Friend who's in the Rangers told me that if you have the intelligence to tie your shoes by yourself, you stay the f away from the Marines.
I'm not close enough to my eas to line up a job... I still have one more deployment in October. Besides I'm planning on receiving a bachelor's degree with the gi bill which is available in all branches. Bachelor's degree>>>technical skill from the military. And on top of that the leadership experience, the discipline i learned are quite valuable. Besides, as an enlisted man your opportunities are limited. You might get a job at the office of Naval Intelligence but you will be one of the lower peons.
I would love to get one person to tell me how the training, lifestyle etc of the army requires a higher intelligence than the Marines. Doesn't the army accept more high school dropouts by percentage?
If I had my choice, I'd probably go with the Navy. In the navy you can sail the seven seas. In the navy you can put your mind at ease. In the navy, come on now, people, make a stand. In the navy. In the navy. And another thing, in the navy can't you see we need a hand? In the navy, come on, protect the motherland. In the navy, come on and join your fellow man. In the navy. In the navy.
Sorry, not a pee-on. I'll be getting extra pay to compensate and be close to what officers get. I'll advance first time eligible every time. I'll be riding submarines and ships giving tactical advice to captains that is usually followed. When I retire if I decide to work there as a civilian I will make six figures and that's if I don't do a career bonus for serious money to stay in past 20. I would never be attached to any unit aside from my office, I would travel and would not have to deal with the stupid little stuff. I can take that life as a pee-on if you still believe that.
Unless you're an officer. My cousin is a captain in the Army stationed in Germany. He gets 75K a year, hardly pays taxes, has housing paid and has an option to retire at 45. He's 27, graduated from a military academy. I'm not entirely sure if it's all true, since my uncle tends to embellish. That's just what I hear. I also had a friend that did two tours in Iraq in the Army. He's not a mailman. Another friend who was in the Marine reserve. He's currently a cop. So, look forward to public service
In recent decades the mission of the Marines has expanded to the point that the Marines are used like another division of the Army.
For you youngsters kind of bored with college life and looking to test yourself, try being a wildland firefighter. You work half a year, travel around to different assignments, get free training on everything from working with helicopters to leadership, get cool gear, and get paid enough to where you usually don't have to work when you go back to school during the fall/winter. Plus, while you get the occasional adrenalin rush of life or death situations, nobody is shooting at you. (And you can quit when you want to quit.) http://www.nifc.gov/faq.html (Otherwise, I'd go with Coast Guard. They do some amazing stuff and it's not nearly as tough on young families as the Army/Navy/Air Force/Marines.)
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Except they come with much less funding. You will be in the poorest section of the military if you go in the USMC Reserves. Marines get the old stuff, the reserves get their old stuff. In today's climate you will likely be activated at some point. If you volunteer to be activated and you stay active for over a year your benefits will increase a ton.
Marines receiving old stuff is a common myth... well at least in some aspects. If your unit is about to deploy you will receive the latest and greatest in terms of plate carriers, gloves...etc... The Marine Corps could also possibly replace the m249 before the Army does with the IAR.
Yeah you get new stuff before you deploy or after they activate you but generally they still have the older equipment. they have different weapon systems than the Army so if they have a newer rifle that doesn't really mean anything. The M16A4 is newer than the M4 but they kept the M16A2 way longer than the Army.
go to usmilitary.about.com There's a ton of information on that site and the people in the forum over there will probably have more experience and be more helpful.
I skimmed the thread, so, if this post is redundant, apologies. I'd recommend the Army because there are many, many times the opportunity for advancement than in the Marines, regardless of whether you go enlisted or officer. My nephew, despite commendations and being a really smart kid, is still only a Marine E-4. If he were in the Army, he would easily be an E-5 or E-6. The same hold true for Marine officers. The average age for a Marine captain is about 10 years older than his or her Army counterpart. That's serious at retirement age.
Heck yeah. I know a guy that did 20 years, and retired a Major. He went in enlisted but went OCS out of boot camp. He said it would have been another 2 years for O-5 so he decided against it and let them pay for his law school after he retired.
Here's how the paygrades break down and how long it take the average service member to reach a rank: Army: Spoiler Private (E-1) - 20,284 (5.1%) Private (E-2) - 3,334 (9.1%) Private First Class (E-3) - 56,757 (14.1%) Specialist/Corporal (E-4) - 107,634 (26.8%) Sergeant (E-5) - 73,034 (18.2%) Staff Sergeant (E-6) - 56,664 (14.1%) Sergeant First Class (E-7) - 36,725 (9.2%) Master Sergeant/First Sergeant (E-8) - 10,541 (2.6%) Sergeant Major (E-9) - 3,165 (0.8%) Private (E-2) - 6 months Private First Class (E-3) - 1 year Specialist/Corporal (E-4) - 18 months Sergeant (E-5) - 4.2 years Staff Sergeant (E-6) - 8.5 years Sergeant First Class (E-7) - 13.6 years Master Sergeant/First Sergeant (E-8) - 17 years Sergeant Major (E-9) - 20.8 years Marine Corps Spoiler Private (E-1) - 9,671 (6.3%) Private First Class (E-2) - 20,625 (13.4%) Lance Corporal (E-3) - 43,141 (30.0%) Corporal (E-4) - 29,578 (19.2%) Sergeant (E-5) - 23,019 (15.0% Staff Sergeant (E-6) - 14,794 (9.6%) Gunnery Sergeant (E-7) - 8,801 (5.7%) Master Sergeant/First Sergeant (E-8) - 3,306 (2.1%) Master Gunnery Sergeant/Sergeant Major (E-9) - 1,413 (0.9%) Private First Class (E-2) - 6 months Lance Corporal (E-3) - 14 months Corporal (E-4) - 26 months Sergeant (E-5) - 4.8 years Staff Sergeant (E-6) - 10.4 years Gunnery Sergeant (E-7) - 14.8 years Master Sergeant/First Sergeant (E-8) - 18.8 years Master Gunnery Sergeant/Sergeant Major (E-9) - 22.1 years Definitely looks like it takes a bit longer to climb the ladder in the Marines and that the Army has a higher percentage of its members in higher ranks than the Marines do.
Sergeant of Marines here. If you're: -job dependent -just looking for basic educational/financial benefits -faster promotion go join the Army If you're looking for: -A challenge -A way to push yourself to physical and mental limits -A total change in lifestyle the Marines may be a better fit for you.
How long has your nephew been in? Some MOS's are harder to promote than others. Also, where did you find this (bolded part) information? Just curious. As far as average age goes, the Marine Corps is the youngest branch so this doesn't make any sense to me.
