Boot Leave and RA, don't get screwed over...

[StoneTheWeak]

Ok, listen up poolee's. I'm starting to get aggrivated, not with you all, but with some of the **** I hear recruiters doing more and more. I'm at NAS Pensacola training for Aviation Electrician. And every week we get new guys from MCT(Makes sense right, every week a platoon grads bootcamp, and thus goes on to MCT) And more and more I'm hearing this story. You guys go on leave and talk to your recruiters about getting Recruiters Assisstance. Well somehow they keep on conning you guys into coming in on your actual leave days and promising you you'll get RA, or if you do come in, you'll get RA, there are all sorts of variations.

And that sorta ****es me off. This didn't happen to me thank god, but I woulda had the common sense to say "Pass." I would think after 13 weeks of bootcamp and earning the title after spending all that time in the DEP and going to Pool Functions that these recruiters would be decent enough not to **** with you. This is how it works. When you get done with bootcamp call up your recruiter the second you can and ask him, tactfully, if he could get you Recruiters Assisstance. If he says yeah he can do that, call him in a day or 2 and see if he sent in the paperwork. If he did, should be good to go.


Now, don't let him get you with this whole line. "Well I can't promise you that right now, but if you come in this week and help me out I'm sure I can convince them." STOP.

That's not how it works. Either there is or isn't a spot available for you to go on RA. And don't let him fool you into using your actual LEAVE days to help him out. Now if you want to go down to the office and help out cause you have nothing else to do, good on you motivator. That's something different. But too often am I hearing about new Marines who come here saying they got shafted out of using their leave cause they don't know any better. Which is true, you have been in bootcamp, Drill Instructors hate Recruiters, and they don't really warn you.

While Recruiters are a higher rank than you, unless you actually get assigned RA, they aren't allowed to **** with your leave. It's your leave, do what you want with it.

Semper Fidelis, stay motivated.

[Rocky C]

For someone that just had 2 wisdom teeth taken out, you have alot to say today.
Oh Yeah, Your Typing
Semper Fi,
Rocky

[giveen]

You know, if I was on leave and a Sgt asked me to help him out with something for a couple hours one day, I would say "Yes, Sgt, would love to help out, Semper Fi"

[ramos360]

Thanks for the warning. I leave for the island in 58 days. Cannot wait to go through the transformation from a citizen to one of the proud and few.

[StoneTheWeak]

You know, if I was on leave and a Sgt asked me to help him out with something for a couple hours one day, I would say "Yes, Sgt, would love to help out, Semper Fi"

Like I said it's a personal decision. If he asks that's one thing, but some of these new Marines don't know any better and the recruiters will tell them they have to help him. It's just what I've been hearing and it makes me mad that an NCO or SNCO in the Marine Corps would try and take advantage of the inexperience of a Pvt or PFC after they just got done with bootcamp. It's unsat.

[devildame]

Like I said it's a personal decision. If he asks that's one thing, but some of these new Marines don't know any better and the recruiters will tell them they have to help him. It's just what I've been hearing and it makes me mad that an NCO or SNCO in the Marine Corps would try and take advantage of the inexperience of a Pvt or PFC after they just got done with bootcamp. It's unsat.

Agreed! I, myself, did go down to the recruiter's office once on my 10 days leave. They were having a poolee function and a SSgt called and asked me if I could come down just for a bit and answer any questions they might have. I was happy to do so, but I know what kind of stories you're talking about. The recruiters love having fresh minions around, I bet.