# Miscellaneous questions about Marine Corps



## comrade-z (Mar 14, 2013)

Hey all, here are a few questions that, between reading and the search function, I have not been able to find answers to, or at best have found vague, implied information on.  Some of this is just curiosity, some are on things that very well could influence pre-enlistment decisions.  I don't mean to sound like I am thinking too far ahead - as I have said elsewhere, just about all my questions are mostly related to decisions I will have to make sooner, rather than later, even if some of the information I am asking for is definitely more tangentially rather than directly related.  

First off, I have looked at MCI's course offerings, and at the list of online/distance-learning schools that the Marine Corps' has accredited.  Between these and other methods, has anyone here tried learning a language while in the military?  Not necessarily *through* the military, but just on your own, via online schools and friends who speak the desired language.  For example, I am starting to learn Spanish, and was curious as to how difficult (due to time constraints) or easy (due to all the resources available) people have found learning Spanish/a foreign language on their own time in the military, to be.

Next, while I have found it pretty easy to find most acronyms that people on this forum have thrown around, one phrase that has come up here and there is "organic weapon" - for example, some SO training involves the use of organic weapons.  This is for personal understanding, as when I google this, all that comes up is a comic book type community and the Resident Evil series, which I am guessing are not related to the "organic weapons" meant here.

One question I had was about martial arts - I very much enjoy whatever time each week I can spend learning and practicing martial arts (I kind of suck at them still though), and was wondering whether infantry do martial arts practice regularly.  I have searched, and the only thing that I have been able to find that is certain, here, wikipedia, or elsewhere, is that Marines do martial arts at boot camp, and then can take martial arts intensives at other points.  However I have seen articles/people's posts hint that Marines in combat MOS's might do martial arts more often.  I would love for this to be true - do Marines indeed make MCMAP part of their regular training, even if only a few times a week?  Or were these implications false/my reading incorrectly?

Related, I figure that Marines have easy access to a shooting range, regardless of their MOS, when on a base, given that they are required to maintain a minimum shooting score.  Should I join the Marines (90% likely) and make it through whatever training, I would love the chance to be able to explore with various weapons.  Do the ranges have a larger inventory than standard issue gear?  Is this a possibility, to go to the shooting range on the weekend and experiment with one weapon or another?

Second to last, I have seen people mention using non-standard issue gear, primarily things like flashlights/headlamps, knives, and boots.  What is the Marine Corps' policy on this?  Can this be done for running shoes as well?  I am not too concerned about this, but found it interesting.  If the Marines do allow this for those going into the field, what are the limits to the level of customized gear one can use?

Lastly, I have read about the numbers of Marine MSOB/MSOT's, Recon teams, and so on, however I have also read about the various other SOCapable units the Marines have.  Just how many SOCapable Marines are there?  Do they all require things like BRC/ARC/Combatant Diver?  I don't need a full breakdown - just curious, really.

I hope this isn't too much, or that any of it comes off as pretentious/thinking too far ahead.  As said, I am curious, and some of these things might influence my decision about in what area I enlist.  Thanks in advance for any and all answers!


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## Marine0311 (Mar 14, 2013)

First off, I have looked at MCI's course offerings, and at the list of online/distance-learning schools that the Marine Corps' has accredited. Between these and other methods, has anyone here tried learning a language while in the military? Not necessarily *through* the military, but just on your own, via online schools and friends who speak the desired language. For example, I am starting to learn Spanish, and was curious as to how difficult (due to time constraints) or easy (due to all the resources available) people have found learning Spanish/a foreign language on their own time in the military, to be.

_Yes it is possible. It depends on your training schedule. Some MOSs have more downtime than others._


Next, while I have found it pretty easy to find most acronyms that people on this forum have thrown around, one phrase that has come up here and there is "organic weapon" - for example, some SO training involves the use of organic weapons. This is for personal understanding, as when I google this, all that comes up is a comic book type community and the Resident Evil series, which I am guessing are not related to the "organic weapons" meant here.

_I have no idea. It could be a slang term to mean weapons made by man._

One question I had was about martial arts - I very much enjoy whatever time each week I can spend learning and practicing martial arts (I kind of suck at them still though), and was wondering whether infantry do martial arts practice regularly. I have searched, and the only thing that I have been able to find that is certain, here, wikipedia, or elsewhere, is that Marines do martial arts at boot camp, and then can take martial arts intensives at other points. However I have seen articles/people's posts hint that Marines in combat MOS's might do martial arts more often. I would love for this to be true - do Marines indeed make MCMAP part of their regular training, even if only a few times a week? Or were these implications false/my reading incorrectly?

_The entire Marine Corps requires all Marines to train in MCMAP (Marine Corps Martial Arts Program). If you want to practice on your own it depends on how much downtime/personal time you have_

Related, I figure that Marines have easy access to a shooting range, regardless of their MOS, when on a base, given that they are required to maintain a minimum shooting score. Should I join the Marines (90% likely) and make it through whatever training, I would love the chance to be able to explore with various weapons. Do the ranges have a larger inventory than standard issue gear? Is this a possibility, to go to the shooting range on the weekend and experiment with one weapon or another?

_No. When you go to the range you qual with your primary weapon which could be the M16A2 or M16A4 rifle. If you want on your downtime you can go to any (civilian) run range and shoot other weapons._

Second to last, I have seen people mention using non-standard issue gear, primarily things like flashlights/headlamps, knives, and boots. What is the Marine Corps' policy on this? Can this be done for running shoes as well? I am not too concerned about this, but found it interesting. If the Marines do allow this for those going into the field, what are the limits to the level of customized gear one can use?

_The polices you can look up when you hit the Fleet Marine Force. Also your commanders will let you know what you can and can't buy with your own money._


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## x SF med (Mar 14, 2013)

^^^ what Marine0311 said.

Also, young man, you worry too much about the most irrelevant shit.


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## AWP (Mar 14, 2013)

Organic weapons could be either a piece of fruit like a tomato or weapons assigned to the unit like a machine gun instead of a tank (unless you belong to an armor unit). 

That's as far as I read because you're like a wannabe astronaut: worrying about moondust when you haven't even made it into flight school.


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## Marauder06 (Mar 14, 2013)

In this context, "organic" refers to items that are part of a unit's basic table of organization and equipment. So for an infantry squad, rifles, rifle-mounted grenade launchers, and light machineguns might be organic to that unit, whereas things like mortars, TOW missile launchers, or battleships (or whatever) would not be.

http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/new_pubs/jp1_02.pdf


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## goon175 (Mar 14, 2013)

I agree that you are worrying about a lot of stuff that isn't necessary, but at the same time I commend you for actually doing some research and making an informed decision before making a final decision. Too many kids walk into a recruiting office with out the slightest clue of what they are getting into. Keep up your research, it is an important decision, but also don't over think it either. If you put as much effort into PT as you do this, then I'm sure you will make an excellent member of the military. Just don't be a know-it-all because you did a bunch of research!


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## Teufel (Mar 14, 2013)

comrade-z said:


> Lastly, I have read about the numbers of Marine MSOB/MSOT's, Recon teams, and so on, however I have also read about the various other SOCapable units the Marines have. Just how many SOCapable Marines are there? Do they all require things like BRC/ARC/Combatant Diver? I don't need a full breakdown - just curious, really.


 
There are no more "SOC capable units".  SOC capable meant that a MEU rifle battalion was qualified in rubber boat, helicopter and mechanized raids from the ship.  The logistics element would certify in being able to lead a Non-combatant evacuation operations (NEO) or HA/DR (Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief).  The cornerstone of the SOC program was the MSPF (Maritime Special Purpose Force) that consisted of the Force Recon Platoon and a security element that would perform Oil Platform take downs and Maritime Interdiction Operations (MIOs) and VBSSes (Visit, Board, Search and Seizures) to either search ships or take back ships taken by pirates.  The SOC qualification officially went away with the creation of MARSOC but the MEUs go through the same qualification minus the SOC name.  There is and never were any "SOC capable" units.  That being said, Force and Division Recon units have always been considered SOF-like units in the Marine Corps prior to the creation of MARSOC.  Especially since MARSOC was created directly from Force Reconnaissance companies.  There are a lot of other specialized units such as FAST (Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Teams), sniper platoons, Radio Recon, and ANGLICO.


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## Salt USMC (Mar 15, 2013)

comrade-z said:


> First off, I have looked at MCI's course offerings, and at the list of online/distance-learning schools that the Marine Corps' has accredited. Between these and other methods, has anyone here tried learning a language while in the military? Not necessarily *through* the military, but just on your own, via online schools and friends who speak the desired language. For example, I am starting to learn Spanish, and was curious as to how difficult (due to time constraints) or easy (due to all the resources available) people have found learning Spanish/a foreign language on their own time in the military, to be.


 
I can answer this.  In 2011 I decided, for whatever reason, that I wanted to learn Persian Farsi to become a more well-rounded Marine and individual.  I was stationed in San Diego at the time, which has a fairly large Iranian expat community, so that also factored into my decision.  I initially used Rosetta Stone (which was free, at the time), but it didn't do much besides giving me some VERY basic vocabulary (I think the only thing I retained from it were the words for colors and 'water').  What really made the difference was finding a local civilian language school that happened to teach it, and taking class one night a week for an hour and a half in order to learn.  Farsi is a fairly difficult language, but not impossible.  I supplemented the grammar lessons with vocabulary drills via a free program called Anki which has hundreds of free vocab decks available.  I continued doing this all the way until I was in Afghanistan (where I had to switch to the Dari deck, but it was very similar). 

Now, my situation was fairly unique.  First, I was an Intelligence analyst at a Marine air wing unit.  And really,  it was one that didn't have a lot going on at the time.  If there were college courses available at night, I could have attended those easily.  The situation may not be the same for you, but it can be done.  And honestly, if you want to learn Spanish it won't be that hard.  There's an estimated 45 million spanish speakers in the U.S., and there will likely be quite a few in whatever unit you go to, so there are plenty of people to practice on.  It's just going to require work on your part to get the grammar fundamentals down, and then study study study your vocab. 

I'd like to add that your english grammar will get MUCH better when you understand another language's grammar.


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## comrade-z (Mar 15, 2013)

Thank you everyone who responded (and might yet)!  Lots of good information.



x SF med said:


> Also, young man, you worry too much about the most irrelevant shit.


 
That I definitely do, heheh - Habit from my time in college I guess.  From here on out, it is going to be more the occasional question I come up with by doing research, and more updates on where I am at and questions about that.  I will probably keep using this thread for the former, and make a separate thread for the latter.


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## SkrewzLoose (Mar 15, 2013)

There's already a SITREP thread.


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## AWP (Mar 15, 2013)

comrade-z said:


> and more updates on where I am at and questions about that. I will probably keep using this thread for the former, and make a separate thread for the latter.


 
No. As previously mentioned, we have a SITREP thread and you may utilize it.


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## comrade-z (Mar 15, 2013)

Freefalling said:


> No. As previously mentioned, we have a SITREP thread and you may utilize it.


 



SkrewzLoose said:


> There's already a SITREP thread.


 
Ah, didn't think that would be the case, but it makes sense - thanks for the heads up!


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