infantry weapons officer "gunner"

[timbrwolf]

Recently my recruiter told me about the bursting bomb insignia and the rank it represents. I did some research on my own and I from what I found I am very interested. I was hoping to find a current or recent "gunner" who is in the weapons acquisition sector that I could talk to. Its hard to pound information out of a recruiter if the job is so specialialised.

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[josephd]

Recently my recruiter told me about the bursting bomb insignia and the rank it represents. I did some research on my own and I from what I found I am very interested. I was hoping to find a current or recent "gunner" who is in the weapons acquisition sector that I could talk to. Its hard to pound information out of a recruiter if the job is so specialialised.

finding a gunner is like finding a unicorn....you better take a picture and get his autograph as a tattoo

Being a CWO/infantry gunner is at least 15 years away, you have to be a Gunnery Sergeant or higher that has held an 0369(Infantry Platoon Sgt/Leader) MOS and an S-3(operations) Chief billet. Even then the stars have to align perfectly to be selected for that along with knowing some high ranking brass in the infantry world that will vouch for you.

One step at a time young grasshopper, how about you worry about getting into the DEP and then graduating boot camp. Once you've been through 3-4 enlistments and make SSgt, MAYBE then you can start thinking about CWO/Gunner.

[josephd]

LOL.....I really hope asking about being a Gunner is not gonna be the new Recon/MARSOC/SS.....

[timbrwolf]

I understand the hoops I would have to jump through. I want to talk to someone actually doing it though. I could have 15 guys tell me how cool a gunner is. I want it from the horses mouth. If this is something that takes 15 years, then I want to know I will be happy with it when I get there.

[Marine1011]

Information priority, Joe.

[josephd]

I understand the hoops I would have to jump through. I want to talk to someone actually doing it though. I could have 15 guys tell me how cool a gunner is. I want it from the horses mouth. If this is something that takes 15 years, then I want to know I will be happy with it when I get there.

did you read the first sentence in my reply?.......in case you didn't understand, CWO/gunners are extremely rare!...there is literally only about 100 of them total in the whole Marine Corps. I have never seen a single warrant officer on these forums, much less a Gunner

I completely understand you wanting information, and for that I do commend you. But I don't think I or anyone could ever explain becoming or what being a gunner really entails....there is certain things in the Corps that just aren't spoken of, this being one of them among

[josephd]

"happy with it when you get there"???....you may not make it through your first enlistment "happy"....and that is not a knock on you at all, the Corps for a majority of people is something they do for their 4-6 years and then say good bye. There is nothing wrong with that.

[josephd]

And what do you mean by "weapons acquisition sector"?.....if you are referring to who picks and purchases weapons for the Marine Corps, I very highly doubt even if there was a Gunner here that did work for that "sector" they would not be open to discussing what they do with any of us here....especially not a poolee/wannabe.

I am not trying to be an a$$hole, really I'm not but again asking about being something that is very rare and so hard to reach/attain is ridiculous....especially to us Marines on here.

[timbrwolf]

And what do you mean by "weapons acquisition sector"?.....if you are referring to who picks and purchases weapons for the Marine Corps, I very highly doubt even if there was a Gunner here that did work for that "sector" they would not be open to discussing what they do with any of us here....especially not a poolee/wannabe.

I am not trying to be an a$$hole, really I'm not but again asking about being something that is very rare and so hard to reach/attain is ridiculous....especially to us Marines on here.

"Additional assignments may be based on future needs of the Marine Corps; such as new weapons systems acquisition, new weapons systems research and development." This literally outlines the career I have been searching for most of my life. Even If I can't find a gunner, I might find someone who knows one personally. Also, when I said "happy" I meant that if am I going to throw 15 years into something, I want it to be something I can keep doing for another 15 years or more.

[Tennessee Top]

As a career Marine, I think I've seen more unicorns than Marine Gunners.

Oddly enough, the last one I met was at the MEPS in Louisville, KY when I went there to watch my niece get sworn in a couple years ago. I remember, because I asked her to tell me what his rank was and, she got it right! What a Gunner was doing at a MEPS I have no idea. Wish I would've thought to ask him but it never occurred to me.

[timbrwolf]

As a career Marine, I think I've seen more unicorns than Marine Gunners.

Oddly enough, the last one I met was at the MEPS in Louisville, KY when I went there to watch my niece get sworn in a couple years ago. I remember, because I asked her to tell me what his rank was and, she got it right! What a Gunner was doing at a MEPS I have no idea. Wish I would've thought to ask him but it never occurred to me.

His niece could have been doing the same thing.

[LCPL1341]

It was Tops niece....not the Gunners niece. Attention to detail is huge; especially for officers.

[josephd]

It was Tops niece....not the Gunners niece. Attention to detail is huge; especially for officers.

context there killer....when he said "his niece" he mean the Gunners niece at MEPS swearing in as well as Tops

highly unlikely though, i'm sure he had dragons to slay with Sgt. Mjr of the Marine Corps and Commandant in the mysts of avalon that are of higher priority than is his niece swearing in at MEPs

[josephd]

As a career Marine, I think I've seen more unicorns than Marine Gunners

I've met two, in one single location(chow hall @ Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan). And when I say "met" I mean I was sitting at a table near them. They were sitting with a few Colonels and Sgts Mjr

[josephd]

simply put OP...what you want, to chat with a CWO/Gunner, isn't going to happen unless you know one personally. In which case you wouldn't be asking on here.