Help motivating my Marine!

[TJLee]

Hello all,

Looking for help getting my newly minted Marine son motivated again.

He sailed though boot, did really well, and sounded like he really enjoyed every minute of it (even the parts he complained about). He came home for his 7 days following graduation and was very gung-ho about the Corp. He could not wait to get to Pensacola and start his MOS training. The very picture of a motivated Marine.

He had signed up to an Aviation Mechanic to work on airplanes. Well he gets to Pensacola and finds that he's going to be:

6048 Flight Equipment Technician - GYSGT-PVT

Which according to About.com is this: Flight equipment technicians inspect, maintain, and repair parachutes; flight survival equipment; flight equipment; carbon dioxide, and gaseous and liquid oxygen equipment.

Apparently the short hand for this a "Stitch-*****". To his mind this has nothing to do with being an Aviation Mechanic.

Now, before he signed up I told him that the military works in strange and wonderful ways and he might wind up with whatever Uncle Sam wanted him to be instead of what he wanted to be. But he did not listen to his old man, instead he believed the recruiter that he would soon be working on jet engines.

So he has gone from gung-ho to zero motivation in the blink of an eye. To make matters worse he's been cooling his heels in Pensacola for weeks and then finds out his classes won't start for another 5-6 months.

Telling him to suck it up hasn't worked so far. He's got lots of time apparently to feel sorry for himself. What he needs is for someone to kick his behind and get his priorities realigned. Surely the Corp has something in the handbook to deal with this. I would think it comes up fairly often but I'm on the other side of the continent and have run out of pep talks.

I'm looking for any advice that could help me turn my kid's head around before he sours completely.

Very best regards,
TJ Lee

[commdog7]

That's not a bad MOS. All MOS's in the Corps are important, but if every poolee got to choose what they would end up with, infantry and aviation mechanics would be the only MOS's and the Corps would collapse. Poolees with higher ASVAB scores got the MOS he wanted, it pays to pay attention in school.

He should just be happy he is a Marine. As President Kennedy once said, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." The Corps has a job for him to do, he should be happy to do it. I stated this in another thread, but things could be worse, he could have ended up with the waste management MOS- he would be cleaning out porta-sh!tters his entire enlistment. So you see, Flight Equipment Technician really isn't that bad.

After 2 years in the fleet, he will have an opportunity to lat move. He can switch MOS's during this time.

[Isrowei]

Umm, that was my MOS when I first started out in the Corps. I loved it, still do.. there just isn't an officer side to it.

Every MOS has a pet name. That's just something he needs to get used. The fact is, ALSS (Aviation Life Support Systems) is a vital component to the aviation community. He is the pilot's best friend (and everyone else's too). He'll have to learn how to sew as well.. which.. ego aside.. is the best damn skill I've learned. I save massive amounts of money sewing the crap I need onto my own uniform or doing minor tailoring. I made good money charging $5 for it in the barracks too becuase it was a heck of lot cheaper than they could get it elsewhere. I'm kinda past that now, but it was good while it lasted.

Bottom line, the MOS is what he makes of it. I got a trip to Oki and a tour of Australia and Korea in my first 2 years that made it a blast. As well as getting to know the officers who eventually helped me get to where I am today... along with the Marine Corps picking up the tab for my education.

And Pensacola is a nice place. Especially now? The beach? Hello? Who wouldn't want a 6 month vacation there?

I spent my waiting for class time over December till March. Not quite as fun (or warm) but still very enjoyable. Tell him to get involved with the Single Marine Program. There's tons of stuff to do if you're interested in finding it. Or buy an XBox... That's the easy way out I guess nowadays. Not nearly as fun as going to the beach and meeting folks.

[Isrowei]

Oh, and one last thing... he can work on any airframe in the Marine, fixed or rotary wing. So if he gets bored of one type.. he can go to another. Or find the type that he likes (like C-130s... those guys get the hook-up) and stick with it.

It's all about choices. ALSS simply has the most of any aviation MOS. And he'll get his share of engine maint time. Trust me. He'll be working with explosives in the engines that set off the fire extinguishing systems. Not fun if he's not paying attention.

[ColdBlooded]

Well my friend the deal is this, your son might as well tattoo a bar code on his @$$ because he is now government property, for ex: if he gets a sunburn he is subject to an NJP (Non-Judicial Punishment) for abstruction of government property. With that said where ever the government needs him he will go there. When I joined I was "told" by my recruiter that I would be an 0311, come to find out at boot camp that I would be an 0411, close numbers but nothing to do with eachother. Let him know that he can LAT move half way into his contract (or two years I'm not sure someone here will answer that one, I know that It's either 2 to half way though.) With the LAT move he may be able to move into the MOS of his choice. Another option is he could go into MSG which is a three year B-Billet which at one point will be necessary for him to pick up rank if he decides to make the Marine Corps a carreer. It involves being a guard for any embassy in the world, where there's an embassy he can go there. Italy, Germany, Australia and many others, however he will need to go to 2 countries in hazzardous conditions but the living conditions are great and he will get a great view as to how well he has it compared to other countries in the world. All in all tell him that there are other options he just needs to get his head out of his @$$ and understand that life could be way... way worse.

[LivTooley]

No more tip toeing around and being "careful" about hurting his feelers...:cry: It is time to pull his head out of his @$$ and man up. The world, especially the Corps doesn't owe him anything but pay for showing up. Perhaps it's easy for me to say that now, since my son is just now going through boot camp. But, the military in me says "SUCK IT UP AND DRIVE ON!" :tank: He can serve out his contract and move on.

Sorry, today is my insensitive day...

[Wyoming]

No more tip toeing around and being "careful" about hurting his feelers...:cry: It is time to pull his head out of his @$$ and man up. The world, especially the Corps doesn't owe him anything but pay for showing up. Perhaps it's easy for me to say that now, since my son is just now going through boot camp. But, the military in me says "SUCK IT UP AND DRIVE ON!" :tank: He can serve out his contract and move on.

Sorry, today is my insensitive day...

Hell Montana Lady, It's like that everyday here in Wyoming.

[LivTooley]

Hell Montana Lady, It's like that everyday here in Wyoming.

Big Al, it's like that everyday in my mind! I just have to work realy hard to keep it from getting out. The boss' boss said that I needed to be more sensitive.