Pros and Cons...again!!
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  1. #1

    Pros and Cons...again!!

    Well my last topic got deleted sooo here I am typing it again. I am 17 years old teenager. Who wants to do 0311 as my M.O.S in the Marine Corps! Wanted to do this all my life but now I finally can. It's my way of trying to be like my dad who is a Retired Force Recon Marine the badest of the bad! Well see the thing is my mom doesn't want me to joing infantry of course since the war is going on. Also because she doesn't think it will benefit me for my life after the Corps if there is I'm thinking of just doing a career as a Marine. Anyways so could some of you Infantry Marines out there please give me a list of Pros and Cons of doing infantry??

    Thanks alot,
    Matt

    Last edited by jinelson; 10-11-06 at 09:40 PM.

  2. #2
    Marine Free Member jinelson's Avatar
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    Matt thanks for filling out your profile. We have a few hundred years of experience on here so you should get some answers to your question. I was motor transport, so a con to me is why hump when you can ride lol. I know many grunts and they love their jobs and wouldnt switch for anything. I think any Marine would tell you that their MOS is the best. You might try searching the Poolee Hall and Ask A Marine forum archieves as this question has been asked several times before. Do an advanced search for 03xx, 0300 and 0311.

    Good Luck

    Jim



  3. #3
    Im 03, and Ill be honest with you . Some of the best times in my life and without a doubt some of the toughest times were being an 03.

    In my opinion some of the pros are the obvious. You get to shoot guns and blow s*it up . Thats always fun. You get to travel. My first 2 deployments I went and visited alot of different countries and met alot of different cultures. Trained with alot of different armies and just got to experience alot of stuff your average 18 year old kid doesnt get to do. Some of the other benefits that arent so obvious are the leadership and the confidence you learn and gain. As an infantryman you are always being asked to step up and take charge . Wether your a team leader, a squad leader or taking charge of a section of Marines. Hell you could be the ammo man, but you still have a responsibiltiy that is way more important than your average Marine. The skills you learn in the Marine Corps may not be as tangible as a Marine who fixes helicopters, or knows how to type really fast, but everything you learn in the Marine Corps as far as confidence you can take that out in the world when you and the Marine Corps part. Now its true , there arent too many job openings for machine gunner or mortarman or automatic rifleman on Monster.com but what employers do look for is the people who can take charge. Be confident and have the ability to work unsupervised because they want to accomplish the mission. Not saying all Marines arent like this but in my opinion grunts know that they are an integral part of the machine , and if they dont perform their function in the machine then the machine breaks down.
    Being a grunts very physical and very demanding. You hump , hump and hump . Then you run, you run until you cant run anymore and then they ask you to run some more. You patrol, live in the woods eating MRE's, you dont shower , your feet hurt , your back hurts and you curse the Marine Corps when your doing all of it. But you never lose pride in being a grunt. Because thats what grunts do and they love doing it. I would never change my MOS becasue Im proud of calling myself a grunt. Most of the Marines who you see in Iraq patrolling , and blowing **** up , those are grunts. Of course what we do is dangerous but come one, so is walking down the street. Your dad being force recon , now those guys are PT Studs. they can run and run and run and then swim and swim and swim . Your father would not have done it if he didnt love it. Believe me , all jobs in the Marine Corps have meaning and are important but being an infantryman is the coolest job in the Corps., remember the every other job in the Marine Corps responsibility is to support the infantry.
    Semper Fi.


  4. #4
    Hey Outlaw thanks alot that should really help in persuading my mom. anyone else please feel free too add their input on this cause im sure i'll need some more..
    Thanks again,
    Matt


  5. #5
    You will get a LOT of life experience out of it...but if you are nothing other than an Infantry Marine, then you have nothing to offer the civilian world when you get out. You need to do as many things as you can and attend as many schools as you can. Granted you will have the discipline and all that to offer. I know alot of Infantry guys go on to become cops...thats what I did. Just make your time worth it. And remember...your mom will love you no matter what...do what you want to do, not what they want you to do.


  6. #6
    i understand the whole do what i want to do not what they want to do. the only thing is my mom is all scared if i go infantry afraid i'll get hurt or killed but as long as im defending my country i'm ok with that for real


  7. #7
    You can die anytime....as I recall, wasn't a Captain Peterson just killed in a NON COMBAT vehicle accident?


  8. #8
    Yeah that is true...and I know all about car accidents already been in 3 haha 2 werent my fault and the one that was mine wasn't too bad. But yeah if I were to die in the Corps I would definitely want to die while I'm taking out as many of them as I can! Not by like some random car accident or anything like that.

    Thanks again,
    Matt


  9. #9
    Marine Free Member Marine84's Avatar
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    I don't know too many Marines that had a problem getting a job after the Corps - once a company sees that Marine Corps on your resume - no matter WHAT you did for the Corps, they want you just because they know they don't have to futz with you too much after you're hired.

    And, yes, God Himself could reach down and snatch you up while you're reading this post......................what's your point? Throw that at 'em one time and see what happens. Except you could say "while we're standing here arguing about it".


  10. #10
    Thanks Marine84 that is a very very good point I will definitely have to use that one on them and i believe what you say is right about the whole Marines on the resume thing

    Thanks again!


  11. #11
    Marine Free Member rb1651's Avatar
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    [QUOTE=Marine84]I don't know too many Marines that had a problem getting a job after the Corps - once a company sees that Marine Corps on your resume - no matter WHAT you did for the Corps, they want you just because they know they don't have to futz with you too much after you're hired.

    As Marine84 states, alot of times if a company sees that you had earned the title Marine, that's all it takes. Thats what happened to me at my present job. As the department manager was reviewing my resume, he said that he noticed I had served in the Corps. I told him yes, showed him my DD214, and all he said is "When can you start". Didn't ask about what my MOS meant, just hired me on the spot.

    Point is, if you want 0311, then go for it. It's the backbone of the Corps. The rest of us were supporting players for those Marines on the front lines.


  12. #12
    Thank you very much Rb I know that this will most definitely help with my mom signing off on me doing infantry Thanks, Matt


  13. #13
    Marine Free Member SgtHopperUSMC's Avatar
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    We are all riflemen first....
    I was a Combat Engineer so have a lot in common with the Grunts. Just more blowing up stuff involved. No matter what you do just remember we all pack a rifle and we all have each others back. Good luck in whatever you do. Semper Fi !!!


  14. #14
    I had the same problem - mom didn't want me to go - but it was because my brother was killed in Vietnam in the Marines. I tried to talk my mom into signing the papers for 6 months so I could join at 17. She finally signed and I quit school and joined with the promise that I would finish school. I can tell you that the was the best decision of my life and I wouldn't trade it. I was a radio operator always assigned to a grunt unit. The best time in my life and it has made me what I am today. That was 25 years ago and now I'm in charge of 3 manufacturing plants in the US. I understand your mom is worried my older son is in the Navy and I worry about him everyday, but she will always be your mother and will be very proud of the choices you will make. If you decide to not make a career out of the Corp you will have a leg up in the civilian world. When I hire people the first thing I look at is were they in the military specifally if they were in the Marines they are the first ones I talk with. You will be joining the finest fighting force in the world and you will never regret it.
    Semper FI!
    PS. Yes I finished school and have a bachlors degree in business.



  15. #15
    Marine Free Member cplbrooks's Avatar
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    tell your mom that you are going into the grunts because you dont want to feel like you wasted four years in the corps. If you just want a job skill then go to college. The intangible skills you will learn in the grunts like leadership, discipline and courage will serve you for the rest of your life no matter what you persue as a career. Why spend four years in the Marine Corps if you are not prepared to go all the way? (no offense meant to the Marines with other MOS')


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