I was at the Air Force office today to give the guy my last bit of info so I can ship out.

As I stood there a Marine walks up to me and starts talking, one thing led to another and we end up in his office.

He gave me this "test",you have to look over these lil. tags and pick the ones that say things you want to work for.(pride,training,leadership,ect)

Did any of you guys take this test and what did the guy tell you?
He told me there are 6 that they look for,you have to one or more of the right tags to be a Marine.
I got allfive out of six and this guys was so damn happy, is this a show to talk me in to enlistment?
I don't know what to think about this,it's funny that some how I the #1 Marine and I have not done a damn thing(he did not say that,but he did have a fit over me)

So is this BS or am I maybe in line with the Corps ideas?

This must be new. This wasn't around when I joined up 12 years ago. Any of you more recent recruits know anything about this?

Sorry to tell you, but it's a show. There are no wrong answers on that test. They were like little tiles, almost looking like engraved nameplates?

The Gunny showed me the same tiles in 1990 when I walked into the recruiting office off the street and said "Sign me up."

Basically, he's trying to get you to tell him that you'd rather be a Marine more than anything else. It's a test you self-select for. "Oh, Honor, Courage and Committment are the three most important things to you? Well, those are the core values of the Marine Corps. What are you doing talking to the Air Force, Son? You belong with us!"

If it's what you really want, go for it. But go in with your eyes open.

Been there, done that
Semper Fidelis
Jarhead out.

Man we had to memorize this for inspections.
Objectives of leadership:
Primary = Mission Accomplishment[heavy]

Secondary = Troop Welfare [}:D]

Also
the leadership traits are:

Integrity
Knowledge
Courage
Decisiveness
Dependability
Initiative
Tact
Justice
Enthusiasm
Bearing
Endurance
Unselfishness
Loyalty
Judgment

Go with the Air Force!!! If you join the Marines and ever see the Air Force you will wish you had joined.. I've been told by a Marine, and 2 Army guys that they wish they would have gone AF.. Thats just their opinions though.. I'm 4yrs 3mths AF and PROUD... We get treated better all around compared to the other branches.. I don't want to step on any toes here guys..


[peep]

 hawkin

 

hawkin has his opinion, and I have mine. I didn't decide to join the military for soft beds and short hours. I wanted something that would change the way I thought about myself and the way I lived the rest of my life.

Mission accomplished.

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The Air Force probably has better food & such. But when you see a few guys in BDUs, you look at their patches & see Air Force (why do they wear BDU's anyway?), Army or Navy and you may respect them but when you meet a Marine there is a certain....well...something. If you want tech training and soft beds go AF or Navy. If you want to join to defend your nation & become a warrior, Marines all they way.

Besides, they have the best dress uniform.

Hummmmmmmm,that what I was thinking[:\]

This guy did not help the Corps,If I was thinking about the corps I'm not know(not after he showed his ass like that)
It's to bad.

Jarhead22, that was very well put.  Being a Marine changed my life.  I have nothing against any vet of any branch.  The one thing about the Marines that we have and the other branches don't have is this, I don't have to look back and wonder if I could have made it in the other branches because I made it in the Corps for 5 years.  Having said that, I still think the other branches do their jobs and do them well.  Make the best of it where ever you go.

do any of you guys know what the vision requirements are for a USMC Infantry officer? I applied for ROTC and got turned down on grounds that my vision is substandard. Is there any way of getting around this?

I enlisted in 1971, during Vietnam. I asked myself one important question. "Do I want to be a grunt (infantry) or a technician supporting them?" It's an important issue. If you want to go out and fight, slog in the mud, shoot, crawl, maybe  die everytime you go to the field - be a Marine. They're the best at it. I could have gone in the Marines as an officer, but in 71, the life expectancy of a 2d looie was about 15 minutes. There's nothing wrong with being a grunt either. It's an honorable profession. Someone has to do it. Everyone's MOS in the marines, at least as a secondary, is grunt. Everyone learns to shoot, fight, and support the corps. In the AF, you can be a techie and support all the grunts - Army, Marines, even those few grunts we had in the AF in para rescue. AF Pararescue are those guys who rappel down lines from helis, go in and bring out injured pilots and soldiers who are in danger of capture or have been injured. Again, a very honorable profession. Me, I was in intell, I helped save lives in my own way by speaking the language of the enemy in some interesting situations. It's a difficult choice and all depends on what you want out of it as to what you get. don't go anywhere unless you get a guarantee in writing. I had top scores in all areas, and didn't get my choice because I didn't have a contract. I got lucky and had a good career. No matter what, Semper Fi or Aim High....go dude.

Hey partner, without defending the game the recruiter played on you, think about this:

It's a numbers game, and they're all playing it. If the Air Force guy didn't play it on you, then he must have already made his mission. They all do the same thing the same ways.

Good luck whatever you pick, and thank you for your service and dedication to our Nation.

I understand,I just think he did the Corps and disservice.

I had made up my mind anyway,but am not to good to hear the man out.

If you want to live really well while you serve, 10 times as good as any other service...airforce.
If you want to be a man, and be run ragged, and know what your limits are, and know how to fight, Marines.
The choices in between are a little bit of both.

Marines!!

Well said said all replies, here is my 2 pennies worth.

Ronald Reagen said: "Some people live an entire lifetime and wonder if they have ever made a difference in the world, but Marines don't have that problem."

I am sure all branches have similar quotes, and traditions (I am being generous on the traditions part), but I can't imagine ever not being a Marine.  It has been 2 years since I left, but I was, am, and always be One of the Few!  

I won't service bash here, we are the best Military in the world. I wouldn't want to share my Fightin' Hole with a member of another service.  But think of it this way for those who are thinking of enlisting.....Why drive a Yugo when you might be able to drive a Corvette?

Lastly, in case I can't say it here on November 10th: Happy Birthday Marines!!!

Semper Fi and Goodnight,

Jarhead94

Spot fifty...and fire for effect!

The standard is correctable to 20/20, this can be waived to an extent if you are an outstanding candidate in other ways.  Because of the very few slots for the Marine Corps to pay for school it is very easy to rule people out.  If you want to be an officer of Marines, you can still go through the PLC program while in college and get a commission.  However, a commission in itself is no guarantee to become infantry, or for that matter any other type of officer.  Officer MOS assignment is done at TBS and often you don't get what you want.

A2
Well generally the type that seeks out and goes into the air force is not the type that goes into the Marine Corps. There is nothing wrong with the people that go into the AF, they are just differant than those that go into the Corps.

I never heard a former Marine say anything like that,,my dad was Air Force I jioned the Marines,,,the only time I heard a former Marine or Marine regret joining was when they are shitbirds,,,I for one do not regret joining the Corps not by a long shot..did ya see my spellin before editing?

In my sr. year of high school, I was told that my vision would keep me out. I was kinda' pissed because of be being basically a very good student that wanted to serve my country and being denied. Every one I talked to would say, "Ben, you're 20 out of 700 in your class, why do you want to join the marines?" [pissed]

Most people who join the OTHER services always claim they thought the Marines would be too hard, Parris Island -too difficult.

They are right.

If you want a service that has retained its pride and its standards, while the others changed with the times....
...join the Marines.

If you want co-ed boot camp with couches, pay-phones and soda machines, messy, polyester uniforms that change every few years, and to be able to wear an earing while on base....
...join one of the others.

A2,

From the tone of all of your posts on these forums, I would say that of all the services, you would be best off going into the Air Force.  It doesn't sound like you would do well in the Marine Corps.  You know, [b]The Few, The Proud...[/b]  I doubt you are up to the challenge.

Then again, maybe the Air Force would be too much of a challenge to you.

No DaveG,
 He sounds very capable of riding the little stationary bike for 15 minutes per year, and doing a little frisbee PT every week or two.  

Go ahead kid, join the chAir Farce, and wonder for the rest of your life if you ever could have made it as a Marine.    

in 1971 I joined the marine corps. the gunny asked me what job i wanted. i told him marine. he said ok and told me my job guarantee was "a hard time for 4 years". he also told me somthing to remember when times got tough. "you joined the marine corps, the marine corps did not join you". that pretty much covered it.

This intar service is a funny thing[:D]
It was not what I was talking about but we don't seem to have a flame fest here so I'll jump in with you gentelmen.

War has more that one part,each service has a specific task.

With out the Air Force the others would have a tough time,the Navy can't hold the air,they have to go back the ship befor they run out of gas.

The Army has a job the Navy,Marines have a job and the Air Force had a job.
Nothing gets done with eveybody being on the ball.

And as for who is tough and who is not,An can't take a beach like a Marine but a Marine can't take 3Gs either[:D]

So te point is be tough in your job and work smarter not harder.
Even Marines have to this,it take brains to think of a way to run through a hail of bulletts with getting your ass shot!
And it take raw GUTS! to put a plane down on nothing but a lil. strip of lights in the ocean,or to jump in to GOD KNOW WHAT like AirBorn or go fly in to a barrage of artillary to give air support to pined down troops.

Just my totaly unsoliceted .02[:D]

A2,

You got a lot o'learning to do.



Tasks, A2.  As in plural; more than one; Many, in fact.  

The Marines do just about everything except drive the big grey boats.

They pull a lot more than 3G's in their F/A-18s and AV-8Bs, and they can refuel in the air from their own tankers, just like the Air Force and Navy.  They go back to the airfield or boat when they need more ordnance and land on that tiny, heaving deck in the pitch dark, stormy night.  And it was the Marines who [b]invented[/b] Close Air Support.

They jump out of perfectly good aircraft, their own and those of the other services, and do things in the night to the bad guys in their own backyard that no one ever talks about.

Take a beach?  That and the real estate beyond it, too.  You know something else, the Air Force will never win a war.  War isn't won until the grunt, Marine or Army, takes the enemy's ground and accepts, or forces their surrender.  



If being a smartass and thinking up a way to do your quota of work without breaking a sweat is the way of the warrior, then you need to find a nice, cushy union job, far from harm's way.  The way you're talking, you aren't suitable for any branch of the service.

  I know when I joined the Corps, it was because I wanted to be the best. It wasn't because of a job or college money. I wanted and I got, 0311 Infantryman. Marines hold themselves in a different light than the other services. We do it all. Armor, Artillery, Air Support(fixed and Rotary Wing), Infantry, Recon, and all other supporting units.
   

  We're proud of who we are and what we do, or what we have done. I'm proud that I served, and the 3 other Marines who are here in this program with me are also proud. You can tell us apart from the others, because we go that extra mile to try and attain total perfection.




  I respect all people that join the military these days, well except for those assholes who are trying to bail now that there's a war on, but I will ALWAYS respect my fellow Marines more, because we've been through the same shit. I know that if my ass is on the line they will be there to pull it out of the fire and I would do the same for them. SEMPER FI!

[MARINES]

From the Washington Times (Complete, unedited article at: [url]www.washtimes.com[/url]):

[b]Air Force slow to transfer special bomb kits to Navy[/b]

    The Navy is running low on special kits used to turn "dumb" bombs into precision munitions for attacks in Afghanistan, but as of yesterday the Air Force had not agreed to transfer the equipment, said Pentagon officials.
   
    "The Navy has asked the Air Force to share," said one official. "The Air Force is resisting, but I don't think they'll refuse."

    The Navy is doing the bulk of tactical air strikes while Air Force fighters sit on the sidelines due to a lack of bases in countries near Afghanistan. Precision munitions are in high demand to hit military and terrorists targets, but leave nearby civilians unharmed...

    In Afghanistan, the Navy is flying virtually all tactical strike missions. The imbalance is due to the fact the Air Force has no basing rights in Central Asia.

    It has sent a few F-15E strike fighters from Kuwait, but the 14-hour round trip makes the sortie questionable for the limited amount of ordnance the jet carries.

    Defense officials say basing rights, or "denied access," as policy-makers call the issue, has prompted Pentagon officials to rethink the allocation of future bombers and fighters.

    The Afghanistan campaign, these officials say, has bolstered the Navy's argument that the country still needs large-deck carriers and their 80 warplanes to project power overseas, even when elusive terrorists are the enemy.

    With the Air Force virtually locked out of the tactical air war, the Bush administration is trying to win basing rights in Tajikistan, which borders Afghanistan on the north. A U.S. military team is now in Tajikistan surveying three former Soviet air bases for their suitability to launch warplanes.

    In Afghanistan, the Air Force's bombing role is limited to heavy bombers: B-2 stealth aircraft from Whitman Air Force Base, Mo., and B-2 and B-52 bombers based on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.

    "Experts believed the Air Force would always provide the lion's share of fighters," said one Pentagon official, who, like other sources for this story, spoke on the condition of anonymity. "Hence, the Air Force has more fighter munitions than the Navy. But in this war, Air Force fighters can't get to the fight. So we need to use the munitions the Air Force was supposed to be dropping right now. That's the issue in a nutshell."

    In other recent conflicts, the Air Force enjoyed generous basing rights near their targets. Its jets launched from NATO bases in Italy for the relatively short trip to Kosovo in 1998. For attacks on Iraq in 1991, Air Force jets took off from the neighboring states of Turkey and Saudi Arabia, and other countries in the Gulf.

    "The Navy is doing all the work and the Air Force is scared," said a defense official. "This 'denied access' is a huge issue that everyone knew would come to haunt the Air Force."

Go Air Force...[rolleyes]

...and alot of those F-18 squadrons are....

USMC

Dave G-
 Why the hell would you or any other fellow Marine try to convince this kid that he should join the Corps?  Do we want this type of individual amongst our ranks?  I think not- leave this timid soul alone and let him take the easy way out.  

"There are two paths- one is hard, the other is easy.  The only reward that the easy path offers is the fact that it is easy."-loosely quoted, but still applicable here.      

[marines]

It's OK, we're just talking, now.
He wouldn't make it anyhow.

I doubt any service would take him if he displays that attitude to them.  With it, he is unsuitable for military service.  That includes the Coast Guard.

i got lucky, my recruiter did not dick with me one bit. i was 23, i walked in there with 3yrs college and my father an active duty CWO5 and said "this is what i want, can you arrange it" and he did. end of story. no tiles, no games, no bullshit fieldtrips with the poolees. my two best friends from HS went airforce. and i admit that at times i have been envious of thier quality of life. E3s in single rooms. volleyball PT, nice amenities on base. but none of them has stormed Onslow beach, fired a crew served weapon, set up a claymore, driven a chenwyth, rapelled, they "qualify" on a pathetic 25yd range. they look like the maytag repairman. and as enlisted men in the AF they are relagated only to supporting thier pilots from a base far away from the FEBA. the pay is the same the technical training comparable but they dont have the warrior culture! someone says they are "in the air force" "in the army" "in the navy" but if you ask a Marine if he's "in the marines" he'll say "no, i AM a Marine" subtle semantics yes....but its implications are engraved into my soul.


SEMPER FI

Well said, killer!

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