Just joined the site and I have some ?'s

[jrcollege]

Thanks in advance Marines!

I am 23 yrs old and my name is Josh. I did fill out the profile to. Here is what I am up to. I have a GED but I am now working on close to 30 hours of college. I am ready to do something in my life that I respect and something I stand for. Here are some issues I have: I have a girlfriend of 2 years and she has three children and we have one child with each other. The guy just got up and took off on her, shes a great women and mother. Im 23 years old and she is 31 years old and we want to get married but the recruiter told me that if I did that it would be to many dependents...I was kinda upset because I have become the father to her kids and made alot of sacrafices and I felt like that was a kick in the face. The recruiter then told me just to get married after I was in and they would be able to move with me after all the training to the base Im at. Thats just to sum that all of on that issue...any input would be great thx
Next, if I go active I want to work on jets as a mechanic or do computer software (fixing or whatever) something I can do when I get out. Is this easy to get done?
Im ready to get in now, maybe sign up around january thats when the school sem;s ends...any help would be great and I am in the middle of a huge change in my life and I want to make the right one.

Also how long on deployments away from family in 4 yrs? Can family go with you overseas on your tours in most areas?

sorry guys im new and i have been reading the site some and had alot to say.

THANK YOU MARINES FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO, HAVE DONE, AND WILL DO
YOUR ARE THE BEST OF THE BEST AND I HAVE DEEP LOVE AND RESPECT FOR ALL OF YOU!:iwo:

[outlaw3179]

Well first off Welcome to the site. Its good that your considering joining the Marines. First thing,....why are you joining the Marines. If its for financial reasons, dont join. Marines are Marines for different reason. Honor and Duty . So if its for financial then consider a different branch of the armed forces. If it is for the correct reason , then great , Im sure youll make a fine Marine.
As far as getting married before you go to boot camp... dont. Just like your recruiter said , If you truly love this woman and she in turn loves for who you are then yes get married . It will be much easier at that point.
Marines deploy. and when we get deployed its not to nice place. We train to go to war and we train to kill other people. So remember that. A deployment is long and you will be away from your family for the entire time.On average you will deploy twice if in the infantry but because of the current world situtuation it may be more. As another job you may never deploy. If you are stationed overseas sometimes you are allowed to bring your family but its only when your orders for overextended period of time.
One thing , if you have your GED it might limit what jobs you can do in the Marine Corps. but thats something you need to talk to a recruiter about. I in no way know everything. I hope you go to the recruiter , you get your answers , and I hope you choose a path where you can take care of your family , serve your country and at the same time be happy in your decision. Just remember the Marine Corps is not like every other service, we are Marines.

[marinegreen]

Dont marry until you get a strip or 2,housing is not cheap. I met guys at my 1st duty station(okinawa) who went home and got married after boot. They would tell me how there wifes were lonely and they should have waited longer(red flag) Upon returning to the states and going on leave, I had 1 guy call and say his wife left him. Next duty I ran into 2 more who said the same thing.Its hard on a couple when your young and you get shipped out overseas.I'm not saying it would happen to you but its something you need to think long and hard about.Good Luck in your endevors!!

[Marine84]

If the Marine Corps wanted you to have a wife - they would issue you one in bootcamp.

[rktect3j]

Marriage for a new Marine is really difficult. I'd tell you to hold off for a year or so. Just my 2 cents.

[wsimkins]

Don't waste your breath. Let me share with you the PM's I got and the advice I have given. He has made several posts and in each he has been told the family life is second. I sent him a PM and stated the truth of things and told him the Marine Corps was for warriors, not family men. I explained what he would have to do and this is what I get in response:

PM:

My family is concerned with me being shipped from boot camp to iraq. Im not trying to avoid iraq but I would like to do whats safer and plus I see alot of stuff on TV about dems wanting to pull us out. How is the 6 month marine navy thing work...that sounds interesting...
say i signed up wnrt to boot camp and tried to do the pcf deal...how liong would it be months, yrs before my famiuly could come...also is there a way to become a full time recruiter...

thx jst answer what u can and thanx for all ur help!

Response:

Sir you are someone with no skills looking at the military as a way to make money and support your family. You have no place in our Marine Corps. You NEED TO BE in another branch of the service! Your heart is not where it needs to be.

Quit wasting our time and go do something worthwhile. Your family needs you at home. I realize I explained the benefits of deploying for 6 months at a time, but the way you act, I guarantee you would be one of the troops on the ship that did nothing but wine about getting back home to see mama. We called that "Pus*y Whipped".

Take it as you may, just go away. JOIN THE AIR FORCE!

No Semper Fi to you.

Instead FU,

Sgt. Simkins

PS- The best part of him dribbled down his daddy's leg. :devious:

[GySgtRet]

asking the same question and I think we have covered this stuff before. Marine84, now babe you are crusing for a brusing talking like that...LOL
Anyway, I think his questions have been answered and that you for filling in your profile.

ZOOOMMMM

[J-Ro]

Don't waste your breath. Let me share with you the PM's I got and the advice I have given. He has made several posts and in each he has been told the family life is second. I sent him a PM and stated the truth of things and told him the Marine Corps was for warriors, not family men. I explained what he would have to do and this is what I get in response:

PM:

My family is concerned with me being shipped from boot camp to iraq. Im not trying to avoid iraq but I would like to do whats safer and plus I see alot of stuff on TV about dems wanting to pull us out. How is the 6 month marine navy thing work...that sounds interesting...
say i signed up wnrt to boot camp and tried to do the pcf deal...how liong would it be months, yrs before my famiuly could come...also is there a way to become a full time recruiter...

thx jst answer what u can and thanx for all ur help!

Response:

Sir you are someone with no skills looking at the military as a way to make money and support your family. You have no place in our Marine Corps. You NEED TO BE in another branch of the service! Your heart is not where it needs to be.

Quit wasting our time and go do something worthwhile. Your family needs you at home. I realize I explained the benefits of deploying for 6 months at a time, but the way you act, I guarantee you would be one of the troops on the ship that did nothing but wine about getting back home to see mama. We called that "Pus*y Whipped".

Take it as you may, just go away. JOIN THE AIR FORCE!

No Semper Fi to you.

Instead FU,

Sgt. Simkins

PS- The best part of him dribbled down his daddy's leg. :devious:


This guy is a F*% nuisance!

(:cry:college "I can't figure it out")

[Marine84]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! He wants to join the military but wants a "safe" job!

Give me a break!

[outlaw3179]

I told hime the same f*cking thing when he pmd me. He can join something but the Marines are not for you man. You want to help your family and be a good father and husband , theres nothing wrong with that. But if your going to join the Marines then you have to understand you will deploy to a bad place, and place your life in danger and that you cannot be worrying about your family when your fireteam or squad or whatever is depending on you. You seriously need to sit down think about what the hell your going to do , but right now as far as I can tell the Marine Corps is definetly not the paycheck you want to cash.

[Echo_Four_Bravo]

Not that we get them all the time, but it seems as if more and more kids want to "be Marines" without ever having to do what Marines do. All of the questions about deploying confuse me. When I was enlisting, that is what I assumed would happen... and it helped me decide to enlist. I would guess that most people here feel about the same way. The Marine Corps isn't some cool super-secret club we joined. It is a group of men and women that do the dirty work for our country. Whether we are Republicans or Democrats, whether we agree with the conflict or not, and whether we think we need to be at home with our families or not- when the call comes, we go. There is an old saying "First to go, last to know" and it fits the Marine Corps well. We are often the first troops on the ground, and that is usually before people have really figured the whole story out. Once the rest of the world knows what is going on, we don't have time to watch CNN and learn it ourselves. Instead, we're winning battles, which is what Marines have done since November 10, 1775. Everything else is secondary while you're serving in the Marine Corps. Only later, when you are assigned to the First Civ Div does your opinion about where you should be, when you should be there, and why it is that way begin to matter.

[marinegreen]

Not that we get them all the time, but it seems as if more and more kids want to "be Marines" without ever having to do what Marines do. All of the questions about deploying confuse me. When I was enlisting, that is what I assumed would happen... and it helped me decide to enlist. I would guess that most people here feel about the same way. The Marine Corps isn't some cool super-secret club we joined. It is a group of men and women that do the dirty work for our country. Whether we are Republicans or Democrats, whether we agree with the conflict or not, and whether we think we need to be at home with our families or not- when the call comes, we go. There is an old saying "First to go, last to know" and it fits the Marine Corps well. We are often the first troops on the ground, and that is usually before people have really figured the whole story out. Once the rest of the world knows what is going on, we don't have time to watch CNN and learn it ourselves. Instead, we're winning battles, which is what Marines have done since November 10, 1775. Everything else is secondary while you're serving in the Marine Corps. Only later, when you are assigned to the First Civ Div does your opinion about where you should be, when you should be there, and why it is that way begin to matter.




Can we get a "AMEN" !! I think we all have covered enough on this said subject,write him off.Marine84 summed it up best,God I'd love to wrestle with that woman, SF

[Marine84]

get the jello ready

[jrcollege]

you all are suppost to be recruiting its called ask a Marine lol...and this guy told me to **** off...look 2 post or three above..that is out of line bro. where the hell am i suppost to ask? i bet that is why not alot of people post here or responde.

[jrcollege]

look all im saying is i have questions and people i love. just because my love for my child and family comes into play does not mean i cannot become a damn good Marine. as far as a safe job...i want to learn something while in like a trade thats all...i mean all im trying to do is become a Marine..so i am sorry if i came acroos wrong but i came to this section for help..


thx keyboard caps lock is messing up to...

[Marine84]

nobody is bashing you for wanting to be a husband and a father - nothing wrong with that - that's very admirable. However, it's not a very good combination with the Corps for real for lots of reasons.

Find something at home where you can be there for them - nobody will hate you for that.

[jrcollege]

i understand the road is hard but i want this!

[Echo_Four_Bravo]

You have to decide which you want more, to be with your family or to be a Marine. The two do not go together well.

It appears as if you think that things should be different for you because you have a family. It isn't. The Marine Corps is what it is, and it is that way for everyone. If you don't like the fact that you will be deployed for long periods of time and that you'll likely be in a place where bad men want to kill you- you need to find something else to do. This isn't job corps, the main goal isn't to train you in a trade... it is to win battles. If you want job training, there are places for you to get it. If you want it in the military, there are other branches. The only reason for joining the Marines is because you want to be a Marine- and you're willing to put everything else aside while you're being a Marine. The "Big Green Machine" has to come first in your life.

[DevilDogHEMech]

It is simple: the United States Marine Corps is not right for everybody. If it was then it wouldn't be the Marine Corps. I am stationed overseas right now and (no BS) almost every Marine I know over here with a wife or girlfriend or kid back in the states is having serious problems staying with them. One Marine in my platoon just got divorced, and another is not far away from it. One of my roommates has been overseas for only two months of a two year tour here, and is already starting to have frequent arguments with his high school sweetheart back in Kentucky whom he's known since they were very young. Marines deploy, that is why we exist. If you join, you WILL be forced to leave your family behind, sometimes for very long periods of time. You will not make as much money as you probably could as a civilian, you will not be there to see the kids grow up, you and your wife may have problems trusting each other, and it is harder to focus on your job as a Marine if you are constantly worrying about things back on the home front. It is one thing to join young, earn a few stripes, and then get married. It is quite another to be a young private with a family back home to worry about. If you do go enlist, you had better be very sure of your reasons for doing so.

No FU like from that other Marine, but you sure as hell don't get a Semper Fi.

[Marine84]

what kind of preconceived notions do you have about being a boot in the Corps and having a family? If your family comes FIRST (as it should) then PLEASE stay out of the Corps - YOU will only be unhappy your entire enlistment! Everybody in here has told you that you will not be able to take them everywhere with you and you're going to miss out on a lot of things in your kid's lives.

Just rethink things..............

[jrcollege]

thanks everyone

[jbrocatomarine]

jrcollege,

You're getting the true scoop,from everybody.Digest the info and make up your own mind. The Marine Corps comes first, last, and allways. Family Friends Wife and Children will Stand By,while you do your duty to your Country and your Corps.It's not an easy life for for a wife and children,and it takes a very special woman to be a Marine Corps Wife,she has to understand what her Husband and Marine has to do for his Country. She will have to raise the kids,kick their ass when needed,and keep the house running untill you get home from whereever the Corps sends you. I hope you'll make the right decision.

[David Jameson]

I have ike ya Know 6 kids .One from like my first wife and the rest from other people I know a little. I was thinking of like joining up I have some collage .My question is "Do they have a space program in the Marines that I might Qual--Become part of . I don't want to go on the shuttle because it goes KA -pow to much just somthing that will get me up there were i can get my jump wings . also why do I have to carry na E-tool if they are going to make a green belt in boot camp.

[David Jameson]

Sorry I lost my head

[jryanjack]

jrcollege,

Let me add a little different persepective. The Corps is not a 9-5 civie job, it is more a way of life, a marriage if you will. If you choose the enlist in our beloved Corps you will be expected to put us first, and in order to survive, you must do this. There are no "safe" jobs in the Corps - every Marine, for an 01 admin to the 0311's are riflemen first and always. All of that being said, it is possible to be married, have kids, enlist in the Marines, go to war, and be a good Marine - but it is not the easiest way to do it.

Finally, while you can learn a skill/job in the Corps, what the Corps teaches you is not the same as they do at ITT, so that should not be your motivation - it should be to serve your country and to protect your family by taking the fight to our enemies. If that is not what you want to do then please, do not waste our time, if that is what you want to do, then stop asking questions and do it. If you want to learn a skill join the air force.

[jrcollege]

i feel the reserves are for me

[WalkingMan]

i feel the reserves are for me

Uhhh... reservists are being sent to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Due to the nature of Islam, I suspect that this is going to be a very long war... unless it turns into a nuclear war, in which case it may not be so long after all.

The enemy wants to convert to Islam, or enslave, or murder, every non-Muslim human being on the face of the earth, and they are demonstrating daily, that they don't mind dying themselves, to get the job done.

The family and children you are concerned about (this is a good thing, that you are concerned) are not going to be safe until the enemy is dispached... until Islam is beaten totally into submission.

Take a look at Israel.

The USA, and every other non-Islamic country on the planet, are on the same list, and with the same treatment in mind, as Israel... total annihilation.

Eventually... unless we stop the Muslims dead (and I mean that literally) in their tracks, there won't be a safe place on the planet for the children of Infidels.... Muslims like doing very bad things to Infidel children... just ask the survivours of Beslan Russia.

Maybe the Marines aren't for you... but there is no way of dodging this war, because the enemy is already living in our heartland, waiting for just the right moments, to strike.

I'm an old Viet Nam Marine, and too old and worn out to engage the enemy in face to face combat, but I'm not too old to participate in programs like US-CERT http://www.us-cert.gov/ where one's computing skills (I noticed you had an interest in that) can be used against the enemy, on the Internet.

If we don't retire these maggots in our lifetime, our children, and their children will have to deal with them.

[DWG]

The military is not your answer. I don't know what the pay is now for enlisted, but I would guess an E-6 couldn't support your brood. Plus, the military will not provide a troop transport to move your family from station to station. Military life is hard, but bearable, when you are single; when you have dependents it becomes truly stressful and if both you and your spouse are not committed to what you are doing, you are both doomed! Your recruiter is blowing smoke up your ass about getting married after boot-your dependents will be left at home while the Corps does with you what it will. Once you take that oath you belong to the "Big Green Machine" and your choices are very limited by your education. You have pretty close to "screwed yourself away from the dinner table" and you didn't even get the first three turns! Re-evaluate where you want to be in 5 years. Sad but true-not every story ends "Happily ever after". Good luck, boy.

[YLDNDN6]

The bottom line is that there is no "safe" place for a family man anywhere in the world right now. The very last thing you want to do is jump into the middle of the junk by going to one of the least safe occupations on the planet. Let's face it boys, Jihads are called for every day and US Marines rank right up there on the infidel list.

[WalkingMan]

Let's face it boys, Jihads are called for every day and US Marines rank right up there on the infidel list.
Yep... I'm and Infidel, and proud to say so!:)

[Marine84]

Jr honey, the military just ain't the way for you to go.

[Quinbo]

03's only deploy twice every 4 years buuhhh huh hahhhha LMAO ROFL .... you are gone way more than you are home. 30 days in 29 palms here ... 6 weeks in panama there. 7 days in the field every chance you get. Your rack is AJ squared away all the time because you never get to sleep in it. Almost forgot the big sand box.

[outlaw3179]

In your first 4 years on how many WESTPACS did you go on ?

[Zulu 36]

For me, two, and I wasn't infantry either. One involved a visit to Vietnam.

[Echo_Four_Bravo]

The days of the two six month deployments during a four year enlistment are clearly over. A trip to Iraq consumes that amount of total time, and you're going to be going twice. Until the operational tempo returns to normal I'd assume 2 years of deployment plus all of the time to work up for them meaning you'd be gone about 2/3 or 3/4 of the time.

[Zulu 36]

Perhaps I should clarify the lengths of my WESTPACS. The first was 12-months including nine in Vietnam. The second was 13-months. So, I spent just a tad over half of my first four years in other countries no place close to the U.S.

[Echo_Four_Bravo]

Zulu, you experienced something much like the people that are in now are going through. In the long break between Vietnam and the current war, it was usual to do a six month build up, a six month float. After that you would come back, people would get out you'd get new boots, build up again, then float again. After that it was common to do a FAP and then be ready to get out.