new Marine with questions

[BULLDAWG]

Good afternoon, gentlemen,

Bulldawg reporting back to the Leatherneck forums after 17 weeks of training. Graduated 30 March 2012, Alpha Co.

This new Marine has a few questions regarding the Defense Language Institute. What languages are starting up around mid-May? If I wish to get RA duty, should I contact the contact at MCT and also at DLI? I got dropped from Hotel Co on t-day 24 to Alpha and am wondering if that will affect my school seat at DLI. Would it be appropriate to contact someone from the Marine regiment at DLI?

Also, what about the vehicle situation at DLI? Possible to buy a car or motorcycle while stationed there? What is chow like there? Any other information about DLI and MCT is welcome. I have already read just about every post online about DLI and Marine linguists and would just like additional information.

[gkmoz]

Can't help ya on the DLI thing ! But I can say Welcome to the Brotherhood MARINE !! :) Gary / Moz USMC 68-70

[Tennessee Top]

After working in a Level 1 trauma center for the last 14 years, I would recommend you do not consider getting a motorcycle...those things do not have seatbelts and are killing machines. Trust me on that. Am surprised the USMC has not banned them on all our installations.

Good luck with school.

[Rocky C]

Congrats Marine.
I woudn't even be concerned with a vehicle at this point.
You'll be much to busy.
Wait until your first duty station and even at that there will be Marines with vehicles that you can hook up with to get around.

Best of luck.

Semper Fi,
Rocky

[MOS4429]

What languages are starting up around mid-May? If I wish to get RA duty, should I contact the contact at MCT and also at DLI? I got dropped from Hotel Co on t-day 24 to Alpha and am wondering if that will affect my school seat at DLI. Would it be appropriate to contact someone from the Marine regiment at DLI?

Also, what about the vehicle situation at DLI? Possible to buy a car or motorcycle while stationed there? What is chow like there? Any other information about DLI and MCT is welcome. I have already read just about every post online about DLI and Marine linguists and would just like additional information.

Congratulations, Marine. Lots of questions. Can't help you with what languages. Will have to wait and see. You might talk with your recruiter regarding RA. I did that years ago, and that's how I did 30 days RA. Most of your questions regarding DLI will have to be answered by people there.

As you know, it is located at Monterey, CA, and you couldn't ask for a better locale. As far as car or motorcyle, I personnally would not purchase a POV until I got to my first duty station. I knew a young Marine, though, who bought a motorcycle, and that didn't work out too well. He unfortunately is dead after wrapping himself around a telephone pole. I know a young lady whose newlywed husband had a motorcycle. After one week, she was in the hospital, and sadly died. They collided with a car and she was thrown head first off the bike. I agree with Tennessee Top on this. Young people on motorcycles are not always the best match.

Good luck.

[MunkyVsRobot]

Good afternoon, gentlemen,

Bulldawg reporting back to the Leatherneck forums after 17 weeks of training. Graduated 30 March 2012, Alpha Co.

This new Marine has a few questions regarding the Defense Language Institute. What languages are starting up around mid-May? If I wish to get RA duty, should I contact the contact at MCT and also at DLI? I got dropped from Hotel Co on t-day 24 to Alpha and am wondering if that will affect my school seat at DLI. Would it be appropriate to contact someone from the Marine regiment at DLI?

Also, what about the vehicle situation at DLI? Possible to buy a car or motorcycle while stationed there? What is chow like there? Any other information about DLI and MCT is welcome. I have already read just about every post online about DLI and Marine linguists and would just like additional information.

Im not a linguist but if you want RA you need to contact your recruiter so they can request you to come home on PTAD. As for a vehicle it will say on your orders from mct if you haven been to mct wait till you're finished with mct before worrying about a vehicle also remember you don't rate your mos till you pass the class. Example I am at ft belvoir waiting to pick up at this BGIS class and i don't rate 0261 till I pass the course.

[93Reaper]

I was alpha not to long ago. Who were your drill instructors?

On a different note If you want RA go to your recruiter. I never contacted MCT, my recruiter sent my PTAD orders down there and i brought a copy when i was done with RA. If you know your recruiter is a hard worker be ready to work 12 hour days and sometimes longer. Recruiting isn't an easy job either (at least where i lived) people will disrespect you or just waste your damn time but its rewarding if you work your *** off.

[jmprescott]

Congrats on graduating. Prior service Marine here, and my wife is a Marine at DLI right now. I'll disagree with a reply above saying that there's no better place than Montery. This place is kind of a dump lol. It's always foggy and a little on the cold side. It stays between 50-70 year round. And the 70 degree days are rare.

I'm making it out to be worse than it really is, but I was expecting a paradise, and it's not that great.

As far as the languages, my wife doesn't find out about classes that are starting up soon, so we can't really give you a heads up on what language you may be getting. But if you qualified for a cat 4 language, you can be sure you'll be getting one. You get a dream sheet when you get to DLI that you can put your top 3 languages on, but my wife doesn't know anyone who got anything they put on their list. It seems like you have a better chance of getting what you want if you DON'T put it on the list lol.

But, regardless of the language you get, be prepared for stress level to the MAX. Long days, homework every day, and no matter how fast you learn, it's never fast enough.

Oh and yes, you are authorized to have a POV while at DLI. I know when I was in, to drive a motorcycle on base, you had to go through the motorcycle safety course on base. I'm assuming that hasn't changed.

MCT sucks... it remains the worst experience of my life to this day. If you're west coast, it may not be so bad, though. The weather in NC can get pretty brutal.

Oh, and RA. When my wife was at boot camp(And same for me, but it was a long time ago, so I don't remember exactly), she was told that she didn't really have any say in whether or not she got RA. You either get it or you don't. It would have also been in between boot and MCT. I don't think anyone gets to do RA between MCT and School.

Hope this helps. We'll be here for another year or so, so we'll see you around! Let me know if you have any DLI questions. If I don't know the answer, my wife probably will.