For older Marines

[USNAviator]

Had a thought,I know odd but true, before the MOS selection process started, all Marines were at the mercy of the Fates. Did any of you who went through boot before they had contracts ever think about which MOS you might get? Did you have a wish list? Did you even care?. I suspect the answer to the last one is no. Was anyone disappointed when they didn't get infantry?

[chulaivet1966]

For me at 17, as I'd mentioned in another thread, it NEVER occurred to me that I would get anything but infantry in some fashion especially because I knew the Vietnam war was trucking along.
I never know what MOS meant prior to joining let alone actually thinking I could 'request' a vocation or get some sort of 'contract'.
But, I didn't end up as an 03xx, I got assigned to Whiskey battery 2/11 as 0811 (4.2 mortars) and we chopped with the grunts on Ops.
I never thought of requesting any job function....I was just happy I could get away from my dad and our screwed up home life.
Hence...it is strange for me to read threads regarding 'contracts'.

Hope that is what you're asking....time for a beer.

Everyone have a safe Holiday weekend.

[Old Marine]

With that thread title I thought you had a special on Viagra.

Personally I never thought about an MOS nor did I really care. I never knew what an MOS was or heard anyone mention it until we graduated. I was told I would be basic 3000 Supply. No school, only OJT. Carried the Supply MOS for 20 years wth a secondary MOS of 8511 the last 7 years. I had no desire to have an infantry MOS.

[USNAviator]

For me at 17, as I'd mentioned in another thread, it NEVER occurred to me that I would get anything but infantry in some fashion especially because I knew the Vietnam war was trucking along.
I never know what MOS meant prior to joining let alone actually thinking I could 'request' a vocation or get some sort of 'contract'.
But, I didn't end up as an 03xx, I got assigned to Whiskey battery 2/11 as 0811 (4.2 mortars) and we chopped with the grunts on Ops.
I never thought of requesting any job function....I was just happy I could get away from my dad and our screwed up home life.
Hence...it is strange for me to read threads regarding 'contracts'.

Hope that is what you're asking....time for a beer.

Everyone have a safe Holiday weekend.


Thanks for the info Wayne. What you don't offer a beer to the Navy? :D

Have a safe weekend!

[chulaivet1966]

Thanks for the info Wayne. What you don't offer a beer to the Navy? :D

Oh mierda, I am remiss.
Of course!...my refrigerator is open to the forum.
We'll have to live with Heineken tonight....hope that is acceptable.:)

Back to topic (not going to accuse me of h/jacking this thread because of a cold beer)

[USNAviator]

With that thread title I thought you had a special on Viagra.

Personally I never thought about an MOS nor did I really care. I never knew what an MOS was or heard anyone mention it until we graduated. I was told I would be basic 3000 Supply. No school, only OJT. Carried the Supply MOS for 20 years wth a secondary MOS of 8511 the last 7 years. I had no desire to have an infantry MOS.


I'm working on that Gunny but I need Dave on board to work out the distribution contracts.

[USNAviator]

Oh mierda, I am remiss.
Of course!...my refrigerator is open to the forum.
We'll have to live with Heineken tonight....hope that is acceptable.:)


More than acceptable. Better than Pearl and Lone Star Billy keeps in his fridge in Texas

[jumpinjack]

When I went in in 68, never knew anything about MOS till almost out of boot, I ended up 1833 amtracks.

[USNAviator]

We had a contract in late 1963 but it amounted to the Marine Corps almost literally owning you. You agreed to serve, for six years, any combination of active and inactive duty, but 6 years was the obligation.
I chose 4 active, and 2 inactive reserves.

We took classification tests at Parris Island and based on those scores, presumably, and the needs of the Corps, we were assigned MOSs, but we had no say in the matter at all, no one asked us, we did not fill out dream sheets or anything of the kind. We could not even choose the general field, let alone the exact job.

The only exception was "Aviation Guaranteed". You could choose that.
Other than that, we had no idea if we would be driving a truck or operating a computer.
And we didn't care. No one ever talked about what kind of job he would end up getting, that I ever heard.

They announced MOS in a classroom circle at the very end of boot camp, and they just called out your name, told you what your job would be, period. Then we went to ITR at Camp Geiger on a bus, a nonstop bus from PI, and were there 6 weeks, then some leave, then to our schools.

When I enlisted, took the oath in the recruiter's office with other folks, what I would be doing in the Corps never entered my mind. We wanted to become Marines.


Interesting, so that scene in FMJ was spot on!

There in lies the big difference Dave, you men wanted to be Marines. You didn't care what your MOS was and neither did the generations who came before you like Gunny or Ray Merrill. I hope for the young folks who read this, it will open their eyes. No contracts, no talk of MOS. You signed to be Marines, period!!!

[USNAviator]

Just as an aside----We are really no different from anyone else. We are sometimes irked by the endless questions by younger folks, but if we were young again, and lived in the Internet Age and had a PC right there in front of us, we would be asking some of the very same questions.

Yes but we can't go back again. Our lives were molded by our experiences. We are who we are for better or worse just as their lives will be molded by their experiences. No better, no worse just different

[USNAviator]

Right, but my thought was that we sometimes show impatience when a poolee asks what time of day he will be brushing his teeth in boot camp, and what kind of toothpaste exactly, and how many steps is it from his rack to the head and do they teach you how to shave?-----but if we were their age, and had access to a computer, back then, and every single detail about life was available to US back then, we might be asking the very same things. So it's not the younger folks per se, it's that we enlisted during an era when there was hardly any information about anything, so these things were not the subject of conversations. MOS info included.

In other words, we have to understand that the younger folks are asking so many questions simply because they can.
And the info is out there, so they ask.

Coming up on 4000 posts, Commander. Too bad only less than a hundred amounted to anything. LOL


Didn't we go through this last night? How many times are you going hit 4000 posts?

[chulaivet1966]

No congratulations or anything?? Not even a beer offered to me by Wayne, but he offered you a Heineken. Unbelievable. When he thought it was the end of the world prior to May 21 he was drinking Sam Adams. LOL

Ha...in your zeal you read too quickly weed hopper:
'my refrigerator is open to the forum'....that includes feisty party animals like yourself.

I'm embarrassed that I polished off the Sam Adams....I owe everyone now.
I'm in deep sh!t.

Carry on....:)

[USNAviator]

I hit 4000 last night, but when Jacob the Jckaz was wiped out, my posts were too, so I was set back by about 20 or so

Dave my heartiest congrats. I know this means a lot to you getting your 4000th post, AGAIN!!. Don't blame Wayne, we already finished his keg of Heini so he felt embarrassed he had nothing to offer you

Your 4000th post lapel pin will be in the mail to you. Wear it proudly with your Dudley-do-right tie bar!

You deserve all the accolades you deserve. You'll probably be getting some word from Prince William and Kate about this

[Marine84]

OK.........I'll bite (meaning I'm answering in an "older" Marine question). I didn't sign up because I wanted to do anything specific - I didn't really give a fat baby's a$$. I wanted to fly something but, back then they only let women fly the slow birds like a C131 or a C5 (I think?) - anyway, it was transport planes only. My Recruiter kept telling me my MOS was Whiskey Juliet - whatever THAT was - I didn't care.

I remember taking the tests and stuff to see if any of us had a brain in our heads or not. I remember the whole platoon being marched down to some building that would hold all of us and some S-1 guy calling us up to come and get our first set of orders.

Mine said that I was going to Millington, TN to NAS Memphis for training to be an Aviation Ordnance Armament Repair Technician. Of course, I had no clue what the hell THAT was so, I asked - "what's an Aviation Ordnance Armament Repair Technician?". Do you know this man busted his gut laughing at my Southern a$$ and told me "you're going to be stacking BB's for the next four years". Hell, turned out, I had a BLAST (no pun intended) for the next 4 years!

Swing with the Wing baby! IYAOYAS!

[sscjoe]

I see the kindler gentler War Room is spreading accross L.N. Thanks Dave and Irish

[sscjoe]

Kim, I love you. Will you marry Dan.

[Theoldgunny]

heck in 52 the recruiter never said anything about an mos an no one asked as far as i know we just wanted to be MARINES

[Mongoose]

heck in 52 the recruiter never said anything about an mos an no one asked as far as i know we just wanted to be MARINES
In 67, I didn't even know what an mos was. Dont even remember hearing the word. I , just as many young men. Thought all Marines were in the middle of the shet. It honestly never crossed my mind. That there was anything but Infantry in the Corps.

[m14ed]

Graduated highschool @ 17, figured i needed to drag my feet four years anyway, BINGO!! Had never heard the term MOS untill the last part of boot when they nicely
informed us there were actually different fields we would all work in other than Infantry. Prior to that, I thought we all had to do what was needed to be done on a daily basis.
There was the Airwing option others had talked about, it wasn't a deal breaker, didn't even enter into the contract. Guess you could just mark "Sucker" on our heads back then compaired to what the kids today are getting.
The "Mothers of America" have pretty much ruined our Corps ........

[HST]

I wanted to pull butts on the flamethrower range or be the dud retreiver at the grenade pit but they both required some college. So I became a successful wireman who never wired and mustang HST/FAC radio operator who never took a written message.

[USNAviator]

I wonder how many would join today if there were no contracts.Suppose that would take us back to the days of the draft.

Greetings!!!!! One word sure to spread terror into the minds and hearts of all 18 yo American males

[sparkie]

In '69 I remember a wish list my recruiter had me fill out. I chose infantry, tanks, arty, in that order. At the end of boot I got 2841,, ground radio repair. Pretty close, hugh?
Anyone else remember a 'wish list'? Meebe that was just for us 'young' old farts.
Also remember seeing my recruiter twice on the 120 day delay program. Now I think they live together.

[USNAviator]

In '69 I remember a wish list my recruiter had me fill out. I chose infantry, tanks, arty, in that order. At the end of boot I got 2841,, ground radio repair. Pretty close, hugh?
Anyone else remember a 'wish list'? Meebe that was just for us 'young' old farts.
Also remember seeing my recruiter twice on the 120 day delay program. Now I think they live together.

I'm probably wrong but wasn't their a program that allowed you and a buddy to enlist together with a guarantee you'd at least go through boot camp together?

[sparkie]

I'm probably wrong but wasn't their a program that allowed you and a buddy to enlist together with a guarantee you'd at least go through boot camp together?

But I saw a couple o those in Boot on that program and I wouldn't wanna be them. Just a bit o extra hell.:evilgrin: It gave the DIs extra ammo.

[sparkie]

I my opinion,,,,,,
The buddy program was a good way to gather more cannon fodder. After all, normally only 1 person gets an idea at a time. So Billy wants to be a Marine but he's kinda nervious about the thing. natural. " Hey, I'll get Mikey to join too". Now Mikey is thinkin WTF??? but ole Billy is my life long sidekick so OK, whatever you say buddy. There you have it. More meat for the freezer bags,,,but I'm a little jaded these days. If we were allowed to do the job back then, I might have a different opinion.
But thats just my opinion.

No, I don't regret my decision, or my service. I'm just as proud as the next jarhead. This is my weekend to do a bunch of stupid thinkin...........

[kenrobg30]

Had a thought,I know odd but true, before the MOS selection process started, all Marines were at the mercy of the Fates. Did any of you who went through boot before they had contracts ever think about which MOS you might get? Did you have a wish list? Did you even care?. I suspect the answer to the last one is no. Was anyone disappointed when they didn't get infantry?

The answer, as far as I'm concerned is NO, to all of the questions DAN. I do not recall being given an MOS. True. I never paid any attention to it, until I sighned up for this Site. Also True. I had a number of different jobs during my active service time, and negver knew my MOS. My time as an Interior Guard was the longest time I spent in one job. Field Radio was second longest. I liked both jobs, but I liked Radioman best. The guard job got me too close to the chucken-sh*t Feather-merchants. I far preferred Field Officers, or Marine/Navy Pilots. ( You can keep the brownie points DAN, that butter is free.) They were the REAL Marine Corps. :iwo: Fair Winds, and Following Seas, and Sempre Fidelis, to all of the Brothers and Sisters.
Ken

[chulaivet1966]

I'm probably wrong but wasn't their a program that allowed you and a buddy to enlist together with a guarantee you'd at least go through boot camp together?

Yes...I joined with my best friend Terry Malone and they confirmed we would go through boot together.
We did get separated after ITR.
He ended up in I/3/5 and we just happened to see each other when I was on Op Colorado and they were passing through our LZ west of Tam Ky near Hiep Duc.
This was just after Op Hastings and the Hill 362 ambush.

Sparkie.....never felt he and I got more grief than any others. BUT....I'm sure we didn't send out any memo to the DI's that we joined together.
We hardly spoke and were not in the same quonset hut.

<grin> Time for a refill...</grin>

[Mongoose]

They called it the Buddy Program, but as you said, it only guaranteed that you could go through MCRD together. But in a platoon, you hardly ever talked to anyone else, as usually we kept our mouths shut at all times.
This is why people who were in the same platoon sometimes have very little camaraderie later on, they just never got to know each other while at PI or SD.
Had a Marine buddy of mine, we were both in Puerto Rico for two years together---we had gone through PI in the same platoon but were like strangers while at MCRD.
If you talked with anyone during the 13 weeks of boot camp, it was in a hushed tone for a few minutes during free time or square away time. Never long conversations of any kind.
Dave, my bunk mate in bootcamp was Bob Staats. Hes a member here on L.N. ( RSTA). We used to sit on our footlockers after lights out and bullshet. Got to be good friends. Still are.

[kenrobg30]

Had a thought,I know odd but true, before the MOS selection process started, all Marines were at the mercy of the Fates. Did any of you who went through boot before they had contracts ever think about which MOS you might get? Did you have a wish list? Did you even care?. I suspect the answer to the last one is no. Was anyone disappointed when they didn't get infantry?


I had a reply all typed out on here, but somehow, I lost it. Oh well. I never paid any attention to my MOS, in fact I have to search hard to remember ever having heard mine. Then I came on this site, and everyone talked about MOS. I still don't pay any attention to it. Dan, My answer to your questions has to be NO, except for the last one. I wanted infantry. I concidered the Guard detail in DC to be the pits, but you play the hand you're dealt. :marine: FRair Winds, and S?F!!!

[Old Marine]

OK.........I'll bite (meaning I'm answering in an "older" Marine question). I didn't sign up because I wanted to do anything specific - I didn't really give a fat baby's a$$. I wanted to fly something but, back then they only let women fly the slow birds like a C131 or a C5 (I think?) - anyway, it was transport planes only. My Recruiter kept telling me my MOS was Whiskey Juliet - whatever THAT was - I didn't care.

I remember taking the tests and stuff to see if any of us had a brain in our heads or not. I remember the whole platoon being marched down to some building that would hold all of us and some S-1 guy calling us up to come and get our first set of orders.

Mine said that I was going to Millington, TN to NAS Memphis for training to be an Aviation Ordnance Armament Repair Technician. Of course, I had no clue what the hell THAT was so, I asked - "what's an Aviation Ordnance Armament Repair Technician?". Do you know this man busted his gut laughing at my Southern a$$ and told me "you're going to be stacking BB's for the next four years". Hell, turned out, I had a BLAST (no pun intended) for the next 4 years!

Swing with the Wing baby! IYAOYAS!

I did over 4 years with the zoomies/wing wipers and never had to have an avaition MOS.:evilgrin:

[johnry]

An aviation guarantee was not a guarantee for an aviation MOS. It was a guarantee for an aviation school. To get this reuired an enlistment of 4 years active dut and two years inacive reserve. If you flunked out of school, you still owed the Marine Corps six years. In 1968 in Memphis. most guys who failed ended up piloting a truck.

[Bruce59]

Went in Marine Corps in 1959. Just how I got into the Corps is a long story <br />
not to be add hear to this post. My goal was to get in, do my four years <br />
and get out with an honorable discharge. Four...

[radio relay]

We had a contract in late 1963 but it amounted to the Marine Corps almost literally owning you. You agreed to serve, for six years, any combination of active and inactive duty, but 6 years was the obligation.
I chose 4 active, and 2 inactive reserves.

We took classification tests at Parris Island and based on those scores, presumably, and the needs of the Corps, we were assigned MOSs, but we had no say in the matter at all, no one asked us, we did not fill out dream sheets or anything of the kind. We could not even choose the general field, let alone the exact job.

The only exception was "Aviation Guaranteed". You could choose that.
Other than that, we had no idea if we would be driving a truck or operating a computer.
And we didn't care. No one ever talked about what kind of job he would end up getting, that I ever heard.

They announced MOS in a classroom circle at the very end of boot camp, and they just called out your name, told you what your job would be, period. Then we went to ITR at Camp Geiger on a bus, a nonstop bus from PI, and were there 6 weeks, then some leave, then to our schools.

When I enlisted, took the oath in the recruiter's office with other folks, what I would be doing in the Corps never entered my mind. We wanted to become Marines. Yep, that's the way it was in '68, too.

Nobody discussed MOS. We were at the mercy of the Marine Corps. Out of 65 Marines left in my platoon at the end of boot camp, 60 were given 0300 MOS, five of us were something else. I was the only 2800.

It truly pi$$ed me off because I really, really did not want an electronics MOS. I did not necessarily want to be a Grunt, either, but was hoping for something like tanks. I'd actually turned down an offer while in boot camp to go to the Naval Academy (due to high test scores), because I wanted to go right to Vietnam. Now they were sending me to a year of comm school. Oh well, life's a b!tch, and I did what I was told. Back then, I don't think there was as much separation between MOS's, as there seems to be today. We were still riflemen first. So, it was not as much of a big deal, but I would have preferred a different MOS.

[Mongoose]

Mongoose------Billy, that's the difference right there between PI and SD, we could not talk with each other at all except for a very brief time while cleaning rifles. After lights out, any talking or noise meant instant physical contact
I can see where at San Diego, where you had to clean your sunglasses and get all that sun tan lotion off you, where it would be a little more relaxed. Still strict, but a little easier than Parris Island, I can understand that
Dave, we took a chance doing what we did. We didnt live in a barracks with 85 boots. We lived together in squads in little tin buildings. When we sat up at night and talked. We were putting ourself on the line. But at S.D. we had guts.

[Mongoose]

I know. It was the hardest of the two MCRDs
Your just being nice. I know you don't believe that.

[Marine65]

I enlisted March 1965 with no guarantees. The night before graduation the platoon was issued their MOS. An "Aye-Aye Sir" was sounded, and a snappy about face initiated. All for ground troops and a scenic tour in southeast asia.

[tgwkreu7]

mos never even entered my mind when i left boot camp i never heard of MOS until recently all i wanted to was do my stuff that i know and enjoy my ride i was happy to be a fill pledge jarhead i wanted that ride to last 20 years but if fizzed out after 6 years

[EGTSpec]

Had a thought,I know odd but true, before the MOS selection process started, all Marines were at the mercy of the Fates. Did any of you who went through boot before they had contracts ever think about which MOS you might get? Did you have a wish list? Did you even care?. I suspect the answer to the last one is no. Was anyone disappointed when they didn't get infantry?In 74 I had a Mechanical/Electrical Guarantee. Recruiter assured me I would be Motor-T like my Pa was when he was in back in 54. When my Drill Instructor (never ever called em "DIs") read off where we were going after Boot and what our MOS would be, he said I was going to Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville Ala to train as a 2311 (Ammo Tech). I said, "There must be a mistake, I was supposed to be Motor-T". He proceeded to inform me my guarantee covered about two dozen MOS's. That was my first experience with being lied to/mislead in the Marines, (by my recuiter) to get me to enlist. I got even with my recruiter though, but that's another story for another thread. Never did get Motor-T as an MOS but I acquired a military drivers license and worked in the motor pool for a while TAD at LeJeune as a driver and loved every minute of it.

[tripledog]

In 1960 when I joined the Corps, I was told that if I scored high enough, I would be guaranteed aviation. I passed and was guaranteed aviation. I thought I would be a engine mechanic and make lots of money when I got out.

But I failed the color test so they made me a flight engineer .

Now thats funny, I dont care who you are.