Enlisting in the United States Marine Corps

Hey guys, I just wanted to start a discussion on here sort of mirroring my own situation at the moment. That being:

I'm probably going to have a tough time coming up with money for college. My parents could probably pull it off with loans and student bonds, etcetera, etcetera. BUT, not only do I not want to put that strain on them but I also don't want to be economically dependent on them for four more years of my life (since if I go through my earlier plan of rowing for college (morning and evening practices, 6 hours a day total, minimum) and taking NROTC classes, I won't have any time to work or get a job for cash.) So excluding a miracle of gaining acceptance into the U.S. Naval Academy or receiving an NROTC Scholarship, I'm gonna be flat broke.

That said, I am thinking about enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corps out of High School. I've wanted to be a Marine since I was young, and I want the experience of being a Marine even before I go through college. I want to do something so hard that nobody could "Watch your language" with me, so that the academic course load would feel like nothing challenging. After I serve my four years in the Marines, I'll be able to make full use of the GI Bill and won't be economically dependent on my parents. I'll be able to be part of a local Reserves drill unit for income and can row and take NROTC classes so I can graduate with an officers commission.

Apart from the possibility of dying in combat (which, ironically is the way I want to go) or being maimed in some way, I really don't see a downside to this decision, apart from a few LOUD "conversations" with my father once I break the news. I'll be economically independent, be a Marine, be able to get my commission AND row.

Thoughts? Opinions? Comments?

panic,
thank you for enlisting to serve your country, it is a hard decision to make at such a young age. i wish you the best of luck, be careful, keep in touch, and do the job. thank you for your commitment, Semper Fidelis.

I don't have personal experience in this but I do have a close friend who went trough exactly what you went through. I don't know about NROTC schools since this friend will go to one of the senior military schools, NGCSU. In his case he joined the marines second semester of his senior year and went through strenuous physical training every weekend at the recruiting station to prepare for basic over the summer. Now for what matters to you, part of his contract states that while he is in school he cannot be deployed so basically he gets reserve pay and only does the weekend warrior stuff. He also received a leadership scholarship for NGCSU so he is paying for college while being in the reserves. His goal is to become a Marine infantry officer and in order to do this he completes his 4 years of college while in ROTC and also being a marine so when he gets out he goes to OCS* and becomes a officer. So doing it this way you don't sacrifice 4 years of college time and you get the chance to become a officer. Since you said there was a NROTC it will be easier for you to become a marine officer. Basicly join the marine reserves make sure you can't be deployed while in school and hey ho there you go.

ncis wrote:

panic,
thank you for enlisting to serve your country, it is a hard decision to make at such a young age. i wish you the best of luck, be careful, keep in touch, and do the job. thank you for your commitment, Semper Fidelis.

he's not in there yet. you sound like a parent, man! haha, good support though!

here are some important facts for you, Panic. if you don't know these, the DIs will nail you to the wall and use you as a coat rack.

1. the Corps is older than the United States itself
2. the Corps does not have 'Basic', they have Boot Camp
3. there are no walls or floors, only decks and bulkheads. a ceiling is still a ceiling.
4. there are no shirts, pants, or hats, only blouses, trousers, and covers.
there are a BUNCH more, but i'm gonna get in some major trouble with Admin if i say them. PM me and i'll tell you.

SEE EXOTIC PLACES AND PEOPLE... OH AND SHOOT THEM TOO I am an anti war guy so....

Quote :

the Corps is older than the United States itself

I can´t believe that somebody else knew that

Way to go Jarhead999 75 65 !!!!

hey slob, i don't intend to dedicate my life to something unless i have my DOPE dialed right.
(i love military terminology!)

my fav service term, cream chipped beef= sh!t on shingle hehe

my favorites:

hands = (blocked by FCC)
mouth = (blocked by FCC)

i'm sure slob knows what the names are.

also, Panic, just letting you know, i have a cousin who is an E-6/OR-6 (Staff Sergeant) and he has been in the Corps the past 16 years. he's been to Iraq four times in Fallujah with I MEF and could go to Afghanistan this Fall if he decides to go. right now, he's stateside doing recruiting in Sherman, which is near Dallas. from what it seems, both from what he's said, and from things i've read, the Big F**k is not that fun. we'll be out of Iraq soon, but Afghanistan is going to be the media's new hunting grounds.

Well thanks, guys. I told my mom a few hours ago and she FLIPPED out. Seems ima do this on my own then once I turn 18.

No need to thank me yet NCIS. Haven't done anything worth praise as of now. And thanks to Jarhead999 and Zane for the pointers. Yes I knew the Corps was older than the U.S.


I don't think Afghanistan is gonna be so tough once Obama fully escalates that war (meaning once we leave Iraq). If we just pour supplies into Afghanistan and pave that country over, there won't be anywhere to hide

well, in all honesty, Obama wants us out of there, too, even though the war in Afghanistan has been going along significantly better than the one in Iraq. and, the media will get bored and head of to Afghanistan, and there goes the neighborhood.

don't let em get to ya in boot camp! just imagine their harmless bunnies >.>
DRAMATIZATION:
Drill instructor: give me 50!!!
soldier: yes sir mr. bunny
Drill instructor: what did you call me!?!?!
soldier: uhmmmm sir?
Drill Instructor: thats 50 more!

wait... ok yea don't do that not worth the extra pushups and stuff

panic, do what you want. I have a feeling that the whole ROTC thing was the parents idea? They just don't want too see one of their own come home in a casket... Its a perfectly reasonable claim but they cannot decide what you are going too do, you must make that decision.

If you were looking into NROTC because you wanted too be a CO, then I would look into the Naval reserve. Scholarships are handed out allot in reserve/guard units. You must score high on your ASVAB too get a scholarship though.

In 2 years I'll be right behind you! Although I plan on joining the Navy not the USMC... But that practically makes us brothers! right?

sticks

... just a small thing.... Airforce and Navy =safer

its not a matter of safety, as much as a matter of duty, although we all want you to be safe

Even if he does do NROTC and become a officer in the Marines he has just as much chance to come home in a body bag if not more for the first 4-5 years of his career. I can't speak for the navy but I do know in the Army up till the rank of Maj ( O-4 ) you have just as much chance to come home in a body bag. I think the more probable chance is that as a CO you will be responsible for the lifes of 50+ men starting out, the responsibly combines with better pay and a chance for a very good career if you stick with it. Im going out on a limb here but one day I suppose you plan on a family and all that, as a officer the benefits are massively larger and better. As I said and sticks recommended join the reserves with part of your contract stating you cannot be deployed while attending school and let then pay. Another option I am aware of at NGCSU one of the military schools is if you sign a agreement with the reserves stating you will be a officer in the reserves for I believe 4-6 years you get a FULL ride scholarship. Something to think about.

Summation
- Look into full ride scholarships for agreeing to be a officer in reserves ( Regular does not offer full rides )
- Enlist with statement that you cannot deploy while in College
-Career wise officer is more rewarding from a financial and family care standpoint ( Take away family and all its a matter of opinion, the most hardened CSM makes less money then a brand new Lt but but the CSM wouldn't trade it for anything )
- Think if your planning a career in that particular branch, if so reserves is not the best way to go.
- don't let someone BS you into thinking enlisted is more glory and glitz, its not, you get told what to do and you do it. Even if your a 40 year old Sargent with 22 you will be taking orders from a 22 year old boy with no experience, at best you can mentor him and make sure he doesn't get you or your men killed. Take the responsibility of being a officer seriously as I said you have the lives of 50+ men in your hands

****As a new officer LISTEN to your platoon sargeant, he has 20+ years of experience, you will outrank him with none. Take his advice to heart because he knows what he is doing but DO NOT let him control you, you are a officer and you trained for your job, balance it or your NCO's will become a nightmare.

Thats the best I can offer you, remember its your life don't let someone think for you. Stay up to date with current events so you know whats going on because thats your future. don't let the duty/patriot thing fool you once your on the battlefield all that matters is you and your men. read this peom.

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.

Gas! Gas! Quick, boys!–An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime...
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.

In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,–
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.*

* How sweet and fitting it is to die for one's country

Yeah Sticks. I wanted to be a Marine back in the 8th grade and Freshman year. My parents just responded with a: NO. A few months later my dad and I were watching something about modern military aviation and he said something like "You know, that is something I would approve of you doing in the military, being a pilot." And after that I started thinking "Hey, that's something I'd really like to do" and started searching ways to become a Pilot. I came up with NROTC and my parents approved. Back then I was just searching for ways to please my parents, (even though being a pilot is something I'm interested in) but more recently I've become one of the mindset of "Fuck that." I want to follow through on being a Marine first, and then if I think I'd rather be an Aviator, then I can switch over once I have my degree and my commission. If I think I'd be happier in the same place though, as an infantry officer, then I can stick with that. (Except WITH prior experience as an enlisted man)
Yeah bud! What do you want to work in the Navy? Hahahhaha, there was a bumper sticker in the recruiters office yesterday that said: "The Marines are a Department of the Navy: The MEN'S DEPARTMENT."


Ya know WhiteWolf, I did realize that's why my parents like the thought of me being in the Navy. They see it as the safer route. But I tend to look at it as a compromise. If you set your bar high, there's no reason to go do something else than what you plan to do. Like NCIS said, its about duty, not safety.

Thank you so much Zane. That whole post was just...Great. I dunno exactly what to say other than thanks for all the advice and I love the Wilfred Owen poem.

hey you could always go fly one of those bloody osprey death traps lol...man I would never get in one of those things.

Whats wrong with the osprey?

sniper, the osprey is a failed project.
There are many reports directly from servicemen overseas using them in field trials that they are flawed. first off, the massive rotor wash kicks up sooooo much dust and dirt on landing that visibility becomes 0. second, there are no rael defensive or offensive weapons onboard. Its a sitting duck to stingers and other rocket-propelled munitions. third, because of the dual rotor design they don't auto-rotate when engines fail...basically you're dead.

and in the air trial's and testing they had a tendency to...well...spontaniously fall from the sky.

oh, well... it was a good idea but in my mind from reading what you said, they basically need to make it as tough as a blackhawk. read somewhere one of the first blackhawks made went down in the woods and all that was wrong with it was something with the blade, now if they can only do that too the osprey blades anyways back on topic GL man

Zane wrote:

hey you could always go fly one of those bloody osprey death traps lol...man I would never get in one of those things.

yeah, here in the 'Zone, they tested them for about two years. they crashed about every three months. i don't know what frickin' idiot said, 'Aw, helll, it's safe for our guys to fly a piece of "Watch your language" helicopter'

'Aw, helll, it's safe for our guys to fly a piece of "Watch your language" helicopter'[/quote]

Probably the same guy who designed ACU.

sticks

and also probably the ones who thought sending our troops to Iraq in Humvees without doors and equipped with woodland MOPP suits was a good idea. all those stupid Fulda F**ktards who were just wanting medals for their units, so they sent our boys in with "Watch your language" woodland camo. what a bunch of idiots. but i digress. back to topic.

edit: i'm not calling all the American generals Fulda F**ktards, just the idiots who put our troops in danger for no reason. a lot of them still thought we were fighting a Soviet-style enemy. we are fighting a GUERILLA enemy. they don't play by the rules.

HUMVEE WITH NO FRICKIN DOORS!?!?!?!?!!?! im gonna guess thats juhn cary..duh