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Right now i'm currently on my last year of High School. I've spoken to my recruiter and have already decided that i'm going to join the Marine Corps as an infantryman. I was just wondering if anyone had any advice to help me in the future? I plan on enlisting at the end of the year.
Hang tight....there will be someone posting shortly.
If you want to be infantry, the infantry jobs fill up first. Make yourself known to your recruiter, go to the functions, etc, so that he is tracking on you being serious about this. The jobs open up for the year on October 1st. The longer you wait to sign the paperwork from that point, the less likely you are to get infantry. The other benefit of the regular recruiting station functions is it will allow you to gauge where you stand physically, and may also get you a brief introduction to some of the customs and courtesies, rank structure, etc.
As far as general advice for the military:
1. Go into it with realistic expectations. The Marine Corps is great, but it's not "great" in all the ways you think it will be. It also can be pretty terrible at times. Being uncomfortable and miserable, sometimes needlessly, well an infantryman really has no right to complain about that. That's what the infantry is. But organizationally there are some things the military does that just make no sense. You just need to go with the flow. Occasionally people will be in charge of you who have no business there, it's just the way it is. When **** goes south, unless it goes really south, it's usually something that will pass. If you let it go to your head and decide to just not give a ****, it will just get that much more miserable for you. It will perhaps be most miserable your first year or so in, when you are the new guy. That said, show your leadership that you know your MOS, you don't need to be babysat, that you aren't a problem child or immature (getting in trouble on weekends, etc), and the "new guy" stupidity will end much faster than it will if you are a screw up. Most of that is in your control.
2. Building off my first point. False motivation is better than no motivation, and a positive mental attitude go a long way. You'll see what I mean. It sounds cliche but laughing and pretending out loud that you're all about it when you're at your lowest actually works.
3. Figure out who to stay away from. The depressing downers of people are a cancer. They may have legit gripes, but in acting like babies they aren't adults, and just want to drag others down with them. This starts in boot camp when you run into the platoons of recruits getting separated. Perhaps unsurprisingly they try to justify their position. This continues throughout your time in. Like everywhere else in life, keep the right people around you
4. Be your own advocate. Nobody in the military cares about your 4 years, or perhaps your career like you do. This spans from getting the enlistment contract you want, to having things taken care you you need taken care of when your in, to getting benefits when you get out. Nobody is going to hold your hand, and even those offering help can't help you without you being your primary advocate. If someone says they'll do something for you, make sure you follow-up, relentlessly if need be, until it's done. Marines get "forgotten" by people in admin shops, career retention, etc all the time.
That's pretty much what I learned. Yea, there's plenty of other stupid advice for boot camp and SOI, like mark all your stuff on the tags as soon as you get it issued or you'll never get it back, and don't change to new boots right before a big hike, etc. But you'll learn that anyway.
Mike
Finish school (not everyone does)
Attain the best grades you possibly can (you will take an aptitude test at some point and it's in your best interest to score as high as possible - even for the infantry).
No tattoos (we do have a tattoo policy)
No drugs (you WILL be tested and we have a zero tolerance policy)
Do not get your girlfriend pregnant (your plans/responsibilities will automatically change)
Increase your upper body strength, core strength, and ability to run 1.5 miles as fast as you can (you'll be required to pass an Initial Strength Test before shipping to bootcamp). But, be careful not to injure yourself or your journey will be delayed.
Good luck
The toughest job in the Marine Corps. Work on your physical fitness ...