MOTOR T Questions

[PapaFranklin]

ive always heard that "motor t is awesome and fun" but no one ever explains to me what it really is, such as hours worked, duties, schooling etc. im just an unacknowledged poolee who wants to know what hes getting into seeing as in how that is the MOS i did sign up for.

thank you marines.

[Sally]

First of all, what exactly is your MOS? Operator, mechanic?

[Phantom Blooper]

PM SSGT Nelson on this site he was in MT in Vietnam....he may not be able to give you updated scoop...but he can give you experience.

http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/member.php?u=2170

[pabears152]

Cpl Walker Viet Nam Dec 67 to Mar 70= Motor t was tough, but I did enjoy it. My time in Nam was a real eye opener. Enjoy your time and get the best out of it. Learn something new all the time you're in.

[PapaFranklin]

Cpl Walker Viet Nam Dec 67 to Mar 70= Motor t was tough, but I did enjoy it. My time in Nam was a real eye opener. Enjoy your time and get the best out of it. Learn something new all the time you're in.

i cold only imagine, our war in iraq right now is a walk in the park compared to nam! thank you for you services marine!

[PapaFranklin]

First of all, what exactly is your MOS? Operator, mechanic?

havent made it that far yet, as of now im just a dep. im hoping for operator tho but either way i wouldnt mind being a mechanic i just want some action while im in. i didnt enlist to not serve

[Zulu 36]

Operator is a dangerous job in a combat zone. 3531s had a very high casualty rate in Vietnam, although I don't know about now. I'm sure it's up there with all the IEDs, etc. At least half of the instructors in my 3531 school had Purple Hearts from Vietnam.

I drove trucks in Vietnam and was shot at fairly regularly. Most of my driving was not in convoy, but as a single truck. I think I did a good job despite my dislike for the job in general. It had to be done, I was the schmuck who had to do it, so I did it right (my life depended on that part).

I did not like Motor T although I freely admit that it provided the route to some very interesting experiences, particularly in Vietnam. I tried to get out of MT as soon as I could after I got back from Vietnam and ended up in Military Police where I was very happy. However, MT was still my primary MOS so I often got stuck as the unit MT NCO as an additional duty.

Motor T in garrison was the worst for me. The routine of preventive maintenance, washing, etc, just bored me to tears. I have never been a "car person" so mechanics had zero interest for me. At least in Vietnam there was a sense of purpose and I knew I was doing useful things for my unit.

If you like mechanical work, like driving, and don't mind being in a big target, you will probably enjoy Motor T.

[jrhd97]

I lat moved ( involuntary, good of the Corps kind of thing ) in '95 as an 3521 ( mech. ). We were a small Bn and worked close with the drivers ( operators 3530's ).
When not in the field the driver's do a lot of cleaning and pm's. Checking and topping off fluids, changing tires, making sure lug nut are tight, sanding and repainting rust spots, patching canvas tops, checking and changing lights. It wasn't unusual to have a driver working with me in the shop. Depending on if you are licensed to drive a Hummer, 5-Ton, LVS, Wrecker, Fuel Tank depends on which 353? you become.
The mechanic side is harder ( 3521 ). Often you have to get a vehicle up and running in a short time and do it with out the right tools and some times the right parts. It's not uncommon to be in the shop well before the drivers are out of the rack. Besides fixing what the drivers break, you have to keep the PM list up to date. You will be in the field with your tools working on vehicles in any and all weather conditions or in a shop.
If you want to get into rebuilding and swapping engines and such. That is another MOS in Motor Trans. Those are the 3rd shop guys. A diff ball game. There is also the 4th echelon guys. They are the ones that do reconditioning and more extensive work. I think there is only 2 place in the U.S for them. Albany GA, if I remember right, and someplace out west. Can't remember.

[Zulu 36]

You're thinking of Barstow, CA, jrhd.

Most 4th echelon mechs are civilians. A lot of them are former Marine mechs though.

[jrhd97]

You're thinking of Barstow, CA, jrhd.

Most 4th echelon mechs are civilians. A lot of them are former Marine mechs though.

That's it. Thanks for refreshing the memory.

[HARDLUCK88]

its long hours, heavy lifting, sometimes dispatching duty, preventative maintenance, long driving under bad conditions, liquid loads, passenger loads, explosive loads, defensive driving techniques it depends on what kind of unit you end up with, and where in the world you get stationed. but i loved it, it was fun, and it was not fun. but you have to take the good with the bad.

[HARDLUCK88]

You're thinking of Barstow, CA, jrhd.

Most 4th echelon mechs are civilians. A lot of them are former Marine mechs though.

i heard there is no 3rd echelon maintenance anymore, if the unit cant fix it at the motor pool, it goes right to 4th echelon, and the only time we ever sent anything to 4th, was if we couldnt get parts from our DRMO vehicles... or wiring harness failures like many of the first series' of 1123's tended to have

[jrhd97]

i heard there is no 3rd echelon maintenance anymore, if the unit cant fix it at the motor pool, it goes right to 4th echelon, and the only time we ever sent anything to 4th, was if we couldnt get parts from our DRMO vehicles... or wiring harness failures like many of the first series' of 1123's tended to have

Really? They would send a truck all the way to the 4th shop for a head or glow plug that broke off?
We had some one from the 3rd shop up frequently pulling broke off glow plugs out of the heads.
Have they expanded the training for 2nd echelon?

[HARDLUCK88]

actually the oppisite, for us a broken glow plug was second echelon. the transition to 3 echelons was near the end of my tour, so i dont know really why they did it, but i mean even as an operator, i was helping change transfer cases on LVS' and rebuilding cv shafts on 7 tons... 4th echelon really only handled vehicles that they wouldnt put in DRMO like blown transmissions, siezed motors... stuff like that.

and actually now that i think about it, we had the option to send it to 4th or fix it ourselves, usually if we fixed it ourselves just to get it back on teh road quicker, but there were some things that we couldnt handle at the motor pool, although i must say i was the tool room NCO for a little while, and we had a lot of specialty tools...

[jrhd97]

actually the oppisite, for us a broken glow plug was second echelon. the transition to 3 echelons was near the end of my tour, so i dont know really why they did it, but i mean even as an operator, i was helping change transfer cases on LVS' and rebuilding cv shafts on 7 tons... 4th echelon really only handled vehicles that they wouldnt put in DRMO like blown transmissions, siezed motors... stuff like that.

and actually now that i think about it, we had the option to send it to 4th or fix it ourselves, usually if we fixed it ourselves just to get it back on teh road quicker, but there were some things that we couldnt handle at the motor pool, although i must say i was the tool room NCO for a little while, and we had a lot of specialty tools...

Things have changed a lot. We handled broke glow plugs, unless they fell into the head. C.V shafts we would rebuild.
Things like injectors and swapping major components like that we had to send off. It would leave us without the vehicle for a month or more.