Always wanted to be a Marine.

[Mitchelloh1]

Long story short, I got recruited for football out of high school, went to college, got my degree, married my wife, got a full time job, and now I feel like something is missing. I'm 27 years old, I have a very good job, but feel like I need to serve my country. My grandfather served in WWII on Iwo Jima and I've always admired him for that, my father served in the Army in the 70s and my brother is working for a government agency that he has volunteered to serve overseas on a few occasions. I don't know if it's because I feel like a black sheep, but I just feel pulled toward the service. Especially the marines, I've always wanted to be a Marine and nothing else. My problem now is I'm 27, married, have a good career, and my wife wants a baby. I've talked to her about this and she said she would honor my wishes and would never stop me from serving my country. I thought about going reserves, but don't feel like I would get the full benefits of being a marine. We have a house together in Pennsylvania, both have full time jobs and our family is here as well. If I joined full time, infantry more than likely, what can I expect as far as housing, moving, and living in general for me and my wife? I hate to be selfish about this, but this is something I really want to pursue, my wife knows how bad I want this, and I just need more information first. Thank you all.

[madinfidel]

That's a call that only you can determine your answer to. I will say this though, it's difficult on family members as it was mine. I raised two kids in the Corps, and had many difficult days thinking of them while deployed. But.... It was worth it. My family never lacked for anything and my kids were raised to be men. They have a basic understanding of loyalty and service that only the military can provide. I have no regrets, but I served with many who have been divorced, some multiple times. The Marine Corps is a brotherhood and at the end of the day you will very well be put in positions where each other is all you have. Now some men have difficulty adjusting to this but I found it a comfort. Someone always has your back and as strange as this may sound, the day I received my EGA was as important to me as my wedding day or the birth of my children. Good luck on a very difficult decision.

[Hammer]

I don't believe that ne is never too old to serve their country in some capacity. Like several have said; believe that it should be mandatory that everyone should have to serve in some capacity during their lifetime.

My suggestion to you; is to do what you feel you need to do in order to satisfy your desire to serve. Have no doubt about it; your desire to be a Marine is doable; it's up to you, if you are wiling and able o pay the price.

[Tennessee Top]

Understand your desire to serve. You don't mention what kind of shape you're in, health, etc. The USMC (bootcamp in particular) is a young stud's game. The #1 target for recruiters is highschool seniors. Average age of a DI is 26. It can be done, but personally, I would not have the desire to attempt it at 27 (I went to bootcamp after highschool). You need to go sit down with a recruiter. While you're there, go outside and jump on the pullup bar and see how many you can push out (correct pullups chin over the bar and all the way down).

Obviously, as a Marine, you would be giving up your house and full-time jobs (that means a pay cut - a private makes $18,378 annually or $8.85 an hour). Depending on where you're assigned, your wife may find a job or she may not (there is the possibility you could end up in Okinawa, Japan or Hawaii).

Base housing may-or-may not be available, depending on where you go. Normally, families are put on a waiting list till something opens up (you rent out in town in the meantime). We waited for 13 months at Camp Pendleton for base housing and rented out in San Clemente till then. After 12 months on base, I got my 12 months unaccompanied orders to Okinawa, Japan (meaning the wife could not go - she stayed in our housing unit alone till she met Jody). You will receive a housing allowance until moving into base housing (amount depends on your rank and zip code). Some married Marines prefer to live off base, and never apply for base housing (for myriad reasons).

This is a recent recruit platoon at Parris Island. Looking at their age, and physical conditioning, try to imagine yourself in that formation and see how you stack up:http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff166/rvanclea/USMC/46bab0e6-1bc7-4a49-8c5f-93ba3daccdc3.jpg (http://s238.photobucket.com/user/rvanclea/media/USMC/46bab0e6-1bc7-4a49-8c5f-93ba3daccdc3.jpg.html)

[Tennessee Top]

Forgot about deployments. As a grunt, you should expect to deploy at some time.

The current deployment schedule is a 7 month rotation schedule that goes like this. 7 months work-up (preparation) which sometimes means going to 29 Palms in the Mojave Desert for a training exercise if you're deploying to the Middle East. 7 months deployed - normally aboard an amphibious ship as part of a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). 7 months dwell time (rest/recover/train) at your home base. Start the cycle all over again.

Our commandant has said, he wants to get away from prolonged land-locked campaigns like the last 15 years (that's the Army's mission). Instead, he wants to get back to our expeditionary and amphibious roots. Meaning, more time forward deployed aboard Naval vessels (this means less time at home for you). He also wants to pivot away from the Middle East, and towards the Pacific Rim where most of history was made.

[chulaivet1966]

Mitchelloh1 (http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/member.php?120868-Mitchelloh1).....

I don't mean to deflate your current thinking but I totally agree with Top.

Post #4....
Read that again and look at the current big picture of the life style you already have embarked upon with logic, good judgement and what's best for your wife and her desire for a child.
Not with your emotional sense of regret for not joining the when the time and your age was more conducive to active duty.
Your family's future and well being is paramount.

Now...that doesn't mean the IRR isn't a far more suitable possibility in your situation even though I realize that isn't appealing to you.

Realistically....given the myriad of demands and expectations for and active duty Marine I think your window of opportunity is closed.

Sorry if that is not what you wanted to hear.
I'm just an old Marine being candid.

Whatever you choose....good luck.

Carry on....

[Mitchelloh1]

All great responses as this is probably one of the toughest decisions I've come across lately. My physical conditioning isn't a problem, I exercise regularly, and I don't think being the "old guy" at boot camp would slow me down. In fact I think those young guys would have trouble keeping up with me. Like I said it's my wife that I worry most about. I think my best bet is talk to a recruiter, maybe get a game plan, and explore the option of the reserves. Based on some responses it seems right now it's reserves of bust.

[madinfidel]

The "old man" in my platoon was 29. Served with him for a long while. Never a harder S.O.B lived.

[Tennessee Top]

Yes. You definitely need to go see a recruiter (consider taking the wife with you since this decision will affect her too, or schedule a follow-up with her and the recruiter later).

FYI. As a reservist, your MOS (job) choices are more limited. You will be contracted to fill a vacancy at your nearest reserve unit (or another one you're comfortable commuting to one weekend a month). If that is an artillery battery, you will be a cannon-cocker (not infantry). The reserve company here in Knoxville is a combat engineer unit. But, some reservists living here, commute to a Recon Company about 3 hours away instead of being combat engineers. In addition to drilling one weekend a month, reserves do two weeks of active duty training each summer (while school is out). Your recruiter will know what vacancies exist at your reserve unit.

Just for planning purposes (active duty or reserves it's the same). Bootcamp lasts for 13 weeks. After bootcamp comes Infantry Training Battalion (ITB) for grunts and lasts 59 days. For nongrunts, Marine Combat Training (MCT) lasts for 29 days. After MCT, non grunts go onto their MOS school which typically lasts around 8 weeks but could be longer. ITB is MOS school for grunts (you'll come out of there as a machine gunner, mortar man, assault man, rifleman, etc). Reservists always get a seat before active duty Marines do. That's to get them through the training pipeline, off the active duty payroll, and back home to their reserve unit as soon as possible (saves money that way). Active duty Marines can sometimes spend months waiting for a school seat to open up, because all the reservists are pushed through first.

[deucedeuce]

Have you considered pursuing a commission as an officer? I would recommend you go to your local OSO and have an honest discussion with him or her. A recruiter is going to (required to) send you to an OSO anyway since you have a degree. For what it's worth, a reserve contract as an officer will net you around 12 months of active training split between Quantico and various other MOS specific locations before being assigned a reserve duty station. This may be a path you want to look further into. Let me know if you have any questions about this.

[Mitchelloh1]

Does it matter what degree I have? Criminal justice is what I graduated with. One thing I'm concerned with is being stationed away from my family as a reservist. I know you go home as opposed to being stationed at an actual barracks, but living in Pennsylvania at the moment, where would I go for drill? I know enlisting requires a lot of sacrifice, but I need to know as much as possible beforehand.

[silveradomick]

I'm in western PA. There's a bunch of reserve units relatively nearby. I know of an infantry unit (3/25), an MP Company (B-), and a truck company all within 50 miles of Pittsburgh.

[deucedeuce]

Your OSO is going to be able to better elaborate on these questions and concerns better in person than I would be able to across the internet.

That being said, the subject of your degree is inconsequential, at least officially. If you go officer, once you are at TBS, the Captains may be more inclined to make a lieutenant with a finance degree a comptroller than one with a history degree, but I know winged aviators that have degrees in real estate. It's totally dependent on the needs of the Marine Corps, your performance, and lastly, your preference.

You are going to spend time away from your family, enlisted or officer. I would, again, recommend you go and speak with or call your closest OSO to get official info.

[Tennessee Top]

The USMC is not a viable option for anybody adverse to spending time away from family (one cannot do our job in their own backyard). You should probably look at other options first and put the USMC near the bottom of your list.