View Full Version : Help with parents
So today I told my parents about my intentions to join the Marines after high school. As expected they were against it. My mom was using the but you will die excuse. My dad was making some points I need to ask a Marine about. My dad was an Army grunt in Vietnam, so he was expressing the problems he had when he went in. His main concerns were 1. I would not get to pick my job and where I get stationed and I would be put where the Marine Corps wanted me. 2. He said I would get deployed over seas, as in to the Middle East.
So my questions are in the Marines do I get to pick my MOS Field and specific job or just my MOS Field, or do I not get any say in what my MOS is? And do I have any say in where I get stationed? And finally what are the chances that a Marine would be deployed to the Middle East? Thanks!
eazyrider
06-21-10, 01:43 AM
You get to pick the field. What you get is luck of the draw. Your odds of being deployed as a Marine are pretty high. Most Marines get deployed at some point but to where can vary greatly. Your job will determine your chances of going to the middle east. I will say this though. If you do not want to go to Afgan or Iraq or to any other place where we might fight one day then why are you thinking about the Marines? Do you just want the title and the dress blues? It doesn't work that way. We have a history and a standard that we have to back up. When I see a question like that it makes me think you want all the perks but don't want to get dirty. There are other branches for that.
Lisa 23
06-21-10, 07:39 AM
This is why the boards get cluttered up. It's the same questions over and over, and no one bothers to even do a search "before" they ask their questions.
Not to come across like a smart a$$, or even being rude...but have you tried to even search the site for these answers? These topics have been covered many times before.
"When I see a question like that it makes me think you want all the perks but don't want to get dirty. There are other branches for that."
While I agree with the first part of this-----not the 2nd.
All services are seeing their time in the ME. We have one in the family that is a Naval officer. He has been to Iraq I think 4 times and will be going back to AStan for the 2nd time shortly. All boots on the ground deployments. Although not as long a deployment as many here might have seen.
If you join during a time of war you darn well better be prepared for a war deployment.
I never understood anyone joining the Marines and then not wanting to practice their trade for real under combat conditions.
Old Marine
06-21-10, 08:18 AM
I would suggest that you listen to your Father.
If you do not want to go to Afgan or Iraq or to any other place where we might fight one day then why are you thinking about the Marines? Do you just want the title and the dress blues? It doesn't work that way. We have a history and a standard that we have to back up. When I see a question like that it makes me think you want all the perks but don't want to get dirty. There are other branches for that.
I would have no problem deploying to the Middle East, these are just questions my father asked me that I did not quite know the answer to.
I would have no problem deploying to the Middle East, these are just questions my father asked me that I did not quite know the answer to.
Trust me your father well knows the answer to this question. Its the answer itself that he does not like.
Tough for any loving parent to like the idea of a war time deployment for their kid
Zulu 36
06-21-10, 02:21 PM
Trust me your father well knows the answer to this question. Its the answer itself that he does not like.
Tough for any loving parent to like the idea of a war time deployment for their kid
I completely agree with Lynn2. The Corps sends you where they need you. You get to request East Coast, West Coast, or Japan/Okinawa, but you may not get your preference.
I spent 21 years in the military (seven in the Corps), and went to two wars. My oldest daughter is in Afghanistan right now with the Air Force and her base just got rocketed again the other night. She has 17-days left in-country and I'm on pins-and-needles until she gets home. The worry never leaves a true parent.
WMarine,
Are you a moderator? I'm not actually sure.
If so, is there a way to do a "sticky" with this subject? I've seen these in other web forums, but have not seen them here. I will admit that I have not mastered navigating this web site yet, so I may have missed it.
SF
A
Lisa 23
06-21-10, 02:38 PM
No, I'm not....but if you PM Sgt Leprechaun, I'm sure he can make a sticky for you with whatever info you have on this subject. :thumbup:
Sgt Leprechaun
06-21-10, 06:57 PM
Hussaf, send me your thoughts. Stickies are no problem.
As far as the deployment(s) go....why in the world would you want to enlist (in ANY branch, not just the Marine Corps) and NOT 'see the world'? Even on a combat deployment. I just don't get it.
As far as MOS's go, you'll get your choice of job 'fields'. The Marine Corps does NOT do 'open contracts' anymore, except for those with GED's or other major issues, but they are so few and far between as to be almost like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow...often talked about, never seen. (That is from the local recruiter here, verbal converstation with ME that occurred 2 months ago...doubt it's changed).
As far as the deployment(s) go....why in the world would you want to enlist (in ANY branch, not just the Marine Corps) and NOT 'see the world'? Even on a combat deployment. I just don't get it.
I do want to see the world even if it is a combat deployment, its my parents who do not want me to. So basically I am stuck between honoring what my parents want me to do, or doing what I believe is the best path for myself.
Zulu 36
06-22-10, 01:15 PM
I do want to see the world even if it is a combat deployment, its my parents who do not want me to. So basically I am stuck between honoring what my parents want me to do, or doing what I believe is the best path for myself.
You may have to wait until you are 18, cut the apron strings, and enlist. It's your life, you're the one who has to look in the mirror 20-years down the road wondering what could have been. Be polite and respectful and explain it to your parents in those terms.
You may have to wait until you are 18, cut the apron strings, and enlist. It's your life, you're the one who has to look in the mirror 20-years down the road wondering what could have been. Be polite and respectful and explain it to your parents in those terms.
Thanks, that is most likely what is going to happen.
Sgt Leprechaun
06-22-10, 07:54 PM
You may have to wait until you are 18, cut the apron strings, and enlist. It's your life, you're the one who has to look in the mirror 20-years down the road wondering what could have been. Be polite and respectful and explain it to your parents in those terms.
BINGO!
eazyrider
06-22-10, 09:01 PM
"When I see a question like that it makes me think you want all the perks but don't want to get dirty. There are other branches for that."
While I agree with the first part of this-----not the 2nd.
All services are seeing their time in the ME. We have one in the family that is a Naval officer. He has been to Iraq I think 4 times and will be going back to AStan for the 2nd time shortly. All boots on the ground deployments. Although not as long a deployment as many here might have seen.
If you join during a time of war you darn well better be prepared for a war deployment.
I never understood anyone joining the Marines and then not wanting to practice their trade for real under combat conditions. I was referring more to the fact that in other branches you have more control about your exact job. It's easy to pick a job where your chances of seeing combat or even getting into a combat zone would be limited. And unless things have changed dramatically since the wars started the Air Force wasn't getting that dirty and crews from aircraft carriers were not forming rifle platoons.