SkunT

I wanted to mention that. Being a gunt pretty much sets you up for nothing when its time to get out. (and dont say your gonna be a career Marine when you haven't even been to bootcamp yet) What are your skills? Well, you can lead a 5 man team into squad rushes, you can kick down doors, you can hump (hike) 15 miles with a 60 pound pack and you can shoot. Other than you 'were a Marine' not much more to your resume than that.

Like Steve said, I honestly could give 2 ***** about you weather you go into the Corps or not. Wait, actually, I take that back. Seems like you want in because you wanna be in...and not for a bonus or the new GI bill, like half my ------- platoon. I just want to help you find the right job that will best suit you. I really would like to talk with these people who are telling you that you can be a 03. Maybe they know something I don't, not to sure....actually, I will ask around at work today and see what people say. I am 99.99999999999999999999% sure we need to find you another job.

the 13th round

hatchboy - holy ---- that plane has a lot of ------- bombs and missiles. i will have to do some research on aircrew positions, i dont mention any of this stuff to my recruiter, but im sure the worldwide web will provide a multitude of answers

elijah - straight up, i ------- quit smoking weed. 2.5 months sober man, you thought i was edgy then you should have seen my *** the first couple weeks of not smoking. it was time though and even though i still think of it every idle moment i have, its been a good thing for sure. and i got a bunch of compliments on that JB weld shirt last week when i was pulling my friends uncles motor with him. ---- is gangsta son.

txdohczc - i can understand that and its a valid point. non military career wise, infantry is not my best choice.

JR - i do want to be in just to be in, ---- a bonus if i wanted that i would have taken the 20k they offered me for the reserves or i would have talked to the army. i do want that new GI Bill because i want to try and accomplish some schooling and that ---- is expensive.

but in no way am i joining for money, and i wont say im going to be a career marine cuz as you said i havent even been to boot camp. but i am joining with the knowing that it can be a career and not just a 4 year job.

i appreciate that you are trying to help me find another position, and i appreciate the fact that you are taking your time to have a mature conversation on the subject unlike some other people, i am taking your advice into serious consideration, but it took me 2 months to decide that this is what i want to do and im very hard seated in that position so dont take it the wrong way if i dont just jump to another MOS like that. if i did it would show a lack of determination, and determination is something i may have too much of.



PS if you scroll through the first page really fast and look at the avatars, its all *******.

MikeJ-2009

Wow, a whole 2 months?

My only and best advice to anyone going into the military is to go reserves or national guard. You go to the same boot camp and school, and then you go home for the most part. By then you'll either thank me because you hate it, or you'll get sucked off by an officer for saying you want to go active. With your options open, you can always go reserves to active, but not the other way around if you sign up active and decide you hate it.
And with as much BS the recruiter is telling you, and having no way of really knowing what it'll be like, my advice is almost as good as sex with hatchboys wife while he's TDY.

the 13th round

do you know the process involved in going from the reserves to active duty?

its not like 2nd grade, you dont just hold up your hand and ask. what your saying is exactly the same bullshit that my recruiter (the guy you said not to listen too) said to get me to sign up for reserves.

honestly, your a good guy, and im tired of arguing with you over something you know nothing about.

to get outta the reserves you need to file for a conditional release, then it has to be processed and approved. then you have to apply for a prior service enlistment. no recruiter wants to do the paperwork because they get no credit for prior service enlistments, so you are stuck trying to negotiate the intricacys of enlistment by yourself. then you have to get the military to agree to allowing you to enlist, which is hard because you take up a slot that someone who is trying to reenlist would occupy. so you wait until there is a slot open at the end of the year (if there is)
and this whole time you are making around 480 bucks a month through the marine corp and you have to pay for all your own living expenses.
so go find a civilan job. which you cant because the unemployment rate is rising every ------- week. so try and file for unemployment.

o wait, you are employed by the govt. well ---- you, no unemployment. so you get a minimum wage job and sit around thinking ----, i wish i had gone active.


"There are only two kinds of people that understand Marines: Marines and the enemy. Everyone else has a second-hand opinion."

- General William Thornson, U.S. Army



you are neither.

of course, i guess neither am i.

SkunT

So I let some people at work read this thread, to help you out. One just left recruiting in Sept.

That contract they are giving you is a no ----, very rare contract. (like more rare than a mugen steering wheel. ) The MC is trying to get away from those. If you do go in on that contract, and don't finish the recon school, can't get a clearance, get hurt, can't swim, what the ---- ever....your back at square one and your onto a open contract. At that point, your probably gonna go do whatever the MC needs you to do. Since you already went through the 03 school, you would probably stay an 03, but will probably never make recon. That's seriously seriously rolling some huge dice. The schools are hard as ----, and actually between SOI and the recon school...they send you to a school to help you prepare for recon school. Crazy, huh. Oh yeah, if you have any waviers at all (weight wavier, ticket wavier, a.k.a. small waviers are ok) that recon UZ contract gets thrown out. Drug waviers, felony's, even misdominer's...your fucked. My guess is you haven't been told that yet. You just mentioned you quit smoking weed...so...

I also got some clarification about your asvab scores and being an 03. You CAN go be an 03 with your scores, but they probably aren't gonna send you to a line unit (which is why I have NEVER seen a smart 03, if that makes sense). You will probably end up with the presidential team, white house, if you are 6'2" you might be part of the silent drill team, something along those lines. If you wanna google it, its 8th & I. It would be cool to do, but I don't think its what you want.

Back to my advice that I have mentioned before. To get to where you wanna go, I would go comm and then as soon as you hit the fleet, try to get to a recon try out. Go swim (lots) get to the gym, run your *** off, keep yourself in tip top shape and stay out of trouble. That would probably be your best bet to get to those front lines you wanna go to. If you dont go try out for recon, your chances of being with a line grunt unit are very strong.

Think about it.

Tonight, I will talk to you about your school. You will like what I have to say.

the 13th round

ZC, drug waiver, they told me that the fact that i smoked pot wouldnt affect my chances of recon.

so, can you tell me more about the drug waiver thing?

i know about 8th & I, that guy that i spoke to after thanksgiving got that ---- and ended his career on embassy duty. sounded plush, but like you said, im not looking for plush.

i also realize that recon school is very hard to pass, very very hard. the swimming i think would be the my downfall but i intend to work my *** off on that.

ask your pals what my chances are of getting field radio operator, or some IT ----.

SkunT

It wont hurt your chances of recon, but it will eliminate your UZ contract or whatever it is.

Swimming in the Marine Corps isn't your typical swimming at the community pool. ESPECIALLY with recon. See what WSQ entails and make sure you can do that ---- in youe sleep. I had a Marine in my old shop who was a state champion swimmer, passed everything except the swimming portion. Its no joke.

MikeJ-2009

Yeah, I wasn't in the military or anything, I'm just finding things I believe on google.

the 13th round

I'm thinking about joining the Marine Corps. How do I become a Recon Marine?

The Recon enlistment option is designated UZ. The best chance of getting into Recon is to enlist with a UZ enlistment option contract. This enlistment option guarantees the enlistee the chance at getting into Recon.

Qualifications for this enlistment option include (but may not be limited to):
A GT of 105 or higher
No moral waivers
No drug waivers
Eyesight correctable to 20/20
Not colorblind
The ability to obtain a secret clearance

The UZ enlistment option is available by quota. If the quota has been reached, a recruiter may not be able to offer the UZ option to an enlistee until the next quota period.

In addition to the requirements above, the applicant must:
Complete Boot Camp
1st Class PFT
Score Expert in rifle qualification

Upon graduation of Boot Camp the Marine will attend the School of Infantry (SOI).

After SOI, the Marine will attend the Basic Reconnaissance Course (BRC). After successful completion of this school the Marine will be assigned the Primary MOS of 0321 - Basic Reconnaissance Marine.

If a Marine fails any of the steps along the way, his contract is modified from UZ to UH as if he had enlisted into Combat Arms (Infantry).

For recruits contracted with the UH enlistment option, it is also possible to volunteer for Recon while attending SOI.



------- nutty swim ----.



Combat Water Survival, Third Class (CWS3)

To qualify Marines as CWS3 involves teaching and testing. Emphasis is on personal survival under combat situations and while on maneuvers. Teaching occurs throughout instruction/evaluation.

# Enter shallow water (minimum 1 m) with weapon and wearing full combat gear.

# Walk 20 meters in shallow water (minimum 1 m waist deep) with weapon at port arms and wearing full combat gear

# Walk 40 meters in chest deep water wearing full gear and weapon (weapon slung around neck) using a modified breaststroke arm movement and modified combat stroke leg movement (bicycle stroke).

# Travel for 40 meters in deep water (over the head) with full gear and weapon.

# Enter water from height of 5 feet using the modified abandon ship technique, into deep water with full gear and weapon (weapon inverted at sling arms), travel 10 meters, remove pack, and travel 15 meters with pack and weapon.

# Jump from minimum height of 8 feet (maximum of 15 feet) using the abandon ship technique wearing utilities and boots only and travel 25 meters using either a beginner swimming stroke (on front or back) or demonstrating a basic knowledge of any survival stroke or combination thereof. This info is available in the USMC PT Guide.

Combat Water Survival, Second Class (CWS2)

Develop skill level to be able to assist a wounded Marine to safety as in a river crossing. Must have completed CWS3.

# Uniform will be full combat gear and contents of pack will be waterproofed.

# With full combat gear minus pack, swim 50 meters in deep water, with weapon slung across back (muzzle down).

# Wearing full combat gear, perform 25 meter collar-tow on passive "victim" similarly dressed, simultaneously towing two packs and two weapons (secured to packs). Packs my be used for floatation devices for "victim".
Combat Water Survival, First class (CWS1)

Demonstrate ability to rescue yourself, assist a victim/distressed swimmer to safety, and survive under adverse situations. Must have completed CWS2. Steps will be executed in sequence wearing only the utility uniform. Uniform will be utilities only (no boots).

Survival strokes: Properly demonstrate the following:
# 25 meters breaststroke

# 25 meters sidestroke

# 25 meters elementary backstroke

# Rescues: Dry land drill, water demonstration, and student practice time of all three rescues. Students must properly demonstrate each rescue for qualification, utilizing ease-in entry technique with victim 5 meters away. Victims are passive during carry or tow.

# Front head hold escape, front surface approach, wrist tow for 25 meters.

# Rear head hold escape, rear approach, double armpit tow, cross-chest carry for 25 meters.

# Double wrist grip escape, swimming assist to the front.

# Swim 250 meters using one or a combination of survival strokes.

Water Survival Qualified (WSQ)

Successful completion of CWS1 and the following procedures are prerequisites for WSQ.

# Splash Recover Technique. Swim underwater 10 meters, on the surface 40 meters in simulated burning oil spill situation. Uniform will be utilities and boots.

# Abandon ship technique; enter water from a height greater than 8 ft but less than 15 ft.

# Without surfacing, swim 10 meters.

# Using splash technique, go to surface.

# Remain on surface, use modified breaststroke splashing technique, and swim 40 meters.

# Enter water full combat gear from a minimum height of 8 ft (max 15 ft), using abandon ship technique (weapon inverted at sling arms).

# Remove pack, assume a reconnaissance position utilizing the pack, traverse 25 meters simulating sighting in and engaging enemy on either flank.

# Tread water or survival float in deep water with utilities and boots for 30 mines without artificial floatation. Boots will be removed after 5 min. and retained. Five min. prior to completion of the 30 min float, and without exiting from the water, replace the boots and swim 500 meters using one or a combination of survival strokes.

# Trouser inflation/back float for 1 min.

catch.can

Sounds like navy rescue swimmer school.
Or aircrew swimming school. Aircrew isn't quite as hard as that though for the swimming portion.