Finally got the ball rolling. Talked with a Marine recruiter yesterday

[Goat_Walker]

Well I posted on here a few months back how i was wanting to go into the military - Only then i was thinkin air force since thats all my family ever went into - for 7 or 8 generations. Now Ive been doing some research and talking to sme people and im leaning more towards Army - or Marines.

So I went yesterday andspent 2 1/2 hours with a recruiter. He didnt fluff the marines , or try to sell them to me. He wasnt treaing me like another person that he just needed to hold a gun. He was talking to me about what they can do FOR me. It wasnt anything like everyone was trying to tell me - andIm glad. Because thats what i prepared for when i wakled in. Lots of fluff and "oh we're the best" . No. Even with my being a female he talked to me like any other potential Marine recruit. So Im pretty pleased.

So needless to say Im pretty happy that i finally had time to go in and talk with the guys at the office.

And im even more determined to get in tip top physical condition.

Im off to talk to the Army and Air force recruiters next, to explore all my options. But so far, Im really liking the Marines.


Sure - it'll be heard. Back breaking,heart breaking, skull cracking work. No matter what branch i go into. And im preparing myself to go in and be pushed to my limits , to the point where my threads areso frayed that the slightest breeze with tear eveything in me apart. But thats just me.



So are there any retired Marines on here? Retired Army? We are an Air force town ( two bases ) so ive been talking with lots of Air Force guys. But if there are any Retires Air Force here id love to hear any and all advice!


Im also happy because i finally got my permit yesterday, lol, i was supposed to get it two years ago.

 

[Me & My Peeps]

What are you looking to get out of the military? That will help answer which branch is best for you.

 

[Goat_Walker]

Discipline and the ability to get over anything set in my path. The education I think of as extra - But im more interested in getting myself disciplined enough to be able to survive anything throw at me. I also want to enter the K9 units for Search and Rescue. Ive already talked to the Marine recruiter about it and he mentioned that there are limited spots for K9 handlers in the Marines, but thats something im keeping in consideration .

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

What are you looking to get out of the military? That will help answer which branch is best for you.

Actually, that is a little backwards. What you need to think about is what you are good at, excel at, enjoy doing.** Then look at what programs each service has openings in when you want to go and which ones are the closest matches for what you like to do. That way you set yourself up to excel while you serve and that in turn helps you progress the fastest through the ranks and opens the most doors for you. It helps your service to your country be as effective as possible for both you and whichever branch of the military you are serving in. But the bottom line should always be that you are there to serve your country.


(** for example I love the outdoors. Getting dirty makes me feel I'm being productive. I love exercise and activity. I think it's fun to crab along on my belly or scale a rock wall. Sitting in an office in front of a screen all day would make me crazy. Work through a list of what things you enjoy doing and which ones bore you silly. Knowing these things clearly from the get-go helps the recruiter to know what programs to show you and which schools to check on openings for you, etc. The better the fit, the more you will enjoy what you are doing and the more likely you will stay on beyond your initial enlistment. It can make a fantastic career if the "fit" is right. If the "fit" is wrong, it can be a miserable few years. But even when that happens, your service to your country is STILL a valuable one.)

BTW I am retired from the USMC.


Rusty​

 

[Me & My Peeps]

Be advised that not every branch will guarantee you the MOS (job) that you want. In the Marines, you have to graduate at a certain level from basic training and your competing for that slot against everyone else in your cycle. But for some people this does not matter, they just want to be a "Marine" and would organize the cans of alphabet soup for a living if thats what they said to do. To each his own.

As far as wanting "Discipline and the ability to get over anything set in my path. But im more interested in getting myself disciplined enough to be able to survive anything throw at me." you will get this from any branch of service. They all train you to become problem solvers and instill a "get it done" attitude.

"The education I think of as extra". All branches offer tuition waiver.

"I also want to enter the K9 units for Search and Rescue." Usually you have to be MP qualified (Military Police) and the K-9 is an "ASI" or Additional Skill Identifier. Different branches have diff designations. SP Shore Patrol or Security Police etc.

If your looking for adventure and always being "in it", then the Marines is the way to go. If your looking for quality of life, Air Force is the way to go. The Navy has one of the most difficult promotion systems to ascend through. You compete against the entire navy for a promotion, not just your battalion, unit, division. It's not uncommon to spend 6 years in the Navy and only climb in rank twice. The Army is kind of a mix of all of them. The Coast Guard actually falls under Homeland Security now, before that they fell under the Dept. Of Transportation. Decent quality of life there as well. They do A LOT of dog work with drug boats, Border Patrol and port authority. Probably the strongest of the branches - if K-9 is what you are really after. The Coast Guard is taken seriously now and is recognized as a player in our nations security. This wasnt always the case. 9-11 brought them into the fold and they are just as capable as the other branches, same weapons, same skill sets.

I would also look into how high the ascension is in your chosen MOS. Some MOS's only allow you to go up to an E4 or E5. Or their could only be authorized 1 E6 and he's 12 years in and he aint going anywhere. Then your locked in or you have to fight to get another MOS.

So thats why I asked "What you were looking for from the military. If you dont feel that your needs are being met, then you wont like it, you will not perform well in your job which will bring unwanted attention to you - and it goes down from there. If you research it properly and make decisions based on where you want to go in life - then you cant go wrong. But if you get caught up in the hype and sign for a branch because they had really cool backpacks they were giving away, then your in for a loong enlistment. I personally think the U.S should be like Israel and make Military service mandatory for 2 years for everyone. It's like a marriage, everyone should be married at least once.....it gives you a different perspective on life.

Good luck, dont be swayed by family/friends or even me. Research it, then do it. Even though im prior service Army, ive tried to give you a fair representation of all the branches. Good luck!

 

[PineappleMama]

If you want a military career, awesome for you.

If not, don't let family, college expense*, etc pressure you into something you don't want to do.

Either way, Best Best Best of luck and Safe Journey.

*We had a recruiter call here for DH, NCLB resulted in his info being sent to recruiters, guy tried to tell me that going into the military or not was my son's decision, not mine... clearly that guy didn't do a lick of research since that's my HUBBY, not son... which of course got my dander up... tried to go into tuition this and that acting like he knew all about our finances... FACT: In December DH will have his BA, with a whopping $1400 in loans to pay back... add to that that DH has no desire to join the military (he wants to teach) and that recruiter was barking up the wrong tree before he ever picked up the phone... But That's DH, not you.... hence my original thought. *passes salt cellar*

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

Good for you. My 22 yo daughter enlisted Army Reserves before she graduated high school. She has liked it just fine...including a 14 month deployment to Iraq. She just got back a couple of months ago. If you ever want to talk to her, PM me.