Information greatly needed.

[dep_baumy]

I was wondering if anyone on this forum was in combat support and worked with tanks. Please correct me if I am wrong but I understand once you sign up for your MOS you dont know exactly what job you will have, just what type of field you will be in. IE infantry as your MOS, you could be a rifleman, mortarman etc....right? Well I have combat support because I really want to get into tanks. There are 2 jobs with tanks and 2 without. (one is with cannons and one with air to ground missles). My questions basically are : How do they pick which one you will be working with? What is all required to get the job with tanks? Is there even a high demand for tankers?

Thanks for your time.

[jdfairman]

Combat Service Support is not tanks OR artillery. If you want to be a tanker, the MOS is Armor. Air to ground missiles??? The only air to ground missiles I know of are fired off of Cobras, Harriers, Prowlers, F-18's and sometimes Hueys. As far as Ground to Air, your MOS would be Air Defense, and you would be with a LAAD battery.
If you want to be a play with the big guns, your MOS would be Artillery (OORAH KING OF BATTLE). I was an FDC man (nerdy guy who does gunnery calculations) in the Marine Corps Reserve before I went active. This is a great MOS. The only downfall is that your MOS school is at the armpit of the world (Ft. Sill in Lawton, OK).
Hope this helps

[dep_baumy]

Yes sir I appreciate your response, but I think I may have gotten screwed over............my recruiter asked me at MEPS what I wanted to do and I said "tanks". So he told me combat support was what I had to sign for if I wanted tanks. So does this mean I got hashed? I kind of feel like it though because everytime I ask him for information about my MOS or what exactly I will do he always blows me off and just says not to worry. And he was the one who told me air to ground missles and the cannons were in combat support. So do you think hes lying to me? Right now im kind of confused and wondering what I could even end up as......

[namgrunt]

Baumy, you'll end up as a Marine. Whats wrong with that? Once in the Corps, you can request transfers to assignments other than the one you came in under. Earn the title first.

If you believe your recruiter misunderstood your choice selection, go talk to him again. Make sure you are getting ARMOR as an MOS, if you want to be a Tanker. You can make sure that is what you signed for. Now would be the time to unscramble such a mistake, BEFORE you report for duty at a MCRD.

namgrunt

[dep_baumy]

Yes Sir I agree and the part about being a Marine is what I really care about, but you cant blame me for wanting to know if I got shafted. But up until now I did not know you could transfer, I feel a little more at ease now. Thanks for the great information.

[immaproshooter]

Combat Service Support is a vital component of Marine Corps capability. Marines in CSS designations keep Marine combat forces ready to be mobilized at any moment. Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) designations for Combat Service Support include:

Construction/Utilities – Support combat units by minimizing physical obstacles that challenge the success of a mission. Combat engineers and engineer equipment makers ensure bases, camps and installations have what they need to achieve their missions.

Transportation – Supports combat units by delivering the supplies needed to fight. MOS positions for transportation include motor transport operator and logistics vehicle systems operator.

Public affairs – Supports combat units by keeping people informed and telling the Corps’ story, sharing information with other media outlets.

Legal and Administration – Supports combat units by taking care of any and all administrative needs. MOS designations for administrative support include administrative clerk, postal clerk, legal services specialist, aircraft maintenance administrative clerk, and aviation operations specialist.

Logistics – Supports combat units by organization and providing necessary supplies to fight. Maintenance management specialists, air delivery specialists, logistics specialists, air delivery specialists and ammunition technicians are key to a mission’s success.

Supply and Accounting – Supports combat units by maintaining inventories of supplies needed to fight. Supply administration and operations specialists are crucial for maintaining day-to-day business affairs.

Equipment/Vehicle Repair and Combat Vehicle Repair – Supports combat units by keeping all equipment in top working order. Engineer equipment mechanics, small arms repair technicians, towed artillery systems technicians and organizational auto mechanics make sure the job is done right. Combat vehicle positions include assault amphibious vehicle repairer/technician, main battle tank repairer/technician and light armored vehicle repairer/technician.

Ordnance Tech/Metal Works – Metal workers and small arms repairers support combat units by doing any manufacturing, retooling or configuring necessary.

Service Management – Traffic management specialists and packaging specialists support combat units by coordinating manpower, materials and transportation.

got the info right here:

http://www.marines.com/enlisted_marines/combatservice.asp

[namgrunt]

You won't be able to transfer immediately upon joining a unit, but you can talk to your platoon guide, and the company Gunny, and get an idea how long before you could apply. Explain your goals and ask for their help in getting there.

Double check with your recruiter. As I said, now is the time to unscrew a mistake, before your feet hit the yellow footprints. If the contract is changable, then change it. If is is written in stone, then do the best you can to get to your goal MOS as rapidly as the Corps will allow.

[Echo_Four_Bravo]

Just because your MOS is worded as Combat Support does not mean it is a part of the Combat Service Support unit. It is just a code that will go away once you enlist. There is a specific indicator that says what MOS fields you will be able to get. Mine was W-8, Combat Arms. This meant I could have been in communications, artillery, ordance disposal, and a few other things. I ended up being a communications person. It is all about the needs of the Corps. Its great that you want to be a tanker... if the Corps needs you there, then that is what you will be. But, if the need LAAD gunners (because by the sound of the MOS I think you meant Ground to Air missile, not Air to Ground) or cannon cockers, then that is what you will do. On the plus side, they are all MOS's that you would probably like. If tanks is your idea of fun, the rest of that should be as well. You get to blow up a bunch of stuff in arty, shoot planes in LAAD, and you know what tanks do.

[mucho]

Originally posted by dep_baumy
Yes sir I appreciate your response, but I think I may have gotten screwed over............my recruiter asked me at MEPS what I wanted to do and I said "tanks". So he told me combat support was what I had to sign for if I wanted tanks. So does this mean I got hashed? I kind of feel like it though because everytime I ask him for information about my MOS or what exactly I will do he always blows me off and just says not to worry. And he was the one who told me air to ground missles and the cannons were in combat support. So do you think hes lying to me? Right now im kind of confused and wondering what I could even end up as......

that same thing happend to me!!
my recruiter finally told me that its like an open contract, but in the support of combat.... thats not what i wanted him to tell me, i wanted an mos number... i

[mucho]

i'll go in tomorrow, and see if he will elaborate alittle more...

[cmbell]

I kinda had the same thing happen to me when first enlisted in the Corps. I wanted to be a Mechanic in Motor T. My recruiter told me I would be. It came out that after MCT that he put my MOS in as 3500 instead of a 3521. I wound up being a 3531 Motor T operator. I was kinda mad at first, but I had a whole lot of fun being a driver and would not have changed it for anything. So check with your recruiter and make sure your not going into something that you dont want. Just as _namgrunt_ says "Earn the title first". I agree with that. It seems like many poolees are worried about too much in the future. Always take it one step at a time.

Semper Fi

[mucho]

Combat Support is a group of MOS's called Charlie Echo. It consists of 4 MOS's "Feild Arty Cannoneer" "M1A1 Crewman" "Assault Amphibious Veh Crewman" "Low Altitude Air Def Gunner"

this is what my recruiter told me today. and he showed me everything in a book, it had a "CE" and then it said "Combat Support" and then it had those 4 MOS's

[mucho]

well poop, i just read your original question, and i see that you already knew that... oh well lololol

anyway, i found out today, there is an oppening for me to go to MCRD on March 15th instead of April 5th... so we put in a request to have me moved up... I would totally love to go now!!


well yea, I'm excieted about that.

[fulmetaljackass]

dep baumy

Here's how it worked when I went in, and my best friend went to boot camp in January. From what I hear, nothing's changed. The MOS you get will be a toss-up between those four MOS's listed on that CE contract you mentioned. If you stated that you wanted tanks, then that is more than likely what you will get, although I am in no position to make any promises based on that. However, to get guaranteed an MOS, you must enlist with an initial contract of 6 years rather than 4.

[Sixguns]

The Corps looks at itsgreatest needs and the line scores from your ASVAB test. You will be placed based on these items and the school seats still available to train new Marines. Remember, you may not have qualified for the other programs and that could have resulted in your program option.

Sixguns