Military people speak up....

[94Hardbody4x4]

I am thinking about signing up for the Marines shortly. I have talked to a few people about it that just got out and they say it is great but don't expect them to live up to the recruitment promises. I already expected that though.

What are your thoughts for those that have been in it? What can I expect and what not to expect. I have a lot of family in the Navy, Army, Marines, etc.

[Mudneck]

I was in USN . Make sure your enlistment contract SPELLS out the schools you will attend. DO not let them talk you into going in & picking a field later. In that case it is the NEEDS of the MArines & they will stick you in anywhere to fill a billet. It may be a great job it may be washing cars. Take the apttitiude test see what you are qualified for & have it guaranteed on your contract. Marines are Grunts by trade, If you go in on an open ended contract you may spend 4 years doing something you HATE.

Good Luck! It was a good deal for me

[flt mech]

Ask the recruiter to spell EVERYTHING out, don't leave it up to speculation.  Everything they they say COULD happen or CAN happen, yeah well you CAN but a lottery ticket today and you COULD win the lottery. That;s is about the same thing to them.  I'm not trying to discourage you I just hate to see someone get smacked in teh face with reality and get a very bad taste in their mouth from it.  I am in th Coast Guard and the military will try to bully you into what they want you to do but as you are in longer and longer you realize that you have the right to deny certain things and have your right to choose.  Just know your rights.  They have manuals for everything.  At first you really just have to learn the hard way and do what they say until you learn.  Hope this makes everything clear as mud.  Put simply- you will get out of it what you put into it, and don't let yourself settle for something too small.

[sbripple]

the experience of basic training  will not be wasted no matter what branch you decide on.It is a character building experience you will benifit from no matter what you end up doing with the rest of your life.Like others have said get the deal in writing from the recruiters or you will be screwed.

[94Hardbody4x4]

I'm thinking about the air force also and doing computer work for the jets since I do alot with computer design right now. But then again, when I get out I'm going to go back to school for firefighting so I don't know if those two would benefit eachother.

[Mudneck]

I'm thinking about the air force also and doing computer work for the jets since I do alot with computer design right now. But then again, when I get out I'm going to go back to school for firefighting so I don't know if those two would benefit eachother.

Why not join & see if they offer Aviation firefighting to you? You will be way up on the rest when you get out.

[rdm225]

Paris Island in South Carolina is a lovely place in summer for basic training.The mosquitos are the size of birds there. pick a branch of military that you can make a carreer out of if thats what you want to do.

[94Hardbody4x4]

I'm not sure about haveing a career in the military but I wouldn't mind checking out the aviation firefighting. I know my cousin was a parachuter in the army for about 5 years and he was first pick when he applied for NYC firefighting. I think this way it will benefit me alot more than going straight in as a know nothing rookie. Plus they pay both in and out of the service is more than helpful.

[Young Gun]

I'm serving my 4years in the Marines, then the other 4years on reserve.  I am done.

[offroadjunkee]

I was in the Navy for 6 years... Yes 6. I told them I wanted to work with computers and they put me in the Advanced Electronics program (2 years of school) and after that I went to sea on a 5 and 2 rotation. Thats 5 at sea and 2 on shore duty.

It really wasn't a bad deal. I got to see the world and had lots of fun. The pay just plain sucked, but I never had to pay rent and always got a decent square. Uniforms were somewhat covered. I dont have anything to regret after getting to see Australia, Hawaii, Guam, Singapore, Dubai and Bahrain (the Persian Gulf) .

I am jealous though, one of the people I used to babysit. He went into the MARINE reserves. He went off to boot for six months and then returned to Florida and enrolled in college. The tuition and school was pretty much covered through his GI Bill and his military status. (I have also heard the National Guard will pay 100 % tuition). He will be a  "weekend warrior" for 4 years but so what. He got the "try before you buy" deal the way I see it. I am sure he is almost done with his enlistment now.

I agree with everyone here that you need to get it on paper. In the military that won't mean much though, if you fail out of your primary schools or don't qualify for certain jobs I mean. Your enlistment is a CONTRACT which means they have you no matter what for the time you agree to.

If you asked why I didn't stay in it was because I couldn't get a good reenlistment bonus. I was told to stay on the ship for 2 more years (after 4 years on board). I was not promised a shore duty station or any stability. The career counselor said you'll just have to wait 2 years and see whats available to you then.

Good luck on your decision, but I would recommend the latter. Try before you buy. In the reserves you can still advance (get promoted) and you wont have to commit to the 24 hr/7 day a week schedule . When we did the math in 1998 it equated to a mere $1.25 hr wage. You can still go back to school here for cheap and then decide whats best for you. (take your cake and eat it).

[Miami450R]

I'm serving my 4years in the Marines, then the other 4years on reserve.  I am done.

yeah after you lose like 100 pounds .lmao

[svtbolt04]

I'm serving my 4years in the Marines, then the other 4years on reserve.  I am done.

yeah after you lose like 100 pounds .lmao

yeah...if you cant run 3 miles in under 20minutes.. you're not going to be very much liked by your company.