7242

[saulsel]

I just submitted for my lat move from Admin 0121 to 7242 if any Marines that currently posses this MOS or know anything about it other than the read i can get on the internet, I would greatly appreciate it.

[Garyius]

This is going to be long.

I was a 7242 back when the MOS was still men only, and we still had the ASRT to staff (a crappy 1960s tech radar bombing system). Neither of those is still true.

The MOS itself provides the staffers for the Direct Air Support System and its sub units. The PFC/LCPL level work starts after the school with plotting or sitting a net, one of the easier nets to sit. As a net operator, you will be sending and getting messages. Part of that is coordinating things. As you get better, you get more to do and have to make more decisions.

Your schooling will introduce you to some of the communication skills you need, but mostly you will be learning enough about the Marine Air Command and Control System, and aircraft facts, to allow you to staff the DASC. When I went through the school, officer sat on one side of the room, enlisted on the other. about 1/4 of us enlisted failed out, and half the Os did. It wasn't until later that I figured out that many of the O failures were not accidents. More on that later.

Your life is spent doing one of two things, sitting around waiting for a working party, or sitting in 'the system', the actual control shelter or tent, for endless hours. Those hours can be boring and full of mindless tasks, followed by an hour of absolute crazy and making critical decisions as a corporal while the officers lose their minds, right back to mindless crap.

For that five minutes when you have to make a decision and the crew chief and the Os are too busy, you sweat it out and really feel like a Marine. The rest of the time, you feel like a pizza order taker waiting for the phone to ring on an endless shift.

The control system used in the DASC is procedural air control, so you don't actually learn any skill you can use in civvie life. There is a chance to fly in the back of a C-130 doing your job in a control shelter---but air medals are awarded on the basis of hours in the air, and given the promotion system for the 7242 (and 7208 officers) you are unlikely to get to fly when there are any E-6 through O-3s around who are a little short for their promotion packet.

I was still in when the current tent system was being field trialed during WTIs. Quite frankly, it sucks. The IDASC they got rid of in favor of the tents was not the best, but the current system is really bad.

As far as the MOS itself. For a year or two we had 'detachments' within the squadron. As part of that, we got some E-9s as our NCOICs. One of them told me the biggest problem with the 7208/7242 field was that the average LCpl team leader in the grunts or the warehouse has more leadership time than the average O-3 in the 72XX field. There are more Lts than they can make up garrison jobs for. They never learn to lead, most of them are counting the days to get out.

Back to why so many Os fail the school. Right about week three (or right off if they are former enlisted or otherwise know to ask questions about the MOS), the Os figure out that failing the school, getting a counseling letter, and getting sent to be food O or warehouse O somewhere, will at least give them a chance for a job skill for the outside.

Becuase of the O ladder, many of them will try to get sent out to liason or staff some other place or something like that. That means the Os you are supposed to be working with/for will know even less than you do. Most of the burden of 'no! don't do that' will fall on your crew chief (senior enlisted guy on the crew). It is a fine line to keep people safe without ending a career by being 'rude'. Many of your SNCOs will not care to play that game and will invent admin or staff reasons why they can't staff as crew chief with their persons, rather hoping a sgt or ssgt will take the risk. That lack of leadership and slacking is rife throughout the upper enlisted ranks.

On the officer side, no one who makes it to salty capt or above is going to risk his career being on the hook for 10 second decisions that if they go wrong will be reviewed for months in a blamestorm. Add in the fact that the O-3 has less time in the system than the average salty LCpl, and the perfect storm of ducking leadership and running from work results.

In garrision, you will sit around for a few days..bam! off to go paint something or clean something or sort something for another unit or section. Back to sitting.

Anyhow. If you love a command post type life, if you dreamed about being the sailor in the background in WWII movies drawing on the map with grease pencil, and if you want to be doing a bunch of handyman type stuff while in garrision, this is the MOS for you.

[saulsel]

A Thank you for the reply thats some good knowledge to know prior to lat moving, as of right now is looking like the best option and quite frankly my only option to stary in the Corps due to my MOS having no boat spaces and lack of other MOS's taking lat moves. Since i definatley dont want to be part of that 1/4 of enlisted dat wash out and i really dont wanna embarrass my self me going there as a Cpl and being around brand new PFC and junior LCpl from boot camp and MCT, is there anything I can start reading so i wont be looking like a deer in headlights when the class start? Im only admin lol i can tell you why you not getting paid and why you have a promotion restriction but when you start saying DASC and stuff like that I am lost.:scared: Thanks.

[Garyius]

Get a copy of MCWP 3-25.3 and 3-25.5. Study them like you have never studied before.

Know the centers and controllers and parties ("agencies") literally like you knew your rifle data and gneral orders in boot camp.

All those acronyms at the end of 23.5? Know them such that you can understand them and use them in a conversation.

Read 23, 23.1 and 23.2, and 24, enough that you understand the basic concepts. You will see them a lot in school and on the job. Read MCRP3-25D after all of the above, if you understand the Marine portions and sort of understand the other services stuff you are on the correct path and doing well.

Have you ever spoken on a radio? If not, try to get a chance to do so. Mike fright and freezing is real and will destroy your rep in the unit if you do it as a Corporal. a new PFC can ease into it, you can't. Try to get some practice with a unit doing something important like calling for fire. In school, volunteer for extra time in the system during exercises.

Know the plotting symbols. Know them off the top of your head.

As a lat mover the way to get cred as a Corporal is going to be by being number one or number two in the class. That means you are going to have to beat out 10-18 other guys. The MOS is so small that every 72XX above E-2 will know before you check in that you were number 2 in the class. By the same token, they will know if you were a lat mover who was second from the bottom. Do not be that guy.

Most of the grading is set in the academic portion of the class, that means having 23.3 and 25.5 totally into your brain along with the plotting symbols LONG before you check into the stumps.

The instructors at the school are the best 7242s and 7208s in the field. Believe everything they tell you. Do everything they tell you. They know as friends or former leaders/followers every other leader, enlisted and officer, in the field. Most of those other SNCOs and Officers suck as leaders and trainers, and will regard the word of your instructors as the word of god.

If your MSgt class instructor calls your gaining unit and says 'PFC Smith is a troublemaker and dumb, watch out for him...oh, and Corporal Saulsel knows his **** cold and always asks if he can help out' you will be golden. He will make the call. Most of the other instructors will email the same stuff.

[Garyius]

I still have my ARST, UYQ, and TACC pocket checklists, I just went and looked.

Try to get a copy of the DASC pocket checklist, if you can.

[saulsel]

G2G im going to try to contact someone within that mos to see if they have any material they could let me study. Thanks

[Matlock09]

Hey Corporal,
Im currently going through ASTS course 1-10 right now. Currently i've completed most of the lecture/power point portion of the class going through the book. Its simple stuff so far but its just a lot of information thrown at you in a short amount of time.

Garyius, hit the nail on the head about the job as he has a great deal of experience in it. I cant really comment just yet on how things have changed since his time as I am entering the simulations portion of the course next week. I'll get back to you on that Corporal but i'll add that the DASC( Direct air support center, its where you work in), nowadays active duty doesnt do the DASC(A)-airborne missions in the new c-130j's anymore due to a design flaw.

Also possible times where different back in the day but the course doesn't seem to be all that difficult, I dont see anywhere 1/4 of the Enlisted failing out and the Officers seem pretty moto and I doubt any will fail. The instructors are great and they will give you all the tools you need to pass.

So far it seems like a great and important MOS. At first I was bummed I didnt get ATC but I am happy and looking forward to achieving this MOS in March and heading to MASS 1 in Cherry point.

[saulsel]

Hey Matlock

I just reeenlisted and my latmove got approved for 7242, im trying to do some OJT out here at MASS 2 in Oki but there telling me that i might be heading out there to Cherrypoint. How has the class been so far i know you are bout do to gradate and also do you know if this MOS goes to any oter duty stations other than MASS?

[Garyius]

Back in the good old days you could go to the MASS, the TACC, or range control.

Everyone wanted range control first, then TACC, then MASS (and in the MASS the old ASRT, which they finally got rid of once the laser bombs started working right).

ETA: I did two years on the rock back when it was one year tours--I loved the diving and the parties and going to Thailand and Korea. Coming out of there I requested 29 Palms Range Control, and then either TACC. I got sent to another DASC.


This was back when Okinawa was a hard drinking hard party tour when you were a winger. I have read the current restrictions. Sorry.

[saulsel]

Thanks for the info Garyius you have been very helpful, im looking foward to start this new carrer as a 7242