Marine Officer....why not?

[Flipperk]

Just finished my first year of college and I am already getting tons of letters from my recruiters office telling me about how if I joined the Marines after 4 years of college ill be placed as an officer at the start.

Now honestly I never really wanted to join the military, but however I have to say that everytime I open up a letter from them I day dream about being an officer in the Marines more than I do furthuring my career...

Maybe subconsiously I want to be a Marine but do not know it.



Anyways what is ya'lls input on the subject? My declared major is Business Administration, I talked to a couple of guys about it...some say that the Marines will take the degree and put me as an officer, others say that they would rather have an Engineering Degree and will place me as a recruit instead.

[vonKrimm]

What you want is the Platoon Leaders Class; go here:
http://officer.marines.com/marine/making_marine_officers/commissioning_programs/platoon_leaders_class

Good Luck & Semper Fi

[jdbecks]

Real men become Combat Engineers  


best of luck if you do join the Marines tho 

[eagl]

Don't join the military unless you really want to do something with your life that you can't do anywhere except in the military.  The same goes for picking your service...  Don't just join whichever one will take you, pick one that will give you the best chance at doing what YOU want to do.

The military life and BS you put up with in the service is far far too crummy to put up with unless you are doing something you really really want to do (or have no other options, but in that case why not get a 1-way ticket to France and join the French Foreign Legion?)

If you go Marines, you will be a rifleman first, unless you are one of a very small group of specialists filling niche jobs.  If you are a Marine officer, you will be trained to lead riflemen into combat before they teach you to do anything else, and your career will primarily depend on how good of a officer you are in the areas of leading men in combat.  If that isn't what you want to do, don't even think of signing up to be a Marine.  Join another service or remain a civilian. 

[Blooz]

Don't make this decision lightly. The military, even as an enlisted person, is a very tough job and a lot of years of commitment. As an officer, it'd be even more so. The recruiters make it sound pretty good but if you don't like it, it's not like you can just up and quit.  Ready to lay down your life for real? That's a big question. You have to want it in your heart. If it's not there, steer clear.

[Maverick]

Don't join the military unless you really want to do something with your life that you can't do anywhere except in the military.  The same goes for picking your service...  Don't just join whichever one will take you, pick one that will give you the best chance at doing what YOU want to do.

The military life and BS you put up with in the service is far far too crummy to put up with unless you are doing something you really really want to do (or have no other options, but in that case why not get a 1-way ticket to France and join the French Foreign Legion?)

If you go Marines, you will be a rifleman first, unless you are one of a very small group of specialists filling niche jobs.  If you are a Marine officer, you will be trained to lead riflemen into combat before they teach you to do anything else, and your career will primarily depend on how good of a officer you are in the areas of leading men in combat.  If that isn't what you want to do, don't even think of signing up to be a Marine.  Join another service or remain a civilian. 

I quoted the above for truth. Having been a military Officer I can tell you it calls for a certain amount of dedication. If this is NOT what you want to do then let it go by you. If you decide to go into it to "see how it works out" you will be doing a disservice to yourself and those placed under your command. Being a troop leader at the lower levels (Plt & Company) is the best job you will get as an Officer. Or it will be the worst if you don't have the desire and dedication it requires.

The uniform is nice and thinking about the prestige only goes so far. Being a leader now means long hours, sleepless nights, dirt, blood and dealing with death overseas. There ain't no glory in combat.

If you are questioning yourself about if you are able to handle it, that's normal. We all have doubts in the beginning. If you do NOT want to be in the military do not go into it.

Lastly you can check for ROTC options available to prep you for commissioning in to the service.

[Bosco123]

It's really weather you want to stay in or not for a full 20 years. If you think you can stay for 20 then by all rights go and join as an officer, and you will probably be a Colonel by the end of your 20, which will give you alot of money. If you don't want to stay 20 then get an engineering major, and go in as an enlistee. I'll tell you to get in as an enlistee is getting to be just as hard as it is to be an officer. Marine Corps has a capacity of 302000 men and right now they have 306500 men, so they are way over filled, and they are finding any way to get people out and not let people in.

Do some reasearch and find out what you think is the best. If you want to find out more about the enlistee option then PM me because there is alot of requirements now to even think about getting in.

<S>

[boxboy28]

i think what he's he i slooking at is an OTS situation.(Officer Traing School)    Now  i dont know jack about going Marine  OTS  and what or where yould be placed afterwords, but ive heard good things about some of the other branches and going thru OTS.    My brother who went to the USAFA told me he almost wished he had gone to college then went to OTS because after leaving  your at the same rank and file as an acadamy grad. and ability to fly(if your qualified)   only draw back is as Im sure Eagl  would tell you is you dont get the respect from the other acadamy guys and even those above you unless they went OTS as well.

heck one of the guys i fly with went inlisted USAF  and he is what he calls a "Sweaty"  he got his college eductation thru the AF then did his OTS and now flys.

[bj229r]

Just be mindful that as an officer you will have the (hopefully unlikely) obligation to order people into situations that will get them killed

[PFactorDave]

It isn't a matter of "Why not?"...  It's a matter of why...

If you have to ask why not, then you probably shouldn't do it...  What you are talking about is a huge life changing commitment.  It deserves more though then simply, why not?

Just saying...

[Flipperk]

It isn't a matter of "Why not?"...  It's a matter of why...

If you have to ask why not, then you probably shouldn't do it...  What you are talking about is a huge life changing commitment.  It deserves more though then simply, why not?

Just saying...

Their are many things in life that are a life changing commitment some even more than serving in the armed forces. But I think the question of Why Not is more than appropriate for this...lets say a guy walks up to me and asks why do you want to be a marine, I would ask why not? Why not be a Marine? Its a life changing experience that you will NOT find anywhere else. With any great opprotunity their are indeed great risks and responsabilities, such as knowing that you are about send a squad into almost certaint death. But thats not what I see, I see as serving the country that I live in...I lived the past 20 years with the luxury of freedom, I now owe Uncle Sam a piece of my life in order to continue this luxury that I have breathed for so long, to continue this freedom that I want my children to enjoy, to continue this great country that we all live in.

I do not know how much a commitment it will take, I expect that I will want to quit at some point...but I rarely quit...at that point its a mental game..how far can I push  myself? Great I made it this far...lets go a little further.


I like to challenge myself, this is possibly the greatest challenge I can think of. With the completion of this challenge I will know that I will stand with some of the finest men and women that have ever served this country.

This is why I want to do this, if this is not enough...then please let me know so I can not sign the dotted line.

[Peyton]

Do it go for it.  You have already graduated and have a degree.  Now go see the world and learn the discipline and comradeship that the corps has to offer.

[guncrasher]

wait until you finish school then make your choice.

semp

[gyrene81]

Their are many things in life that are a life changing commitment some even more than serving in the armed forces. But I think the question of Why Not is more than appropriate for this...lets say a guy walks up to me and asks why do you want to be a marine, I would ask why not? Why not be a Marine? Its a life changing experience that you will NOT find anywhere else. With any great opprotunity their are indeed great risks and responsabilities, such as knowing that you are about send a squad into almost certaint death. But thats not what I see, I see as serving the country that I live in...I lived the past 20 years with the luxury of freedom, I now owe Uncle Sam a piece of my life in order to continue this luxury that I have breathed for so long, to continue this freedom that I want my children to enjoy, to continue this great country that we all live in.

I do not know how much a commitment it will take, I expect that I will want to quit at some point...but I rarely quit...at that point its a mental game..how far can I push  myself? Great I made it this far...lets go a little further.


I like to challenge myself, this is possibly the greatest challenge I can think of. With the completion of this challenge I will know that I will stand with some of the finest men and women that have ever served this country.

This is why I want to do this, if this is not enough...then please let me know so I can not sign the dotted line.

I wouldn't try to talk you out of it, but I would caution...do not sign on the dotted line until you are almost done with college. Check out the Navy ROTC program if your college has one...it's combined Navy/Marines...at least where I work.

The military life isn't for everyone...for enlisted Marine Corps personnel it's a contract based on 6 years (active duty/inactive reserve)...13 weeks of physical and mental hell in boot camp...then on to more training in a military occupational specialty, which is generally granted based on preference, military need and ASVAB scores...but every Marine is an infantry rifleman first. When the call to fight comes in, even the office personnel in a line unit have to be combat ready. Annual rifle qualifications and physical fitness tests...regular inspections of quarters, equipment, uniforms, etc...daily unit physical fitness workouts before breakfast...field exercises...plus normal daily MOS duties...crappy food...basic living arrangements on a good day...few holidays and only 30 days a year vacation which can be denied for any reason...up before the sun rises and you don't shut down until you're ordered to.

Marine Officer Candidates go through 6 months of basic training which is as tough and sometimes tougher than what the enlisted personnel go through...it's more intense physical and mental hell for a longer period of time...they don't put brass on just anyone...even mustang (enlisted to officer) officers have to go through OCS before they get that brass on their uniforms...and as an officer, you don't have a contract that ends, you have to resign your commission or get put out by other means...it's a lifetime committment. As an officer you are given certain privileges and responsibilities that enlisted personnel do not have...but by the time you leave OCS, you will have earned them...and you will be held to a higher standard than the enlisted personnel.

I was Marine Corps enlisted and turd officers, especially among the junior officer ranks were more irritating than gung ho salty a-hole brown nosed Staff NCO's...little respect for their men, little knowledge of the concepts behind respect and loyalty, little knowledge of their mission responsibilities...if you do decide to become a Marine Corps officer, learn the responsibilities and traditions associated with the rank you will be given...understand that the guy with the stripes probably knows more about your job than you do...that will earn you the respect of the men you will be in charge of and when you are tasked with ordering them to do something, they will do it to the best of their abilities.



Here is why not:
Do you know beyond a resonable doubt that you could with a clear conscience, tell someone to risk their life for something you do not wholly understand nor fully agree with?...because as a Marine Corps officer the possibility of you being put into that situation is high.

[RufusLeaking]

I was Marine Corps enlisted and turd officers, especially among the junior officer ranks were more irritating than gung ho salty a-hole brown nosed Staff NCO's...little respect for their men, little knowledge of the concepts behind respect and loyalty, little knowledge of their mission responsibilities...if you do decide to become a Marine Corps officer, learn the responsibilities and traditions associated with the rank you will be given...understand that the guy with the stripes probably knows more about your job than you do...that will earn you the respect of the men you will be in charge of and when you are tasked with ordering them to do something, they will do it to the best of their abilities.

Quoted for truth.

I was a Flight Commander in the Air Force, which is a country club compared to the Marines.  I learned quickly that rank does not equal knowledge.  A good officer needs to know who to trust.  I also knew that if I wanted scare an enlisted guy, I would suggest that we get together with the First Sergeant for a little chat.

I had a couple of friends in the Marines.  What people focus on is the physical toughness.  What most miss is the mental toughness of Marines.  If you think you can hang in there, and truly believe that you can put your butt (and your troops') on the line for the National Command Authority, then go for it.

It will change you life.