Jump school?

[PoolEBoudreau]

Hello Marines!
Does it matter what MOS you have in order to attend jump school? or is it only for RECON and PR? I ship to Boot Camp 1/28/13, my Job is crypto lingust. Will my MOS prevent me from qualifying for jump school?

[Zulu 36]

Anything is possible, but don't count on going to jump school unless you are in a billet requiring it (Recon, PR, ANGLICO, etc). The few seats available to Marines are taken quickly by those MOS'.

[PoolEBoudreau]

Bummer! Oh well, Anythings possible right? I've already been skydiving and it was awsome. I would just llike to do it with the Marines, hopfully I can.

Thank you very much for the feedback Zulu36!

[PoolEBoudreau]

And thank you for your service.

[Zulu 36]

You can continue skydiving as an off-duty activity while in the Corps. I did. But you can't wear jump wings on your uniform.

Military jumping is different than skydiving unless you go to military freefall school and that is about impossible unless you are Recon on SpecOps.

[PoolEBoudreau]

Yeah I will probably just end up doing that. Your profile says you were in air national gaurd? What exactly is that?

[Zulu 36]

Yeah I will probably just end up doing that. Your profile says you were in air national gaurd? What exactly is that?

It's part of a state's National Guard (or militia as it used to be known). There is the Army Guard and the Air Guard. They are considered reserves of the Army or Air Force, depending.

We wore USAF uniforms and followed AF regs, etc., but we technically came under the command of the Governor unless federalized (which I was several times).

[PoolEBoudreau]

Interesting. So were you considered Air Force?

[Zulu 36]

Interesting. So were you considered Air Force?

Technically, yes. I'm on the Air Force Reserves retired list now.

[PoolEBoudreau]

Do you still jump?

[Zulu 36]

Do you still jump?

No, I gave that up some time ago. My body won't take it now.

[PoolEBoudreau]

That sucks, you do have quite a decorated history in the military. Thank you for your extensive service.

[Rooger]

Not entirely true Zulu, I'm a 1371 as an E-2, back from my 1st deployment who was sitting in the company office on an unrelated matter, when the 1st shirt came out of his office and he said I NEED 2 knuckleheads for jump school...... YOU and YOU. Your on orders, get to S-1 and give em your names. As Zulu said it's very Rare But it does happen. 1371's in my time..................'79' to '89' rated 4 per company. Just saying :)

[PoolEBoudreau]

Yeah but my MOS has nothing to do with jump school that I know of.

[hussaf]

What he is saying is that drug deals can be made and pretty much anyone can get a seat at jump school. There are a lot of seats out there, and they often go unfilled. The issue is most commands don't have any jump billets. You don't need a jump billet to go to jump school, but if your unit doesn't have a jump billet, they don't have reserved seats...so they have to borrow or trade for one somehow. More likely than not your unit will not know how, or be willing to make the effort, to go through that trouble. Also, if your unit doesn't have a jump billet, and you are not assigned to that billet, you won't get jump pay.

That being said, the most common way for a non-jumping MOS to get jump school is via reenlistment bonus (vice monetary bonus). Then the school seat comes from a different pot. With you being a crypto linguist I am not sure if you will be assigned a unit with jump seats. Even if your MOS doesn't normally rate/require jump school...if you get assigned to a battalion with jump seats you could potentially sneak into one of their spots.

Static line jumping is nowhere near free fall. The static line activates your chute via gravity when you fall out of your aircraft. You hit the ground very hard, particularly in jump school where you use ghetto equipment and chutes (MC10's maybe? I can't remember...the round ones with holes all over them). If you jump out of the side of a prop plane, you really won't even have a sensation of falling because you will be jumping in front of the prop wash, which will confuse your body. The only jumps I thought were fun (in school) were the night ones because they were relaxing and peaceful. In the fleet, if you are at a jumping unit, you will have better chutes and mostly jump from helicopters. This is more fun because the landing is softer and you actually have the sensation of falling.

But definitely check out any MWR opportunities at your duty station for civilian free falling. A lot of Marines do that stuff recreationally and you may find an MWR related club or discount.

[thewookie]

I was Motor t (originally) and I got jump qualed. Whoahhh :sick:

Just have to be at the right place at the right time, and have polished boots. ;)

They really need to stop calling it jump school/qualed cause it's all about that landing/PLF.

But seriously -- it's like hussaf said.

It's not hard to get there, definitely not a hard school, but it's always a shot in the dark whether or not you go unless you need to go. Then you go. Make sense?

Capice?

Good luck.

[PoolEBoudreau]

Thanks hussaf, I will definatly try to get a seat in jump school. I mainly just want the wings, I know its not like AFF that you expierience in skydiving. What is MWR? Do you have to qualify for it? would I be able to do it while in the fleet?

[PoolEBoudreau]

LOL I guess JUMPING OUT is the easy part:)

[PoolEBoudreau]

Thanks wookie!

[josephd]

I mainly just want the wings

So you want to go to jump school, take a seat from say a recon bubba or maybe some NCO that was his re-enlistment incentive just so you can wear a small shiny silver thing on your uniform...??...


SMH

[PoolEBoudreau]

I don't want to take a seat from anybody that needs it more than me. like what hussaf said if there is an availible seat, i'll take it. If not, I won't. Ive always wanted to do something that had to do with jumping from planes in the military, Wearing those wings would show that i've been through jump school and that i've earned them. I would be proud to wear them.

[josephd]

I don't want to take a seat from anybody that needs it more than me. like what hussaf said if there is an availible seat, i'll take it. If not, I won't. Ive always wanted to do something that had to do with jumping from planes in the military, Wearing those wings would show that i've been through jump school and that i've earned them. I would be proud to wear them.

As you should be, but to say "I mainly want to wear the wings" sounds extremely selfish and serves no purpose the Corps when there is Marines out there that actually rate jump school seats but don't get the opportunity to go.

[PoolEBoudreau]

Understood, it was not my intent to sound selfish.

[hussaf]

Don't worry about the 'wear the wings thing.' Its just that you want to do something to distinguish yourself from others. That's not a terrible thing, but realize that you will be forever labelled a "five jump chump" by those who actually have a jump billet. Basically, unless you get to a jumping unit, you will forever rock your lead sleds...the grey/pewter jump wings vice the gold wings most Marines wear. That outs you as a guy who just went to jump school and never jumped again (the five jumps)...basically what joseph was saying...you will be outed as a dude who went to jump school just to go, not because you needed to. Now, being that I've been there I will say plenty of Marines screw up their jump seat just because they can't pass the Army PRT (PFT). Yeah, I know what I just said, and its true. This is why you have to go to jump school days early...to do a practice PRT before school convenes on Monday and you have to do the actual PRT at 0400. There are rumors that Army cadre screw with Marines over proper pushups...but I never experienced that. I was treated real well by the Army cadre...plus there was Marine cadre there (yeah, they are there because they got in trouble). You have to realize that a jump class is freaking huge; I was platoon sergeant at Jump School (they almost always pick Marines as plt sgts) and my "platoon" started off with 202 people. So yeah, they are huge classes and there are a ton of seats available.

[DaShadow]

PoolEBoudreau: You said: “I will definatly try to get a seat in jump school. I mainly just want the wings…”

I know what you meant by that, so don’t take exception when I say “good luck with that”….. Most Poolees think the same way, until they find out what it takes to get the “Gold Wings”. You’re busted - You can’t take it back after you’ve said it. Just kidding……..but, it’s true, so don’t ever tell your NCO’s that when you get to the fleet.

Your chances of being able to wear the “Jump Wings” are actually pretty slim.

Earning and being authorized to actually wear the “Gold Jump Wings” will be nearly impossible, unless you reup and get a different MOS. Like Recon, ANGLICO, Radio Recon, Rigger, etc. You’ll see why by reading on…..

I’ll add some more info. to the excellent responses that have been provided.

The Basic Parachutist Badge, (also commonly referred to as "Jump Wings" (or the ”Lead Sled” – folded Silver Wings) is a universal military badge (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_badges_of_the_United_States) awarded to members of the United States Army (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army), Air Force (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Air_Force), Marine Corps (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Marine_Corps) and Navy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Navy). To be eligible for the award of the Basic Parachutist Badge, an individual must have completed the Airborne School of the Infantry School (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army_Infantry_School) in Fort Benning, GA.

It isn’t really difficult to get a slot for the “Army School”, because the classes are REALLY large and they fill the slots from either the Army, Air Force, Navy or Marines. If selected to attend, before one gets to start the “actual Jump School”, you have to pass the Army PT test. It isn’t difficult for Marines, BUT, the push-up portion is tedious, because the Army is pretty anal on the push-ups being done the exact way the instructors want them to be done. Many did a lot of “non sat” pushups. Back in the day, the Army instructors, really like to “screw with” the Marines. AND the Marines loved to “smoke” the Army PT test. It’s still just the Army Airborne school, OK……

Now, there is a big difference between the Army “Basic Parachutist Badge” and the Navy and Marine Corps Parachutist Insignia, commonly referred to as Gold Jump Wings.

Marine Corps Order 3120.11 states that (paraphrased):
“…..in order to receive the Navy and Marine Corps Parachutist Insignia, a Marine MUST serve in a billet identification code for parachute duty for at least 90 days and conduct at least an additional five jumps to the initial five, done at the U.S. Army Airborne Course at Fort Benning, Ga.

The five additional jumps (for a total of 10 jumps) include transitioning to the MC-7 series parachute and conducting a day “slick” jump, followed by two day combat-equipment jumps, then the same for night, respectively, plus one more of any type. The jumps must also originate from two different types of aircraft. However, if a Marine loses familiarity with the standard operating procedures within 180 days, a Marine must take a refresher – basically, eight more hours of classes and the jumps necessary to equal or exceed 10 total jumps.”

So….unless you’re in a Jump Billet (like Recon, ANGLICO, etc.) you’ll likely never get a chance to do the five additional jumps. It’s difficult for someone who isn’t actually in a jump billet, to get the chance to take the extra 5 jump training and complete the additional 5 jumps in a normal timeframe.

Often, even for Marines in a Jump Billet (like Recon), they get stuck on those night jumps, and if they don’t do it in a certain amount of time, they have to do all the jumps over again, according to the (Marine Corps) order.” So, for some, it’s a difficult process to get completed. I’m not saying “It’s that hard to do”, rather, It’s difficult in actually getting it done.

BTW, as stated, you also have to be in a “jump billet” to get (and wear) the Gold Jump Wings. After you earn the lead sled, you can have as many additional jumps as you can get (10, 15, etc.), but if you are NOT in a jump billet then you’re authorized to only wear the Silver Wings. You’re still viewed as “a Five Jump Chump”. That’s why you likely see Marines wearing the Silver Wings; Or, even that many Marines wearing the Gold Jump Wings – unless of course, you’re in Recon, ANGLICO, or Radio Recon units. Then it’s quite common to see Marines wearing the Gold Wings. Aside from the actual Basic School, I don’t remember seeing any Marines wearing the Silver Wings on their uniform. The ONLY other Marines I’ve seen wearing the Gold Jump wings, were DIs at MCRD; or Officers.

Back in my day, the wearing of the Gold Jump Wings by a Marine meant ONLY two things:

(1) You earned them; AND you were IN an actual Recon/ANGLICO unit with a jump billet (or a DI from a Recon/ANGLICO Unit); OR,

(2) You were a Poser.

While I’m pretty sure the regs. I quoted are correct, I’m not sure as to how the Gold Jump Wings are actually worn in the various Marine Corps units nowadays.

Good luck on earning your EGA.

Oh, yeah – final thought. If anyone asks:

“Why would you want to jump out of a perfectly good airplane”….. Just reply: “There is no such thing as “a perfectly good airplane”……

Shadow, AR….

[PoolEBoudreau]

Thanks Shadow, dang! I don't really want to be called a chump! lol! Im just not going jack with it, unless I do any thing like Recon or ANGLICO. Thanks you Marines for the heads up, it's better to learn this kind of stuff now then later in the fleet. Sorry if sounded like a dumb lil poolee lol:)

BTW, hussaf mentioned something earlier in this post about MWR? what is that?

[josephd]

BTW, hussaf mentioned something earlier in this post about MWR? what is that?

Morale, Welfare, and Recreation

Like an enlisted club where Marines/service members can go on their time off to relax. Usually there is TV's, video games, pool table, and other various activities along with a snack bar/soda mess.

[PoolEBoudreau]

Do you know if that includes skydiving?

[hussaf]

So The MWR is often an actual building where junior Marines go hang out. They have internet, junk food, pool tables, movies, games, etc. What I was referring to are the MWR programs, I think they fall under the Marine Corps Community Services, that provide recreational opportunities for Marines. Things like MWR away trips to a variety of events, SCUBA diving courses, beach equipment rentals, gun ranges, skeet ranges, etc are often provided at cheap rates for Marines. I'm not sure if MWR is the absolutely correct term, but that's what my friends and I always call it.

[thewookie]

I don't really want to be called a chump!

Look, if somebody who doesn't have gold jump wings call you a chump because you have silver wings I would laugh in their face and tell them to pound sand. Nasty legs. ;)

There is a big misconception out there that Marines who don't "rate" wings take spots from Marine that do. And that couldn't be farther from the truth. There are countless seats that go unfilled to each jump class. The reason why Marines in jump roles don't get seats more often is to to a lot of things, mostly timing and money. But definitely not due to some admin or security forces Marine taking a spot. Give me a break.

Back on point, I doubt MWR on base is going to offer civilian jumping, but it cant hurt to check, they organize a lot of good trips. So I wouldn't be surprised if they do.

But what you can do if you want is look in the area where you're stationed for a jump club. Chances are there's a jump club or two located at or near every major military base.

[DaShadow]

For some more rhetoric on this subject, those interested can check out the below thread. Wookie got it right when he said:

"Look, if somebody who doesn't have gold jump wings call you a chump because you have silver wings I would laugh in their face and tell them to pound sand. Nasty legs".

Just read the 7th post in the following:

http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/showthread.php?61603-Gold-Jump-Wings-after-how-many-jumps

The OP may get some historical info. on comments made a few years ago...

Lead Sled = 5 Jump Chump......:D

[Tennessee Top]

Example of MWR programs/activities at Camp Pendleton, CA (late 70's):

Went on a couple of fishing boats off the coast (and got seasick), went to the Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, and went to tapings of "The Price Is Right" game show and "Mork and Mindy" TV show. All at reduced rates for Marines and their dependents.

Example of MWR programs/activities at MacDill AFB, Tampa FL:

Tickets to Tampa Bay Bucs football games, Bush Gardens Theme Park, Disneyworld in Orlando, cruise ships to the caribbean, etc.