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  1. #16
    Quick question Marines, I am currently a poolee, I have the Indirect Fire Support contract, I have a 108 GT Score on the ASVAB, and a 72 AFQT, and a 263 PFT score. Now my question is what are my chances of receiving the 0861 MOS out of the 4 MOS's in my contract.

    Thank you


  2. #17
    Great info! I'm 5831 right now but I am considering a lat move to this MOS later on down the line.


  3. #18
    Marine Family Free Member
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    Out to Fleet!

    Our Marine completed his 0861 training last week at Coronado! He has been assigned to 1st MEF, 1st ANGLICO, Camp Pendleton.
    Thanks for the info provided in this thread!

    Proud 0861 Parents

    "Lightning from the Sky - Thunder from the Sea"


  4. #19
    Your PFT score will not be a determining factor. Obviously your GT score minimum requirement would be 100 so you would be fine. I just hope by the time you re-up we wont be so bogged down with lat-movers.

    Congratulations to your family members for the completion of their training.

    We got a few Marines from Coronado over a week ago and they will adjust nicely. We PT and train very hard in 29 Palms and spend more time in the field than any other artillery battalion in the Marine Corps... Thats why we are the best at what we do.


  5. #20

    re up

    Quote Originally Posted by ThreeEleven0861 View Post
    Your PFT score will not be a determining factor. Obviously your GT score minimum requirement would be 100 so you would be fine. I just hope by the time you re-up we wont be so bogged down with lat-movers.

    Congratulations to your family members for the completion of their training.

    We got a few Marines from Coronado over a week ago and they will adjust nicely. We PT and train very hard in 29 Palms and spend more time in the field than any other artillery battalion in the Marine Corps... Thats why we are the best at what we do.
    Marines do not re-up. Marines ship over.


  6. #21
    That's some good information for 0861s heading to a battery...however if you get pushed to an ANGLICO unit you will never use an AFATDS or sit behind a desk until the rank of Staff Sgt...however, even a couple of our gunnys got pushed out on missions in Afghanistan...we work in 4 man FCT teams, most of us in 1st have airborne training and attend jump school, SERE school, and a bunch of other good training. You will never just sit behind a desk, but will be out getting your hands dirty whipping it on in the forefront of the battles... also i agree that lat movers (especially ones from non combat arms MOSs) need to stay in your MOSs...no one will respect you as an 0861, including PFCs with more 0861 experience than you


  7. #22
    hey i was wondering if any one else had more information about the current state of this mos and what a cpl or sgt might do in it mainly


  8. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by Neves View Post
    hey i was wondering if any one else had more information about the current state of this mos and what a cpl or sgt might do in it mainly
    This MOS has officially bottlenecked. CPL and SGT scores have finally caught up with the numbers. They are closed out, and will either stay closed out or remain high until some of the FY08-09 re-ups and lat-movers start bailing out. The boatspaces this year are full-up. No more fy11 re-enlistments or lat-moves.

    If you end up in this MOS as an NCO, you will go to division,an arty regiment, arty battalion, or maybe an anglico unit. You are competing with most 0861's to hit an Anglico unit so it is more likely you will hit an arty unit. You will most likely be in limbo with no billet until you gain credibility, eventually when that happens, you will end up in an FSCC plotting on a map board or AFATDS. Most SNCO's will take a giant sh*t on you, because most hate lat-movers, unless you come from an 03 or other 08 MOS.


  9. #24
    Marine Friend Free Member CTguy1955's Avatar
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    studying

    Quote Originally Posted by ThreeEleven0861 View Post
    It is very rare for a new Marine to get to Ft. Sill and pick up class right away, especially MASOC. A little advice, after your done with your working parties, go to the gym and PT as much as you can on your free time. Don't bother trying to read any class materials to get ahead, as it will do more harm then good. Also, Square away any sh*tbags who are going to be in your class, it will make life easier for everyone.
    My son graduated on Aug 12th, and was high honor student in his class and he spent all his free time studying...... he still scored second on pt as well.
    I am very proud of him, as his Grandpa, who at 17 was on Iwo, would be as well. I cant find any info or pictures on the ft sill sight, I know Dan got a award and someone must have taken pictures....where can I go to find news of this, as the ft sill newspaper does not have much info.

    Thanks for any links you can come up with.


  10. #25
    Three Eleven,
    How long is the Fire Support Man Course?


  11. #26
    Marine Friend Free Member CTguy1955's Avatar
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    My son spent 8-9 weeks at Ft Sill and then 5-6 weeks at Coranado. He now has his MOS and is off to permanent duty station at Pendelton (hope I spelled that correctly).

    Good Luck with your schooling !!!!


  12. #27
    Semper Fidelis,

    This is the mos that I wanted when I was a pooled. But some how, some way by the grace of cheery, I became a bulk fuel specialist, I'm tired of my job, my lowest line score was a 124, my mos doesn't challenge me, and second to becoming a Marine, I wanted to be a Fire Supportman. I'm about to be a corporal after almost 3 years, and thus I have a few more months to talk to the career planner. Now this was from a while ago, how's the mos looking for fy 13? I couldn't care less about bonuses, just the nco to troop ratio.


  13. #28
    Marine Friend Free Member CTguy1955's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Spears View Post
    Semper Fidelis,

    This is the mos that I wanted when I was a pooled. But some how, some way by the grace of cheery, I became a bulk fuel specialist, I'm tired of my job, my lowest line score was a 124, my mos doesn't challenge me, and second to becoming a Marine, I wanted to be a Fire Supportman. I'm about to be a corporal after almost 3 years, and thus I have a few more months to talk to the career planner. Now this was from a while ago, how's the mos looking for fy 13? I couldn't care less about bonuses, just the nco to troop ratio.
    I will forward this to my Son, I have no idea of what is happening in Kajaki with his MOS as he is mostly just a grunt on patrol and does not get to use his MOS very much. I will get back to you soon.


  14. #29
    Let’s shed some light on lat-movers. I am a lat-mover 0861 having completed two combat tours into Afghanistan. I could make a very good guess that I have probably dropped more ordnance down range than any other person back in my artillery unit in the last few years. I know other lat movers who have done more talk-ons with aircraft and dropped more bombs than non-lat movers in ANGLICO, including Three-Eleven. Within months of receiving my 0861 MOS, I had already gone and passed advanced fire support schools. In every single one of those schools and courses, a lat-mover ended up graduating honor grad, while a lot of non-lat mover NCO’s, and SNCO’s, barely passed. Take TACP school (that’s a school for controlling air for those of you who don’t know) not a single Lat-Mover has failed that school so far, but I can count on more than one hand on how many non-lat movers have failed out of that school, or for that matter, even passed the prep course. On a different note, a lat-mover to the 0861 field is an NCO who has more than 4 or 5 years worth of experience leading Marines. I know plenty of them, ranging from bulk fuel specialists to the most hardened grunt. Most of them that I have met have multiple combat tours, multiple purple hearts, various combat awards, etc etc. Most of them have other special skills being an Instructor or Instructor Trainer in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program, Marine Corps water survival, combat marksmanship program, or have gone and actually done a B Billet outside of their original MOS. In other words, they are usually a well rounded Marine. When I latmoved I was stunned to find that my “equivalent” 0861 Sergeants had gone and done a combat tour, but usually as provisional infantry standing guard duty, or having been on an IA Billet somewhere. To add to that, none of them had done anything outside of the 0861 community, gone to any other Marine Corps schools other than MASOC and NGF school, and most of them, sad to say, were out of shape. As in, more than one non-latmover 0861, from Private to GySgt, failed PFT’s. Even some of the Instructors at the basic level fire support schools were grossly over weight and out of shape. Oddly enough, every single lat mover that I have met, excel their STANDARD requirements of being a Marine. Quite frankly, I have seen the ANGLICO Marines as well, and they talk a big game of being in shape and this “special” force, but most of them are just as in shape as your average Marine, and are just as rusty with basic fire support knowledge as your average guy. And all it takes is a simple set of orders to be with ANGLICO.

    The other big one is the bonus. For some of the civilians reading this, the average going rate to lat move into the 0861 field was $81,000 back in 2008 and 2009. For non-latmovers, it was $91,000. So what it boils down to is that every single person in the 0861 field who did not lat move is jealous of the money. And don’t even bother saying anything about “bottle-necking” this MOS for promotions. Your average Marine does not become a SSgt until his 8th or 9th year in the Marine Corps. Most 0861’s, if they’re not dirt bags, are Sgt’s before their 3rd year or just slightly into their 3rd year. You will not find any sympathy from any ground pounder with those odds having the chances of picking up Sgt that fast. All you have to do is your MCI’s and have a good PFT/CFT, and barely even that, to be honest with you.

    As for deployments, 0861’s are gone all of the time. Do not expect a standard dwell time. They come back from a deployment, and they will turn right back around into pre deployment training and head right back out again. They are in high demand. If they’re not going on a combat deployment, they will be going on a MEU, or they will be in the field training for conventional warfare. I personally cannot remember when I had even three months of being at home without two or three week interrupted field operations or pre deployment training. Deployments are not 6 months, they’re about 7 months long, and if you’re with a regiment, it’s going to be a year.

    If you become a lat mover, you will be just fine. The junior Marines do not go out in combat and call for fire anymore, as it’s taken care of up at Battalion level. They act as rifleman, or usually, a radio operator in a Company COC. As a Sgt or a SNCO, you’ll end up working in a COC somewhere conducting fire support with precision guided munitions. There’s nothing sexy about it, and unless we go to war with a conventional army, it’s going to stay that way. On that note, this job is extremely easy as long as you study and ask questions. Just find a Sergeant somewhere, and ask questions and have him show you how to do things. It’s not hard. If you’re worried about some boot not respecting you for being a latmover, you should probably not be an NCO in the first place. Unless some of you have forgotten, respect towards leadership is not an option, it’s a lawful order. And, last time I knew, a Marine is not defined by his MOS code, but by his bearing, conduct, and experience as a US Marine.

    I am a Staff Sergeant of Marines. I got stationed with 3/11 as a lat mover. Three-Eleven’s first posting about MASOC and NGF was pretty much spot on. However, these lat mover comments needed clarification. Anyone who is looking into being a lat mover, my best advice for you is to give an artillery unit a call and ask what it’s like. And don’t worry, most of the 0861 field, by now, is made up of high ranking lat-movers. It’s not going to affect your promotion. I was promoted to a SNCO less than a year and a half of having latmoved, and it had nothing to do with time spent in the MOS, but time spent in the Marine Corps and total Marine Corps qualifications/experience. There are as many dirt bags and outstanding Marines in this MOS as there are in any other job in the Marine Corps.


  15. #30
    Thanks for the info SSgt, I suppose I have a lot to think about.


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