I have a question for families of a Marine

[jallen]

TheDuke

I have thought about the Navy but from what I understand they are gone the most. I may be wrong about this, I am only going off of what I have heard, not sure of my sources credibility though. I just may go and check that branch out as well.

[nicoledc109]

Thanks you for the post.

[Gator347]

With a plate, any branch will be tough. Waivers were almost impossible in 2006. I know, my son got one and it was 13 MO plus.
(BUMED is a @#$%^) I hear it is almost impossible to get one now. Staying in is now MUCH harder.

Family Life - USAF has to be tops. I was an Air Force Brat. But my Dad always regretted leaving the Corps and he was buried by the Corps. There is no other loyalty like the USMC.

I hear the Army is the worst. My siblings in the USAF loved Europe and my friends in the Army HATED it.

If your ASVAB is that good, have you thought about USCG? The Coasties keep you close to home. Or the Air Guard?

[Lisa 23]

Thanks you for the post.

About nicoledc109
Rank - E-1
Year Entered Marine Corps - 1989
Year Exited Marine Corps - Still in Service
Date of Birth - November 12, 1989 (20)

Hmmmm...you were born in 1989 and entered the Marine Corps in 1989, wow!

[Gator347]

Went in 1989
Still in
Rank E-1??????

[Idena]

tdrt said it best - it's what you make of it.

That said, I love a good bulleted list, so I'll share some pros & cons from my own (limited) experience.

Pros:
-Security. As a wife & a mother, I like knowing that my husband has a job for at least a certain period of years with a certain amount of regular income. It makes it more comfortable to plan without as many unknowns as you might have in the civilian sector.

-Healthcare. Say what you will about Naval hospitals, but at least you are guaranteed healthcare with no (or low, if you are on Standard) copays or prescription costs for you, your wife, & your children. Nothing in the civilian sector compares, & it CAN be nice with kids.

-Great family support. Every unit has a FRO & has events that, should you take advantage of them, can REALLY connect you with people in the same situation as you & your family.

-Connectivity in general. Few career paths arouse in families (spouses, parents, children) the innate sense of pride that the military does. Marine spouses find each other everywhere. I've had great friends in my life, but some of my most thick-and-thing, when-the-chips-are-down friends have been other Marine spouses. Because we bond quickly & deeply out of necessity. Outside of the above listed family support systems put in place by the military, there are phenomenal informal groups that gather together everywhere.

-Military discounts. Ok, I'm mostly being facetious. But it's nice on the budget to be able to knock off some money when the hubby takes us out for dinner or for an oil change. :-)

-Travel/experiences. You'll get to move a lot. That comes with some challenges, needless to say, but it's also amazing to get to live in lots of different places, sample different cultures, see little pieces of the world. It's hard to do something similar as a civlian employee. Not impossible, clearly, but not as likely, either. Especially when the military pays for the moves.

-In my extremely humble opinion, you haven't lived until you've seen your husband walk into your bedroom in dress blues. Yum. One of the best things about being a Marine wife is that when we go out & he's in uniform, I KNOW my husband is the best looking & best-dressed guy there (Even among other Marines. I'm slightly biased, so sue me.). I had never seen a Marine in dress blues (in person, I mean) until I started dating Joe. It was an unexpected perk to dating a Marine.

Cons:
-Husband/daddy is gone a lot. Whether it's for boot camp, field exercises, duty, deployment, he's simply absent. Sometimes for really important events. There are no guarantees that you'll be able to be present for weddings, funerals, baptisms, births, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations ... the list goes on. Even in garrison, the sheer stress of the job can really wipe a guy out & can project a lot of stress onto a family. How much is up to the individual couple & how they interact.

-Constant moving. This could be a pro. I think I'm going to go back to the list & add it. But sometimes it's a little wearying packing your stuff up in boxes AGAIN. Then unpacking it AGAIN. Then realizing you lost something AGAIN. A lot of military spouses will say that they feel like they never put down roots because of the regular moves. (I have the opposite problem - I put down roots *everywhere* we live & then feel like I'm leaving home yet again when we move.). And if you are very close to your families, sometimes moving hundreds or thousands of miles away is VERY stressful.

I can't think of any other negatives, but I'm sure there are some. Remember that negatives (and positives, of course) are subjective, so you're only getting my perspective, & I'm an eternal optimist. It's not a walk in the park being married to a Marine, but it's not like it's scary or impossible or a sure recipe for divorce. Far from it. It's all on how you handle it & how well you employ the tools at your disposal.

As for the medical waiver, I got one in 2003 for the Navy, & I have a spinal fusion. But it was a different climate then, so good luck to you.

[jallen]

Idena, that was exactly what I was looking for. Your response is the best response by far. Thank you!

[gunnyE7]

My opinion...Don't join at all. Why would you want to join when your already married? It can cause problems with the wife not seeing you very often. Yes, you want to serve your country but when you have a family right now before you start would not be a wise decision to join the military at all. You can still serve your country while in the United States.
Problems that can occur from my experience, I joined at age 18 awhile ago and I was engagged before I enlisted and after 2 years it was too stressful for her we had 1 kid together and I was stuck paying child support due to the whole ordeal. So you choose.