prior service retread
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  1. #1

    prior service retread

    im in no way a poolee but i had no idea where else to really place this thread and this is my first time posting. this forum seems like it is visited it quite a bit but if there are any moderators that think there is a better place to place this thread please do.

    heres a brief run down, spend 5 years active duty as a 6217 (F-18 plane captain) enjoyed it but got out after my first enlistment. here i am just over 5 years after my eas and im bored and currently jobless. im thinkin about goin back in but id like to go in as a 6176 (osprey crew chief)

    while ive been out i bounced around to some odd jobs at first, worked at a 4 wheel drive parts store making a whopping 8 bucks an hour, got my cdl and drove trucks for a while, got a job as a millwright in a wood production plant where i was mostly a welder, then i got a job as a civilian job as a crew chief on the osprey when it was in flight test phase and really enjoyed it. dont get me wrong i enjoyed working on f-18's as they were really cool and simple for the most part. (by simple i mean removing an engine in 20 minutes with an experienced crew) working on the osprey i got much more enjoyment out of it and i couldnt ever really pinpoint why, i assume cause it was a plane but yet it was a helicopter. i started as your run of the mill mechanic, worked my way up to a crew lead position and then full crew chief over the aircraft. different world though in civilian life as a crew chief you dont go along for the ride you just control everything once its on the ground.

    when the flight test phase of the osprey ended we were all laid off and i decided to start my own small business of auto wholesaling where i buy, fix, then resell cars for profit. its got its perks but it is not steady income and i have 0 benefits. i often find myself thinking back on what in the world i could have possibly been thinking when i decided to get out of the Marine Corps to begin with. i joined at 19 so i could have retired at 39 with full benefits for life, but here i am at 29 complaining about it instead.

    the downsides - i feel like im old and fat and the chances of getting 6176 could be out of my reach. my max weight for my height is 208 and im roughly 222. i ran yesterday for the first time in 3 years and i made it about 3/4 of the way around my block before i thought my heart was gonna explode. ran again tonight and made it about 7/8's of the way around my block before i had the same issues. that being said thinking about trying to achieve a w2 swim qual and sere school is quite the rough idea. im not any sort of boot and i do know what to expect but thinking about the possibility of going back in as a 29 year old lcpl is a pretty crappy thought as well as basicly signing up for another 15 years from the start cause im not going back just for another enlistment, gonna be for the long haul or im just not gonna do it at all.

    the good - for some reason i have defied nature and the older i get the better my vision has got, in middle school i was prescribed reading glasses, when i went into the Marine Corps i had 20/20, and about 3 months ago i had my eyes checked and ive now got 20/10, the eye doc told me he has been doing this for 40 years and im only the 13th person he has seen with that good of vision. i feel that i have the knowledge and experience to make a good crew chief as ive done the job as a civilian but on that same note we are talkin about maybe 3 sorties a day compared to a fully functioning fleet squadron.

    any retreads out there that can share your experiences with me on going back in?

    anyone think im kidding myself by thinkin i could make it at this age and stage in my life?

    any osprey crew chiefs or crew chiefs in general that can tell me what you like and dont like about the mos?

    thanks in advance for any advice or thoughts as i need all the motivation i can get if im going to take on this challenge

    semper fi till i die


  2. #2
    Hey brother, like you said, you're no poolee! You shoulda posted this in the open squad bay or the hootch!

    I got out in '07 and I'm dying to go back in myself. I also need to lose extra weight that I gained while being assigned to Couch Platoon, 1stCivDiv. But you and I both know, there's nothing like being an active duty Marine, and I think if you really want it you should go for it.

    I've never spent a day on the wing side so I couldn't tell you a thing about a 61-whatever you said, but as far as just going back in, I say again, go for it! There's worse things than being a 29 year old LCpl...like being a 40, 50, 60 year old who spends his days and nights wondering...."What if......?"

    Semper Fi


  3. #3
    ya hopefully a moderator can move it for me. also if there are any moderators reading this i need my birth year changed, i clicked on the year too fast and clicked 1977 instead of 1979.

    i agree on the age thing, there was a dude i was in bootcamp with that was a 31 year old prior air force hard charger. when i think about going back i think about him all the time, he was no 300pft'er by any means but he got the job done which is how i would precieve myself if i went back.

    couch patrol blows, i find myself getting mad about my own laziness but i dont have the push that i used to have. i guess i need to get the wiff a di cover and have her quarter deck me.

    the last thing i want is to be in the what if catagory but with that i sure dont want to shoot for osprey crew chief and end up a flippin cook or some crap cause i couldnt get a w2 swim qual.


  4. #4
    I'd say go for it bro, You know you can alway's get yourself back in shape, the important thing is you have the knowledge to bring back with you. good luck


  5. #5
    i definately think that going back with the knowledge is a huge advantage as for the most part my first enlistment i treated it like a 5 year party instead of a career.

    just went to the recruiters, talked with a different recruiter but the same office. we got on the subject of new marines and he was tellin me that they are gettin worse and worse and its not like it used to be so i asked him how long he has been in, he tells me 9 years, so i said really so you came in back in 1999 and he says ya so i said hum weird i joined in 1998, so that was quite the kick in the face thinking i could be a ssgt by now if i would have stayed in. anyhow, he said it would be pretty much pointless to even start a package on me until i get under weight, weighed myself and im 222.5lbs and again my max for my height is 208 so i gotta shed 14lbs, not too bad.

    he told me some other stuff that kinda sucked as well, he says when you go back in what they do is readjust your pay entry base date and how they do that is by taking all of your prior service time and they minus the time that you have been out and you end up with a new date that is as if you never got out in the first place, make sense? with that all time in service and time in grade is readjusted to reflect the new date. which in a way kinda sucks because i was hoping to instantly pick up sgt when i go back in but it completely makes sense because im being dropped back in the cutting score pool and it would be unfair for all the other cpl's if i just went back in and had the 5 years ive been out added to my time in grade.

    he also said that going back in if you want to change your mos it isnt anything like doing a lat move at all, he said that you basicly choose 5 jobs that you would like to have and its more like a wish list because the Marine Corps puts you where they need you. so that kinda sucks because i wont be garanteed 6176 like i want, so i asked him if i could just pick 5 crew chief mos's and he didnt think that was very funny.

    also if i want to change my mos ive gotta retake the asvab which kinda sucks because i pretty sure ive got dumber through the years, if i remember right i got a 73 when i first went in and my gt was 120.

    the most positive thing he told me is i wont go in as a lcpl but ill retain my rank and go back as a cpl so thats pretty cool.

    time to lay off the and get under my max weight


  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Enigmatic View Post
    Hey brother, like you said, you're no poolee! You shoulda posted this in the open squad bay or the hootch!

    I got out in '07 and I'm dying to go back in myself. I also need to lose extra weight that I gained while being assigned to Couch Platoon, 1stCivDiv. But you and I both know, there's nothing like being an active duty Marine, and I think if you really want it you should go for it.

    I've never spent a day on the wing side so I couldn't tell you a thing about a 61-whatever you said, but as far as just going back in, I say again, go for it! There's worse things than being a 29 year old LCpl...like being a 40, 50, 60 year old who spends his days and nights wondering...."What if......?"

    Semper Fi
    Hey!! I resemble that remark!! SF Get yer azz back in where it belongs Marine, before you become old, fat, and regretful like me.


  7. #7
    no offense to anyone by me saying this but the last thing i want is to be regretful on not going back in when i should have.

    my dad retired in 1991 as a w4, growing up i never understood why he still had his cammys pressed and hung up until i got out and started thinkin back about my enlistment and all the stupid stuff that i complained about that wasnt a big deal at all. my dad continued to run and stay in shape for years after he got out and again i never really understood why as i just thought to myself "dude you are retired why dont you relax" but he was always hopin that they would call him back into service because he severely missed it. he is now 62 and is still probably one of the most motivating people youll ever talk to and i wouldnt be suprised if his cammys werent still hung up awaiting the chance to be put back into service.


  8. #8
    Marine Free Member Quinbo's Avatar
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    Really it is on you jarhead. Get off the couch, drop the remote and step away from the tator chips. If you are concerned about the swim then get your ass to the pool. Packing a few extra pounds then get out and do some PT. Talk to a prior service recruiter and ask for career guidance.


  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Bulkyker View Post
    Really it is on you jarhead. Get off the couch, drop the remote and step away from the tator chips. If you are concerned about the swim then get your ass to the pool. Packing a few extra pounds then get out and do some PT. Talk to a prior service recruiter and ask for career guidance.
    couldnt agree more with you, ive started back pt'ing but im startin off slow as its been easily 3 years since ive done anything physical other then sex. feels like my body is going into shock since ive started running but ive done it before so i can do it again.

    i talked with a prior service recruiter and for whatever reason he said he could only help me out if i wanted to go AR but since i want to go back active duty ive still gotta go through a standard recruiting office.

    im definately concerned about the w2 swim qual that is required for the mos that i desire but since the recruiter told me that going back in is more of a wish list then it is a lat move its not as big of a priority as it was before.


  10. #10
    Marine Free Member Quinbo's Avatar
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    You'll be fine stick with it. I just read that a 22 year old PFC just set a new Marine Corps record for dead hang pull ups.... 161 . A 29 year old is by no means old.


  11. #11
    Marine Free Member FistFu68's Avatar
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    YOUR HEART'S GOTTA EXPLODE SUMTIME MIGHT AS WELL BE IN THA'CORPS,W/YOUR BOOTS ON.FUC THEY CAN KILL YOU BUT THEY CAN'T EAT YOU.I MISS THE MARINES MORE THAN ANYTHING I REALLY DO.


  12. #12
    wow that is sick! the guide in my platoon could do 36 and i thought that was good, 161 thats insane!

    i havnt tried to do any cruntchs yet but as of right now my status is i can run almost half a mile and i can barely squeeze out 1 pull up, sad i know but keep in mind i just started training 2 days ago after 3 years of doing nothing, even 3 years ago i wasnt doing anything massive, just running 1.5 miles and doing some pushups and crap. ive never been a 300 pft'r, at my best i could run 3 miles in 20 minutes, 16 pull ups and 100 cruntchs.

    i feel like im way past my prime with my age but 95% of that feeling is because i havnt done anything physical in so long and starting back feels like it is putting my body into shock.

    pain is weakness leaving the body right...


  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by FISTFU68 View Post
    YOUR HEART'S GOTTA EXPLODE SUMTIME MIGHT AS WELL BE IN THA'CORPS,W/YOUR BOOTS ON.FUC THEY CAN KILL YOU BUT THEY CAN'T EAT YOU.I MISS THE MARINES MORE THAN ANYTHING I REALLY DO.
    me too, been a civilian for 5 years now and it just isnt the same, sure you meet people and you hang out with them at times and everyone has a good time and blah blah but its nothing like the bond in the Marines. im closer with guys i was in the Marines with for 5 years then i am with guys ive known since the 8th grade.

    well its time to go run, gonna shoot for 3/4 of a mile today and see if it kills me or not


  14. #14
    just got back from runnin, afterwards i took my car around on the route ive been running to see how far it is, i officially ran half a mile today so the last 2 days were just shy of that, ive made it further and further each day but just reached half a mile today. my block is dead nuts 7 tenths of a mile so ive got my stages marked out on how im gonna get back into shape...

    im gonna run twice a day every day. gonna squeeze in your standard quarter deck routine once i have some sort of endurance built up.

    goal for this week is to get around my block. (.7) once i get around it im gonna just try and get faster over the same distance.

    next week the goal is 1.4 miles, same thing on once i get it im gonna just try and run faster over the same distance

    in 4 weeks ill be at 2.8 miles if not sooner and hopefully ill be submitting my package to get back in as i should be under weight and able to pass a pft in this time frame.

    gonna start tossin around mos possibilites to get a top 5 wish list

    wish me luck and everyone please stay on top of me cause im gonna need some hard core motivation to reach this goal


  15. #15
    Marine Family Free Member
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    badass79cj5-
    I wish you all the luck and good fortune your hard work and preparation will garner.
    I'm trying to get into shape myself, although for me it is for medical and personal reasons. Losing twenty pounds would be good. I'd like to do some jogging but, at this stage, hypertension is a concern until the blood pressure comes down and is managable. What I do, instead of jogging, is go on long walks with a backpack with about twenty pounds in it. I know that it is not much but I think the weight helps stir the juices so to speak. The walks usually last one hour, one hour and a half. I guess what I am trying to say is that I applaud your efforts and your methods; thought out and in stages. Keep up the good work. I'm pulling for you.


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