I was sent here from the Wannabe forum with a rather simple question relating to a complicated problem. My problem is which MOS to have in my contract Infantry or Aviation.

Are there any of you who, if given the chance to do it all over again would rather enlist under an infantry contract for you first enlistment?

Thank you in advance.

TL

Speaking for myself, and more than likely a few others, a resounding HELL NO! should suffice.

You hear of the occasional ground pounder coming to the wing, but no winger ever going the other way. Why walk if you can fly to get there?

The question is simple.

Do you like digging fighting holes for yourself and cow holes for machine gun emplacements in 100 degree plus heat while feeding skeeters, chiggers and other blood sucking parasites?



I have a kid that has an MOS other than one with the Wing and in his 1st 2 years, he was a human back hoe.

But that was good.

It made him hard and he had a hard job ahead of him.

i was wing when i 1st enlisted, but when i got out n joined the combat engineer co in knoxville ifound out how the other half lived.....needless to say i left that unit and got into the helo squadron in atlanta! lol it only took me about 5 or 6 drills to figure that one out! like ron n wild said, not many of us try going ground after having been air! besides, you will learn a skill that will transfer over to the civilian life if ya work on aircraft! not much need for a mortor man in the real world!

"Aviation" is a pretty broad field. If you could tell us what program you're looking at, it might help us to tell you what to expect. For example, an Avionics tech is going to have a lot different experience than a Crew Chief or a GSE mechanic. Pretty much any job where you get to fly (Crew Chief, Loadmaster, Aerial Observer) will be a blast, others not so much (almost anything I-Level, Corrosion Control, buddy stores). Also, you want to ask yourself to you want to learn a trade or have fun? It is possible to do both in the Wing if you end up doing certain jobs.

Swing with the Wing...

Maybe this will help...

I'm assuming infantry is from 3 to 13???

What did your recruiter recommend after you took apptitude test?
The slick sum beach what enlisted me talked me out of a 2 yr infantry hitch that paid a $3K bonus (big bucks at the time mind you) into a 4 yr swing w/the wing with no bonus. Skills I learned still serve me well to this day but oddly enough what I make a living at these days has nothing to do with the job(s) I held in the Corps. About 10 yrs ago I attended an IP seminar taught by a former USMC combat engr and he wasn't earning a living on the technical skills taught to him either......
Go for what cranks your tractor.

As for would I do it again? Well, when I was overseas, which constituted about 1/2 my active duty tour, it seems everywhere I went for R&R there was an AF base there. And when I did manage to get a chow pass to one of those fancy high class AF dining facilities they would always have a choice of at least 3 different meats that was even recognizable. Not to mention the presence of beau-coup pretty lasses in uniform too. I also got to spend some time around our squidly breathren and while their chow halls weren't as nice as the AF, they did have beer machines in their barracks.
And in the beautiful oasis' of such far away duty stations as Cherry Point. Beaufort and Futema, a midrats meal of hamburger and cold fries was about the norm with the occasional feast of deep fried rabbit thrown in to keep us guessing. They liked to keep us guessing...
As I look back, about the only thing I'd change is that I'd try to play by the rules more.
So with all that said, go for what turns you on, I have no regrets.

i actually worked in avionics after i got out.....for about8 months, then worked for lockheed in atlanta for a bit. but the troubleshooting skilles i learned from the the corp still stand me in good stead to this day. now i fix rv's for a living, having gotten out of industrial maint. been fixin shat since 1983! lol dayem i feel old! good luck there kid!

quote:

Originally posted by thomas_leo:
I was sent here from the Wannabe forum with a rather simple question relating to a complicated problem. My problem is which MOS to have in my contract Infantry or Aviation.

Are there any of you who, if given the chance to do it all over again would rather enlist under an infantry contract for you first enlistment?

Thank you in advance.

TL

No!!! I will stay a winger thank you very much.
Don't get me wrong there is nothing wrong with being a grunt, in fact if it wern't for the grunts there would be no Marine Corps.
Everything in the Corps that is not a 03__ is in support of the grunts, directly or indirectly.
And remember every Marine is first and formost an 0311, then he or she does the job assigned to them other than that.

Semper Fi

Well, I scored a 93 on the ASVAB with a 134 GT score and my recruiter originally suggested infantry with a security forces option.

I talked to him about changing my contract to an AG which is helocopter crew chief. But I'm sort of in the middle of life and am not really sure what I "really" want to do. I'm considering either crew chief or infantry and possibly recon. I'm not enlisting in hope of an easy job. Civilian life has gotten too boring and "safe".


Thanks again!

TL

middle?

define.

I'm in the middle, between birth and 100.

quote:

And remember every Marine is first and formost an 0311, then he or she does the job assigned to them other than that.

That's incorrect;please don't pass bogus information.

If I ever considered myself as an 03 (and I never did) I was an extremely untrained one...

quote:

Originally posted by GMANPHX:

quote:

And remember every Marine is first and formost an 0311, then he or she does the job assigned to them other than that.

That's incorrect;please don't pass bogus information.

True, we ain't grunts.

No form or fashion.

To think so is Delusional.

quote:

Originally posted by RonMann:

quote:

Originally posted by GMANPHX:

quote:

And remember every Marine is first and formost an 0311, then he or she does the job assigned to them other than that.

That's incorrect;please don't pass bogus information.

True, we ain't grunts.

No form or fashion.

To think so is Delusional.

No! it is correct and the info is not bogus. Your understanding or the Corp may fall in that catagory. Why do you think all Marines go through basic and infantry training. I tell you it ain't for the fun of it.
All Marines are basic grunts first.
You may be specialized in a different MOS, and you may not train as a grunt after ITR (or what ever they call it now days), you may be a bit on the soft side, but the bottom line is if the time comes (and I pray it never will) you will put down your pen, wrench, spatula you will climb out of your tank, truck, helo or what ever and you will if needed pick up your rifle and fight. If they are not teaching young Marines that now days, then all I can say is I am glad I am no longer active. Not that I would not drop everything and pick up a rifle right now myself if it was called for and fight along side these youngsters! Though if it ever comes to the Corps wanting my old sorry a$$ back, I am afraid we are in very deep $hit. LOL


Semper Fi
Mike McGough
S/sgt USMC 1970-1977

Nowhere in my SRB or any winger that I know of is the MOS 0311 entered.

The motto Every Marine is a rifleman is a far cry from having an 03 billet.A lot more is involved to be a grunt than pulling a trigger and hitting a paper target.

Are you implying you have an 03 designation in your SRB?

No....Every Marine is not a basic grunt....

Every Marine IS a basic Rifleman...which is why the Corps places such a high emphasis on Marksmanship....

Boot Camp is not about becoming a grunt....it IS about becoming a Basic Marine. (ie: Marching ,knowledge, etc.....

But I do not recall Bootcamp teaching me how to call for fire, write a patrol order, or any one of a thousand other things a 'basic grunt' has to learn

I think your comment is in the right church...but you are sitting in the wrong pughe...

quote:

Originally posted by GMANPHX:
Nowhere in my SRB or any winger that I know of is the MOS 0311 entered.

The motto Every Marine is a rifleman is a far cry from having an 03 billet.A lot more is involved to be a grunt than pulling a trigger and hitting a paper target.

Are you implying you have an 03 designation in your SRB?

My DD214 Shows 3 MOS's
0311,6042, and 0431
That being:
I Was basic grunt though like most airwingers all that meant was I went to the rifle range once in while to requal, and had to take short class room refresher courses on the basics. Usually as a squadron every 3 or 4 months.
I was an Airframes mechanic on F-4s
And I was an embarkation NCO. Never hit a lick at that either after I graduated from the class. just filling a billet requirement for the Squadron. Went right back to being a 6042 for all intents and purposes.

Not saying that you spent a lot if any time at training as a grunt, not saying that you worked in that billet at all after you trained in what ever your specialty was. Just saying that you are grunt if the Corps needs you to be a grunt. It does happen, though not in recent times. It is always a possibility how ever remote.

End of subject a far as I am concerned. If you still disagree or do not see what I am talking about then I guess we will just have to Agree to disagree. It ain't worth any more of my time.

Check MOS's. 0311 is a basic rifleman No more No less!!

Semper Fi