View Full Version : Civilain life SUCKS!!!
SkilletsUSMC
05-10-08, 12:59 PM
:D
Well I just KNEW it would come to this... I am starting to kick myself for getting out of the Corps. I was on the fence as I got out, and only decided to move on to a civilain life because I was a new dad and didnt want to miss time with my son.
Well... I have been considering a Law Enforcement job, but I have been hearing stories about their "boot-camp".:mad: I know I could whoop it on no prob, but If Im gonna do that, why not just go back to where the pros are and the toys are more fun?
So...
Whats the word for prior service comming back in. Ive only been out for 8 months, so am I still eligible for some re-enlistment bonus $$$? Can I keep my rank? I know things have changed a bit for re-treads.
I know there are probably links here somewhere, but my searches have come up with nothing.
SEMPER FI!!!
SkilletsUSMC
05-10-08, 01:09 PM
Not even one view yet?:scared:
Phantom Winger
05-10-08, 01:12 PM
Get in touch with your local PSR
http://www.marines.com/page/usmc.jsp?pageId=/page/Detail-XML-Conversion.jsp?pageName=Prior-Service&flashRedirect=true
You're in good shape if you're under 3 yrs from your separation date. Talk to a recruiter - he'll set you up...
SkilletsUSMC
05-10-08, 01:32 PM
Get in touch with your local PSR
http://www.marines.com/page/usmc.jsp?pageId=/page/Detail-XML-Conversion.jsp?pageName=Prior-Service&flashRedirect=true
You're in good shape if you're under 3 yrs from your separation date. Talk to a recruiter - he'll set you up...
Thanks for the reply.
I would like to do some research first before I call a PSR. I want to make sure Im maxing out what ever bennis may be available.
Im not saying the recruiter would screw me, just that I want to know whats on the table BEFORE I call.
Marine84
05-10-08, 02:47 PM
Make the call dude - that's the only way to find out what you can get.
Kegler300
05-10-08, 04:07 PM
Depends on whether or not the Marine Corps has a need for your skills and abilities. You need to see a prior service recruiter to at least see what your options are, mos availability, etc.
Scott,
I'm currently banging my head on the wall. ;) I'm not gonna say I told ya so. The other side of the coin sucks LOL. You will not regret going back in but but might later regret not going back in. I believe there is still a signing bonus for retreads. Walk in the office and say I am a Marine. I have a purple heart and I want back in. What do you have to offer?
SkilletsUSMC
05-10-08, 05:46 PM
Scott,
I'm currently banging my head on the wall. ;) I'm not gonna say I told ya so. The other side of the coin sucks LOL. You will not regret going back in but but might later regret not going back in. I believe there is still a signing bonus for retreads. Walk in the office and say I am a Marine. I have a purple heart and I want back in. What do you have to offer?
I knew you were going to be in this thread soon enough. You can say "I told you so" all you want. Right now the only thing I have to do is think hard about moving back away from the family.
I think it will be a bigger deal to my old lady, but she just may have to suck it up.:D
Scott, I know we've talked before and you have to listen to your heart AND brain. You have a wife and son, as you know its not just what you want, do you know what I mean? I'm not trying to say be henpecked and do what the wife wants only, but its a two way street and the only way a family really stays happy is if mama is happy.
If you can make her happy about it then its a no brainer....unless you don't care or are not worried about what she thinks? Maybe she will get used to it again, or whatever....just try to make it a family decision, then you can feel 100% good about going back in, or not.
I know several cops at my gym and this one State guy told me that PG County has one of the best retirements out there....and if you do like 25 years you get around 75% of your pay I think he said. Of course its PG County though, lol.
I'm just playing devils advocate brother.
Phantom Winger
05-10-08, 06:20 PM
JetDoc has a good point. The old saying goes "if she ain't happy, you ain't happy... and if she ain't happy long enough, you'll be unhappy with 1/2 your stuff". It's gonna be tough on her as well. I wouldn't deny any Marine the chance to go back in but being married it's as much her decision as it is yours.
I sent you a PM. If you're looking for police work there are some great opportunities out there.
It's tough to think about no more home made meatloaf and a romp in the sack but at the same time it is easy to think about kid needs braces and roofing houses aint gonna cover it. I'm not certain but I believe there is still split pay .... you get $50 she gets the rest to take care of keeping things rolling on the home front. Hell $50 will cover a haircut and other essentials easy.
pffan021
05-10-08, 07:06 PM
We had a guy in my unit come back after nine months out. He received his re-enlistment bonus, but his cutting score was zeroed out for a year. He's still glad he did it though.
Persian Gulf
One of my first leaders was Cpl Rash. He had been around the world. Got out. He was my squad leader for a time. When the Desert storm kicked up he came back an low and behold I was his squad leader. Later he zipped through the ranks and picked up Sgt before I did. He was PFC Rash in the sandbox. Swam like a fish ....
He had money to burn and came back to the Marines to join the fight.
SlingerDun
05-10-08, 07:40 PM
50 Bucks! hehehe now there's incentive...
Skillet civilian life sure enough can suck hind even if you have a plan and are busting your hump to follow it. Guy's gotta push himself towards succeeding in civilian life everyday you know, it's just a different kind of camp. I didn't get alot shoulder slapping from "partners" to excel at my job as much as i did abuse in the form of whining and pecking when i smelled liked a hobo in August and was tired to go out dancing Saturday and spent Sunday studying. I eventually got handy (after about 12 years), cleaned up and acquired some stuff and control. It ain't all about "wifey" not for me anyway, i've got my own life and things to do.
But wife and kids and encouragement or not, a man still needs a plan and has to dive into it and this can make the Marine Corps seem like a skate, yet the rewards could be vast. If a chosen new occupation never does mean as much to you as being a Marine, that don't mean you can't master and find great satisfaction in it.
--->Dave
jarhead-0311
05-11-08, 09:51 AM
skillets i know how you feel i got out in 03' same reason had a 9 month old and wanted to spend time with him ....i went to the police academy in florida in 06' and graduated in 07'..had a job line up w/ the sheriffs dept. but missed the marine corps more .....so i talked w/ my wife and decided to get back in ...i went to the recruiting station and talked w/ the recruiter in nov. of 07' he did all my paperwork i went to meps for a phys. 2 months later i was swearing back in and i could not be happier to be an 0311 again...you get to keep your rank but you do loose your time in grade....also once you swear back in be ready to recive your orders i worked at the recruting station for a month and then recived my orders....good luck..
SkilletsUSMC
05-11-08, 10:05 AM
skillets i know how you feel i got out in 03' same reason had a 9 month old and wanted to spend time with him ....i went to the police academy in florida in 06' and graduated in 07'..had a job line up w/ the sheriffs dept. but missed the marine corps more .....so i talked w/ my wife and decided to get back in ...i went to the recruiting station and talked w/ the recruiter in nov. of 07' he did all my paperwork i went to meps for a phys. 2 months later i was swearing back in and i could not be happier to be an 0311 again...you get to keep your rank but you do loose your time in grade....also once you swear back in be ready to recive your orders i worked at the recruting station for a month and then recived my orders....good luck..
Great 3rd post!
Im not too worried about losing my time in grade. Ill Pick up Soon enough, but Getting busted down for nothing would SUCK!!!
GLAD TO HEAR YOURE BACK!!!!
ErikHeiker
05-12-08, 02:47 AM
Well, I'm going to run counter to everyone else. I got out after six years because I didn't want to raise children as military brats and I didn't want to have to pack up an entire household every few years. I severed my official ties with the Marine Corps and went home. Like a lot of former Marines, there was something about military life that I missed. I would have considered the Marine Corps Reserve, but there was none in Alaska at the time.
So I joined the Guard. I spent almost 26 years in the Guard, most of it Air Guard and most of that as a C-130 loadmaster. I can honestly say that the best years of my career were those I spent as a loadmaster. I got to travel all over the world and normally I'd only be gone a few weeks at a time. I also got to spend time in a combat zone, something I never got to do while in the Marine Corps. Due to the high level of participation, we were for the most part only allowed to spend 65 days or so in the sandbox. We would then rotate planes and crews out and come back to relieve our replacements 60 days later. That was much better than going over for 15 months at a time. Going on 15 month tours every year or so has got to be a terrible strain for those who are married, have children or are in some kind of relationship.
While at home station, in between our sandbox time, we would fly missions to other parts of the world. It was on one of those other missions that we were tasked to deliver a group of Navy personnel to Iwo Jima. I cannot describe the feeling I felt when we went to the top of Mt Suribachi and saw the memorial there. And to look down at the beach where the initial landing was made you knew it was pure hell those first few days.
In short, there are other options besides returning to active duty that still let you serve your country. One of the things you can also do now is use your GI Bill and get your degree. I used mine to get my Bachelor's degree. That will give you the option of going officer. Maybe going back in is the best thing for you, but at least explore the alternatives.
Hell Boy
05-12-08, 10:50 AM
Suck it up and make the call.
nptwildcat
05-12-08, 01:01 PM
There's no "sucking it up" Brother. She needs to be happy. I was married 2 1/2 months when I got shipped to Beirut. When I got back I was a short timer. Told mama I was thinking about re-upping. She said go ahead, but I'm going home. So I got out. Two kids, two grandson's and a 26 year anniversary coming up in July. I hated the desicion at first, but it turned out to be the right one.
Swampyankee
05-12-08, 01:57 PM
I did 3 in the Corps and 7 in the CG. After the battles I saw of my mother and father (dad was a Seabee with an affection for the antartica) I told myself I'd never get married while in the service. Ma wanted dad out and become a cop. It wasn't my fathers fault that dear old ma had a hair across her ***, she married a Seabee. But just the same, I wasn't going to get married and be stuck on a ship if I had any kids being born, as I witnessed while underway. And ma never let me forget dad was down south when I was dropped.
Having said that, I still feel a need to move to another state every few years. My wife has moved more in the 19 years we've been together than I did during my 3 in the Corps. Thought I was tired of the seabag drag. And I guess the fact that I'm posting and reading this forum I still enjoy the company of other Marines. But whatever you do, you've got to live with it, not me. :)
temarti
05-12-08, 05:12 PM
It has to be an "all in" decision with your wife. Four months before my EAS my wife and I weighed the options, re-enlist and if so it was for the long haul or get out with a plan and make it work. It is scary at first with the insurance and starting at the bottom. However, if you find a career that you love you will exceed and keep going without looking back. We did not have children until a year after I was out. Now with three (11, 7, 3) we are able to make it work and do well with the decision.
Erik, you were not the only one that had that viewpoint brother, I did too, but most seemed to say go back in.
I too did the Air Guard thing and retired. Our unit at Andrews AFB didn't even deploy, ever! Not even the two weeks in the summer thing, (summer camp as they called it), did we deploy.
I agree with you Wildcat, you gotta keep mama happy. My wife and I have been married for 28 years and as anyone thats been married long enough knows, the wife is the key to keeping the house happy.
SlingerDun
05-12-08, 07:15 PM
...I weighed the options, re-enlist and if so it was for the long haul or get out with a plan and make it workSee right there it is, you gotta have a plan! Marines who get out and don't formulate one can waste years wandering aimless getting kicked around from one s hit ass job to the next or stuck in a dungeon.
Oh poor me why didn't i stay in the Corps, i had responsibility tenure and rank, i patrolled men and marched them in parades and i was somebody now i'm such a f ucking loser. To whomever...BS. Don't be a punk ass. Get a plan and stick to it.
To whomever...
--->Dave
SkilletsUSMC
05-12-08, 11:38 PM
See right there it is, you gotta have a plan! Marines who get out and don't formulate one can waste years wandering aimless getting kicked around from one s hit ass job to the next or stuck in a dungeon.
Oh poor me why didn't i stay in the Corps, i had responsibility tenure and rank, i patrolled men and marched them in parades and i was somebody now i'm such a f ucking loser. To whomever...BS. Don't be a punk ass. Get a plan and stick to it.
To whomever...
--->Dave
Since this is my post, "to whomever" is obvously me. I dont understand what the hell your point is. Before I got out I was on the fence about staying in or getting out. I decided I was going to co back to my old job, and give the 1st CIVDIV a try. I HAD a plan, but my former career (carpentry) is not doing so well up here, and now I have to deviate from the plan.
Im happy you have a plan and could stick to it. I dont, but it doesnt make me a punk ass.
cucinae5
05-13-08, 12:31 PM
I think you should do what makes you happy. Your wife will understand if it makes you happy.
I had the same thoughts you did of going back in and was all for it. Unfortunately for me I had some things come up that stopped me from going back in full active so now I am in the process of going into the Marine Reserves. At least I will have some part of the Corps still with me.
Good luck with everything and hopefully it works out for you and your family.
SkilletsUSMC
05-13-08, 02:00 PM
I think you should do what makes you happy. Your wife will understand if it makes you happy.
I had the same thoughts you did of going back in and was all for it. Unfortunately for me I had some things come up that stopped me from going back in full active so now I am in the process of going into the Marine Reserves. At least I will have some part of the Corps still with me.
Good luck with everything and hopefully it works out for you and your family.
I can live with the reserves, but the nearest Reserve Company is in California, and Im in Seattle.
Would they pay to fly me out there?:D
rvillac2
05-13-08, 03:03 PM
Would they pay to fly me out there?
Nope. There used to be an Reserve Arty unit in Yakima. You don't have to limit yourself to the Grunt Reserve. You could crosstrain.
You could also consider the 5thMarDiv.
You realize that alot of us have gone through this. After having golden moments with my children, I don't think I would have preferred being back in. That's what made your sacrifice and the current sacrifices of Marines still on duty so valuable. You stood in our place. Thanks again.
I think you should include your wife in your decision making and make her part of the solution. She needs to buy into whatever you decide if you have any chance of keeping her happy.
In my Christian faith, we pledged to die for our wives. That isn't just stepping in front of the bullet. That sometimes means giving up your personal wishes and putting her and family ahead of them (I die a little bit every time I missed a poker game).
I hope you come to a decision that will lead to happiness for all.
Semper Fi, Brother.
SgtThrasher
05-13-08, 04:05 PM
Skillets,Follow your heart,it will make you strong.When I rotated back from Vietnam in Feb 69,I had orders to DI
School @San Diego,after leave ,I processed into something
that in my day was a honor to be selected to, drill instructor
school,the only problem was I had 6 months left on my 4
year enlistment and they wanted me to ship over and go
through the school and they promised I'd be on the drill
field 3 years.I had 18 months in grade as E-5 and I would
make Staff Sergeant after shipping over.My career advisor
told me I could be the Sergeant Major of the Marine
Corps if I made it a career.I always remember his words,
"You may leave the Marine Corps but will the Marine Corps leave you" and he was correct.I went home,married
raised a daughter and had a 35 year career @3M Company and made good money,but always
had a emptiness for the Corps.Sorry for the long post and I wish you well in your endeavors.Keep us posted
Brother.
Semper Fi,
Sergeant Thrasher :evilgrin:
SlingerDun
05-13-08, 05:31 PM
I figure it's critical that such an important topic maintain a sharp edge, avoid fluff and cut right through the jingo. Hell other than those who cash in on duty, last i heard we all gotta be civilians someday.
Believe it or not my last post was not isolating anybody. I tend to generalize on forums perhaps influenced from time spent as a coach and clinician in front of a mob. No i was just borrowing this post to stir up the pot, why?
For generations men can't wait to get out of the Corps and enjoy the freedom they served for only to find that life is expensive and opportunities for success are puzzling and often seem unobtainable...so whats a guy to do. Go back in the Corps or some other branch of service, it's all i know and i'll be taken care of.
Well i think thats fear talkin BS, motherin up to a big warm military tit. All of us were civilians long before we were Marines and most adjust again and inevitably will need to. It doesn't get any easier finding a new life and career as you age.
--->Dave
FistFu68
05-13-08, 06:13 PM
:evilgrin: GO FOR IT MARINE,HELL IF YOU DO 20 OR EVEN 30 ACTIVE;YOU'LL HAVE PLENTY OF LIFE LEFT.I KNOW A CHITLOAD OF FORMER MARINES,THAT RETIRED AT THE AGE OF 38;WHO ARE US.MARSHALS AS WE SPEAK.THEY ARE KEEPING ALL THEIR TIME FEDERAL,"GREAT PENSION".:usmc: :iwo:
Swampyankee
05-13-08, 07:40 PM
For generations men can't wait to get out of the Corps and enjoy the freedom they served for only to find that life is expensive and opportunities for success are puzzling and often seem unobtainable...so whats a guy to do. Go back in the Corps or some other branch of service, it's all i know and i'll be taken care of.
All of us were civilians long before we were Marines and most adjust again and inevitably will need to. It doesn't get any easier finding a new life and career as you age.
--->Dave[/quote]
Your half right and half wrong on that account, in my case anyway. Yes, after I got out I found the skills of a rifleman to be unuseful in the 1st civ div and therefore was a bit outside my element. To add to that, the economy in RI was in recession before Carter got into the White House. And with his help it wasn't any better when I got out. So I almost re-upped for the airwing, but then thought I'd like to do something other than train for something I might not see. Ergo the Coast Guard for me. Real time missions. (Really ****ed off one MC recruiter who had all the papers drawn up.) Which leads to where your wrong, in my personal case anyway.
I was a civilian before the Corps for all of 1 month. Can't really consider a person living off the paycheck of the folks as a bonafied civilian. Graduated high school in June and was on the bus to PI by July. So the fact that I had no experiance as a civvy before the Corps could very well be the reason I went back to the "tit", as you put it. I returned to that which I knew more about at the time.
Even after I got out of the CG I didn't really stray far from the herd, as my last carreer was as a state marshal. But by then it was the only logical choice with all that other stuff behind me.
SkilletsUSMC
05-13-08, 09:55 PM
I figure it's critical that such an important topic maintain a sharp edge, avoid fluff and cut right through the jingo. Hell other than those who cash in on duty, last i heard we all gotta be civilians someday.
Believe it or not my last post was not isolating anybody. I tend to generalize on forums perhaps influenced from time spent as a coach and clinician in front of a mob. No i was just borrowing this post to stir up the pot, why?
For generations men can't wait to get out of the Corps and enjoy the freedom they served for only to find that life is expensive and opportunities for success are puzzling and often seem unobtainable...so whats a guy to do. Go back in the Corps or some other branch of service, it's all i know and i'll be taken care of.
Well i think thats fear talkin BS, motherin up to a big warm military tit. All of us were civilians long before we were Marines and most adjust again and inevitably will need to. It doesn't get any easier finding a new life and career as you age.
--->Dave
Every Friday, myself and two other Marines with whom I grew up with head out to our favorite bar to touch base.
From the moment we belly up to the bar, we talk endlessly about the Corps. We talk about the platoon daddys we had that made our lives hell. We talk about the times we had in Iraq, or out on libo.... Im only 30, and yet I feel like the old man at the park feeding pigeons. Talking about a life thats over.
You are right about wanting badly to get out from the day you set foot on the yellow footprints, but something tells me that things are different for Marines on their second enlistment.
As far my personal situation goes, Its not a matter of the "tit" of .gov pay. I can earn some money. I have skills and opertunities. I am still going to dip my toe into the LEO community. But the fact remains that I really liked the Corps, and even if I dont go back I will miss it.
I think my wife understands, but she will need to make her own decisions before I pull the trigger.
But thanks for the critisim slinger. Its actually good to be forced into evaluating your position to ensure there are no flaws.
Seasoldier0331
05-15-08, 11:10 AM
The Marine Corps needs warm bodies now in the worst way, being out 8 months is nothing, if you have a good reenlistment code they will take you back in. Depending on your MOS will dictate if any bonus is given. Good luck.
SF Jack
CplKJSpevak
05-15-08, 12:22 PM
I don't think I ever really looked forward to getting out...I looked forward to not deploying from my wife and 3 year old again.....My 3 year old son is now 15 and just joined the Young Marines...He want's in the worst way to be an 0311 when he goes in a couple of years.....Semper Fi Brothers!
cucinae5
05-22-08, 10:23 AM
Some who post should really think about what they say. Just because someone wants to go back in doesn't mean they didn't have a plan or that they can't handle civilian life. That is such BS. I got out and got a great job making over 60K a year. I was a 0311 so my skills didn't exactly transition but I made due and found a good job. With that said, everyday I still regret getting out and wish I had stayed in.
The Corps is part of me and has always been so one way or the other people feel the need like I do to have it in them and live it. I meet with my Prior Service Recruiter on Wednesday to start my package for the reserves. I may not be able to go full active, but I will be able to satisfiy my need to still be part of the Corps.
I think we all think this way and some of us are too damn scared to pursue it either by going full active or reserves because they don't want to give up there new found life and priviledges.
I still say go with what you feel is right for you. Otherwise you will regret it like so many others.
Keep me posted.
Preacher
05-22-08, 12:12 PM
about remaining with your family civil service may be a better alternative for you. I have been working civil service for the DoD for many years, and will retire in about another 5 years. Check out the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) website.
SF, Preacher
SlingerDun
05-22-08, 07:14 PM
Thats right and most everybody had a plan before they get out___ 'well i'm gonna kick back and relax for awhile and enroll in the hometown CC and look for a job'___remember hearing that plan? it was...
boomer56328
05-23-08, 01:36 AM
Skillits,
I'm just like you. I loved the Corps. Then I went and got married and for the first 3 years of my marriage I was gone for over 2 of them. It was really tough on my wife and I decided to get out. I started out roofing and that was back-breaking work for little money. I eventually got into law-enforcement and became a cop. In your original post you said something about sticking w/ the professionals. Now I'm sure it depends on were you go, but I feel no less a professional as a cop then I did as a Marine. I will admit the job is different and it takes getting used to. Also the toys can be less exciting as you said, but a lot of what you did as a Marine can help you as a cop. There surely are things where you will have an advantage, such as weapons handling and defensive tactics. If you do decide to go into law-enforcement you can still be a professional and do a job that matters. Just my thoughts.
I just saw this and couldn't disagree more.
Civilian Life >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> USMC LIFE
I spent 4 years in the Corps back in the late 50s and I had my short-timer calander.I couldn't wait to get out.I was an air-craft crewchief and flew every day .I was a corporal making 145 dollars a month plus flight pay which was another 50 dollars .Anyway I got out and was lucky enough to get a job in an aircraft factory in Cleveland ,Ohio..making 10 times what I was making in the Corps.Plus I didn't have to stand Inspections.I love the Corps now but never looked back..
I spent 4 years in the Corps back in the late 50s and I had my short-timer calander.I couldn't wait to get out.I was an air-craft crewchief and flew every day .I was a corporal making 145 dollars a month plus flight pay which was another 50 dollars .Anyway I got out and was lucky enough to get a job in an aircraft factory in Cleveland ,Ohio..making 10 times what I was making in the Corps.Plus I didn't have to stand Inspections.I love the Corps now but never looked back..
I was going to add,I had what they called "a critical MOS "at that time and the last month of my 4 years I made Sgt. and They offered a 2 thousand dollar shipping over bonus..I still left..