0612 Field Wireman (Reservist)

[PooleeHiguera]

Hello Marines,
Ive been having regular sit downs with my recruiter and i recently told him i wanted to change my MOS contract from Active Duty to Reserves, reasons being i have found a college opportunity and a good civilian job. So my recruiter gives me the go ahead and tells me i qualify for only 1 MOS, 0612 Field Wireman(I COULD QUALIFY FOR 0621 AND 3312 BUT I DONT HAVE MY LICENSE YET [I CAN STILL GET IT BEFORE MY SHIP DATE]) Ive done some research but came out empty handed...besides one Marine telling me if i can chose something else, chose something else, i will be the Larry the Cable guy of the Corps.
My ASVAB scores werent horrible- AFQT: 64 / GT:102 / EL:108 / MM:99 / CL:115
*I wanted to know what life is like for the 0612 Field Wireman...reservist or active duty.
*How often do you deploy under the 0612 Reservist contract(6 years)
*How often will i see combat?

Thank you for the support,
Poolee Higuera

[Lisa 23]

My nephew is currently a reservist, 0612 Field Wireman. Hasn't deployed yet in the year and a half he's been with his unit....maybe 2013. Does his weekend drills and 2 weeks AT (annual training) during the summer.
That's about all I can tell you.

Oh, and how about filling out a bit more of your profile so the Marines who are going to answer your questions, know who they are talking to.

[PooleeHiguera]

Thank you Ma'am, the info was wonderful. And will do on the profile...
Poolee Higuera

[dizark]

As far as I know, Wiremen in my shop don't run cable tv. They run and manage phone lines/phones.

[Tennessee Top]

Is there a reserve unit in your area that rates an 0612?

[PooleeHiguera]

Yes Master Sergeant, the unit in my area is the one from San Bruno and they have a 0612 MOS slot open.

[PooleeHiguera]

As far as I know, Wiremen in my shop don't run cable tv. They run and manage phone lines/phones.

Corporal i was referring that as a joke. Do wiredogs see much combat?

[PooleeHiguera]

Is there a reserve unit in your area that rates an 0612?

Yes Master Sergeant, the unit in my area is the one from San Bruno and they have a 0612 MOS slot open.

[USMC-SSGT]

I was given 0612 but due to performance (I think they took the top ten in class or so) went on to the follow on school of 0618 which was switch operator.

I did the training of an 0612 and worked with many. The life of a 12' is not as good as a 14' but still far from poor.

You will train in 29 palms for I believe a month or so and then be done. Great PT out there in the dunes so be ready for it. Worst PFT course I have ever run as its long, hot and boring as well as a tad over 3 miles.

As for your job you will run phone line and troubleshoot phone line issues. If you are with an infantry or arti unit it will be a bit more field time under less desirable conditions. They will likely have a small box (3865) and a hand full of phones. You will run all the wires from that unit to each phone and ensure the connections stay good. Deployed you spend a bit more time "outside" running the initial setup unless you fall on gear already in place. After its up and running you will handle trouble calls. People will tell you their phone doesnt work and you will walk the X amount of distance out there to find out it isnt plugged in.

Overall not a bad job. If given a chance, cross train as a switch operator. There are some certificates, specifically redcom which are very valuable in the civilian sector.

[dizark]

Corporal i was referring that as a joke. Do wiredogs see much combat?

Depends on your type of unit. I'm Active Duty as a RO with a Victor Unit (infantry), and on my last deployment, lots of us from our shop, including wire dogs, went on patrols. Remember the motto: Every Marine is a Rifleman.

However, if you're in a non-infantry unit, you seeing combat really depend on where you are and if they need you to leave the shop.