A few questions for you fine Marines

[Nicky the Great]

Evening Marines,

I have a few questions for you tonight, and I really appreciate your help.

My goal is to achieve the 0211 CI/HUMINT MOS. I'm aware that it can only be acquired by Lat move, and being a Cpl or higher. I'm considering enlisting as a 0231 Analyst, but honestly I don't know if I can stare at computer screen in a windowless room for a couple years until I can lat move. So my other choice is Infantry, most likely 0311. I am also considering enlisting as a reservist, and going to school during that time, until I can lat move to 0211, which I would want to be active duty for. So my questions are:

1. If I were to go reserve with a contract for let's say 6 years, but like 3 years in I want to change to active duty, is that possible? Or would I have to wait until my original contract is up?

2. If I were to go reserve, is it possible to sign up for schools (I don't know what else to call them) like SERE training, or Jump school, while I'm not deployed/on the job?

If there's anything else you think I should know, please share!
Thanks for your help. :thumbup:

[firedog974]

Evening Marines,

I have a few questions for you tonight, and I really appreciate your help.

My goal is to achieve the 0211 CI/HUMINT MOS. I'm aware that it can only be acquired by Lat move, and being a Cpl or higher. I'm considering enlisting as a 0231 Analyst, but honestly I don't know if I can stare at computer screen in a windowless room for a couple years until I can lat move. So my other choice is Infantry, most likely 0311. I am also considering enlisting as a reservist, and going to school during that time, until I can lat move to 0211, which I would want to be active duty for. So my questions are:

1. If I were to go reserve with a contract for let's say 6 years, but like 3 years in I want to change to active duty, is that possible? Or would I have to wait until my original contract is up?

2. If I were to go reserve, is it possible to sign up for schools (I don't know what else to call them) like SERE training, or Jump school, while I'm not deployed/on the job?

If there's anything else you think I should know, please share!
Thanks for your help. :thumbup:

1. If you go reserve you will have to have a good reason for your command to let you go active. The reserves have so many slots, and they have to maintain a certain percentage of those slots be filled so they can be deployment ready. You will not be able to just back out of your commitment to that unit unless you have a very good reason.

2. Schools are only given out as they are needed. Schools like SERE and jump school are reserved for certain MOS's and units that have a need for those specialties. The schooling costs money, so it will not be spent unless there is a gain to your units mission and readiness.

Hope this helps.

[Sgt Leprechaun]

I promise you this much, 0231's do NOT 'sit in rooms and stare at screens' all day. Not even in the old days when I did it, did we do that. Yes, there was computer time, but we were ENCOURAGED to get out and about and see what was going on in our units. Your Marines have to TRUST you, because you are the one briefing them on the bad guys.

Search this area for '0231', there are several actively serving 0231 Marines here who have written about what they do (the unclass parts) and it's a good thread.

[Nicky the Great]

Thank you Firedog.

Sgt Leprechaun: Thanks for you input.
I found this (http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77236&highlight=0231) thread by 0231Marine very useful. I assumed what I said about about the job partly off of what he said here:



First and foremost, let's put the misconception to rest that you're going to be out in the **** with the trigger pullers laying down suppresive fire and going on raids. Does it happen? On rare occasions or extenuating circumstances, yes it does. Realistically though, you'll spend the majority of your time working in an office with no windows (security reasons) and a big electronic door in a building called a SCIF (Sensitive Compartmentalized Information Facility) where they keep all the classified. If you're in an infantry battalion, you'll have secret level information only so it's not that locked up. Your main job as a 0231 is to support the war fighters who are at the tip of the spear, not be that tip. You may see my ribbon rack and say, "well he has a combat action ribbon and some other stuff so 0231's must be trigger pullers too." I was fortunate enough to be very good at what I did and because of that, I was the only Intelligence Analyst assigned to a counter intelligence team in Iraq. I did this for two of my four deployments and it was in Ramadi when it was the most dangerous city in the world. So don't get any ideas about kicking down doors and being a bad ass because it just isn't that way.

[Sgt Leprechaun]

He's correct. But, note this, he's telling you that you are NOT going to be a trigger puller. He's not saying you NEVER leave the office.

If you want to go CI, there is nothing wrong with doing an Infantry tour, THEN doing it.

Good on ya for the resarch!

[Nicky the Great]

Thanks Sgt Leprechaun.

Also, I don't know if this helps you guys at all, but I got a 86 on my ASVAB.

[Sgt Leprechaun]

You are welcome!

[Nicky the Great]

Could anyone who currently, or very recently had the 0231 MOS tell me what their day consists of?

[Nicky the Great]

I guess what I mean to ask is how much time is spent in the 'office' and how much out and about?

[Nicky the Great]

Sorry about the triple post, but I figured its better than starting a whole new thread.

Could any former or current 0211's tell me if I would be more likely to Lat-move move from either an Infantry MOS (0311) or Intel Analyst (0231)?

[scifguard]

You don't really get to choose what intel MOS you want. I went to bootcamp thinking I was going to be a 0231. Left bootcamp thinking I was going to be a 2651, and graduated MOS school as a 2621. I've never regretted it for a moment either. As a 2600, we do some pretty cool sh*t.