View Full Version : What happens when a marine fails his MOS?
What happens when a marine has failed 3 different MOS? Our son has been moved each time to different ones and passes everything till the very last section and has missed graduating from these. He is so discouraged we don't know what to do?
Teresa,
I don't know if things have changed in the past 40 years but WAY BACK THEN, there was help available in forms of study groups or time available with the instructors to assist a Marine when he/she is having issues. Often failing to achieve all the requirements of the MOS is simply due to the Marine not studying enough to pass.
Tell your son the same thing you told him in elementary, middle school and high school...crack the books. MOS training is not cheap and the Marines will get tired of shifting him around. He needs to buckle down and study and he will pass. Otherwise, they will find some trash job that requires no true training to do and put him there. That tends to create a miserable existence for the remainder of his time in.
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He did say that his sergent had been helping him and he was staying in on weekends to study. Upon arrival one sergent said his scores weren't high enough to be in this particular MOS and he didn't belong there, but they decided to keep him in it.
thewookie
08-10-10, 09:25 AM
What three MOS's has this young Marine failed out of, Mamm?
Teresa,
I would ask a few questions:
A) Learing Abilities:
1. Did he demonstrate learning disabilities during junior high and high school?
2. Did he demonstrate certain attention issues at any time prior to boot camp?
3. If yes, is he aware of these issues and did he disclose these to MEPS and/or the Marine Corps?
If he has a learning disability or suffers from anxiety issues under pressure (final exams), then if these are disclosed the Corps can adjust their approach with him and get him squared away.
B) Changed Mental Circumstances:
4. Are there greater forces at work? Has he come to some realization that deployment to a war zone is not for him? If so, did he get some bad advice from a less-than-stellar Marine telling him that all he has to do is fail his MOS finals and he can avoid deployment a bit longer?
5. Over the past year or so, has your son become involved with a woman that he may not want to get stationed away from?
I believe he likely fits into one of the two categories listed above: A) learing issues (hidden or not realized) or B) something changed in his mind about the Corps and his purpose therein.
Either which way, I wish your family the best in resolving his performance issues. Encourage your son to be honest in his self-evaluation of his abilities and limitations and get to the core of his issue so he can continue his time as a Marine.
"Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children." William Makepeace Thackeray.
I think you are probably right. I am his stepmom and he lived primarily with this mother so I wasn't involved with any of his academic issues. There WERE some problems with him not being able to pass his finals in high school and they considered having him tested for a learning disability back then. As far as whether he disclosed that when he enlisted, I simply don't know. I doubt it. I think maybe he even thought that the military was a place to escape all the school issues. He was very disappointed that he wasn't assigned infantry after boot camp.
Anyway, thanks so much for the insight.
if he was disappointed that he didnt get infantry he may be trying to fail out of these schools in order to get infantry and disheartened that he isnt each time he changes. I just came from a school in febuary and this happened way to often young Marines who can pass the school but choose not to because it wasnt what they wanted. and if he is in fact passing everything up till the finals this may be his way of trying to get what he wants. or if he has a history of failing or near failing finals he may just not want to move on you know? its what he knows he may want to stay?
thewookie
08-11-10, 11:42 PM
What three MOS's did he fail?