A question that is rare

[Clay787]

Well yes I would wondering, what kind of chaplin corps is there in the marines I want to become a Marine to serve my country but I also want to serve God as well. So i was wondering is there anything that I can do to become enlisted in the Marines and serve God as the same time. I want to be a preacher and a Marine at the same time. Is there any programs out there for me and is there any qualifications to become a Chaplin in the Marines or assistant Chaplin?

God Bless

Clay787

[Marine84]

I don't think the Corps has preachers - you may have to go Navy for that?

[usmchauer]

The Navy has Chaplains (Officers) and Religous Personelle or RP's (Enlisted). RP's are similar to an assistant, for the Chaplain.

[Clay787]

Yeah i saw that the Navy had that chaplin corps but I didn't know if the Marines had it as well. Because I really want to earn the Eagle Globe and Anchor.

[Phantom Blooper]

Navy,Army,Air Force have chaplains.


The closest you will get is on board a ship you could be a lay leader in lieu of a chaplain not being there. You would work under a chaplain and conduct services without be able to give chaplain advice. Comparable to conducting a prayer meeting.:evilgrin:

[BR34]

Only Chaplains I've ever seen were Navy.

[Echo_Four_Bravo]

You would be shocked by how many Marines later end up as Chaplains in the Navy later in their life. In fact, it is something I have considered as well.

If that is something you're thinking about, remember you have to have a master's of divinity from a school that is accredited by the US Dept. of Education. Many of the seminaries and bible colleges aren't accredited- so be careful.

[killerinstinct]

you can do BOTH... Serve as a MArine and send the enemy to god to help him meet his quota..

But no seriously yea medical/dental/chaplians are all provided by the navy.

[usmchauer]

Phantom - I totally forgot about the lay leaders, or readers. Whatever they were.....? After boot camp I didn't see or hear a whole lot about them.

[Proffitt]

Yeah, me neither. I kinda thought that might have been emphasized in boot camp because of the "need". ha. Actually, I think I remember someone talking about them in Iraq...who knows.

[yellowwing]

What MOS are those Marines attached to protect the Chaplain in combat?

[usmchauer]

Wing, it literally could be anyone. As I remember, when the Chaplain left the base he always rolled with the Battalion Jump COC. Security for that convoy was always provided by H&S Company.

[Crusader20]

Phantom - I totally forgot about the lay leaders, or readers. Whatever they were.....? After boot camp I didn't see or hear a whole lot about them.


The Navy will take care of the chaplins. I too remember the lay leaders or readers at boot camp. Then, they disappeared. I then saw them again in '95 on ship. They were, in a better term, alter boys for the chaplin. Marines, but they helped him on sunday for the ship mass and other religous outings.

[Phantom Blooper]

My last pistol qualification in the Marine Corps I went with our corpsman's and the religious programmer who was attached to H&S company for the battalion.

A corpsman can fight if need be to protect himself or his wounded but he is not an aggressor. The same with the RP he is to go with the chaplain in the field and help with services and last rights or as needed.The RP is ultimately responsible for the chaplain.The Marines also protect the chaplain and any others as needed. In my day the RP and corpsman went through grunt school if they were serving in a grunt battalion and did everything all the grunt MOS's did.

I also heard of a Devil Doc with no prior service or Marine training coming out # 2 in his class at the SOI.

:evilgrin:

[Zulu 36]

The Navy provides all chaplains and religious program specialists. The RPs are also supposed to be the chaplains "close-in" bodyguard. Everyone else watches out for the sky pilot and the docs too.

RPs and Chaplains being assigned to Marine units go to Field Medical Service School (either at Pendleton or Lejuene). FMSS holds courses just for them, minus most of the combat first aid the corpsmen get. Also all medical, dental, and nursing officers being assigned to Marines units go to school there too.

At FMSS the corpsmen, RPs, and chaplains learn basic grunt stuff. The corpsmen and RPs FAM on rifles and qualify on pistols. Chaplains do not.

I believe FMSS is eight-weeks long now for corpsmen. They have to pass the USMC PFT as a graduation requirement.

I was permanent party at the Camp Lejuene FMSS back in 1973 as the Motor T NCO. It was five-weeks long then, as I remember. Maybe six. The student devil docs were a riot to be around.