any 0861's on here?

[christ0ph0311]

I have about one year until I can reenlist, and I am leaning towards lat moving to 0861 Fire Support Man. Any 0861's on here to drop me some basic info or tips on the mos? I would be lat moving from the 03 field.

[gijimsmom]

hey christOph -
my son is 0861 at Sill right now. Havent been communicating with him lately, dont know why - we were texting daily. Last i knew he was starting class Fri 2nd. He's supposed to be getting a laptop. I told him to get on this site when he gets going. All i know is the training is about 45 days at Sill, then to Coronado Bch Ca (?) for 19 (?) days then to San Clemente Island for some more training, then PDS. If you qualify for HIMARS and you want it youre pds on west coast.
Probably not the info you were looking for, but its all i know.

PS

[pffan021]

I just received my acceptance for my lat move to 0861 in August and I'll tell you it's not easy to be selected. They only accepted 25 lat moves this fiscal year and it took less than a month for the slots to be filled so you need to make sure your SRB looks good. Prerequisites are minimum GT of 105, Secret Security Clearance, and normal vision. Your GT really needs to be around 115 if you want a real chance at the position, and I would submit my package the first day that they will let you because they are gonna go fast. From what I've been told, the school is not extremely difficult (alot of land nav and math problems). I can give you updates once I get to the school house if you'd like.

[gijimsmom]

my son is 0861, just arrived in Coronado. From what i heard, the worst part was waiting for class to start and being in Oklahoma.
pffan - hope you dont mind me asking what is SRB? Im still learning the abbreviations as military jargon is all new to me. I have learned that the military sure does love initials!
Thank you.

[NoRemorse]

Service Record Book, ma'am. Where they keep a log of the good and the bad for each servicemember along with administrative and demographic details.

[gijimsmom]

oh ok, well thank you very much for the info. So far my son's SRB should look pretty good as he has had 2 meritorious promotions in 7 months. Although he probably wouldnt tell me about any njps. (winking)
what kind of administrative and dempgraphic details would the SRB have in it?

Thank you for your reply and your service.

[gijimsmom]

Also, if i may ask - my son was promised a hefty bonus, it is in his contract, I dont mean to be cynical but are there any other terms or conditions for this bonus to be paid? And would you know when it is paid?

Thank you,
Patty

[ggyoung]

I have a question here. What is a 0861 MOS Why do they have to have a security clearance? I was a 0811/0812 which you have to have a top secret clearance. Thanks

[christ0ph0311]

ok. that sucks about the limited slots. So I should start talking to the career planner soon. How early can you put together a lat move package? My actual EAS is April '11. My GT is 127 so hopefully that will give me a better chance. What kind of bonus did you get? if you don't mind me asking.

[gijimsmom]

i just re-read my posts and realize i ask too many questions! It's hard going from being the center of a little boy's world to never hearing from him. Oh well, I guess that's life.

Proud Marine Mom

[pffan021]

The reenlistment bonus for fiscal year 2010 was $69,500. It changes from year to year but I've heard that it continues to be one of the higher bonuses available. The bonus is paid once the Marine completes his MOS school and is assigned to his new unit. After completeing the school he needs to take his reenlistment papers to his new Career Planner so that he can submit the package to IPAC. After he submits the paperwork, payment should be made in a matter of weeks.

0861's are forward observers, I would say that the security clearance is required because of the comm equipment that you deal with, but I'm not certain.

If your EAS is in Fiscal Year 2011 then you should be able to start preparing your package in June of 2010. They begin accepting reenlistment and lat move packages in July even though the fiscal year doesn't begin until October.

[ThreeEleven0861]

Your son will get his bonus upon attachment to his new unit. Secret clearance required based on working with secret systems, including Comm equipment