Marines who went to the darkside

[al Shabazz]

Has anyone gotten out and joined another branch? I've been out for about 2 weeks now and I was thinking about going into the Army Reserve as a Medic until I get my degree and commission as a medical officer (nursing).
Would I lose my mind going from Active Duty Marine to Reserve Army?

[USMC 2571]

Yes, but TWELVE year break in service.

For more recent folks, check with Sgt Leprechaun (not active on this site but may have old posts about it) and also William Hardy.

I think Zulu36 also but not positive.

[William Hardy]

I got out of the Corps in 1978 as a Gunny after 11 1/2 years. Went to college, got a job and then after getting tenured in my school, joined the Army National Guard so that my active duty time would...

[Phantom Blooper]

Good luck! Once A Marine, Always A Marine! Just listen to Yoda...don't stay on the darkside too long and turn into a vader

[doc h fmf]

Hey Al you should have joined the navy and became a Doc alot of my buddies in the 80s 81,82 were marines and switch over to become corpsmen and nurses,alotof our nurses were navy corpsmen from the Vietnam war.Anyhow good luck AL.

Stephen Doc HansenHM3 FMF

[mexbearlll]

Did 10 years Nevada Air National Guard, just trying to get use to calling everyone by first Names was weird. And it seems You get a ribbon for just about anything. But when it came to Military stuff they looked for a Marine to help them get locked on. It's not bad, You just have to relax when You get into another branch ...At lest that's what the airmen would keep telling Me !!!

[mexbearlll]

Did 10 years Nevada Air National Guard, just trying to get use to calling everyone by first Names was weird. And it seems You get a ribbon for just about anything. But when it came to Military stuff they looked for a Marine to help them get locked on. It's not bad, You just have to relax when You get into another branch ...At lest that's what the airmen would keep telling Me !!!

[mexbearlll]

Oh, it's a Dining Facility,not a Chow Hall ...

[USMC 2571]

It takes a long time to adjust to being in another branch of the service....you almost literally have to keep telling yourself This is NOT the Marine Corps...because at first you will compare the new branch with the Corps, and the fact that there IS no comparison will irritate you unless you decide to stop comparing.

[advanced]

Yes, Dave above is one of our best examples of a turncoat Marine, I mean prior service Marine going into the air force, of all places. In Dave's defense I do not believe the air force is just for slackers and sissies.

[USMC 2571]

hahahahahaha-----who needs enemies with good friends like these???? LOL :)

I can give the OP one piece of advice----never, ever, under any circumstances tell your Marine buddies that you went into another branch. My friends from the mid-1960s still bust my blls over this.

[USMC 2571]

The fact that TWELVE years elapsed between branches----to them, it might as well have been 12 minutes. No slack cut at all.

[Baker1971]

Why aren't you going Marine Corps reserves until school is finished ?

[William Hardy]

He may be like me Top. The nearest center was over 130 miles from the house and I could have drilled in the NG just a few blocks down the street. Gas and wear and tear on the car out weighed the desire to remain in the Corps. In addition, with so few Marine Reserve centers, it also limits what MOSs are accepted there. You might have to retrain or drive even further. When I visited the Marine Reserve unit at NAS Millington (Memphis) years ago, one guy came down from St. Louis just fill the billet of 1st Sgt in order to get promoted. There are lots of catches to it.

That is something I failed to mentioned al Shabazz. You may have to accept assignments to NG Armories not in your area for either your MOS or for promotions. This is especially true if you are an officer. You either go to the new assignment or you do not get promoted. Failure to advance can mean you are out. As far as enlisted, it can mean a failure to get promoted. Yes there are slots, but because people try to stay local, those slots stay filled. If you, for example, wanted a 1st Sgt slot, you might have to travel over a hundred miles. You can keep a request for transfer in closer to your home, but then you might be able to qualify for early promotion if you accepted a SgtMaj slot on the other side of the state....lots of things to consider.

[29palms]

Not to mention, probaby a lot less anal on haircuts and discipline for a weekend of training. No overly gun-ho first Sgts with high and tights with sadistic bearings on their reserve counterparts? There could be many more reasons to go NG. and many have.

[SGT7477]

Had chances to go to the darkside but not for me, Marine all the way, Semper Fidelis.

[William Hardy]

What happened to me that changed my mind about joining the Marine Reserves had to do with what happened on my first visit with the Millington unit. While I was there, they got a reply that I could come in as a Gunny and take over the comm section. Everything seemed to be fine. When Sunday afternoon came, I went out to my car and pushed in on the clutch...POP! What do you do on a Sunday afternoon when all the mechanics are not working and you live over 130 miles from where your car breaks down? Fortunately, I found a mechanic who said I could park my car at his shop and he would get on it in the morning. One Marine was kind enough to tow me out the gate and out on the highway to the mechanic and then to the store just down the street that was also the Greyhound bus stop. Instead of getting home about 7:30 PM, I got back after midnight and had to have my father drive 15 miles to pick me up and take me home. A couple of days later I had to take a bus back to Millington, pick up the car, and drive home. What a hassle. It was like a sign from above. I opted instead to join the Army Reserve and went in as an SSgt. After a year of being in a Drill Sergeant platoon and getting ready to go to DS school for tankers, I got out and joined the Army National Guard and stayed there until I got my time in to retired. I just couldn't throw away all that active duty time. Now I draw almost 1/3 of a Gunny's base pay for the rest of my life. It was worth it.

[VINCE8541]

Active duty Marine Corps 1981-84, 12 year break in service, Currently USAF Air National Guard.