0861 Information Please

[03xxPoolee]

Hello,

I originally signed on and was told that there was 1 Rifleman spot left. After a month of waiting and a lot of being lied to by the recruiters and the Gunny I was told it was no longer available and I didnt get it. Basically it sounds like they never put in my MOS request form and gave me all types of stories as to what was happening.

Now 3 months later I have been told my ship date is pushed out a month and say Rifleman is not an option and have without my knowledge got me in as a Fire Support Man under 0861.

From what I have seen about the mos and read about it this is not what I want at all. I was told I was getting 03xx. Ive been training with the inspiration of getting the MOS I had chose.

Now basically I have been completely shot down and discouraged. Can anyone please give me information on this MOS and tell me if it is anything like the 03xx field at all.

And also can you give me some advice as to if I should take this or keep pushing to get 03xx even though aparently they have made it seem that they have done alot of work to get this MOS for me.

Thanks

[Enigmatic]

I wasn't in that MOS but I have a really good friend with 1st ANGLICO who's an 0861 and he loves it. Says he works with grunts all the time but it's not like being a grunt obviously, it's it's own MOS all to itself. I don't know, he says he's got the best MOS in the Marine Corps, but then again who don't say that? Well....I never did...I was admin...

[rvillac2]

Are you Reserve? 0861 is a high speed MOS. Why don't you do a search for it and perhaps lessen the whining.

[saltyone]

My advice...as a former 03...don't settle. If you want to be an 03, don't ship until it's in the contract. This is a big decission. This is the job you will be doing for the next four years...possibly longer. If your dream is to be infantry, don't settle. You'll always be wondering "What if?". If there truely are no slots right now, then ask when there will be, and wait. 08 is a fine MOS but if it's not what you are looking for, and you're qualified to chose, then just wait.

Do what you have to do, but personally, I would have been miserable not being an 03.

[WalkingMan]

Hello,

I originally signed on and was told that there was 1 Rifleman spot left. After a month of waiting and a lot of being lied to by the recruiters and the Gunny I was told it was no longer available and I didnt get it. Basically it sounds like they never put in my MOS request form and gave me all types of stories as to what was happening.

Now 3 months later I have been told my ship date is pushed out a month and say Rifleman is not an option and have without my knowledge got me in as a Fire Support Man under 0861.

From what I have seen about the mos and read about it this is not what I want at all. I was told I was getting 03xx. Ive been training with the inspiration of getting the MOS I had chose.

Now basically I have been completely shot down and discouraged. Can anyone please give me information on this MOS and tell me if it is anything like the 03xx field at all.

And also can you give me some advice as to if I should take this or keep pushing to get 03xx even though aparently they have made it seem that they have done alot of work to get this MOS for me.

Thanks

When I joined back in the 1960's, I do not remember having a choice... MOS were assigned at Boot Camp Graduation. The Marine Corps had tested us, figured out which jobs we were best suited for, and then assigned us to tasks as best they could, that both fulfilled the Marine Corp's needs, and for which we were best suited.

The MOS to which I was assigned was 2533... Radio-telegraph Operator... working a Morse Code Key. This did not make me too happy at the time, but I got with the program, and passed the school, and the other schools they sent me to.

When I arrived in Viet Nam, I was sent to 1/12, where they gave me OJT on Artillery and Fire Direction. When one of the Forward Observer Team Members out with Bravo 1/3 got killed, I volunteered to replace him, and off I went into the bush: http://www.robertwittig.org/team.html

From there I went on to see a lot of action... night ambushes, working with Recon, working with ANGLICO, Navy Riverine units, ARVN, LDNN, ROK and Hmong units, being on the FO Team to direct fire for the 16 inch battery on the New Jersey, being an instructor at OCS, Quantico, VA, Counter-Guerrilla Warfare School, etc.

In short, I wound up working with the Grunts, living with the Grunts, being a Grunt with special skills, and training Grunt Officers, and all I had to do to wind up on that career track, was to volunteer to replace a dead radio operator out in a Forward Deployed unit, doing a job with a really high attrition rate.

I even did get to use my Morse Code a few times too... using the 'push to talk' button on my PRC-25 radio to send messages when the Team was in situations where the Bad Guys were so close to us that talking into the mike would have given away our position.

You may want to consider turning things around... first, what you can do for the Marine Corps, and then, second, what the Marine Corps can do for you.

[saltyone]

One problem...this isn't 1960 and, even though we're at war, opportunities like the one stated above are almost unheard of. I can not stress enough...if you want to be infantry, and are qualified to chose your MOS, hold out for infantry.

Chances are, since you will be active duty, you'll never see your recruiter again. This is your career, not his. His job is to get you in the Corps...your job, at this point, is to ensure the contract is to your liking.

I'm all about "For the good of the Corps", but at this point, you're not a Marine. If your dream truly is to be an Marine Infantryman, then do what ever the hell it takes to get in the infantry...up to and including informing your recruiter that you will not comprimise.

[KawiGunny]

My advice...as a former 03...don't settle. If you want to be an 03, don't ship until it's in the contract. This is a big decission. This is the job you will be doing for the next four years...possibly longer. If your dream is to be infantry, don't settle. You'll always be wondering "What if?". If there truely are no slots right now, then ask when there will be, and wait. 08 is a fine MOS but if it's not what you are looking for, and you're qualified to chose, then just wait.

Do what you have to do, but personally, I would have been miserable not being an 03.


+ 1,000,000

[03xxPoolee]

Thank you all for your replies. I find it really inspiring to see that if its what i truly want then i should hold out for it.

Although I slightly feel bad they make it seem like they have put a lot of effort into getting me this MOS. But your all right its not what i want at all and wouldnt feel right taking it. I know I would always ask myself what if. My father was in infantry as well as his father and I dont want to end up asking myself what if i would have just stayed in the civilian sector a little longer and got the MOS I truly wanted.

Im not sure exactly how to tell my recruiter that I wont be accepting this job though. They almost make it feel like I dont have a choice or that its wrong for me to say no. But your right it is my life and why am I trying to impress them. I appreciate what they are doing but it isnt the MOS I have been training myself for, siking myself up about, and everything else. Infantry alone gives me drive to make myself better and strive to be better for the Corps.

Any advice on how to tell a recruiter you wont be accepting this job they have offered you and would like to gain some information on how long I would have to wait to get into a Infantry program.

[KawiGunny]

Any advice on how to tell a recruiter you wont be accepting this job they have offered you and would like to gain some information on how long I would have to wait to get into a Infantry program.

Just tell them. Don't beat around the bush about it and be honest up front.

[saltyone]

Just tell the recruiter that you want to be infantry...period. As long as you are qualified, he'll find a way.

[03xxPoolee]

Okay thanks for all the help. They have giving the run around a lot. And my recruiter goes on leave Feb 2nd would it be bad idea to switch to a office closer to home?

[saltyone]

Okay thanks for all the help. They have giving the run around a lot. And my recruiter goes on leave Feb 2nd would it be bad idea to switch to a office closer to home?

Look...don't hate on the recruiters...they're just doing their jobs. I'm sure he is really trying to do right by you. That being said, you have to do right by yourself also.

His going on leave shouldn't change things. He has a boss and he'll tend to you while your recruiter is on leave. Just go in, tell them what the issue is, stick to your guns, and everything else will work itself out.

Good luck.

[03xxPoolee]

Oh I didn't mean to blame the my recruiter at all I like him a lot its just the whole process that has basically been sending me in repeated circles is a bit frustrating, but I understand I need to just let him know this is what I want and will wait until it is available. I tried doing so today and he just continued to try and convince me about the job. He did not seem to be catching I dont want it. Although I do have some issues with the things they are telling me about *computers* not being accurate and all types of nonsense so im going to do a little research about the issue around other recruiting offices and see whats going on. If it so happens that the office literally 5 mins from my house doesnt have these *problems* I may just proceed to try and get myself moved from the office out of my district to the office near my house.

Does anyone happen to know if this office switching is a option? Due to my ship date previously being Jan 20th I had my mother take me off of insurance and car insurance to save her some money so now I legally dont have a way of travel to the current office I was going through. Where as this office nearby I could walk to and is in my district.