magleyjc

I just enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. A few weeks ago, when I went through M.E.P.S. (Military Entrance Processing Station) in Indianapolis, I found myself surrounded by recruits for the National Guard, Air Force, Navy, and Army. There were perhaps 115 recruits there. Out of all of these recruits, 5 of them wanted to be Marines, including myself. Out of these 5, 2 passed the physical evaluation, including myself (it’s the same evaluation for every branch.) There really is a reason why we are called “The Few, The Proud.” We are the most elite, and one of the more selective of the services. The Marines are not for everyone, and I say that with all honesty. The training camp is 13 weeks long, more than half of what other branches require. I have not gone through boot camp yet, I am awaiting my shipment date, but from what I have learned from other Marines, it is not an easy task. The Marines will break you down, to your core. And then, they will build you back up into Marines. If you do not like taking orders, or being told what to do, every day, and all day, the Marines are not for you. But just because you are a Marine, does not mean that you will be in the most intense combat. You can get desk jobs, you can be a repairman, you can do quite a bit, things you woulden’t expect (Combat Photography, Nuclear Engineering [dismantling nuclear weapons], Legal Services, etc.) Also, if you’re looking for a huge signing bonus, you probably will not get one at all unless you can speak a rare foreign language (Malay, Arabic, Hebrew, etc.) I chose the Marines for the pride of being able to call myself a Marine, the discipline and responsibility, and for college assistance. Don’t just listen to what the recruiter says, the recruiter is VERY good at not telling lies, but saying things like “Many of our barracks provide a room for each enlisted Marine.” This does NOT mean you will get a single room, but thats what most people will interpret. As my dad said, my recruiter would be a millionaire if he were to sell cars. They will act like hard asses with you, trying to get you to enlist, and as if other services are not an option. Stand your ground! Do your own research, look into other services! If you want to do something medical, then forget the Marines, we don’t have a medical branch (the Navy provides medics.) But even if the Marines don’t have what you want, if you are a valuable recruit, the recruiter will try and make you interested in something that you relatively don’t know much about. I learned more from my own, independent research through the internet and speaking with FORMER Marines. Most Marines that are currently enlisted will only tell you the pro’s, not the cons. So the moral of my post is, do your own research, don’t give in to what the Recruiter has to say (it’t not always bad, but know when to pick out the bullshit and ask plenty of questions,) and always know that you have other choices.
Semper Fidelis