Questions about Marine to SEAL

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03-13-12, 11:34 PM
BigRedMachine

Questions about Marine to SEAL

Hello Marines! I want to start by thanking you for reading my rather lengthy set of questions! I am currently 19, soon to be twenty in April and have been working on entering the military for a solid year.I had to get a waiver for Pecto Excavatum,a slight chest indention (causes no problems) and many tests later my waiver is finally at Quantico. Before it comes back i would like to finalize a few questions i have that my recruiter has been unable to answer.#1-Can a Marine be directly pulled from the Marine Corps into the BUD/S program? Let me explain my theory here.I want to enlist in the Marine Corps Reserve and enroll in the Platoon Leaders course,because i believe the Marines provide superior combat and field instruction versus just enlisting in the Navy to start with,and will give me a great head-start into BUD/S, should i choose to pursue that after college.My recruiter said hopefully my waiver will be back within the month so i can swear in and head to boot in august and be back in time for the Spring semester of college as a freshman.In theory,after i graduate the PLC program and finish college,i would like to head straight into BUD/S after being commissioned and after The Basic School.My recruiter AND his CO said the SEALS pull directly from the Corps into BUD/S training. So my question is three-fold: Is this plan possible,or will i have to switch branches before applying to BUD/S? Is this plan likely to happen,intelligent, and the best way to go about my goal of joining the PLC program and then BUD/S? Will the Marine Corps frown upon this and try to hold onto me after commissioning? This leads to question number two.#2-My selected MOS is Engineer Equipment Electrical Systems Technician: 1142.Is this MOS likely to be shipped out during the four years i'll be spending at college and interfere with schooling,or will the PLC program keep me stateside? Obviously my goal is to blow through college as fast as i can to get into BUD/S before i'm a dinosaur.Also,as a side note,is this the best MOS that i can expect to apply for in the reserves? I think its great and it teaches you an invaluable skill,but i scored an 88 on the ASVAB,no studying,and am in great physical condition.Just dont want to limit myself if there is another great MOS out there that only high scorers can apply for.Some of you may be reading this and think i am merely trying to use the Marines,but that is not the case at all.I have the utmost respect and love for Marines.I believe you all to be the best fighting force in the world: fearless, tough, and unrelenting.That is the reason i want YOUR principles,mindsets and strength and honor instilled into me before i take the plunge of BUD/S after college.Becoming a SEAL has been my dream for some five years, and i would love to say the Marines got me there 100%.Please deliver every shred of information you have for the Platoon Leaders Course while being in the reserves,Seal entrance,and life after commissioning.Please trust me when i say i'm a great candidate for the military,and i think i would be a great asset,so please pour your knowledge into me at length and give me the best possible chance to make sound decisions soon to come.Love you Marines thanks for your time and support.Always praying for you.Be safe and God bless! -Indy
03-14-12, 05:05 AM
thewookie

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedMachine

Hello Marines! I want to start by thanking you for reading my rather lengthy set of questions! I am currently 19, soon to be twenty in April and have been working on entering the military for a solid year.I had to get a waiver for Pecto Excavatum,a slight chest indention (causes no problems) and many tests later my waiver is finally at Quantico. Before it comes back i would like to finalize a few questions i have that my recruiter has been unable to answer.

#1-Can a Marine be directly pulled from the Marine Corps into the BUD/S program? Let me explain my theory here.I want to enlist in the Marine Corps Reserve and enroll in the Platoon Leaders course,because i believe the Marines provide superior combat and field instruction versus just enlisting in the Navy to start with,and will give me a great head-start into BUD/S, should i choose to pursue that after college.My recruiter said hopefully my waiver will be back within the month so i can swear in and head to boot in august and be back in time for the Spring semester of college as a freshman.In theory,after i graduate the PLC program and finish college,i would like to head straight into BUD/S after being commissioned and after The Basic School.My recruiter AND his CO said the SEALS pull directly from the Corps into BUD/S training. So my question is three-fold: Is this plan possible,or will i have to switch branches before applying to BUD/S? Is this plan likely to happen,intelligent, and the best way to go about my goal of joining the PLC program and then BUD/S? Will the Marine Corps frown upon this and try to hold onto me after commissioning? This leads to question number two.

#2-My selected MOS is Engineer Equipment Electrical Systems Technician: 1142.Is this MOS likely to be shipped out during the four years i'll be spending at college and interfere with schooling,or will the PLC program keep me stateside? Obviously my goal is to blow through college as fast as i can to get into BUD/S before i'm a dinosaur.Also,as a side note,is this the best MOS that i can expect to apply for in the reserves? I think its great and it teaches you an invaluable skill,but i scored an 88 on the ASVAB,no studying,and am in great physical condition.Just dont want to limit myself if there is another great MOS out there that only high scorers can apply for.

Some of you may be reading this and think i am merely trying to use the Marines,but that is not the case at all.I have the utmost respect and love for Marines.I believe you all to be the best fighting force in the world: fearless, tough, and unrelenting.That is the reason i want YOUR principles,mindsets and strength and honor instilled into me before i take the plunge of BUD/S after college.Becoming a SEAL has been my dream for some five years, and i would love to say the Marines got me there 100%.

Please deliver every shred of information you have for the Platoon Leaders Course while being in the reserves,Seal entrance,and life after commissioning.Please trust me when i say i'm a great candidate for the military,and i think i would be a great asset,so please pour your knowledge into me at length and give me the best possible chance to make sound decisions soon to come.Love you guys thanks for your time and support.Always praying for you.Be safe and God bless!
-Indy

#1 - No
#2 - No

Good luck
03-14-12, 07:29 AM
thewookie

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedMachine

a few questions i have that my recruiter has been unable to answer.

I am trying to believe your intent with this post, but the contradiction in your statements makes it tough for me.

For example, above you say your recruiter can't answer your question. But then a few sentences later you say:

Quote:

My recruiter AND his CO said the SEALS pull directly from the Corps into BUD/S training.

So, lets start with that one. What is it?
03-14-12, 10:01 AM
BigRedMachine

Quote:

Originally Posted by thewookie

I am trying to believe your intent with this post, but the contradiction in your statements makes it tough for me.

For example, above you say your recruiter can't answer your question. But then a few sentences later you say:

So, lets start with that one. What is it?

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly Wookie. The reason i posed that question to you Marines "whether the SEAL/S pull directly from the Marine Corps" is because my recruiter and his Gunnery Sargeant didnt seem too sure when they said that they do.I just wanted to clarify and make sure.They always tell me to google stuff and i've been all over the web and havent found many answers,so i came to you Marines.I've made an appointment to talk with the Gunnery Sergeant at length about all of this, just wanted to get some first-hand knowledge from you Marines that have been there. Hope this helps thanks for your interest and could you explain the why behind the "no's"? I'd really appreciate it thanks Wookie.
-Indy
03-14-12, 10:17 AM
VD Marine

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedMachine

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly Wookie. The reason i posed that question to you guys "whether the SEAL/S pull directly from the Marine Corps" is because my recruiter and his Gunnery Sargeant didnt seem too sure when they said that they do.I just wanted to clarify and make sure.They always tell me to google stuff and i've been all over the web and havent found many answers,so i came to you guys.I've made an appointment to talk with the Gunny at length about all of this, just wanted to get some first-hand knowledge from you guys that have been there. Hope this helps thanks for your interest and could you explain the why behind the "no's"? I'd really appreciate it thanks Wookie.
-Indy

I have never heard of a Marine being pulled for BUD/S. Secondly i have heard from Navy recruiters that ONLY NAVY SAILORS can be admitted to BUD/S and subsequent SEAL training.
03-14-12, 10:28 AM
thewookie

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedMachine

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly Wookie. The reason i posed that question to you guys "whether the SEAL/S pull directly from the Marine Corps" is because my recruiter and his Gunnery Sargeant didnt seem too sure when they said that they do.I just wanted to clarify and make sure.They always tell me to google stuff and i've been all over the web and havent found many answers,so i came to you guys.I've made an appointment to talk with the Gunny at length about all of this, just wanted to get some first-hand knowledge from you guys that have been there. Hope this helps thanks for your interest and could you explain the why behind the "no's"? I'd really appreciate it thanks Wookie.
-Indy

Fair enough.

I think you should pick which branch you want and stick with that, or end up failing at both.

You are correct in thinking you'll get some pretty good training as a Marine that you wouldn't get as a basic seaman. But once you get to BUD/S everything you learned as a Marine will go out the window. And some might say learning things the USMC way will hinder you when and if you get to BUD/S.

I personally know one person who has made the switch from USMC to the SEALs and that is SAWMAN. You can find info on him through his website tacticalinsider dot com. You may have seen him on TV on the show "Top Shot".

If you are looking to speak with actual SEALs to get their perspective then this website isn't the right spot. Head over to socnet dot com and look for SAWMAN or a member called FROG. Both were Marines before they were SEALs. One bit of advice when you go to socnet -- read more and post less. There is a wealth of knowledge over there related to your goal, but you must tread carefully over there.

There is nothing for me to really expand on my first answers, the NO and the NO. Neither is likely. It could happen, but it's not likely -- especially #1 -- anybody i know or have heard of that have made that switch have gotten out of the Corps, then went to the Navy before going to BUD/S

Good luck
03-14-12, 12:35 PM
iamspartacus

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedMachine

Is this plan possible,or will i have to switch branches before applying to BUD/S?

After Googling "Seal FAQ" and clicking on the first link, I found this on the Seal Special Warefare Website:

Q. Do I have to be in the Navy to be eligible for Navy Seal training?
A. Yes. To become a SEAL, you must join the U.S. Navy or already be serving in the Navy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedMachine

Is this plan likely to happen,intelligent, and the best way to go about my goal of joining the PLC program and then BUD/S?

Likely? No. See above.
Intelligent? No. If I wanted to become President of the United States do you think it would be intelligent to switch my citizenship to Britain and run for parliament?
The best way to go about being a Seal? No. They aren't called Marine Corps Seals. They are called Navy Seals.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedMachine

Will the Marine Corps frown upon this and try to hold onto me after commissioning?

If I were the person in charge of signing off on your transfer request? Yeah. Do you know how much money goes into training you? Do you know how few people get the opportunity to TRY and become a Marine Corps officer? And you're basically going to steal that spot from someone else who really does want to be a Marine Corps officer?

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedMachine

is this the best MOS that i can expect to apply for in the reserves? I think its great and it teaches you an invaluable skill,but i scored an 88 on the ASVAB,no studying,and am in great physical condition. Just dont want to limit myself if there is another great MOS out there that only high scorers can apply for.

WOW! You're the guy I heard about who scored an 88 on the ASVAB!?!!? NO WAY!! EVERYONE is talking about you!

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedMachine

Some of you may be reading this and think i am merely trying to use the Marines,but that is not the case at all.

If you're not merely using the Marine Corps, then you must think the Navy is inadequate at training their warriors and preparing them to be SEALS. Is that what you think? You think you'll go into BUDS a step ahead of everyone else? If you think the Navy is so incompetent, why do you want to join them? In case you didn't know, the Marine corps has their own special forces, Recon. If special forces is really the path you want to go, and you really want to be a Marine, why not set your sights there? Or do they not get enough media attention for you?

The Marine Corps should not be a means to an end. If you're going to join the Marines, it should be because you want to be a Marine, and want to serve in MY Corps. Not so you can use it and lose it. Not so you can suck out what you want and just walk away.
03-14-12, 09:11 PM
SBYates

Why are you so worried about being a SEAL? Because they got more movies then MARSOC and Force Recon? If you want to be a Marine, and be apart of the SOF community you need to start asking your Recruiter about MARSOC. Force isn't apart of SOCOM, but they get the same specialized training, so they can complete the unique mission sets they do. Don't believe ever thing you see in those movies you watch.

http://signatures.myarmedforces.com/...png?1327568218
03-15-12, 08:08 PM
BigRedMachine

Thank you Marines for your quick reply's and information its been invaluable.My recruiter just called yesterday morning and said i'm in,so the timing is perfect.Finalizing the MOS and contract next week then swearing in if all goes well.

Wookie: i'll be sure to check that site out and keep my head down.Thanks for taking the time to give me advice and walk me through some processes.

Iamspartacus and Sergeant Yates: i appreciate your tough words and,while movies aren't the reason i'm interested in SEAL training,your information didn't fall on deaf ears.I can see how after all the investments the Marines put in to me it would seem to them to be wasted if i transferred.Thanks for the gut check.I will say that the reason i expressed no interest in force recon or MARSOC is because i know next to nothing about them; how they operate, their specialties,where they deploy from and what operations they deploy on,versus the SEALS who,as you correctly said,have been well publicized recently.I've been reading SEAL articles since my teens.Even my recruiters new very little about MARSOC;just mentioned them in passing.I'm assuming its because MARSOC is rather young in the special forces community.They did say Force Recon Marines are excellent scout snipers and do some pretty high speed stuff but that was it.I will absolutely be looking into MARSOC and Force recon and i thank you Marines for that.

All of you be safe and thanks again for all of your time, honesty and information.Take care