View Full Version : Dependents and Infantry
themostwanted1
10-18-07, 01:46 PM
I was wondering if any current/former infantry Marines could shed some light on the subjects of having dependents while active duty infantry. I am interested in knowing how much time you are able to spend with your family (wife, children, etc...) when not deployed. This is of course assuming that you are living with them either off-base or in on base housing. When you do field excercises, do these last one day/night, several days/nights, if so how often? Any answers are appreciated.
killerinstinct
10-18-07, 02:30 PM
I was wondering if any current/former infantry Marines could shed some light on the subjects of having dependents while active duty infantry. I am interested in knowing how much time you are able to spend with your family (wife, children, etc...) when not deployed. This is of course assuming that you are living with them either off-base or in on base housing. When you do field excercises, do these last one day/night, several days/nights, if so how often? Any answers are appreciated.
From what I gather there are times you are in the field for aweek and come home on Friday. It alld epends on excersizes not counting deplyoments out of the area you are stationed.
It's tough on families in themilitary especially for Marines out in the field. Best recomendation is to try to get base housing closest to your area and if up at san onofre for example try to get base housing its too expensive in orange county or a long drive from oceanside.
smoking gunz
10-18-07, 03:27 PM
Since youll be infantry you will be doing combat build ups. I did two build ups and your out in the field for anywhere between 3 days to 30 days. My unit would usually go out for a week to a month then be back in garrison for a month or so then back out to the field for another 3 days to a 30 days. This happens until you deploy. You have 2 weeks pre deployment leave then another 30 days of post deployment leave when you return. It is very difficult to have a family as a active duty grunt.
themostwanted1
10-18-07, 03:53 PM
you are permitted to live off-base or in on base housing instead of barracks if you have dependents correct?
smoking gunz
10-18-07, 03:58 PM
Yes if you are married you can live on base, however it sepends if there are places available on base. you may be put on a waiting list if there are no homes on base. if you want you can live off bas and they increase your pay for this and its called bah and you get com rads extra money for food
HardJedi
10-26-07, 08:24 AM
honestly? I rarely met a guy who went in married in thier first 4 years that came out married at the end of that 4 years.
make no mistake about it infantry life is no place for a family man. We would go in the field for 2 weeks, be back for a month, go out a couple days, be back a couple days. do a double CAX in 29 palms ( around 60 days in the field) be back for a bit, do a build up. go to norway for 2 months for cold weather training, be back for a week, out in the field three days. so on, so forth, deploy for six months, rinse and repeat.
now, even married Marines who lived off base always had to stick around on thursdays for field days, until everyone in the platoon passed inspecton, which could sometimes be late at night, depending on the mood of the platoon sgt.
not trying to discourage you, just telling you how it was.
In garrison brown baggers had to be at the ready to at reville and assisted with morning clean up.... usually the hallway. Secured at 1700 on a good day drive whatever distance home then get up the next morning in time to be standing tall at 0530. There is a lot of field time because that is where the infantry trains. Go out on Monday morning return Friday morning and clean weapons and gear stand Job then weekend libbo. As stated earlier there is also CAX, PTA, Norway, Panama, Bridgeport etc. which are 30 to 60 day training evolutions. There are weeks where the training is classroom, rappel tower, wpns maintenance etc. and you are home every night. Build up for deployment = more and more field time, the same goes for MCRES build up.
don't forget about pulling guard duty( mainly a roving patrol around your units area, motor pool and such) or barracks duty( sitting in the duty room logging phone calls and keeping an eye on the barracks, making sure visitors are out. This is ussually a once in awhile event. The closer you get to unit deployments the more field time. When you get back, much less.
HardJedi
10-27-07, 02:49 AM
ahh yes, i completely forgot about phone watch and area guard duty on top of the field stuff! thanks for bringing that up!
Marine84
10-27-07, 07:12 AM
barracks duty( sitting in the duty room logging phone calls and keeping an eye on the barracks, making sure visitors are out.
We even did this on the Wing side and I HATED it. Especially when you got some twit calling some guy 50 within 30 minutes - I finally told her that I hated to be the one to break it to her but, he just left the building and he had one on each arm.............................made her quit calling til I got off duty the next morning.
sparkie
10-27-07, 07:25 AM
Funny, 84. I remember phone watch. Sometimes at lunch an officers wife would call, and it was said,,,,, someone would tell the wife that the officer was out to lunch with his wife.Personally,,,,,I never had the nads for that.
smoking gunz
10-29-07, 12:20 AM
We only had guard duty for units that just got back from iraq or Marines that had 6 months left on their contract. Phone watch was only done by the s-shops or company clerks. Duty was the only bullet you couldnt avoid and was done by all. Company and battalion duty you can never win.