Sabot- Like I said in my last post, I know their are many like me or calvin here. And you are right there are young guys/girls joining the military. But who Im talking about is the general public of young people. Not the ones who lived on military installations most of their life, or who have family who have been in the military for years. Around where I live we got ALOT of kids who worry more about the useless things in life then the ones that are most important. "My" generation is different from any other generation we have had.......we have gotton lazy, not everyone but alot. And its not this generation's falt.....I think its the way our society has changed over years. Just my 0.02!!

Johnathon

Hey GRUMPY not everyone in th Air Force Avoids Combat..... I have almost 500 Combat hours on an MC-130P Combat Shadow.

I know your Messing
Herky

"I'd rather dig....a moving foxhole attracts the eye." Bill Mauldin

Hi
I was in the South African Marines(Recce unit) 1983.
I joined for one reason only,to be a soldier, to see action and shoot enemies.
If that seed is not planted within your heart then it will be difficult.
Yes there were some sad and bad times but at the end of the day it was a job that I chose.
I must add that it's very different when targets starts shooting back.
I was a Marine for 8 years 3 of those I spend in operations.

I left years ago, I will go back tomorrow if I had the chance.
I was no gung ho and were scared every day out on patrol,the rambo's were the one's that got killed or their mates. When you join a force you join a family.
If you young and feel strong about it I say go for it,you can always get out and change careers. Most of the guys with me were on 2 year contracts and were docters and teachers. They all said that the marines made them realize what life is and appreciate it.
I say follow your heart and go for it..one time and then we worry about the rest later.
They won't sedn you into combat if you not right for it.
Good luck with your decision.

Bill,

First of all I am not trying to beat a dead horse, but I don't think the Corps is for you, but we never know, only you will truly know. You will have to seriously evaluate your heart and mind before taking on this journey.




I want to say you have not done enought research if you are saying what you have said..... Yes, it will be mentally, physically, and emotionally tough. It comes down to whats in you heart and how bad you want to be a Marine. When I went to bootcamp I saw young guys that were built like an ox, physically in perfect shape, but did not have the mental strength to be a Marine. I cannot tell you or put into words how difficult that process was, simply because you have not experienced it. There were times when I wondered What the heck! I got myself into, but I never quit and three insane months later I was a part of the Few and the Proud. There is a reason for that motto, because not just any joe blow can be a Marine. You should know its a way of life...thats the best way to put it.


With that said I was a Corporal in the Marines. Ask any Marine on here and they will let you know that we are the backbone of our beloved Corps. I read your initial post several times because I want to give you an Honest and Fair answer because you mentioned you wanted to be an officer:




The ASVAB does not mean anything once you go to Boot camp or OCS. I have met Marines that cannot tell you what 2+2 is, but they will blow your mind when it comes to being a Marine and a leader of Marines. I have also met Marines that were too smart for their own good, and would have gotten us killed had we been deployed with them. It comes down to what you are taught common sense, and how you use it.




You should know...as Capt Althaus said EVERY MARINE IS A RIFLEMAN. There is no job that will keep you from being in the front lines, as this metality is unacceptable to the Marines, kind of insulting actually. This is what makes us Marines. Yes we have our grunts, but even the Devil Dog doing Admin is a qualified Rifleman and can be pulled from that desk and expected to perform just like a grunt. Every Marine goes to the School of Infantry to do either the Infantryman training, or Marine Combat Training for lateral military occupations. As an officer it is even more important that you have this mental attitude. You will be put through Officer Candidate School "Ductus Exemplo" that is up to 12 weeks long, JUST to see if you are Officer Material. Afterwards you would be sent to TBS or The Basic School, which is up to 6 months long.




You mentioned that you were 6' 1" and 250 lbs. Again as my fellow Leathernecks have said, you are WAY out of regulation standards. You would need to lose about 80 lbs, your max allowed weight is 208 lbs, but that would still be way overweight in our eyes. I would recommend you take a year or so to get into shape. Before I joined I was part of the poolee program. The recruiters help you prepare for bootcamp months in advance. Remember you have to be able to run 3 miles in less than 27 minutes, do at least 3 pullups, and at least 45 crunches, and thats just the minumum. I can assure you that if an officer took a PT test with me and barely made the cut, I wouldnt want to follow him into the local Commissary, let alone a combat zone.

One thing many young men do in your position is to go Enlisted first, even with a degree, to get a taste of our side of the Corps. You then would have the choice of going to OCS after two years Enlisted. If you truly are dedicated to this, I would suggest this route.




Embassy duty is a privilege. You have to do your time before even being considered for this duty. I have several brothers that are Marine Security Guards. You get selected after you do your time in the fleet. I say this is a privilege because there are many Pros to doing this type of duty, and you are a direct representation of our Military everytime a foreigner steps into our Embassy, and you are the safeguard to that small piece of land on foreign ground. Only the best, most squared away Marines are allowed to do this duty.

Marine Officers are always taught to lead by example, and I will let you know that you will always be responsible for a group of Marines as an officer. Like the skipper said, the lives of those men and their well being is ultimately your responsibility, and unless you have ever held your men's lives in your hands or ready to, the Marines is deffinately not for you.

We as Marines don't want to discourage anyone who would show interest in becoming a Marine, because you do not know what it means until you receive your Eagle Globe and Anchor, but with what you have said and what you are looking for I think it would be better if you looked into another service UNLESS you are ready to change that mental thought process and accept the responsibilities that will be bestowed upon you as a Marine, Enlisted or Officer.

I understand the concern for your parents, but time to man the heck up. Its not about them, because they will not be sitting next to you with their sights down range making sure your ass is covered, they will NEVER know what its like to make sure your brother to the left and right are their main priority, not you.

The reenactment thing...
I can only say, until you see what a real round will do to someone...you have no clue, and that thing you call experience....you do not know the limits of a man until you have seen him fighting for his and his Marines life and that includes the enemy.

Your cousing got selected to pull this duty because he is a grunt. Only a platoon of men get selected for this, and it is a limited duty. Lets just say its like winning the powerball.

We are not trying to discourage you, but this isnt one of those "....ah lets see what happens" this is life and death. There is nothing I like to see more that Marines being born, so its not to say that you wouldnt make it, because those DI's will make you a Marine, IF you want it. YOu might decide to do it, and you might make it, and I guarantee you will look back on this post and laugh at it. "WTF was I thinking?!"

All we are really doing is watching your six, because your decisions as a Marine, more specifially as an officer, will affect many, many lives.

It all comes down to you.....

Semper Fi

PS If you think we are harsh...you REALLY dont want to meet a group of Drill Instructors, I promise.

If you decide to join the Corps and at this time I do not think you should as your mindset is not right. It has to be the most important thing in your life. You have to do it for you and no one else. Combat is the Marine calling. If you can not accept that,go to some other place. Boot camp is unlike anything you have experienced in your life. It may seem as if the world has gone mad,but here is a purpose to all that the DIs do. It is making Marines that they may have to go into combat with. Their job is to weed out the nonhackers before they get a fellow Marine killed. Watch the first half of Full Metal Jacket to get a taste of what you are in for.Apparently you are fairly intelligent,so read every book you can on the Corps.Try to find-out what it means to be a Marine and learn their history. I was Marine Grunt and I fought in VietNam and I thanked my Drill Instructors for giving me the strength to keep going when the crap hit the fan. If you join and when you go to Boot Camp, one of the things you should do as soon as you get a chance,try to get some one on one time with your Senior Drill Instructor and let him know of your academic background and tests scores.That is the kind of info. that they need to know as it helps make their job easier. They then know who can assist them in some of the more routine duties associated with Boot Camp and they will show you their appreciation every chance they get.
Semper Fi. Ted Nichols CPL USMC

Bill,

If you want to join the Marines, do it. No matter what you do in the Marines your parents initial reaction will be shock. I remember the day my daughter told me she joined the Navy to be a CTI (a linguist). While it is are relative "safe" rating, it was still hard to accept at first.

Tony

Bill
I was amused to see the responces you got here. Most people don't understand the corp unless they have been in it. Many wash out and can't handle even going through basic training. It takes a ton of dedication to the corps to be a Marine.

After having made the grade a Marine usually considers it his duty an honor and priviledge to be in the middle of the fight.

As far as the parents go, I have yet to see any parents that didn't worry about thier child being in action

My brother survived Khe Sahn only to be wounded later "in the rear with the gear". When I said I wanted to enlist mom amd dad about lost their minds until I reminded them the war was essentially over.

Imagine my parents horror when we shipped over to participate in the evacuations and ride herd on the fall of Saigon. Worry is what moms and dads do. I do, one's a cop, ones enroute to Haiti as we speak as a volunteer medic, and one wants to be a OBGYN-in the Navy!

I'm a Marine, MOS 0331, machine gunner.
I'm not as lean, quite green and still a bit mean, and it's been 36 years since I joined.

Son you need to search that soul, you need to decide if you can devote your life to the corps. It's what we do.

As a former Marine cpl and a hitch int he Army, I can only agree what the others have said. Your parents will cry and worry, heck I worry when my 18 year old son is still out past midnight, that's what we do. My son also wants to go in the military (Army or Air Force), I told him not to go in the military. Now he has my support but only if it is what he wants. You have to be sure this is what you want, in your heart, and go for it. If you have doubts, don't do it. Like my fellow Marines here once a Marine ALWAYS a marine.
The Corps is NOT something to try and see what happens, go in the Army instead. If and when you do become a Marine you will understand what we are talking about. I have never met any of the jarheads here in person, but if I did it would be like seeing an old friend again. The few, the proud the Marines, a big family with a hell of a lot of pride.

Wayne buddy, I didn't know you were in the Corps!

Whatever you chose be sure it's what you want to do, 100%, if not then stay out of the military.

Semper Fi
Rob

I had typed an enourmous speel for you here Bill, but my hole of a laptop took a techno-fart and it all disapeared, so here is a shortened version of what i recall typing.

Your Re-enacting and whatnot doesn't count for squat. You have NOT learnt military proticol or marching and rifle drill. No mate you have not. Why? Because you have never been in the military nor the marines.
What you HAVE learnt is the re-enactors way of doing things, fragments of passed on information from what re-enactors may be vets. But if it wasnt shown to you on the job, in training, by an instructor, then you don't yet know it. Simple.

I think what you need to do, is turn off the pc after reading everyones words, then forget them completely.... After this, ask yourself a question, "Am i 100%, F***ing hell bent on becomming a Marine, officer OR enlisted, is it what i would die to achieve" If your answer is not yes, then forget it and dont bother contemplating joining anymore.

If you answer yes, then you will realise your parents are not part of the decison, as they will love you regardless of what you choose to do, use this as encouragement instead of a source of concern.
What you then need to do, is shed the pounds, get a good level of physical fitness behind you, forget what youve seen in the movies, and enlist with a clean mind, void of any call of duty video game rubbish or full metal jacket BCT impressions. Take it as it comes.
If you make it through, then you will have clearly changed your attitude and train of thought in a huge way, and none of us will have to worry about you getting yourself or those around you shot through lack of enthusiasm for the job.

If you dont change these things, then you wont make it, and again, none of us will have to worry because youll be just another bloke on civi street with nothing to do with the fight.

Having read your post Bill,the marines is not for you I think you like the idea, the uniform belonging to an elite force.In GB we have a RM reserve for ex marines or those wanting to be marines, most join with the intention to see what its like, they train in their own time sometimes after work running with bergans etc serving along side regular units if they like they will join the regulars. What I am trying to say is that you dont appear to have that kind of committment you want the gain without the pain.As for the family thing we see many bereaved parents here on tv most will say we are proud all my son wanted to be was a marine.God bless them all

Bill -

I am just checking back in. You have received a lot of advice from many of us. I am curious as to what your decision was?

Have you decided to go for it? If so, how much weight have you lost and what is your time on the three-mile run?

Semper Fi,
Dave

I was going to ask the same question.I have a sneaking suspicion that we have a non-hacker in BulletBill.Semper Fi.Ted Nichols

yeah, i was currious as well...suscribed to the post to see if we ever received a update from bullet bill...

course, if he went and took the oath, he could be sweating it out right now at the Island, being carried off by sand fleas after enjoying some quaility DI time in the pit doing endless flutter kicks with the only break being holding heels 6 inches above the deck :-)

not much internet time between all that

Methinks Bill may be sitting back and laughing at us whilst eating "jellied donuts" he can't be that naive to think you can sign up as a non combatant and choose your deployment...but we fell for it doh...

I vote troll. He only has 9 posts in 6 months and 3 are on this thread.

Seriously........Bill, posted this early in January and he must have been thinking about joining before then. A lot of us have been either encouraging or discouraging him about joining. So it is probably a good six months since he got the notion. Bill.....did you or didn't you join ? You started this post, please be good enough to end it and put it out of its misery.........Al

I'd say you all convinced him the Marines was not for him or he Could be training. But the funny thing Why would you call him a Troll just because he doesn't post as often as others? I've been on here for years but barely have many posts.My choice but I think its funny that people worry more about a post count than anything.

clicking on his profile, he hasnt signed into the forums since 17 March. So, either he is gone, or still visits as a guest.

Until we know for certain, we should withhold judgment. You never know, we may just get a post in a few months that he just got back from Paris Island.

I concur.

I like this! Spelling error or not, too funny

I must confess....I didn't catch it! I must be gettin' old...or at least my eyes are!

Semper Fi,
Dave

ha....ok, that is what I get for a quick reply while on the work computer!

If our friend Bullet Bill is indeed at Parris Island, then im sure he discovering its not Paris at all heh hehe (especially in the summer!!)

Doesn't matter whether he's a troll or not. At least (I hope) it will enlighten many more making the same decisions.