Regarding Force Reconnaissance and OCS

[TeeJay93]

Hey all,

I've searched high and low for answers to this question, but I seem to get a lot of contradictory information, so I figured I'd just ask directly.

I'm currently a sophomore in college, and I've had my heart set on OCS for awhile, but recently Force Recon has peaked my attention. My question is, if my desire is Force Recon, should I just enlist after I graduate, or can I become an officer and then go into Force Recon?

My second question is regarding MOS. I understand they want Marines with a deployment under their belt for Recon. Officer or enlisted, I want to be an infantryman. How hard, with a good ASVAB score, is it to get into 03XX? (Just to clarify, I'm not asking how hard is the training, but is is generally all filled up?)

I hope I covered everything, thank you for any help.

[afraziaaaa]

I'm currently a sophomore in college, and I've had my heart set on OCS for awhile, but recently Force Recon has peaked my attention. My question is, if my desire is Force Recon, should I just enlist after I graduate, or can I become an officer and then go into Force Recon?

My second question is regarding MOS. I understand they want Marines with a deployment under their belt for Recon. Officer or enlisted, I want to be an infantryman. How hard, with a good ASVAB score, is it to get into 03XX? (Just to clarify, I'm not asking how hard is the training, but is is generally all filled up?

Have you applied to any Marine Corps officer programs yet? If not, you are thinking a bit ahead of yourself, and you are behind the power curve for aspiring Marine officers your age. Like enlistment, OCS is not a guarantee. It is extremely competitive, especially for white males. If this is what you want, apply now. You must finish college before you can be comissioned anyway, and it will be even more competitive if you apply after you graduate.

Recon has officers, but they are 0302 (infantry officer). Again, no guarantees. If you apply, are accepted and make it through OCS, you still may not get selected for a comission. Assuming you do, your next stop will be the basic school. At the basic school, you will list all 21 officer MOSs in order of your preference (for ground option). You could be assigned your first choice, or your last choice. As a Marine Officer, you are an instrument of the Corps and must get behind what the Corps wants whether you agree or not. That includes being assigned as an administration officer when your first choice was infantry. If something like this happens, then you had better be the best administration officer you can be, or you are out.

As an enlisted Marine, you have to be a top performer, then apply for Recon. They prefer taking Marines from 03 designators, but it is not currently a requirement (will become one soon). Assuming that you are accepted, you then have to pass indoc which has a very high attrition rate. Assuming you pass that, you then have to attend basic reconnaisance course. You may be afforded a spot in a platoon at the batallion level if you make it. Force takes only the cream of THAT crop.

Infantry contracts are generally the first ones to fill. In order to qualify for recon, you must score above a 50QT and a 105GT.

[SNusbaumer]

When are they going to make it a requirement that Recon was only open to 03s?

[afraziaaaa]

When are they going to make it a requirement that Recon was only open to 03s?

Whenever the brass decides based on whatever analysis the junior brass does. It may never actually happen, but it has been talked about for the past 3.

[SNusbaumer]

I interviewed The II MEF FR CO for an article I wrote for Leatherneck so I understand any MOSs can try-out but the vast majority come from Battalion Recon, and then nearly all the others from grunt units. But there is the occasional other.

[Hammer]

Hey all,

I've searched high and low for answers to this question, but I seem to get a lot of contradictory information, so I figured I'd just ask directly.

I'm currently a sophomore in college, and I've had my heart set on OCS for awhile, but recently Force Recon has peaked my attention. My question is, if my desire is Force Recon, should I just enlist after I graduate, or can I become an officer and then go into Force Recon?

My second question is regarding MOS. I understand they want Marines with a deployment under their belt for Recon. Officer or enlisted, I want to be an infantryman. How hard, with a good ASVAB score, is it to get into 03XX? (Just to clarify, I'm not asking how hard is the training, but is is generally all filled up?)

I hope I covered everything, thank you for any help.

Just curious. Why do you want to be in recon, and more importantly to me personally, why do you want to be in Force?

[TeeJay93]

Thank you afraziaaa, you've been a ton of help.

Just two more quick questions,
1) So for officer your MOS could be completely different from what you want, how about enlisted? Is it the same deal, or do you get in where you want?

2)What exactly do you mean by "top-performer" to apply for recon? Does this mean score well on all tests, physical and mental alike?

[TeeJay93]

Just curious. Why do you want to be in recon, and more importantly to me personally, why do you want to be in Force?

Why do I want to be in Force Recon specifically?

1) The whole premise of the job appeals to me. Being the absolute first on the ground, behind enemy lines, scouting the enemy. It's what I want to do. I'd put my head through a desk if I had a cubicle job.

2) I want to prove to myself that I am the best. What better way than to not only become the most elite fighter, a Marine, but become the elite of the elite, Force Recon?

[SNusbaumer]

You need to understand that you must get into the Marine Corps, excel as a Marine, establish a strong track record, and then focus on getting into FR and/or MARSOC. As the CO of II FR told me, without a strong track record they are not interested in you. And that will take you a few years, some deployments, etc. Whether it is the grunt>BR>FR route or non-grunt>BR>FR or MARSOC you will need to super focus on the job at hand from the get-go, excel physically and mentally, in leadership also, always progress, that A-type personality must stay strong, and then position yourself for the FR or MARSOC move. The officer or enlisted is a wider, even different decision. It will have a fundamental effect in what you do or can't do in the Marines. This is true if in MARSOC and FR.

[SNusbaumer]

Let me add one more thing. I though of this after reading your desire to prove that you are the best. I spent time as a journalist with a SMOT in western Afghanistan. What those CSO Marines are most impressed with are not themselves but the other members of the SMOT -- their incredible skill level in several areas, their motivation, their smartness. They didn't talk about themselves, they talk about how good the other Marines are. This is also true in FR. And this brings up a quality that is essential for these units, as well as for other units such as PITT and MITT, maturity. The FR unit I was with had one Corporal, he had just moved from BR to FR and about to turn Sgt.

[Radiofantry]

One of my mentors was an 0621 in ANGLICO, ended up going to a grunt battalion as a platoon commander when he was an E6, then later ended up in SOCOM working with those guys, so there are definitely opportunities for close combat support MOS's in the special operations community. Radio Operators, Artillery, things like that who go the same places the grunts do

[Hammer]

Why do I want to be in Force Recon specifically?

1) The whole premise of the job appeals to me. Being the absolute first on the ground, behind enemy lines, scouting the enemy. It's what I want to do. I'd put my head through a desk if I had a cubicle job.

2) I want to prove to myself that I am the best. What better way than to not only become the most elite fighter, a Marine, but become the elite of the elite, Force Recon?

I wish you all the best; however you should realize that not everyone makes the cut to become a Recon Marine, and not everyone that has the Recon designate mos can be a Force Recon member.

There are many steps to be taken to become a
Recon Marine, and twice as many to become a Force Recon Marine.

It seems that every young Marine I meet wants to be in recon, and there are a lot of Marines both active and inactive who claim to be in Recon, or was a member of Recon. I find this both funny and sad.

Being a Recon Marine is an admirable goal, but it is not as important or as prestigious as earning the Title of United States Marine. Every Marine regardless of their MOS is as important as the next, be they in motor transport, admin or what have you, but they are all Marines.

There are several threads on the site concerning Recon and Marsoc. I hope you read them. They are very insightful.

Good luck And Semper Fi!

[Radiofantry]

For the record, I was an 0621, and my first unit was Recon. I ended up getting attached to a team and did the same exact things that the Rickies did. Then my next unit was Infantry and I ended up being a platoon/squad radio operator (squad when it was a squad patrol, and then the LTs RO when he was out with us) and again I did the same exact things the grunts did. Same shooting packages, same schools, same everything and I got comm classes that they didn't.

My point being that there are a lot of different roads to travel in the Marine Corps and you'll find that MOS has very little bearing on things, to a certain extent. There are other 0621s from my class that spent their entire career stateside and never deployed, others that deployed but never left the wire, and others that are now in MARSOC.

As regimented as the Marine Corps is, and as much as decisions come down to "needs of the corps", there is still a lot of room for you to control your own destiny as long as you're motivated and push for what you want.

[doc h fmf]

If All Else Fails Become A Navy Corpsman The Best Year Was With The Grunts And At Mct And Soi 1985-1992
Good Luck In Whatever You Do Tom


Stephen Doc Hansen Hm3 Fmf

[SGT7477]

Your first concern should be making it through our Boot Camp, like our Marine Brother Hammer3 said every Marine is as important as the next Marine,Semper Fidelis.