Hi, I am a poolee currently in the USMC DEP. I signed an Infantry Contract and a Combat Support Contract for my 2nd choice [in case I change my mind]. I am beginning to have second thoughts about Infantry. I know that with CE I can be gauranteed Arty and LAAD Gunner also but what I REALLY want is Tanks and AAV.
1. What are my chances of ending up with tanks? Like is it hard to get?
2. If I do go Infantry, could I re-enlist into the Armor Field once my 4 years are up?
3. Should I risk it? What I mean is that I'm really into missiles and the "big guns" but I also admire the Infantry. I know its up to me but do you think I have a good chance at being a tanker?
1. All depends on the needs of the Marine Corps at the time. There are only 2 active duty Tank Battalions, 3 Assault Amphibian Battalions + 2 companys, I'm not sure how many LAAD units there are but it's not many. There are more Arty Battallions than I can remember. There is also nothing you can do to improve your chances of getting Tanks. It a crapshoot at best.
2. That depends if they are heavy on Infantrymen and light on Tankers at the time. It can be done though. Many of the Marines I work with here lat-moved to become an 1812.
3. Again its a crapshoot at best. If it were me in your shoes. I would do the Infantry contract and if you still want to stay in after that, try for the lat-move. However the decision is totally yours.
Thanks. That helps me out alot. Can I be denied a lat move? And can I get a specific MOS with a lat move instead of enlisting within a specific field? Agin, thank you.
Originally posted by JWest57: Thanks. That helps me out alot. Can I be denied a lat move? And can I get a specific MOS with a lat move instead of enlisting within a specific field? Agin, thank you.
If the MOS you are in is short personnel your lat-move can and probably will be denied. If you do a lat-move it will be into a specific MOS.
I enlisted in the Corps in 1965. At that time they used the enny, meany, minny, mo system for assigning a MOS.
Out of high school I worked in an office and would fix office equipment that I used when there was a problem. With that being told to the interviewer at boot camp I was assigned to the Tracked Vehicle Maintenance School at Camp Del Mar and was schooled to be a tank Mechanic, a 2141.
During and after school I work in the Tank Bn. offices as an 0141 because I could type. Later when I went Okinawa, 3rd FSR at Camp Hansen I was assigned as the Bn. Mail Clerk, mos 0161.
When I volunteered for Vietnam I was sent to 3rd Tanks maintenance as the tool room manager where I also served with the 3rd Tanks reactionary rifle platoon doing guard duty, night patrols, listen posts, convoy grunt duty and night ambushes.
I was sent to the DMZ with Bravo Co. to serve as a platoon maint. man and eventually served as acting platoon Sgt., light section leader and tank commander of a flame tank and a gun tank.
When I came back to the states I worked in the Maint. Bn. office.
Those were the days.
Thrity-five years later I founded the USMC Vietnam Tankers Association and co-founder the Marine Corps Vietnam Tankers Historical Foundation.
I joined the USMC on a two year enlistment in 1966. Toward the end of bootcamp (Sept - Oct at San Diego) the Sr DI called "all of the two year pukes out on the company street." He told us that we were going to all go to the grunts and to Vietnam because Uncle Sam wanted his money's worth for training us during our short enlistments.
I raised my had and requested permission to speak. When I was granted, I asked SSgt Hinson (yes, I remember his name after 40+ years) how could I get into tanks instead.
His reply was, "Give me one more year."
It just so happened that the Ship Over NCO was standing right there and had the paperwork drawn up for any "two year pukes" who did not want to go to grunts and immediately shipped over to Vietnam as cannon fodder.
I gladly went to Tank School at Del Mar and stayed in CONUS for a year with 5th Tank Bn before deploying on individual order to "The Land of Oz."
Originally posted by JWest57: Hi, I am a poolee currently in the USMC DEP. I signed an Infantry Contract and a Combat Support Contract for my 2nd choice [in case I change my mind]. I am beginning to have second thoughts about Infantry. I know that with CE I can be gauranteed Arty and LAAD Gunner also but what I REALLY want is Tanks and AAV.
1. What are my chances of ending up with tanks? Like is it hard to get?
2. If I do go Infantry, could I re-enlist into the Armor Field once my 4 years are up?
3. Should I risk it? What I mean is that I'm really into missiles and the "big guns" but I also admire the Infantry. I know its up to me but do you think I have a good chance at being a tanker?
Thanks to all of you.
It's funnier than hell when we do cross training with the grunts, we kill the tank and relax on the turret watching those guys play games and get screamed at.
