Hey everybody hows it goin? My name is greg cranson and im about to turn 18 on the 22nd of october, and I am torn about what to do with regards to my military service....I was set on being a US Army Ranger but I talked to the Marine recruiters again today and they told me that the Rangers do not live up to all the hype they get. I do not know what to think about this....any help would be great...From Marines or Rangers or anyone, thank you a ton....and the Marine recruiters said they want a definite answer in two days, so the quicker the response the better....thanks
-Greg
PS I got a 95 on the ASVAB

Well I'll tell you the truth. You will have Marines that will tell you. Army Rangers are full of hot air. They wish there where half as good as they THINK they are. You will have Rangers that will tell you Marines wish they trained as hard as we do.

Truth Is they both are hard charging, hard to get into services. But they do have there differences. In the Marines, every Marine is just that. A Marine. Regardless of MOS. Every one gets the same training regardless of MOS.

In the Army it's different. They have five bases that do BCT five deferent ways. Ft Benning is where all infantry go. Including Rangers. It has the toughest BCT. Ranger school is after you do BCT, Infantry AIT, Jump School. Then you get Rangers school. Allot of time to get hurt or flunk out. Rangers are tough and have there place. But there's no guaranty that some where along they way something won't happen.

With the Marines. You go to boot camp. You graduate boot camp. You are a Marine. No matter what else happens. Everything after that is just icing on the cake. Including getting to go to Jump school and Ranger school.

quote:

Originally posted by 15553801:
Hey everybody hows it goin? My name is greg cranson and im about to turn 18 on the 22nd of october, and I am torn about what to do with regards to my military service....I was set on being a US Army Ranger but I talked to the Marine recruiters again today and they told me that the Rangers do not live up to all the hype they get. I do not know what to think about this....any help would be great...From Marines or Rangers or anyone, thank you a ton....and the Marine recruiters said they want a definite answer in two days, so the quicker the response the better....thanks
-Greg
PS I got a 95 on the ASVAB

You need to compare apples to apples. You are not guaranteed to become an Army Ranger, just the chance of becoming one. Marine Recon is sorta like the Rangers. Both are elite units that you have to train for. Both requires you to be in excellent physical condition.

Keep in mind that the Marine recruiter will say things like that just to get you into the Marine Corps. Don't let crap like that dissuade you from what you truely want. Also don't let the Marine Recruiter bully you into making a decision faster than you want to make it. Don't be disrespectful to the recruiter, but kindly insist that you need more time to consider all your options, because this is a major decision for you.

Since you are interested in elite units whose entrance relies wholly on your physical fitness levels, which means you may not actually get into that unit, I would recommend making your decision based on the branch of service itself. You're serving the same country no matter which service you join, so choose the one that feels right for you.

Congrats on the ASVAB score. If it makes any difference, you would serve the military better by choosing a different MOS, because you are too smart to be a bullet sponge.

The never ending battle of who is the toughest. I can say this much. A Marine is proud to be a Marine and will always believe they are superior and more well trained than anyone else. On that same token i would happily take a Marine or any Army Combat Arms from Benning on my frontline.

Now as it was pointed out above, you can not Compare being a regular Enlisted Marine to an Army Ranger that is two different things. Anyone who qualifies as a Marine will be a Marine, all those that qualify for the Army will not be a Ranger. More importantly alot of MOS's are eligible for Ranger training. Also keep in mind that there is Also SF in the Army as well which isnt exactly the same as a Ranger or GB. Confused yet? Have you even considered the Navy Seals? In all honesty i think they are the real deal when it comes to your Elite groups, their fail rate is astronomical compared to the rest of the elite groups. They are all special in their own way.

On a side note, i have friends who serve for foreign military's like Australia and GB and the one thing that they all pin-pointed was that Marines that they have met were mostly Blowhards that talked a big game and never backed it up, but were always willing to instigate and rumble. They didnt want to say it was all Marines but the track record was pretty slated against them. I understood because a Marine is trained and molded into believing they are the best no matter what, they believe their hype and they are forever moving forward. Just an outlook from the internationals.

i agree with what was said above, do not let the Recruiter no matter what service give you the timeline on when to make a decision it is your life not theirs, and honestly what is he going to do if you dont decide in 2 days? Its like a salesman demanding you buy a cellphone this weekend or else...or else what? Now dont be disrespectful but let him know you dont appreciate him pressuring you and that you need time to make an educated decision because this is your next 8 years not something you are doing on a whim. Now if you have future military plans keep that in mind as well, there are tons of jobs in all the services, i would say pick the one that interests you the most dont pick one that sounds cool, isnt a garauntee and may not have a longterm future in it. Also dont join the Marines, Special Forces, or any Elite Group just for the Tag or Title, its something to be proud of but bragging shouldnt be the reason you did it.

Here is some basic Ranger info and a good link.

Joining the Army Rangers
There are several paths to becoming an Army Ranger. As a civilian your best option is to contact an Army Recruiter about enlisting on the Army Ranger Contract. The contract ensures your spot at Airborne School and assignment to the 75th Ranger Regiment to attend the Ranger Indoctrination Program (RIP).

Army Ranger Qualifications
The Army Ranger contract requires candidates to meet the following basic standards:


Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident alien.
Have a High School Diploma or equivalent.
Be 18 or older.
Be able to pass the Army Physical Fitness Test (AFPT).
Be eligible for a Secret Level Security Clearance.
Score 50 or better on the ASVAB AFQT and have a GT (General Technical) score of 110 or higher.
TIP: Scoring high on the ASVAB is key to being able to join an elite team like the Army Rangers. It also makes a difference when it comes to enlistment bonuses and choosing your MOS. Visit our Ace the ASVAB section to learn how to make sure you qualify for the bonuses and career options you deserve.

Ranger Training.

The above was obviously written my an Army enlistee, as evidenced by his obvious slant for Rangers, and his discredit to the Marine Corps. The Corps isn't hype, it's reality, that is why they are called the Few the Proud, and they don't let just anybody in.
Failed a **** test? Join the Army
Didn't complete High School? Join the Army
It's a lot tougher getting into the USMC, and the Corp instils in you values you will carry for a lifetime, Honor, Courage, Committment.
I will impartially say that I am married to a USAF career member, the mother of a Marine, and the daughter of an Army man. My husband and my dad both always say, if they had it to do over, they'd go the Corps. The change is for a lifetime.

quote:

Originally posted by Kiddicted:
The above was obviously written my an Army enlistee, as evidenced by his obvious slant for Rangers, and his discredit to the Marine Corps. The Corps isn't hype, it's reality, that is why they are called the Few the Proud, and they don't let just anybody in.
Failed a **** test? Join the Army
Didn't complete High School? Join the Army
It's a lot tougher getting into the USMC, and the Corp instils in you values you will carry for a lifetime, Honor, Courage, Committment.
I will impartially say that I am married to a USAF career member, the mother of a Marine, and the daughter of an Army man. My husband and my dad both always say, if they had it to do over, they'd go the Corps. The change is for a lifetime.

Please note my sarcasm.

Yes, definitely young men who become Rangers do not change at all and in no way consider themselves elite and do not live by a creed copied by the rest of the Army.

Way to rag on the Army for giving young people who made mistakes in their past a chance to better themselves.

Another "VS" post. Why does it have to be that way? 2 different ways of life, bottom line. Each service offers TOP NOTCH training to the individual with great benefits.

ALL lets stop the bashing, all 5 of the Branches have U.S. in front of their names.

Pick what is going to make you the happiest. BTW, if someone gave me a 2 day timeline to make a life changing decision(I don't care who it was) I'd tell them to get bent.

Let's keep this on track or I will close if the bashing goes on. CPO Kalbach

Not to mention the fact that greg cranson posted this on October 8th of last year. I'm sure he's made his decision by now.

And I'll also bet that by now he's finished recruit training and probably his job speciality training too.

quote:

Not to mention the fact that greg cranson posted this on October 8th of last year. I'm sure he's made his decision by now.

And I'll also bet that by now he's finished recruit training and probably his job speciality training too

Great catch! Kiddicted, don't resurrect another post that is a year old. It's been dead this long, leave it lie. Post closed. Not sure why it was brought back after being dead a year, no relevence but to "pot stir". CPO Kalbach