Marines...... Good Experience or Bad???

Ok, I'd like to join the Marines but have heard mixed stories so I just wondered what you guys thought....

I'm 22 years old, 6ft 3in, and 170lbs... I consider myself reasonably fit...


Didn't really want a poll but this looked like the only section where I could ask for input..

I don't think I would let a poll decide whether or not you should join the Marine Corps. On that note however, its what you make of it. You can either gain from the experience or let it be a big waste of your time and Uncle Sams money. The people whom I've talked to who had not such a pleasent cruise with the Marines are ones usually who didn't want to be there in the first place.

depends on what you are doing it for, if you are doing it for money for college or something to put on a resume the other services have better deals and shorter enlistments. If you are doing it because you truly want to be a Marine then I would suggest you talk to some Marines and have a clear Idea of what you want to do before you sign anything, keep in mind if it isn't in your contract it is not going to happen no matter what your recruiter might tell you.

fell free to pm me if you have any questions, I am a active duty Marine with 18yrs of service in both the enlisted and officer ranks.

It was the best thing that ever happened to me in my life. It is a title you will carry with you for the rest of you life also. Go out into a parking lot and walk around, do you notice Marine bumber stickers on cars, they are proud to be called Marines. My true friends are all Marines, it is a brother hood. The average Marine only does 4 years in our Corps, but he will carry being a Marine to his grave, then. it's off to guard the streets of heaven!
One of the few, Frank USMC RET

I hear good things for the most part but some say the Gov won't let your leave when your times up... I may not get into the area of training I'm looking for ( I want mechanic, not front line stuff).. I just don't want to be lied to by my recruiter... Or killed in Basic.. haha

The Few, The Proud. Once a Marine, always a Marine. I am not really a gung ho former Marine but that is just the way it is once a person has ben there done that. If you have college then use it to your advantage. Take the intro test and see how you match up. If you score high enough then you may qualify for OCS. I went in knowing what to expect therefore boot camp was not traumatic. Millions had gone before me and survived therefore was just a game for me to play. I received PFC out of boot. It is all in your prospective outlook and what you are after. Also keep in mind that you are tall. You will stand out and the DI will take advantage of that. You will catch alot of DOO DOO. Take it in stride. If you want training in some special field or college then join the Air Force.
That is all I have to say on the matter at this time.

I joined the corp in '93 on a spur of the moment decision. I was working nights flipping food in a diner, and a recruiter walked in one morning as I was finishing up. I made the joke that i'd sign up if he could get me out of town in a week. Come to find out he was on his way the MEP station later that morning and had space for one more in the car. Of course it didn't hurt that when he had me go for a run before leaving that morning with one of the boots they had in for recruiting duty I did a 17:20 3 mile. Must have been all that crosscountry in high school. I wanted to be a grunt. I figured that if I was going to join the best, I wanted to be part of the group that made it the best. Turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made. I loved it, and it was one of the things that really shaped who I am and my outlook on life. I did see a lot of guys that joined with no clue what to expect and spent 4 years hating life or washed out along the way.

It can be the best or worst time of your life. Just go in with both eyes open and make sure it's what you want to do.

I took the first test in the recruiters office... Got a 61, don't know if thats good or bad... I need to make time to do the physical and mental exam down in Indy... I went to WyoTech (automotive school) for 1yr but otherwise no real school after HS....

I have worked in a Large Electric motor shop for the last 2 1/2yrs and make $17hr but I can't stand being there..

I just don't want to get lied to by the gov and used as a disposable tool.

I saw in your post about worried about not getting the training you want. If it is training, then go air force or navy. If you want to be a Marine, then go Marines.
One of the few, Frank USMC RET

I'm not to worried about the training, I just want to be put in what I sign up for.. If they make me a toliet specialist or some other bs I have better things to do..

If it's not in writing, you ain't getting it. Keep that in mind and see what they will put in writing. I tried to go in for from high school, wanted to work on tanks and dozers. I scored really high on my ASVABS and they tried to push me into avionics. I refused to do avionics. They said sorry. A few weeks later they came knocking but I had already secured employment and didn't go. I've kinda regretted it since.

FranhUSMC, What U mean, doesn't the Marines TRAIN Their troops!!?? How did the Marines become the best?? Boot Camp was a big Play ground for me because I was in good shape, 6'5" 165lbs. . Brain washing wasn't any worst than what I got at home, and if I had not joined the Marine Corps at 18 , I probably would have killed myself in a fast car chasing some Fast Chic!!! I was trained, I liked my MOS and made a good life from it and I retired at 46 years old, not from the Marine Corps, but as a CIVY. It took me 30 years and I am even collecting Dis. from US, so I can say I still collect from good old USMC!. I loved getting up every morning to go do the work that I loved,, Well, almost every morning. Once a Marine always a Marine!! I went to an Air force base today, and most looked like "THE Fat HOG Platoon!!! I can't believe the condition of our military personal today!! If U R a Marine, U won't have to look up to any other SERVICE!! Phil

My advice is to get a two year degree and go in as an officer. A boot Second Lieutenant makes in pay nearly double what an E-1 makes and you will have to be a sergeant who has been in for 8 years to catch up with the boot Second Lieutenant. Plus looks much better on a resume.

I am 25 and have always been entertaining the thought in the back of my head about becoming a Marine, my question is active or reserve. Halftrack can you shed some light on the USMCR?
But on the other hand I dont think that I could decide what I wanted to do: artillery, combat eng. flying in a C130 or helicopter, small arms repair, grunt, so many choices.

I took ritalin as a kid until 8th grade for A.D.D... Which is a disqualification... But my recruiter says I may be ok cause the doc took me off years ago.. Then he says don't even bother to tell the docs in Indy... Is this something that could come back and bit me?

my69camaro, no offense intended, but from your posts I think I would suggest looking at another branch of the service. You seem very preoccupied about ironclad guarantees and assurances. Most of us joined the Corps because we wanted to be Marines, first, last and foremost. We thought, either rightly or wrongly, that they were the best and we wanted to be part of it. We had some strong hopes for training and assignment in a specific field, but we knew that it probably would not be permanent for our entire time in. In other words, even if you get the MOS that you want, if the Corps needs or wants you somewhere else, that is where you will go. I was only a Reservist, but in my six years I had three different MOS'.
I went through boot camp at Parris Island in 1969. Things were a little different then than they are now. However, none of us were killed or died in basic. With the situation of the world today, Reservists are regularly being called up for active duty. And active duty today (Reserve or Regular) very frequently equates to a tour (or two) in 'less than friendly' places. Like Vietnam of 40 years ago, there is no 'behind the lines' area of safety. And always remember that as a Marine, you are a rifleman first.
Again, no offense intended, but I think your setting so many pre-conditions for entry into the Corps indicates that it may be best for you to try elsewhere.
As for me, I've been out since 1975 and I still consider myself a Marine (although a late middle aged fat Marine) and I still rise for the Marine Corps Hymn!!!

Rebelpride, if you go Reservist you will pretty much be assigned the MOS of your home Marine Corps Reserve unit (at least that is the way it was 33 years ago). I think the Wilmington, NC Reserve unit is a Shore Party unit.

That depends if somebody finds out! Most likely your recruiter will pay more than you would.
There are so many life lessons that can be learned in the Marines there isn't enough room or time in this forum. Suffice to say that you will learn discipline, self-control, but mostly how to deal with situations and people that are so outrageously full of bull#$%^, lessons that are better learned sooner rather than later in life. Life is NOT fair...but the Marine Corps will teach you this the hard way, in spades. It is the best prep for the real world and how to put up with it. You will meet complete buffoons that have no business leading ANY human being, much less a platoon of devil-dogs...but you will also meet some of the most awe-inspiring, idealistic and motivating individuals that will have a life-lasting impact on your character. Men that are larger than life, seemingly unbreakable, that you would follow into hell on any given day. Men that might end up being your best friend. They don't make up sappy slogans for nothing. You will have brothers for life, guaranteed. You will have stories for life, times you will NEVER forget.
You will find yourself standing next to a former gang banger on one side and a CPA on the other, being treated like you are kindergartners with no common sense and you will get so pissed that you only see red. You will play silly games with these brothers of yours, wondering how rational human beings can tolerate such treatment for next to no pay, little sleep, bad food in some of the worst climates and locales the world has to offer...and the funny thing is you will come to love it all. You will get to blow s*#@ up, shoot things, destroy everything in sight. Or, you will stay in the rear with the gear and support those who do, fixing their radios, trucks, or food. Sometimes both.
Like what many others here have said-- it is what you make of it. Sometimes I wish I could go back and endure some of the many experiences with a different attitude, for I miss it so! It can be the worst experience of your life, or the best. Maybe even both. Up front, get everything in writing. Your recruiter WILL LIE to you. Their job is to get you to sign on the dotted line. It isn't personal. Do NOT go "open contract". Keep in mind that although they do have some standards, we are still at war and they need numbers to fulfill their recruiting quotas for the year. The higher you score, usually the more they will offer you. If you have second thoughts, don't join.
Join the Marines for ONLY the intangibles: duty, honor, integrity. All the corny stuff you hear on the commercials and see on recruiting posters. Join to earn that title. Join for the right to get goose bumps whenever you see the Silent Drill Team perform or when you hear the Marine Corps Hymn. But, take the good with the bad. You will either love it or hate it. I will NEVER regret my decision to join, and wouldn't trade my time in the corps for anything. If you are looking for better schooling opportunities or to learn a trade, join the Air Force, Army or Navy.
If nothing else, just think of all the military vehicles you will get to play with!
Feel free to PM me if you have any other specific questions and I will attempt to answer, as it should be obvious I have an opinion on this subject....
Semper Fi!

my69camaro said:

Or killed in Basic.. haha

Click to expand...

You need to watch the first half of "Full Metal Jacket" then decide.

Just kidding .

There are no guarantees, no promises to be kept, only a spirit to be honored. That spirit is the same whether you are a Marine, a Sailor, a Soldier or an Airman....that spirit is America. If you want to serve...please do..and do the best you can. The Nation needs you...especially now. If you seriously want to serve, all else is secondary and gravy when the day is done and the fight is won. If you have any other motives than defense of your country and support of your fellow warriors...please...don't enlist..in any service. It's a hell of a sacrifice...but ours is the Nation everyone wants to come to. Our warriors keep it that way.