Combat Engineer & Sapper Info Needed

[Chevron77]

I'm planning on signing up soon and the MOS I want to ask for is combat engineer. I heard about sapper school a while back and that too seems like something I'd like to do. Any information you can give would be appreciated and useful in my decision to join the Corps.

[DOWORK1]

This is my mos. We mainly work with explosives and route clearance in Iraq/Afghanistan. Engineers are primarily infantry.

[PaidinBlood]

. Engineers are primarily infantry.

That's a bit of a stretch..there are some common skills, and the combat engineer is expected to be able to hang with the grunts, but it isn't the same. The average crunchy doesn't understand "Triple-nickle-40" and most engineers aren't expected to bear the brunt of the fighting. We are all warriors and in this together, and just because we have knowledge of something doesn't necessarily make for expertise. Having said that, even the 03 job is getting tamer in OIF-we are seeing arty, Motor T, and other MOS's being fielded successfully as Provisional Infantry Platoons, and even MTTs/PTTs. This won't last forever.

[2ndCEBSupply]

2nd Combat Engineer Batalion right here what kind of questions do you have?

[Chevron77]

one question I have about CE is, once I sign my charlie mike form, what are the chances of me getting the billet I want? and is there anything I can do from the time I start boot to ensure I get the CE billet? also, does anyone know anything about sapper training? and what is the difference between a sapper and a combat engineer?

[Jdncowboy]

Sorry to say there isn't much you can do to insure you become a 1371. I signed that same contract when I enlisted with hopes of becoming a 71. But instead they put me as a 1345 Heavy Equipment Operator. I would say that about 90% of the Marines I have met with my MOS all signed the contract to become 1371's but we all became 1345's or 1341's. Honestly when I first found out that's what I was going to be I was pretty bummed out. But after the school house and now being in the fleet for a little while, and the stories i heard from my instructors at school. I love being a operator, we get to do some pretty bad ass ****.

-Cowboy

[Chevron77]

Does anyone have any info on sapper training? and what they do in comparison to CE