The Corps Today, Yesterday, Tomorrow.

[The Skipper]

Zulu 36, I'll relieve you as the boot in this thread. I went to OCS through the Platoon Leaders Course (2 x 6 week sessions during summer breaks from college) back in 2008 and 2009. Commissioned in 2010. Today, poolees sign up for an Occupational Field (i.e. 03xx) and then find out what they are assigned specifically toward the end of bootcamp. If they're foolish enough or their recruiter is slick enough, they also can sign an open contract, which 75% of the time means they end up as Food Service. Sometimes the poolees just want to be a Marine and will sign an open contract to get in ASAP rather than wait a few months for a OccField they want.

On the officer side, Candidates contract as either Ground, Air or Law. Air know before OCS if they'll be pilots or NFOs and Law obviously is only given to lawyers or law students. ~75% of newly commissioned 2ndLts are ground contract, which means they get their MOS toward the end of TBS. They list their preferences and TBS staff assigns MOSs based on their ranking, needs of the Corps, quality spread, and preference. Most 2ndLts get something in their top 3-4 picks, with high density MOSs being logistics, comm, infantry, etc. Smaller MOSs (like mine, 3404) usually only have 3-6 slots to fill in a 300 Lt company.

The MOS demographics have certainly changed. I can't cite a reference, but the common statistic that is thrown out is that for every 0311 LCpl who kicks the door in, there are about 23 Marines in support -- from pay, food, transportation, equipment, comms, etc. The Division is and always will be the Main Effort of the Corps, but given the survivability of a Platoon in Afghanistan (which might lose a few on deployment) compared to a Platoon in Vietnam, there is less need for mass numbers of 03xx.

The Marine Corps is also very willing to demonstrate the "every Marine a Rifleman" still holds true. My first deployment to Afghanistan I filled a 0402 billet and my Senior Enlisted Advisor was a 13xx MSgt. We had over 50 MOSs in the company, including a Sgt from the 1st MarDiv band (told me he played the skin-flute, I never got a real instrument out of him). Only one of my PltCmdrs was a 0402. The others were Aviation Supply and Engineer (XO was an Engineer too). I know lawyers and pilots who filled 0302 billets in Iraq and Afghanistan during the surge years. The goal is to become a "MAGTF Officer" who is well rounded. You generally don't make it to the field grades if you haven't demonstrated a bit of diversity and flexibility.

[USMC 2571]

Very interesting. So many changes over the years and yet some things have remained and will remain the same, I guess.

[FoxtrotOscar]

Yes, many changes..

I was a re-tread.. did my 4.6 and got out, than a year later back in..

I was privy to new equipment, regulations that came and went depending on who was running the show...

Much, much more including the "Zero" Deficit mentality era, the PC entry and so forth..

I pretty much keep abreast of all new and current going ons, especially in the equipment and tactics, of course being a former contractor for DHS was especially beneficial...

[USMC 2571]

Interesting, Mike, to hear how it was in different eras.

[FoxtrotOscar]

Not to mention how many Uniform changes went on, I got the original issue of Khakis, Tropicals, Wool Greens and basic Utilities.

The we got over 4 different kinds of cammies as they progressed, woodland be the most dominant, then the boos and covers changed, went to Summer and winter green uniforms..

Green t-shirts finally came about after much hand wringing, please, we wear cammo and still wore white t's... lol

[USMC 2571]

Mike, I have to make one observation. I did before and some went nuts, but in my personal opinion, which is one of many, I do not like the look of the rolled up sleeves that they used to have.

[advanced]

Not to mention how many Uniform changes went on, I got the original issue of Khakis, Tropicals, Wool Greens and basic Utilities.

The we got over 4 different kinds of cammies as they progressed, woodland be the most dominant, then the boos and covers changed, went to Summer and winter green uniforms..

Green t-shirts finally came about after much hand wringing, please, we wear cammo and still wore white t's... lol

We wore white and green t-shirts back in the Nam in 68. We also went from solid green jungle utes to camy's during that time, but still mostly solid green.

[FoxtrotOscar]

What I'm really curious about is what do they do these days when out in the field with laptops, cell phones, Ipads, etc...

I was watching a documentary on the Mountain Warfare Center and saw that they even allow a portable PX for pogey bait/geedunk...

[USMC 2571]

Quite different from the old days.

[The Skipper]

Most Marines bring their phones and use them until they die. I bring a battery charger to the field with me (about 5 cubic inches big) to recharge and keep in touch with the "real world" at night.

The portable PX is a thing. It's called the Warrior Express Services. It's a one stop shop to get Marines on FOBs their mail, resolve pay issues and yes, get them a gatorade, dip, and socks, etc. I "owned" the WES team for I MEF while I was a Company Commander at Pendleton. It's not used much while stateside (just for large exercises and to train, but is a welcome sight to see in Iraq/Afghanistan. I never owned them overseas (I took over a different company), but the rational was that if we own the terrain and can pretty much move at will, why not get the Marines some PX love?

Also, most major FOBs today have a Green Bean (such as Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan). My second deployment which was mainly on an Army base, there was a swimming pool, 3 coffee shops, ice cream shop, pizza hut, subway and burger king. It was pretty much a crappy Camp Pendleton in Kuwait. Even while I was in Iraq, there was a Green Bean in Baghdad.

Go ahead... judge us

[advanced]

In the Arizona we only had the Dairy Queen Chopper that would come in. But it was only every other day. Obviously everything has changed drastically.

Capt, is it true that Marines on patrol come into the wire every night, we'd be out in the bush for 3-4 weeks most of the time.

[Mongoose]

Russ, after we went to 1st. Div.....we didn't have a rear area. As support Bn. for all the 1st. Div.....we stayed in the bush all the time. The little bit of rest time we had, was when we were staging for a new operation. At least it was this way while I was there. I also heard that Marines were in the wire at night in Afgan. Also heard they had a chow hall and showers to use.

[The Skipper]

Everyone's experience is going to be different. Patrols don't come in at night, but for most it's a few days out and then back in, but the mission has changed. We aren't trying to take and hold ground like in wars past. That's the easy part since our enemy is so much smaller. Patrols normally just maintain a presence around a village or keep an eye on road we think could be vulnerable to IEDs.

My last boss spent 7 months away from the FOBs, got frocked to Capt by Mattis after his Co Cmdr was KIA and left Iraq with a BSV and PH. I on the other hand spend the lions' share of my time on cushy FOBs, only getting out for a few weeks to training sites in Northern Iraq. There are showers, etc on large FOBs like Leatherneck, but small FOBs are whatever the unit makes of them. Might have a prison gym, but probably not a whole lot more.

Most Marines (I expect this has always been true) will play up their experiences. A few years ago, CARs were given to entire Regiments if they took a single round of IDF -- One was just given to all the Marines on a ship that got show at a few months ago. If you're field grade and deploy for a year, you can pretty much expect a bronze star. I'm pretty open with the fact that the living conditions of wars today are not as spartan as past wars. We're far more lethal today than we have ever been, but for your average Marine, the living conditions are much better than in the past.

[USMC 2571]

See, this is exactly what I envisioned when I started this thread.....very very interesting information, routine to the one's who are posting, but really interesting in that I (and others) would have no way of ever knowing about how the Corps is or was, except for my OWN experiences 1963 to 1967.

And even those experiences were not typical of the Corps, as I was on a small Navy base in the Caribbean on a listening post for 2 of the 4 years I was in, plus 6 months at a Navy school way before that. Only one year at Camp Lejeune. So my experiences were hardly typical. Some guys were stationed at Lejeune for four years.

So of all the threads I ever started, this is one of my favorites.

[USMC 2571]

As previously stated, one of the huge differences between my era and now is the present day ability to choose the MOS field. This was unheard of way back when. And it was probably better that way. Read Ask A Marine posts and witness the anxiety and fixation on what jobs they will end up getting, and how this or that MOS compares to others etc etc. I know, planning....planning is the key to it, but the Corps ran fine without that kind of future planning. Everything still got done, missions were still accomplished without making a big deal out of what MOS one would get. This is one of my few pet peeves nowadays. But I never ran the Corps, and never will. Just my opinions here, e pluribus unum opinions at that.