I joined to get mad concrete skills yo

Joined the USMC in 1977 with a guaranteed MOS in the Aviation Maintenence field (6XXX). Somehow, through a trick of MOS-reclassification I wound up as a Tactical Radar Operator (7234) (needs of the service and all that).

The best time I ever had was the year (1980) I spent in Okinawa. Hot Japanese girlfriend, lotsa sun, going out to the city of Naha with her almost every night. It was awesone.

Any of you guys find that relative bearing grease?

Cocks Cocks Cocks Cocks Cocks Cocks.

They said I would be joining the smartest branch of the military and do cool stuff with computers or jet engines, making it so anyone would trip on themselves to hire me. I started out cleaning airplane toilets and ended it telling people to clean aircraft toilets... But hey I got to live off everyone else's taxes like any good member of the FSA. Now I'm out and can get a job but working is for suckers... I'm going on welfare and EBT!

I bet you didn't think you'd get this much help OP.

haha   This is GD, and it's ended pretty much exactly how I expected.

A couple people on topic and the rest of 'em just doing what GD does.

Shadow Company.

Mercury switches.

Mr. Joshua.

Turning the wheel is the easy part, that's why you have an E-2 on the helm. Putting it all together with speed, navigation and everything else to keep the old man happy is another league completely.

Used it all on the mail buoy, it was getting squeaky.

You don't rate knowing about my rate.

When I was 19, I did a guy in Laos from a thousand yards out. It was a rifle shot in high wind. Maybe eight or even ten guys in the world could have made that shot. It's the only thing I was ever good at.

So you've been to Kokusai Street, eh?  

Interestingly, for as much as the Japanese smoke, sometime in 08-09 they ended up banning smoking out on Kokusai and would ticket people for it.  You could still smoke in the clubs and everywhere else, just not on the street.  

After that, I just took my talents to the Banana Show, Deja Vu and Soapy Land.

Does your DD-214 look like this?









 

It must be awesome being a pilot!



 

Electronics (specifically RF Communications), you'll never want for a job. Learn LMR(land mobile radio), SATCOM (VSAT, DAMA, etc), trunking, encryption, etc, get and maintain a clearance, learn some IT Networking and PBX stuff. I've done it for the military, for contractors, and as a federal civilian employee. I think the longest I've been unemployed in the last 20 years was 10 days that I went on an XBOX binge in between jobs and that was voluntary, I could have started the next one immediatly if I had wanted.

that shit is PTSD inducing.

Just when I thought you fuckers forgot.

I joined the Marines and did the typical stuff, boot camp, Infantry training.  My first deployment... I don't really talk about.  





The most fulfilling part though, was towards the end of my time in.  I was given a second chance and was put in charge of training a platoon that had become broken by toxic leadership.

At first it was tough, Taking them through PT and training, they even tried to get one of the Marines to intimidate me.  But, even though he was a larger man, "Swede" was no match for my years of training.  Eventually they started to click, and start living by the Esprit De Corps the Marines are known for which worked out well, because in short time, we were to be deployed.





We helocast and swam to the shore, before long we were victorious on a small Island no one talks about much anymore, Grenada.

Me too. Also to lay a brick and pound a nail.

If she had Oakleys on that would be perfect.

 

they're keptin the 42 van with the spool of flight line

It has it ups and downs just like anything else. They let me blow shit up and shoot big guns so it's worth it to me

My second home for the most part.

Forgot your Obama phone.

Tattoosj, unfit for military service. OP don't listen to this man, he's not fit to lead in our Army anymore. SMA said so! Dirty inkies...

You ate the banana, bro?

Yeah got back home last week and been busy doing shit and getting stuff taken care of. I have been on and off here and mainly just kind of lurking.

Where in the hell did you find The-Bald-Monk first 214?

 
 

Glad you got back safely. Oh yeah...

Very similar career path for me, but shot a LOT of missiles (operational tester), and went the contractor route after getting out.

Since the OP asked a serious question, listen up because this is no shit:  Every rate has its advantages and disadvantages, and there are far too many to discuss them all in a web posting.  

In some you will spend most of your career at sea, some you'll never see a ship. IMHO, ship rates like GM, FC, ET, and ST I would highly recommend.  They will set you up well for post-Navy careers (maybe not so much GM, but I my GMs were my favorite guys). If you're absolutely sure you want to stay in for a long time, BM is not to be scoffed at either.  In any of them, as a junior enlisted you will get every shit detail, regardless of your rate, including cleaning stations and mess cooking.  As you move up, those go away and you work pretty much only in your field, and have more responsibilities during in port watch sections.  

In some rates you will advance faster than in others.  For instance, if you choose Postal Clerk, you won't have a chance for advancement until a PCCM dies or retires, then they'll promote one guy.  ETs and FCs seem to advance pretty fast, probably because demand for electronics skills in the civ world is strong.  Get the picture there?

The snipe rates are generally a lot of hard work in hot, loud environments.  They also can set you up nicely for civilian employment though.  The engineering rates are a "unique" bunch.  

With either the Combat Systems or Engineering rates, count on not seeing daylight for weeks on end.  If you like a dose of fresh air and sunshine daily (and rain, and snow, and ice) then BM is the rate for you.

I'll leave it to an aviator to tell you about the aviation rates in detail, but they have thier share of hard and dirty work rates - ABH, ABF in particular.  I'd recommend AW (basically flying STs - they ride around in P-8s and read sonograms), "deploy" (on per diem) to hardship stations like Bermuda, etc.  There are some lesser-known aviation rates like PR (Avn Survival Equipment) that seemed to have a pretty cush job.

Then of course you have what are basically office jobs whether afloat or ashore - YN, PN, SK, DK.

E4


my son

or was it Let4

You have no fucking idea.  Imagine this:

It's your second week on island, your sponsor has already introduced you to all of their friends (your peers), and they want to take you out Gate 2 for a good Saturday evening of drinking.  On your way out, they say, "Oh, you've got to experience it at least once."  So you go.  While in there, you see your sponsor whisper to Grandma Banana before the show, as he looks and points at you with a smile.

Then you get dragged on stage.....and she tries to pull out your dick in front of 20 of your newest friends and co workers.  After declining her offer, she moves onto giving you the consolation prize of fresh Banana droppings on your shirt as she squats over you.  Shirt now stained, and friends finally catching their breath, you now make on with the rest of your night out on Gate 2 street with Banana Jizz stains on your clothes so that you'll never forget.

Thanks. Yeah you know my user name fits me as I just seem to lurk and then do a drive by in a thread and post some random shit and disappear.

The snipes are hoarding all of it.

While you're down there, get some red oil for the port running light.  Then go see the First LT and get the keys to the oar locks.

Seabee http://www.seabee.navy.mil/
Find a job that gives you a skill when you get out.

My experience was with a bunch of friends and our wives... We were the sober ones and it was the wives' idea.
Grandma banana was pissed nobody would get up on stage (not even the drunk Marines surprisingly) so she ended the show after dropping bananas and dispensing change,

BMCS Secured the Keys next to the BosnPunch.

Haha luckily I'm the gunner the BC is the dirty inkie!

Thanks a bunch, that's the kind of info/experience I was looking for.

I still have MEPS to do before they said they would get into more specific jobs but, they said I scored very well.  GM was something I was definitely interested in from the get go, I have been chatting with a GM on my brothers ship as well.  AW, FC, ET, and SC all definitely sound interesting as well.

Thanks again.

Are you fixed on boat life?
Why float when you can fly, if you enjoy hard work and the outdoors Seabee is hard to beat, any rate will do but If you like big toys look at EO.
Travel, fun and sweat is what you will get.
If you don't like busting your butt daily and having a skill that directly transfers to civilian life then look elsewhere.

 

So I only made it through half the first page before deciding to post.

I am a Seabee. Bastard redheaded step children of the Navy, but thats what we are.
I am a CM, Construction Mechanic. We work on all manner of mechanical stuff. From single cylinder gas engines on a lawn mower to D8 and D9 Bulldozers. Hydraulics and electric, generators and cranes. Thats the job. It is very broad. That is also the plus. You will learn all manner of how to be a mech. If you apply yourself. We also shoot M2s and 240Bs and M16s and MK19s.

The downside is that you will be forced to learn the 3M system and how it has basically neutered most of the reason seabees were awesome back in the day.

The rest of the Seabees are almost in the same boat. Same broad spectrum job but limited by modern maintenance and operating procedures. Additionally, with the wars slowing down, the Seabees are downsizing so advancement isnt very quick the last few years.

Seabee Rates:
SW, Steel worker (Welder)
EO, Equipment operator (Breaker of equipment the CMs fix)
BU, Builder (Builds things, mostly out of wood but not exclusively)
CE, Construction Electrician (Electrician)
UT, Utilitiesman (Plumber)
EA, Engineering Aid (Does a lot of office work but is designed around surveying and planning building projects)
CM, (See above)

Thanks, fantastic info here!   A friend of mine is a Seabee and I've been meaning to ask him about it.

 

I don't know you, I spent 24 years in and a lot of people I know, don't know that...It's my business, not theirs, or yours.

The best job in the military is EOD!