# .Useful information for going MARSOC+ Inter-service transfer to SF



## Nate0331 (Jun 12, 2018)

Good afternoon gentlemen, This thread if not being seen as redundant due to possibly coinciding posts will be informative on the process of and the thing you need to lookout for/ get all aligned when making your initial attempt to apply for MARSOC A&S as well as inter-service transfers to Army SF from the USMC coming from my first hand experience of the matter.
Subsequently, I have a couple question and request for possible COA on my current situation from verified members that might have some insight.

MARSOC
1.  Make sure your paperwork is in check. That means your screening checklist and your NSW physical. Don't get ninjapunched. If you're a SGT from the time you picked up you have 12 months TIG to get to A&S.
2. Make sure if you do not have enough time on contract that you a. Go to A&S and pass, in order to get a mandated extension of contract to go to ITC. or b. Get an extension that states that you have MARSOC incentive. With b. you absolutely need to verify that it states that on your extension because at this point if you submit an extension with out the whereabouts of stating MARSOC incentive you have a very high potential of being screwed and you command will be allowed to pull you anywhere i.e. Deployments, work ups. If you get PCS'd you now have an obligation of service to that STATION not unit for 24-36 months meaning that you are locked in to that region until that obligation is fulfilled.
3. Re-enlistment Similar to the extension but much bigger impact. If you re-enlist in you mos without having MARSOC INCENTIVE EXPLICITLY on your contract be prepared to be crushed. You will absolutely be held in you mos by your monitor and you will have no precedence for MARSOC at all ( ESPECIALLY 03's). The reason being is you filled a boat space not allowing someone else to re-enlist therefor you are expected to carry out the contract. Be very cognoscente of the fact that the career planners and monitors will lock you in your mos if you don't cover your ass yourself. READ IT. VERIFY. READ IT TWICE MORE.

Inter-service transfer
1. The inter-service transfer form is better to get from the branch you want to go to and is formally known as a DD-368 form.
2. From what I understand it has to be done on the back end of your contract... unless you're already an operator then there is a higher chance of you getting approved whenever.
3. The DD-368 form has to be sent through the COC all the way to HQMC. From my knowledge the DD-368 form alone will suffice for approval or disapproval as of right now but with that being said the layout has been changed along with the requirements recently and may change again. If you need clarification I can reach out to friends and get ALL of the information required.

All of this information I have learned from first hand experience due to my lack of knowledge and lack of guidance from higher ups. Only you can pave your path in the military and you are the only person who really cares about your career path.
With this being said my questions to the verified members of MARSOC, SF and RECON.

*QUESTIONS - *
MARSOC, I am a Sgt now as of last OCT2017, I will have 3 years left on contract (2nd enlistment) after I get off this deployment as a jungle warfare instructor is there at all any chance I can still get my shot to go to A&S and possibly become a Raider? If there is I will literally do anything to just get my shot that's all I want.

SF, I've tried to do the inter-service transfer to go SF but I'm having real trouble getting approved due to my current circumstances. If my path to MARSOC falls through, SF is my end state because I will still be eligible from my understanding towards the back of this enlistment to execute 18x contract but if there is a possibility that someone has heavy hands and could get me pulled over there I will take it. Ive also heard you can go TAD to SFAS? and then get pulled from parent branch to got to Q-course is this true?

RECON and MARSOC, If I join Recon as a Sgt am I able to cross over to MARSOC or are RECON marines held to the same pre-reqs that everyone else is?

<mod edit - highlighted the questions in a long post>


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## Ooh-Rah (Jun 12, 2018)

@Nate0331 -

That's a lot to read, and thank you for sharing your experiences.  As a note, we asked that advice towards SOF roles be given by those who are vetted SOF members.  I'd encourage yourself to be vetted, it will give your posts significantly more weight....along with your questions.

That's a lot to read above, hope you don't mind but I added a bit of color to it so that your questions would better stand out to those who may be able to answer them.

Best of success to you!


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## Nate0331 (Jun 13, 2018)

Ooh-Rah said:


> @Nate0331 -
> 
> That's a lot to read, and thank you for sharing your experiences.  As a note, we asked that advice towards SOF roles be given by those who are vetted SOF members.  I'd encourage yourself to be vetted, it will give your posts significantly more weight....along with your questions.
> 
> ...



Thanks brother and ill work on the vetting thing.


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## The Hate Ape (Jun 16, 2018)

You might be too senior of a Sergeant in the eyes of MARSOC Recruiters - that was a thing for quite a while. You should contact one.
(Their number is listed on the recruiting website)

As far as Reconnaissance is concerned, I think youre talking in finites regarding standards and pre-reqs. Every SOF name you pickup is difficult - thats why its “Special”

Moreoften than not however, with most SOF orgs the hard part doesnt begin until you actually start doing the work. Until then its all the same shit: Run, Swim, be dirty & miserable kind of thing.

Your monitor is the deciding factor. As it stands, Recon needs numbers so that may work to your advantage.


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## Teufel (Jun 16, 2018)

Recon will take a sergeant, especially one from the grunts. 70% don’t make it through BRC though.


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## Nate0331 (Jun 17, 2018)

@The Hate Ape  Respectfully I think you might be misinterpreting what I wrote. I wasn't talking about MARSOC vs. Recon pre-reqs I'm not trying to knock either SOF. The question was more aimed at if I got into Recon and still wanted to jump from recon to MARSOC would the Pre-reqs be same as if I wasn't recon? Or does recon have some special ins crossing over to MARSOC? Also the whole reason I'm in this predicament is because I will be too senior in grade in OCT so the senior in grade thing unfortunately still exists. I understand it but I don't agree with it.


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## Nate0331 (Jun 17, 2018)

Teufel said:


> Recon will take a sergeant, especially one from the grunts. 70% don’t make it through BRC though.


Do you know of any TIS limitations? Ill be on my 5th year this AUG. Also are there Time on station limitations or can I jump in the pre-screener and get a mandate to BRC? I'm currently with 2/3 but as soon as I get back from Okinawa I plan on getting orders out of 3rd marines to somewhere else on island because I'm binded with 36 months Time on station according to the monitor.


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## Teufel (Jun 17, 2018)

TIS should be fine. You can probably go TAD to BRC and PCS if you pass. Contact the people in my signature line.


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## The Hate Ape (Jun 17, 2018)

Recon qualified or not, the odds of you coming to MARSOC are slim to none for as long as TIG limitations for E5 remain the same. There are a lot more units to go to than MARSOC down the road so pretend for a second that theres more to learn about. If Recon is your flavor, go for it and see where that takes you because you'll be a lot more informed among the ranks than on this forum as a spectator. You'll probably come up with a whole new career track you hadn't yet had the privilege of considering.

My final advice: Go Reconnaissance. Do it with the intention of being the best Recon Marine you can be then simply follow the yellow brick road.


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## arch_angel (Jun 19, 2018)

There's always a 3rd option. Albeit a little extended, you could always get your degree, go the O side and start over. You get a fresh start, you get to lead, and you'd for sure be eligible for MARSOC down the road. 

Definitely an extreme, but it's still an option.


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## The Hate Ape (Jun 20, 2018)

arch_angel said:


> There's always a 3rd option. Albeit a little extended, you could always get your degree, go the O side and start over. You get a fresh start, you get to lead, and you'd for sure be eligible for MARSOC down the road.
> 
> Definitely an extreme, but it's still an option.



Aside from having a degree and a significantly higher pay rate, this comes at a major sacrifice. SOOs get 1 or 2 deployments with their team at best before being shucked away to Operations and different units/capabilities (if available).

SIDE NOTE: Guys invest too much emotionally into a specific unit when truthfully, they'd probably be happy in the shoes of any SOF capable unit (SEALs, PJs, Ranger, SF, MARSOC, Recon, etc...). I doubt most laymen even have a clue of the range of capabilities (not to their fault) of each SOF unit to make an accurate assessment of "the best unit for them" let alone where they'll end up and what tasks they'll end up performing once they get to said unit.

Bottom Line:
Just get in the game by any means necessary, I promise you wont regret it.


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## Nate0331 (Jul 11, 2018)

@The Hate Ape @Teufel @arch_angel @Ooh-Rah Thanks for your input its much appreciated. I got some thinking to do to see what my best coa is and which id prefer. Thanks for your time gents.


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## Teufel (Jul 12, 2018)

Semper Fi


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## Hillclimb (Jul 12, 2018)

It's not common that 0370s get 2 deployments on a team anymore I don't think. You'll be shuffled to company XO, a joint billet, the SOTF, or something else shortly after.

just bear in mind a lot of these guys were 0302s with 2-3 deployments in the grunt, then came over for 1-2 on the teams. And with you being on your second enlistment, I'd consider the time it would take and your committment to it. You'd need time to work on your degree, get through OCS and the follow on schools, spend some time at a unit and deploy, goto A&S and ITC(which dont always go back to back) and then you'll end up on a team.


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