Volunteering for Recon

[doshinaya]

I'm leaving for bootcamp in 2 months and can get a perfect score on everything besides the run, however I neither have a Recon contract or even an infantry contract at all for that matter, and my recruiter told me none are available at the moment so I was wondering if I could volunteer for Recon at SOI without an Infantry contract (I'm already aware that not everyone gets a chance to join even with infantry contract)?

[Tennessee Top]

No. Once in the fleet, grunts can try out for RECON.

Any MOS can try out for MARSOC in the fleet (but not RECON - only 03XX can try out for RECON).

FYI. You don't have to ship in 2 months (unless you're going to hit 365 days in your DEP). If you want a RECON contract that badly, you can tell your recruiter you want to hang around and see if one will open up. New MOS allocations will open up on Oct 1st.

[doshinaya]

Thank you sir, and it's not Recon I'm dying to do per se; I just want the toughest training possible and to go to war.

[Tennessee Top]

Then, keep MARSOC in mind (they train just as hard as Navy SEALS). Check out their website www.marsoc.com

Besides pilots, MARSOC Marines are the only Marines fighting today. All others are trainers and advisors. That could change in the future with a new president but not likely.

MARSOC Marines actually find and kill the enemy (as well as snatch prisoners, rescue prisoners, etc). RECON Marines avoid the enemy (if they encounter the enemy, their mission has failed). The mission of RECON is to get into enemy territory, gather intelligence on the ground, and get back out without the enemy ever knowing they were there.

MARSOC is only about 8 years old but their heritage dates back to WWII; that's why they're called "Marine Raiders" today and are special operators just like Navy SEALS and Army Rangers. See what your recruiter can tell you about them.

Good luck.