Going Open Contract To Get Infantry

[strech89]

So i have been wanting to get an 03- MOS since i walked into the recruiting station a year and a half ago, now i am set to leave for bootcamp on sept. 13 this year and my only shot at an infantry MOS is if i go as an open contract. Originally i was set to go as a combat engineer because infantry was 150 percent full, but we recently got a new boss at our recruiting station "Gunnery Sgt. Blanco" and he said that i could possibly get infantry if i sign as an open contract and request it when i go to boot camp. I know it is a 50/50 shot that i could get it and he didnt bull **** me about that, but he also says that most people who request it and have good physicall scores end up getting it. Now my question is, is this a legit way i could earn an 03-MOS, and as an open contract am i able to get any signing bonuses, and last if i dont get infantry am i able to request another MOS??

[Backhaus 1103]

Don't do it just wait and get what you want. If you go open you'll be stuck in an mos that no one picks and it probably won't be something you would enjoy doing.

[Muztang11]

Either get the 03 contract or get ready to do something else,As you said Infantry is way overfull right now.Open contract is a good way to play the lottery with the next 4 years of your life.You may get a desirable MOS or you may not be happy at all and hate life for 4 years.Supposedly in the next year or so we are done in the middle east,So you may want to look into an MOS that will benefit you when you get out.Infantry is a pretty limited range of transfer when it comes to civilian job skills.

[Sgt Leprechaun]

Lotto. Not good when looking at career choices.

[Wyoming]

Does the word 'possibly' not mean anything to you, or raise a red flag?

You used it, not me.

[strech89]

ok thanks for the input, now just curious if you have like a 60 average asvab score, and you can do 20 pull ups, 100 crunches, and run a mile in 10 min. would they put you as a cook or some other crap job like that? or do they utilize your skills and put you in something that your qualified for?

[AmphibMarine]

Needs of the corp, If you dont get it in writing it wont happen with all mos and boat spaces full you go open contract its all where they need you.

[strech89]

do you know of any way that if u are in boot camp you can request the MOS u want, and earn it? Could you take someone's place who has a contract but doesn't qualify??

[kpj87]

There is no way to earn an MOS. I know people who went open contract with hopes of getting a certain MOS and it never worked out. If you go to boot camp with an open contract you will in no way get a choice, not even a wish list. Your MOS will be random. You could get cook, supply, engineer, comm. Whatever the Corps. needs a body for. Do not go to boot camp until you have the MOS you want. The MOS you are in will be the difference in hating the Corps and loving it. Recruiters are like car salesmen they usually tell you the truth but word it in a manner that makes you more optimistic. Wait until you get what you want.

[Beltayn]

ok thanks for the input, now just curious if you have like a 60 average asvab score, and you can do 20 pull ups, 100 crunches, and run a mile in 10 min. would they put you as a cook or some other crap job like that? or do they utilize your skills and put you in something that your qualified for?

I scored a 99 on the ASVAB with a 145 GT, have never run less than a 250 PFT, and I am a cook.
Does that answer your question?

[kpj87]

yeah, they will not take anything into consideration. The recruiter will tell you what you want to hear. He will probably tell you that you could get infantry with an open contract, this is not true. If you want infantry wait to sign a contract. The new fiscal year starts in October this means all the boat spaces renew. So tell your recruiter you wont leave until you get that contract and if he cant pull one now he can in October. I had to use this method to get the contract i wanted and it worked. Problem for me is i was going to for intel and i didnt get my T.S. so after that i pretty much had an open contract. I had a wish list which i got my last wish.

[MontanaDevilDog]

I scored a 99 on the ASVAB with a 145 GT, have never run less than a 250 PFT, and I am a cook.
Does that answer your question?

Listen to Beltayn, he speaks the truth. It doesn't matter what your scores are, you are put where the Corps wants you according to it's needs at the time of enlistment. There are many factors that play into it. Recruiters can be b@stards at times. They will lie to your face and tell you anything they can to get you to enlist.

[tdrt]

I scored a 99 on the ASVAB with a 145 GT, have never run less than a 250 PFT, and I am a cook.
Does that answer your question?

Holy Crap, Beltan, is that the best you have after he called being a cook a crap job?


Listen here, kid. There are no "crap jobs" in the Corps. Absolutely every MOS/job is critical and essential to complete the mission whether it's on the front lines or in the rear.


You want to be an 03? Who in the hell do you think feeds them, makes sure they get paid, ensures they have supplies, provides transportation, etc. Get the picture yet?

So I would be very careful what you consider a crap job because those of us in "crap" jobs can seriously f*uck up your life.

[strech89]

allright yeah that about answers it, thanks.

I respect what everyone in the Corps does which is why i am compelled to join, it is what i'm meant to do, ive been waiting almost two years to go to boot camp and im as motivated as the first day i walked in the recruiters office. I did not mean to disrespect those who have actually been there and obviously know more than me. Im sorry if i have disrespected anyone in the Corps, im a lil frustrated that i have to ask the same damn questions cause my recuiter wont be straight up with me, but thanks for all the input its helped me from doin somthing that i might have regret. Thanks.

[Beltayn]

I don't really feel compelled to defend my MOS.
If and when he finds himself dirty and dog-tired in the rain in that field environment as a big bad infantry Marine, he'll come to appreciate what I do all on his own when my HMMWV shows up with hot chow.

[MontanaDevilDog]

I don't really feel compelled to defend my MOS.
If and when he finds himself dirty and dog-tired in the rain in that field environment as a big bad infantry Marine, he'll come to appreciate what I do all on his own when my HMMWV shows up with hot chow.

Well, I for one am extremely grateful for when you guys show up, and I certainly appreciate what you all do Beltayn. Thank you.

[Lupo22]

Holy Crap, Beltan, is that the best you have after he called being a cook a crap job?


Listen here, kid. There are no "crap jobs" in the Corps. Absolutely every MOS/job is critical and essential to complete the mission whether it's on the front lines or in the rear.


You want to be an 03? Who in the hell do you think feeds them, makes sure they get paid, ensures they have supplies, provides transportation, etc. Get the picture yet?

So I would be very careful what you consider a crap job because those of us in "crap" jobs can seriously f*uck up your life.

I appreciate what POGs do, and most grunts hate them because we're jealous of their 9-5 hours and air conditioned office space, however, with all due respect SSgt, we never get to eat chow during working hours. Most of the time they're civilians serving us. Supply? Well, we usually do most of the work in the shop ourselves, including clean up and issue. And when we do get issued gear, its usually incomplete or 2 sizes too big or small. Admin? Everyone knows going down to admin to "fix" anything is a nightmare!

I'm one of the grunts who hates POGs out of envy. Nothing but love for them. But if you want infantry, you won't be happy with anything but.

As for the original poster: Don't go. You will NEVER get infantry open contract. Now, you may go POG and join on MARSOC or Force Recon or something. Most of those guys are POGs who have enough time to PT when they please and work out everyday and get jacked. But as far as being a grunt, it won't happen open contract. You could go Comm or Combat Engineer and hope to get attached to an infantry unit. Our Comm guy does every single thing we do but still is labeled a "POG"...

[Beltayn]

I appreciate what POGs do, and most grunts hate them because we're jealous of their 9-5 hours and air conditioned office space, however, with all due respect SSgt, we never get to eat chow during working hours. Most of the time they're civilians serving us. Supply? Well, we usually do most of the work in the shop ourselves, including clean up and issue. And when we do get issued gear, its usually incomplete or 2 sizes too big or small. Admin? Everyone knows going down to admin to "fix" anything is a nightmare!
At 0330 in the morning, I am up and working to make breakfast chow.
At 1900 in the evening, I can be found at my post long after most Marines have gotten off, continuing to feed Marines hungry after a hard day's work.
While frequently such days are divided into a back and forth two-day shift rotation, depending on personnel, in my short time as a cook there have been multiple periods where the mission required a "one watch", in which I came to work at 0330 and worked constantly until 1800-1900. That is an approximate 17 hour work day. Every day. Sometimes for extended periods (which mostly would occur on a MEU).

I work weekends, holiday 96s, and when bad weather shuts down most sections. The sun shining on a national holiday or what for every single other Marine in my unit is a good-behavior 96 does not mean that no one will be hungry or need to eat. I have waded through waist-high snow in my cook whites to get to the chow hall to cook on a morning I was supposed to have off, because a mission had to get accomplished.

I too do not have the opportunity to eat chow during working hours. There is not normally time for sitting down, let alone sitting down to eat. I still have pay deducted for it however, even though 75% of my meals I provide with my own money.

Except in the dead of winter, the galley is regularly above 100 degrees, and I have seen it as high as 130. That is barely lower than the temperature pork has to be at to be considered fully cooked. Every single day I come home there are visible salt stains covering my uniform shirt from the amount of sweat I produce in a day's work.

At no point do we close. Snowstorms, electrical black-outs, and chest-high flooding have all failed to prevent my chow hall from accomplishing our mission in the past year alone.



I am not sharing all this to aggrandize myself, or because I was in any way offended. I simply want to educate you a little bit. Share some perspective.

I am a combat cook. It is not a glorious job, nor one that gets any real thanks, but it is a job from which I can feel a good bit of pride. It has certainly made me grow quite a bit as a man.
What other MOS is inspected in it's proficiency hundreds or times a day?

I praise and thank you and your fellow grunts for what you do, and the sacrifices that you make.
Just take from this that any cook who hears you waxing envious about the hours POGs work and their chairs and air-conditioned offices will chuckle. Not every POG works at IPAC.

Semper Fi.

[Beltayn]

An afterthought in response to tdrt;
I suppose I don't take issue with cook being called a "crap job" if by "crap job" the op means "difficult". It is a crap job. However, grunt is also a "crap job", for some of exactly the same reasons.
At the end of the day, my attitude is still an unconcerned "Oh, he'll learn once he hits the fleet."

[Sgt Leprechaun]

Beltayn, well said. I would ask you to cut/paste your above statement (18), and make it into a separate posting. Once you do so, I'll make it a sticky. It's THAT good.

[Beltayn]

Unfortunately, I do not have the privs to make original posts in this particular forum.

[Backhaus 1103]

I don't know what chow hall you're working at...

[Backhaus 1103]

I just read the sticky about your job and deloyment. I ate MREs for 7 months and at dwyer and leatherneck no marines at all work at the chow halls, it's all civilans from asia.

[Beltayn]

Circumstances vary, naturally.

[fpdesignco]

Circumstances vary, naturally.

Have you deployed before? or are you speaking third party?

[fpdesignco]

I just read the sticky about your job and deloyment. I ate MREs for 7 months and at dwyer and leatherneck no marines at all work at the chow halls, it's all civilans from asia.


Lol, how about that CLSA...... Before the invasion... good stuff right..

[Beltayn]

Have you deployed before? or are you speaking third party?

I personally have not deployed, being attached to station.
I have close friends currently in Afghanistan, and the Marines I currently work alongside of returned from an Iraq deployment approximately a year ago. In both cases, they were/are in FOBs providing field support to infantry units. This entails cooking chow in a field setup within the FOB, as well as using a mobile unit mounted in a HMMWV. This is exactly the type of mission we train for in garrison, and what we do on our field ops when not deployed.

So, to specifically answer the question, yes, civilians run the mess hall at Leatherneck or Camp Cupcake. If you get out where the work is getting done, however, you'll find food service Marines doing their job.

What else would cooks do on deployment? It seems like every Marine I've met has a notion that cooks have the skatest job ever and all they do is supervise civilians. It's unfortunate to have had to eat only MREs for an entire pump, but that's the nature of the beast. My MOS hurts for personnel. We can't be everywhere at once, and there are a lot of mouths to feed. That is why our hours are such sh!t, why our days are always long, and why they hire those civilian contractors to supplement us in the first place.

[fpdesignco]

Lance Corporal,
Ive deployed, Im in the Infantry, and I realize this. Not second guessing your mos, even know I personally rather eat MRE's than trey rats, (Trey Rat's now are self heating, we made our own, no cook needed), however it woulda been nice to have someone do it for us. BTW, HMMWV are not allowed outside the wire in afghanistan for marines....


I personally have not deployed, being attached to station.
I have close friends currently in Afghanistan, and the Marines I currently work alongside of returned from an Iraq deployment approximately a year ago. In both cases, they were/are in FOBs providing field support to infantry units. This entails cooking chow in a field setup within the FOB, as well as using a mobile unit mounted in a HMMWV. This is exactly the type of mission we train for in garrison, and what we do on our field ops when not deployed.

So, to specifically answer the question, yes, civilians run the mess hall at Leatherneck or Camp Cupcake. If you get out where the work is getting done, however, you'll find food service Marines doing their job.

What else would cooks do on deployment? It seems like every Marine I've met has a notion that cooks have the skatest job ever and all they do is supervise civilians. It's unfortunate to have had to eat only MREs for an entire pump, but that's the nature of the beast. My MOS hurts for personnel. We can't be everywhere at once, and there are a lot of mouths to feed. That is why our hours are such sh!t, why our days are always long, and why they hire those civilian contractors to supplement us in the first place.

[Beltayn]

Just as a quick example, Tuesday is my next day off, and I plan on resting because it will have followed 6 consecutive 12-16 hour days of working. (0330-1900 as a sample) And that does not include collateral obligations like field day and formations and training and taking care of my troops during my off time.

[fpdesignco]

So i have been wanting to get an 03- MOS since i walked into the recruiting station a year and a half ago, now i am set to leave for bootcamp on sept. 13 this year and my only shot at an infantry MOS is if i go as an open contract. Originally i was set to go as a combat engineer because infantry was 150 percent full, but we recently got a new boss at our recruiting station "Gunnery Sgt. Blanco" and he said that i could possibly get infantry if i sign as an open contract and request it when i go to boot camp. I know it is a 50/50 shot that i could get it and he didnt bull **** me about that, but he also says that most people who request it and have good physicall scores end up getting it. Now my question is, is this a legit way i could earn an 03-MOS, and as an open contract am i able to get any signing bonuses, and last if i dont get infantry am i able to request another MOS??

BTW, this post has defintally been sidetracked by the cook for some reason anyway back on topic. DO NOT GO OPEN CONTRACT TO GO TO AN 03 MOS, If you want to be a grunt tell your recruiter that and get him to get you a slot, if not wait for a slot to open up. Do what you want to do not "well you might get it" should not be a answer you accept.

[fpdesignco]

I understand how hard it is for you now lets get back on topic. ^


Just as a quick example, Tuesday is my next day off, and I plan on resting because it will have followed 6 consecutive 12-16 hour days of working. (0330-1900 as a sample) And that does not include collateral obligations like field day and formations and training and taking care of my troops during my off time.

[Beltayn]

Lance Corporal,
Ive deployed, Im in the Infantry, and I realize this. Not second guessing your mos, even know I personally rather eat MRE's than trey rats, (Trey Rat's now are self heating, we made our own, no cook needed), however it woulda been nice to have someone do it for us. BTW, HMMWV are not allowed outside the wire in afghanistan for marines....

You're right, its MRAPs only now. That fact had slipped my mind.
The tray ration heating system is designed for mounting in a HMMWV at any rate. The concept with delivering chow in such a manner was more utilized in the initial invasions, when positions were fluid and units were constantly mobile. It is also applicable for arty batteries with widely dispersed guns, when calling their personnel to a central location for chow is unfeasible.

EDIT: Apologies for the hijacking of the thread, though the question was really already answered multiple times, and is in like every other thread on this forum. ><

[fpdesignco]

Wouldent expect you to know that point, alot of poeple who have not deployed there do not, and some army units are still using them, and yes it may have been answered before but it was answered again by myself, further emphazing the point to this young man that he needs to be firm in his decisions and not regret it later down the road doing something he does not want to do. Id rather HE ask questions about open contract and what his recruiter told him than to go in and end up something on a complete different spectrum than what he wanted. I signed up to be a 0311 and became an 0313, am I bitter about this, no im not its a good job and a good unit, but not everyone feels the same as me, and i recognize that and im trying to emphazise a point and not talk about how many hours im going to work this week at the local chow hall.


You're right, its MRAPs only now. That fact had slipped my mind.
The tray ration heating system is designed for mounting in a HMMWV at any rate. The concept with delivering chow in such a manner was more utilized in the initial invasions, when positions were fluid and units were constantly mobile. It is also applicable for arty batteries with widely dispersed guns, when calling their personnel to a central location for chow is unfeasible.

EDIT: Apologies for the hijacking of the thread, though the question was really already answered multiple times, and is in like every other thread on this forum. ><

[Sgt Leprechaun]

I've allowed it to go this far because good information was being provided, despite being off topic.

I also encouraged the Chow hall/Cook information, since we don't have much of that around here, and there ARE those interested...for the good of the order.

We are now done.