The difference between Marine/civi life????

[Drill for life]

I normally don't post here because my recruiters usually give me a great answer (and one of my school teachers is a retired Gunny who was in vietnam) well this one question has just been bugging me and it seems everyone has very different answers.

How big of a diffrence is Marine life from my life in the civilian world????? I'm asking because I graduate on May 21st and ship out on june 155th (03xx oh yes!!!) and this question has been bugging me. I asked my recruiters and they said its the same thing except for you wear uniforms, PT, discipline and deployment (there mostly airwing and Motor-T excpet my recruiter hes a Feild radio operator with a CAR and two deployments) and then the Gunny at my school tells me its totally different. I asked my SAI and AI (senior/army instructor) but I'm not told on there answers becaseu there retired Army (my AI was infantry for 21 years though). I would also like to know how different infantry life is different then regular Marine life.

[karlv65]

I just grad on Feb 12 ...your life changes allot im adjusting to it right now people move way to slow for me . I have a hard time relateing with my friends too I feel like I could talk to my fellow Marines forever but I cant talk to my friends like that its kind of weird. My life is def going to be diffrent but I like the change every body experince will be diffrent just embrace it.

[karlv65]

lol i forgot about ist and ship date prob should remove that

[Rocky C]

I can only tell you how it was and is for me now.

Once I became a Marine my so called High School Friends became only My Acquaintances.

Once I left Active Duty I found out that I didn't have Much Tolerance for those people in Life that were not Marines.

I remain as Cordial as I can be with everyone because I am a Gentleman but still conduct myself in a Marine fashion in all aspects of My Life.


Once a Marine, Always a Marine........

[Old Marine]

Life in the Marine Corps--------Most everything and every thing you do is regimented for you. You are told constantly what you can do and what you cannot do. The Marine Corps is organized and you will not have to worry about it going bankrupt. The Marine Corps takes care of it own.

Civilian life on the other hand is one big Chinese Fire Drill. Nothing is organized in the civilian world and if you have a job that requires you to empty a waste basket, since nothing is organized it might sit there for a week and be overflowing before it is emptied.
That will never happen in the Corps. The last thing is that you will always be looking over you shoulder at the bulliten board to see if the company has went belly up yet.

[Zulu 36]

The difference between infantry Marines and non-infantry Marines is mainly in the nature of the jobs. The job of an infantryman is, at it's essence, very simple: to seek out, engage with, and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver. Non-infantry Marines exist to support the infantryman. Period.

You hear that grunts are the tip of the spear. This is true. The rest of the Corps is the pole the spear point is attached to, supporting and backing up the point.

However, non-infantry Marines are also trained to be infantry if the situation requires it and it has many times in Corps history (read up on the Battle of Wake Island for a good example of air wing turning into infantry).

The Marine Corps views war as serious as a heart attack. Mainly because it is.

RhodeIsland is right about your high school friends. If they don't go into the Corps too, you will probably drift apart. I have no contact with any of my high school friends and have not for decades. You will no longer have common life references, especially if you see combat.

Currently, most of my friends are former military, mostly Army and Navy (not too many Marines close around here for some reason), or cops. I still keep in touch with a few Marines I served with. And this mob too, of course. :beer:

[usmcmsf]

You said the only differences are the uniform, discipline, deployments, PT...LOL thats a pretty big ****in difference.

[boyletp]

Join me in the Infantry and ill show you ;)

[Phantom Blooper]

If the grunt did not have the support of the machine gunner and mortar man? It is a very pretty sight to see a tank sitting behind your line to be called upon if needed. I cussed the supply man a many times because they wanted to give my men raggedy gear, but I also praised them because I needed to have them with 782 gear and flak jackets and helmets. And in the end they always came through. If you get in tight you may get a can of coffee or two. Some of that gear saved a many life. Couldn't get along with out them C-rats either.


Arty was always very loud, but when the FO called in a grid, they always came through, and took out the target. Couldn’t have called them if it wasn’t for the radioman and the wireman to keep that lines open. Even as shiat was hitting the fan. Thank God we didn’t have to send smoke signals or beat on drums. As a grunt you mostly hump and dig in and then hump again Hurry up, wait, hurry up, move out. But, Motor “T” was always a blessed sight, even if ya were herded into a cattle car, or in the back of a cold bumpy 6x6. That’s where the meat wagons come from too! Historically it is said the grunts and wing do not get along. Again count your blessings for the wing, when you need to make a tactical insurgent 40 miles from your starting location into a hot LZ.

Very impressive sight when you see 8 choppers in the sky bringing you reinforcements, water bulls, mules or a jeep. Hungry call the wing, they will drop the C-Rats by the pallets for you. The wing saved many a life by ferrying the wounded to ships offshore or to a field hospital. Remington Raiders, get a bad rap. But without them your pay and leave would not be. Keep a check on them though, because they are only human.

Cooks, God bless them! Try to cook for hundreds and not have a complaint. Get up at 0330 and sometimes don’t leave until 1900.Gotta love it!

How about them corpsman, do the same thing as the Marines and save lives too! All the “S” shops and HQ’s provide ya with mail, Intel, an azz chewing and a good laugh now and then.

I could go on and on, but by now you should understand where I’m coming from. I love the grunts; I wouldn’t have wanted to do anything else. I found it to be very rewarding. Every Marine is a rifleman. But it couldn’t be done without all of the Marine Corps MOS supports. Semper-Fi!


As far as high school friends go I have to agree with the others.....if you do run into them.....time has drifted apart......and they don't know the difference between the army and the Marine Corps.

They can still be your friend.....but over your Marine Corps hitch or career they will most likely turn into your acquaintances.

:evilgrin:

[boyletp]

Everyone wants to be the hero...and i don't blame them at all. However every Marine helps in the accomplishment of the assigned mission, and you are 100% correct. And always give credit where credit is due. I attempt to still talk to old friends from back in the day, but you will come to find out there deficincies and weeknesses brewing in there life, and how much better your life is in the Corps. You will come to realize things and start to distance yourself almost completely from everyone you knew. You will never do it on purpose...but you will see, it will only take once or twice hanging out with old friends...and you tell stories that are hillarious to you, but they will never understand them. This isnt bad at all...it is just out Corps.

[Drill for life]

Thank you MArines for your responses, I really apprecite them. I know what you mean baout your friends, even know when I'm just DEP'ed in its hard, they don't understand that I want this and that I'v enot been brainwashed. I get a lot of flak from my JROTC buddies though (they are Army split-op soldiers) they always say "Hahahahhaah Cagle didn't even join a branch he joined a branch within a branch". I know when june 15th rolls around I'm not going to talk to them anymore.

Thank you again Marines for your answers.

[Zulu 36]

Thank you MArines for your responses, I really apprecite them. I know what you mean baout your friends, even know when I'm just DEP'ed in its hard, they don't understand that I want this and that I'v enot been brainwashed. I get a lot of flak from my JROTC buddies though (they are Army split-op soldiers) they always say "Hahahahhaah Cagle didn't even join a branch he joined a branch within a branch". I know when june 15th rolls around I'm not going to talk to them anymore.

Thank you again Marines for your answers.

They're just jealous they don't have the guts to join the Marine Corps and at least try to earn the title.

[Sgt Leprechaun]

At least you aren't wearing a beret.

[Wheels123]

Where's WMarine? He said Gunny!!!! :-P

[Drill for life]

I'm sorry Sergeant, I meant to say Gunnery Sergeant. He lets us poolees call him Gunny.

[polizei]

That's ok if you have permission from him, just realize...that doesn't fly everywhere. I don't even get to call my GySgt a Gunny, and I'm a LCpl...

[Lisa 23]

I'm sorry Sergeant, I meant to say Gunnery Sergeant. He lets us poolees call him Gunny.
Out of 'respect', you should call him Gunnery Sergeant, even if he tells you to call him Gunny.

[polizei]

I'm going to have to go against you on that one WM. If he gave the poolee an order to call him Gunny, and he calls him Gunnery Sergeant, that could be taken as disrespect as well. I would say if he tells you to call him Gunny, just call him Gunny. Just realize not everyone is like this...and you better not to it to someone you don't know.

Oh, and don't ever say "sarge." Nevermind, call your DI sarge, they like that.

[tdrt]

Biggest difference: Most civilians suddenly turn into dumbasses and you will have little to no tolerance for stupidity.

And ya, go ahead and call your DI "Sarge" -- one of my favorite things to be called! Gives me thrills and chills just thinking about it.

[Drill for life]

I think I'll just stick with the standard Sir or mam (depending on gender)!!!! Thank you for all your responses Marines, I really appreciate it.

[polizei]

I called my 1stSgt sir (because the recruiter told me to) and he did not like that at all! Lit my ass up right in his office for that...

But still, it's best to call someone sir/ma'am, unless you know they want to be called by their rank or such. Believe me, they'll correct you either way, probably not that big of a deal...

[BR34]

When in doubt Sir it out.

[thezero]

The difference is big. So far I have gone through boot, 10 days of R&R 14 days of recruiters assistance a week of camp guard on Camp Geiger and 29 days of MCT. Now I am awaiting to be put in a barracks support platoon until my school picks up.

There are big changes. Like in the civilian world you don't have to be up and be in formation at 530/630 whenever your told to. You don't get to pt in mass formations, you don't get to use the nations armory for your "training" which for me it was more of personal enjoyment because I had so much fun at MCT. It's easy and hard to describe the difference it's funner to just live it.

Ooh Rah.

[doc h fmf]

Common sense, believe it or not. Alot of people dont use their noodles.

[tdrt]

Common sense, believe it or not. Alot of people dont use their noodles.

depends on the noodle in question

[doc h fmf]

The Civilians That Have Never Been In The Service,sorry I Should Have Specified,thanks For Bring In It To My Attention.

[Socal2361]

I just grad on Feb 12 ...your life changes allot im adjusting to it right now people move way to slow for me . I have a hard time relateing with my friends too I feel like I could talk to my fellow Marines forever but I cant talk to my friends like that its kind of weird. My life is def going to be diffrent but I like the change every body experince will be diffrent just embrace it.

Since your a Marine now, how about proofreading your posts for grammar errors and mispelled words. ATTENTION TO DETAIL DEVIL DOG!

[blackshirts]

I'm almost hitting my year mark so my opinion may not rate, but here's another opinion regardless.

First of all, to answer your question it's a lot different than civilian life. A hell of a lot different, and it's quite odd to have a recruiter tell you it's so similar (actually, no it isn't odd). They're just trying to make you feel comfortable with your decision.

I get confused with all the people who are saying you will no longer have any use of a relationship with old high school friends though. I have amazing friends from high school who I followed to college for 3.5 years with and I still talk to every last one of them (all the time). They don't understand Marine life by any means, but I still love them all to death and can still hang out with them and get wasted. It's practically my favorite thing to do, go home an shoot the **** with my old friends. As long as your buddies from back home aren't dirtbags, I think it's easy to respect what they do as they respect what you do. I did have zero tolerance for hanging out with shady people who were going nowhere who I was involved with prior to joining.

Point being, don't be worried about losing HS friends if you truly care about them and they are good people. The guys I know from HS will be lifelong friends, just as some of the Marines I know will be. It's just a little different subject matter during convos.