was it guaranteed you at MEPS and at MCRD)
Where you went to school following MCRD?
How long was your MOS school?
Did those MOS skills follow you after you separated?
How long were you enlisted?
Would you do it again?

Thanks for the help Marines.

[imported_scottydi]

I was offered the opportunity to choose my job field (electronics) based upon my ASVAB score before enlisting. I chose this path after looking at the MOS list that the recruiter shared with me based on the number of college credits it would provide. I was not able to choose my actual MOS only job field, MOS would be based on the orders available at the end of my Basic Electronics Class. After completing Basic training at Paris Island, I went to Marine Combat Training in Jacksonville, NC for a month. Then I went to Naval Basic Electronics program, at the time it was based in Millington, TN. It has since moved to Pensacola, FL. I spent 5 months in this school, and class ranking determined my ability to choose my orders for C school. I finished first in my class in Basic Electronics Program, which allowed me to get the original MOS that I wanted which was a Deceptive Electronic Counter Measures (6483). My C school (MOS Specialty School) was at MCAS Cherry Point, in Havelock, NC. This was another 3 month school. All together I spent 8 months in training after Basic and Marine Combat Training. I chose to get out of the Marine Corps after my first six year enlistment, because my knees were not going to allow me to do 20 years. There was no need for electronic counter measures in the civilian world, but the electronics training did allow me to go to work on industrial power supply systems, more importantly the discipline and leadership that were instilled in me allowed me to quickly move up in the company that I went to work for. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

If your son would like to talk to someone that has been through the experience, albeit 20 years ago, I would be glad to share anything that I can.

Scottydi

[stroguy]

Most excellent Scott. Thanks very much.

[pilotguy299]

...

was no need for electronic counter measures in the civilian world, but the electronics training did allow me to go to work on industrial power supply systems, more importantly the discipline and leadership that were instilled in me allowed me to quickly move up in the company that I went to work for. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

If your son would like to talk to someone that has been through the experience, albeit 20 years ago, I would be glad to share anything that I can.

Scottydi

several of the federal law enforcement agencies have TSCM programs.

[F6B1911]

Did you try to talk him into going for his 4-year degree first, then a commission?

[53driver]

ROTC Scholarships used to be "fairly easy" to pick up - good grades, good ACT/SAT, some high school leadership.
Not sure about nowadays....

[shortleg0521]

Good day Jarheads,

Have my last son hinting at becoming a Marine. I couldn't be happier unless he followed my path.

Want to hear what your career MOS was and how you went that route. (Was it guaranteed you at MEPS and at MCRD)
Where you went to school following MCRD?
How long was your MOS school?
Did those MOS skills follow you after you separated?
How long were you enlisted?
Would you do it again?

Thanks for the help Marines.

This story starts in April of 1940 when my Grandparents got a divorce.
Now we all know that at this time this kind of thing was kept hush hush
and was just not right.
My father was crushed, he dropped out of school and joined the Navy.
He went to the great lakes and after about a year he had become a corpsman
and was sent to the wonderful city of San Diego. California.
Here was a guy at the beach in the sun having a damn good time.
Then the bombing of Pearl harbor happened.
Well one day while he and a few friends were playing cards in walks what
was described to me as a squared jawed guy in a strange green wool uniform
an announces you, you and you come with me you are now in the Marines!.
Well that started a 26 year journey through the South pacific with stops at
Guadalcanal,Peleliu and Okinawa.
Then after meeting my Dad only knowing him for three years he was gone again.
The year was 1950 and the Korean war was provide him a chance again to serve
with the 1st Marines and have the Chinese chase them down from the Chosen Reservoir
where I was told about making sure they did not leave any of their brothers behind.
Having to drag them behind in the snow like so many sleds in the snow.
Stories of keeping finger tips warm by leaving them in a wound a few seconds longer.
I lost he again in 1966 when he went to Viet Nam and missed my graduation from High
school, now this little thing was something he never got a chance to do.
In the year 1988 I sat by my Dad's bedside for about two weeks while he finally
had a chance to dump his guts and tell me everything a man of his past had been through.
It finally told me why my father for years would wake in the middle of the night
yelling I am Coming. I am Coming!.
Now years later I have my memories of him and two wooden foot lockers with his name on them.
Even though they must be very strong ,because I know where they have been, I will never
know how they could hold all the memories they must have held for him.Attachment 24573

[willtill]

This story starts in April of 1940 when my Grandparents got a divorce.
Now we all know that at this time this kind of thing was kept hush hush
and was just not right.
My father was crushed, he dropped out of school and joined the Navy.
He went to the great lakes and after about a year he had become a corpsman
and was sent to the wonderful city of San Diego. California.
Here was a guy at the beach in the sun having a damn good time.
Then the bombing of Pearl harbor happened.
Well one day while he and a few friends were playing cards in walks what
was described to me as a squared jawed guy in a strange green wool uniform
an announces you, you and you come with me you are now in the Marines!.
Well that started a 26 year journey through the South pacific with stops at
Guadalcanal,Peleliu and Okinawa.
Then after meeting my Dad only knowing him for three years he was gone again.
The year was 1950 and the Korean war was provide him a chance again to serve
with the 1st Marines and have the Chinese chase them down from the Chosen Reservoir
where I was told about making sure they did not leave any of their brothers behind.
Having to drag them behind in the snow like so many sleds in the snow.
Stories of keeping finger tips warm by leaving them in a wound a few seconds longer.
I lost he again in 1966 when he went to Viet Nam and missed my graduation from High
school, now this little thing was something he never got a chance to do.
In the year 1988 I sat by my Dad's bedside for about two weeks while he finally
had a chance to dump his guts and tell me everything a man of his past had been through.
It finally told me why my father for years would wake in the middle of the night
yelling I am Coming. I am Coming!.
Now years later I have my memories of him and two wooden foot lockers with his name on them.
Even though they must be very strong ,because I know where they have been, I will never
know how they could hold all the memories they must have held for him.Attachment 24573

THAT was the most profound reading a son's memory of his father. I salute him and I thank you for posting that.

[53driver]

Thanks Shortleg....
There seems to be a lot of smoke in the air here today...my eyes are watering...
Cheers.

[InvictusF6B]

As many of the members have already commented, his placement is largely determined by how well his scores indicate an aptitude in areas such as mechanical, clerical learning, reading comprehension, mathematics etc. His recruiter will have him take a Practice version of the ASVAB in order to determine his strong suites. I am currently an active duty Marine Staff Sargent who is deployed. There are numerous intangible benefits to serving in the USMC, I know that I would not trade any of them. But The important thing to remember is his 'experience may vary' from the next Marine largely dependent upon his ambition, The effectiveness of the leaders appointed over him and his ability to adapt to an ever-changing landscape with in our Corps. By trade I am a communicator but I assure you the "every Marine is a rifleman" Montra still rings true. I have worked in Explosive ordinance disposal, been a Machine gunner, a technician and a number of other billets. My particular MOS was 2847 which meant I would fix a myriad of communication systems to include Telephony, computers, switchboards, fiber optics etc. My school had me in 29 palms CA for approx. 9 months. Note most Marines in this Op field enlist for 5 year contracts due to the unusually long MOS school. I haven't yet exited the USMC but I can say that many of the skills you learn in MOS school are very generalized in an attempt to prevent the students specialty from being too narrow. The graduates of these courses will go to units with vastly different missions that require different skillsets. MOS school is simply a platform from which career long refinement begins. I really cant speak for other MOS's as far as transferability of skills to the civilian markets but most communicators don't have trouble finding work. 'Caveat' the USMC will train him to do his specific job well but understand that his civilian counterparts will receive a much more in-depth education on subjects that the USMC will simply teach 'good enough' as time and money will always be in short supply. He will need to fortify his education with more in-depth education to be competitive in the post military world if he wishes to do a similar job as many technical jobs are being outsourced to civilian contractors. I've been in for 13 or so years and I can say that I for the most part have enjoyed my time here. This organizations strongest asset isn't its heritage or armament it is undoubtedly its people. The men and women I have served with are some of the best people that I think our nation has to offer. The experiences that we have been through will be with me always. Would I do It again? is a hard question to answer... I cant help but hear it in the voice of my daughter. I honestly couldn't recommend it to my own daughter. The sacrifice that service members make on behalf of their nation goes deeper than anyone can capture on a bumper sticker or foresee from the onset. The brutality of war, the loss of the beloved, the continuous separation from family and loved ones, irreconcilable internal conflicts, stress, dare I say hypocrisy? etc. All service members face these challenges but the USMC revels in its ability to remain resilient against these pressures or 'Do more with less'. You'll here the echo of old war posters 'no one promised a rose garden' or 'suck it up' and my personal favorite 'U Signed the Mother Fxxxing Contract' (USMC) lol. In some ways leaders can use this as an excuse to not try as hard. In short He might enjoy it but he will undoubtedly have a more challenging time in the USMC than one of her sister services. The badge of "Americas greatest fighting force" is earned day in and day out through painful lessons learned on the backs of these great men and women. I am proud of my service but, I did it as an assurance that my daughters would not HAVE to. To each his own, thank you.