# General Amos



## BloodStripe (Oct 10, 2014)

Attended TBS via a correspondence course? That's like me doing the Reconnaissance Marine MCI and gaining the 0321 MOS.

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/int...mandant-s-basic-officer-training?sf32266230=1


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## Marine0311 (Oct 10, 2014)

HA HA HA.


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## AWP (Oct 10, 2014)

So, what are the going odds on another aviator ever becoming the Commandant?


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## DA SWO (Oct 10, 2014)

Wow, Navy, took a correspondence course to become a marine (wish I'd have know about that)
Got out, came back in and ends up as a 4-star.
Someone thought he was a superstar.

Wonder why he left the Navy?


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## 0699 (Oct 10, 2014)

For the enlisted Marines, it's been pretty straight forward for 100 years or so.  PI or SD.  That's it.  But the officers have had several different types of commisioning programs, so it's much harder to figure out what's valid and what isn't.

Don't even get me started on the "civilian marines"... :blkeye:


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## pardus (Oct 11, 2014)

0699 said:


> Don't even get me started on the "civilian marines"... :blkeye:



Did I tell you about the time I was a Marine, SSG type?


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## Board and Seize (Oct 11, 2014)

And so the great, blue, destroyer-in-the-sky (that is a falcon) strikes yet again.


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## Marine0311 (Oct 11, 2014)

0699 said:


> For the enlisted Marines, it's been pretty straight forward for 100 years or so.  PI or SD.  That's it.  But the officers have had several different types of commisioning programs, so it's much harder to figure out what's valid and what isn't.
> 
> Don't even get me started on the "civilian marines"... :blkeye:



I shit you not I read about one yesterday in the Marine Corps Times. What....how do you even become one?


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## 0699 (Oct 11, 2014)

Marine0311 said:


> I shit you not I read about one yesterday in the Marine Corps Times. What....how do you even become one?


 
Apparently you just need to get hired for ANY job on base and you are automatically a marine. 

I know the term has been around for over 15 years if not longer.

When I was a young nail-eater napalm-pisser stationed at Quantico in 96-97, there was an article in the base paper about leadership training for "civilian marines".  I wrote a letter to the editor railing against the term civilian marine.  Within 24 hours of it being published, my name was mud on base.  I got a shit ton of evil emails and was called to the CO's office.  I didn't get in trouble, but was told in no uncertain terms that I was not to reply to any emails or respond to anyone that confronted me F2F.  I did a lot of smiling and nodding for the next few months when people would come up to me at the PX and ask "Are you the Sgt 0699 that wrote the letter?"  As I said in my letter, I'm in favor of hiring civilians to perform jobs that don't require leadership of Marines or fighting spirit, but I don't think they should be called Marine.


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## Marine0311 (Oct 11, 2014)

I agree 1 million times.


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## AWP (Oct 11, 2014)




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## Scubadew (Oct 11, 2014)




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## pardus (Oct 11, 2014)

0699 said:


> Apparently you just need to get hired for ANY job on base and you are automatically a marine.
> 
> I know the term has been around for over 15 years if not longer.
> 
> When I was a young nail-eater napalm-pisser stationed at Quantico in 96-97, there was an article in the base paper about leadership training for "civilian marines".  I wrote a letter to the editor railing against the term civilian marine.  Within 24 hours of it being published, my name was mud on base.  I got a shit ton of evil emails and was called to the CO's office.  I didn't get in trouble, but was told in no uncertain terms that I was not to reply to any emails or respond to anyone that confronted me F2F.  I did a lot of smiling and nodding for the next few months when people would come up to me at the PX and ask "Are you the Sgt 0699 that wrote the letter?"  As I said in my letter, I'm in favor of hiring civilians to perform jobs that don't require leadership of Marines or fighting spirit, but I don't think they should be called Marine.



Wow, what a bunch of cunts.


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## Gunz (Oct 12, 2014)

Freefalling said:


> So, what are the going odds on another aviator ever becoming the Commandant?


 
This one ruined the careers of more than a few good men. As the Scout-Sniper in the infamous urination video said: "_Have a nice day, buddy." _

Have a nice day, General.


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## mac21 (Oct 12, 2014)

You gents would LOVE the Marine Band.


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## BloodStripe (Oct 12, 2014)

mac21 said:


> You gents would LOVE the Marine Band.


I believe you mean to say The Presidents Own.


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## mac21 (Oct 12, 2014)

SOTGWarrior said:


> I believe you mean to say The Presidents Own.



Yes. The Marine Band is also known as The Presidents Own, not to be confused with The Drum and Bugle Corps, Division bands, etc.


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## Gunz (Oct 12, 2014)

How did this go from Amos to the Marine Band?  

I was surprised to learn that a serving CMC had left the Corps for a number of years to fly for Braniff Airlines.  If that doesn't raise questions about the man's committment...

The Corps is primarily 3 divisions of reinforced shock infantry. Any commandant should have more than a basic understanding of what makes grunts tick.


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## Grunt (Oct 12, 2014)

I did enjoy serving under General Gray. He was hard a woodpecker lips and saw to it that we were as well. 

However, General Amos was never one that I  particularly cared for. Mostly due to his history.


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## mac21 (Oct 12, 2014)

Ocoka One said:


> How did this go from Amos to the Marine Band?



General Amos, "civilian Marines", and The Marine Band: didn't attend initial training, still considered Marines.


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## Ooh-Rah (Oct 12, 2014)

Agoge said:


> I did enjoy serving under General Gray. He was hard a woodpecker lips and saw to it that we were as well.
> 
> However, General Amos was never one that I  particularly cared for. Mostly due to his history.



One of my most treasured pics.  I did push-ups "forever" for purposely being late to formation, but this pic made it all worthwhile.  I loved that he was always in cammies...wanted us to remember that we were Marines first.

March of 90'.  Back before we even had US Marine and our name sewn above our pockets.


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## Grunt (Oct 12, 2014)

@Ooh-Rah1069 , yep...I still have some of the "pre-name tag" cammies myself. I always liked the way he drank from that canteen cup. 

He did love his grunts. It was nice to have someone that always knew "where we were coming from" in the things that we needed in order to accomplish our mission. He was a great Commandant for us grunts and the Marine Corps as a whole.


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## dmcgill (Oct 13, 2014)

Agoge said:


> @Ooh-Rah1069 , yep...I still have some of the "pre-name tag" cammies myself.



Interesting, I never knew that. In boot camp we had to earn everything on our uniform. You start out wearing cammies with all the buttons cinched tight (including the collar button) and wearing PT shoes. Phase 1 starts and you can wear boots. Then weeks later after initial drill you can unbutton your collar, phase 2 you can blouse your boots and in phase 3 when you come back from Pendleton you finally get your name tapes so you look like the title you are about to earn.

Amos was my first CMC since I became a Marine. I'm hoping Joe Dunford does a better job. His resume definitely resonates with grunts.


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## Gunz (Oct 13, 2014)

dmcgill said:


> ...phase 2 you can blouse your boots...


 

We couldn't blouse boots until Phase 3. Just sayin...

Dunford should be a welcome change.


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## BloodStripe (Oct 13, 2014)

dmcgill said:


> Amos was my first CMC since I became a Marine.



I am sorry to hear that.


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## Teufel (Oct 13, 2014)

0699 said:


> For the enlisted Marines, it's been pretty straight forward for 100 years or so.  PI or SD.  That's it.  But the officers have had several different types of commisioning programs, so it's much harder to figure out what's valid and what isn't.
> 
> Don't even get me started on the "civilian marines"... :blkeye:



Have you ever heard of the Korean War Marines who never went to boot camp? It's a crazy story. After WWII poolees would do OJT with their local units while they waited to go to bootcamp.  When the Korean war broke out they needed a lot of Marines and they pulled a bunch of poolees to deploy to Korea.  When they got back they all were given orders to bootcamp.  One of the poolees wrote a letter to the commandant saying that he earned his Eagle Globe and Anchor at Chosin Reservoir.  Which is a pretty valid point.  The commandant said that he wouldn't put a recruit with a Korean War campaign medal under drill instructors who didn't have one and made them all Marines.  

I've never heard of this correspondence TBS/OCS bull.  A friend of mine did the same thing and was lat moved from LTJG to 1st Lt at flight school because the Navy had too many pilots and the Marine Corps too few.  He graduated flight school, got his wings and reported to TBS.


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## pardus (Oct 13, 2014)

Teufel said:


> Have you ever heard of the Korean War Marines who never went to boot camp? It's a crazy story. After WWII poolees would do OJT with their local units while they waited to go to bootcamp.  When the Korean war broke out they needed a lot of Marines and they pulled a bunch of poolees to deploy to Korea.  When they got back they all were given orders to bootcamp.  One of the poolees wrote a letter to the commandant saying that he earned his Eagle Globe and Anchor at Chosin Reservoir.  Which is a pretty valid point.  The commandant said that he wouldn't put a recruit with a Korean War campaign medal under drill instructors who didn't have one and made them all Marines.



I heard about that a while back, crazy story and situation to be in!


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## Grunt (Oct 14, 2014)

There is much in this thread that I have never heard of before. Much of it was an eye-opener concerning my beloved Corps....

I had never heard of the term "Civilian Marine" nor had I ever heard of what @Teufel is speaking about concerning the Korean War Marines. Very interesting indeed.

I did hear how some Marines of old were given certain MOS's after completing MCI courses. 

I was TDY to the Battalion Armory after I broke my leg and did enough time there that they were contemplating giving me a third MOS of Armorer. They can do what they want...when they want.


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## Gunz (Oct 14, 2014)

Agoge said:


> They can do what they want...when they want.


 
The needs of the Corps...


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## pardus (Oct 14, 2014)

Agoge said:


> There is much in this thread that I have never heard of before. Much of it was an eye-opener concerning my beloved Corps....
> 
> I had never heard of the term "Civilian Marine" nor had I ever heard of what @Teufel is speaking about concerning the Korean War Marines. Very interesting indeed.
> 
> ...



I can HIGHLY recommend this documentary...

"In the winter of 1950, 15,000 U.S. troops were surrounded and trapped by 120,000 Chinese soldiers in the frozen mountains of North Korea. Refusing surrender, the men fought 78 miles to freedom and saved the lives of 98,000 civilian refugees. After 60 years of silence, the survivors of the Chosin Reservoir Campaign of the Korean War take us on an emotional and heart-pounding journey through one of the most savage battles in American history. Produced by Iraq War veterans Brian Iglesias and Anton Sattler. Directed by Brian Iglesias. World Premiere at the 2010 GI Film Festival."


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## 0699 (Oct 14, 2014)

0699 said:


> For the enlisted Marines, it's been pretty straight forward for 100 years or so.  PI or SD.  That's it.


 
And after saying all that, Teufel's KW story reminded me that I did know one enlisted Marine that did NOT go to boot camp.  It was right around 1990.  He had been a SSgt in the Army, got out after 8-9 years, and a couple of months after he left the Army he enlisted in the Corps.  Probably because he was turd with five kids to feed who couldn't find a job, but that's a different story... Anyway, he was allowed to join the Corps as a corporal and instead of boot camp he was sent to Corporal's Course.  He was issued all of his clothing before he went, but he wore the EGA without ever going to boot camp.  Crazy stuff; we used to fuck with him all the time, especially when he tried to convince people that Corporal's Course was just as tough as boot camp.


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## Grunt (Oct 14, 2014)

pardus said:


> I can HIGHLY recommend this documentary...
> 
> "In the winter of 1950, 15,000 U.S. troops were surrounded and trapped by 120,000 Chinese soldiers in the frozen mountains of North Korea. Refusing surrender, the men fought 78 miles to freedom and saved the lives of 98,000 civilian refugees. After 60 years of silence, the survivors of the Chosin Reservoir Campaign of the Korean War take us on an emotional and heart-pounding journey through one of the most savage battles in American history. Produced by Iraq War veterans Brian Iglesias and Anton Sattler. Directed by Brian Iglesias. World Premiere at the 2010 GI Film Festival."


 
Dang brother! That trailer is POWERFUL...if the documentary is like that...it is undoubtedly as powerful and more so.

Those Warriors are still feeling what they felt back then.

They are certainly one of the reasons why I am proud of the title I earned.

Thanks for the recommendation.


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## DA SWO (Oct 14, 2014)

Any Marine who doesn't read The Last Stand of Fox Company is wrong.
I have it on Kindle, compelling book.
One of the Chosin Survivors Master Gunnery Sergeant John O. Henry was a volunteer at the Marine Corps Museum, willing to sign books.


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## Red Flag 1 (Oct 14, 2014)

Agoge said:


> There is much in this thread that I have never heard of before. Much of it was an eye-opener concerning my beloved Corps....
> 
> I had never heard of the term "Civilian Marine" nor had I ever heard of what @Teufel is speaking about concerning the Korean War Marines. Very interesting indeed.
> 
> ...



It was eye opening for me as well. My son went the hard way, or so it seems. He was a Marine reserve Lance Corpral while at VMI. He did Boot Camp over a summer break. After graduating from VMI, went Marine OCS, from which he got a Marine Aviator slot. Before flight school, he attended and graduated from TBS. I thought that was the only way you could go; guess I had that wrong:wall:.


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## Grunt (Oct 14, 2014)

Red Flag 1 said:


> It eye opening for me as well. My son went the hard way, or so it seems. He was a Marine reserve Lance Corpral while at VMI. He did Boot Camp over a summer break. After graduating from VMI, went Marine OCS, from which he got a Marine Aviator slot. Before flight school, he attended and graduated from TBS. I thought that was the only way you could go; guess I had that wrong:wall:.



I can say this one thing for sure...there is no doubt that he is a Marine...he covered every point of entry....


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## Gunz (Oct 14, 2014)

pardus said:


> I can HIGHLY recommend this documentary...
> 
> "In the winter of 1950, 15,000 U.S. troops were surrounded and trapped by 120,000 Chinese soldiers in the frozen mountains of North Korea. Refusing surrender, the men fought 78 miles to freedom and saved the lives of 98,000 civilian refugees. After 60 years of silence, the survivors of the Chosin Reservoir Campaign of the Korean War take us on an emotional and heart-pounding journey through one of the most savage battles in American history. Produced by Iraq War veterans Brian Iglesias and Anton Sattler. Directed by Brian Iglesias. World Premiere at the 2010 GI Film Festival."


 
Speaking of the Frozen Chosin







When I was 8 my parents gave me a book called _The Story of the US Marines. _It was a kid's edition, illustrated. I still have it. The first and last chapters were devoted to 1st Lt John Yancey and his platoon of 32 men (E Co, 7th Marines) and their assault on a frozen hill designated 698...the slopes of which were already littered with heaps of dead Marines from D Co who had assaulted it twice without success. He and his 32 men went up the hill, bayonets fixed, through barrages of grenade and mortar fire. He and six men reached the top. All were wounded. Yancey had been shot through the mouth. One Marine, with a belly wound, crawled around gathering ammo from their dead brothers. On the top of that hill, with a BAR, a .30 cal MG and M1s, they fought off counterattack after counterattack, killing hundreds of Chinese. Yancey walked off that hill on his own two legs and won the Navy Cross. He was my hero and still is.

Many years later, in the mid-80s, I wrote a letter to _Leatherneck Magazine, _which was published, in which I wrote how Yancey had inspired me to become a Marine and how his story had steeled me on a difficult night in April '71 when my bros and I were all hit.  A few weeks later I got a letter from Yancey's daughter. He was alive and well and living in Little Rock (where he had owned a liquor store! How cool was that?) and was very proud of the fact that his story had inspired me. I wrote her back and told her I was planning a trip to Texas and wanted to veer off to Arkansas and meet her dad.

I was preparing the trip a month or so later when I got a letter from a law firm in Little Rock. It was from a lawyer who told me he had been John  Yancey's best friend and fellow Marine and that Yancey had passed away. The lawyer wrote that he and others had been involved in an effort to have Yancey awarded the CMOH. He also told the story of how, when the Marines went into Danang in 1965, he and Yancey had gone down to the recruiting office together to _enlist _to go fight in Vietnam. Their request was forwarded to HQMC.  And a few weeks later John Yancey received a letter from the Commandant expressing his regret that because of Yancey's age and injuries suffered on Hill 698, in particular the grevious facial and jaw wounds and loss of teeth, neither he nor Mr Blankenship (the lawyer) would be eligible for enlistment. Yancey wrote back: _Sir, I don't want to bite the sonsofbitches, I want to shoot them._

Hijack over.


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## Grunt (Oct 14, 2014)

@Ocoka One , that is a awesome "tidbit" of history that we would have never known about had you not just told us.

Thanks for that. This is one of the things that make this site so interesting and informative. There is much history here that no one knows about but us.

Sharing that knowledge is what keeps their memories alive and their achievements so important.


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## Ooh-Rah (Oct 14, 2014)

Washington Times picked up the Amos story...give em' an "A" for headline writing..."Semper Lie"

*Semper Lie: Marine Corps Commandant James Amos padded resume*
http://www.washingtontimes.com...ant-james-amos-padd/


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## pardus (Oct 14, 2014)

His legacy is going to be a shitty one. Reap what you sow!


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## AWP (Oct 14, 2014)

The problem here isn't just Amos, but everyone who was involved in selecting this guy to be the Commandant. I'm sure politicians are involved, but some Marines as well. Amos' legacy, as pardus said, will be shitty.

The Corps will go on, but it will take a bit of a beating over this. Hopefully the right people are assessing what went wrong so that this never happens again. Think about it: his entire career and no one knew?


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## Grunt (Oct 14, 2014)

Freefalling said:


> ...Hopefully the right people are assessing what went wrong so that this never happens again. Think about it: his entire career and no one knew?



Indeed you are correct. His situation speaks volumes concerning the vetting process or the lack thereof. 

The amazing part of it is that his schooling and training should be one of the easiest things to vett.


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## BloodStripe (Oct 15, 2014)

Agoge said:


> Indeed you are correct. His situation speaks volumes concerning the vetting process or the lack thereof.
> 
> The amazing part of it is that his schooling and training should be one of the easiest things to vett.



Not entirely true.  I am missing several schools and according to my SRB (now Dd214) I am a tan belt. I earned the schools and my green belt (14 hour haze fest) but 1st FAST lost my records sometime between me receiving orders to 3rd Mar Div and those orders changing the day before I was to PCS.


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## pardus (Oct 15, 2014)

SOTGWarrior said:


> Not entirely true.  I am missing several schools and according to my SRB (now Dd214) I am a tan belt. I earned the schools and my green belt (14 hour haze fest) but 1st FAST lost my records sometime between me receiving orders to 3rd Mar Div and those orders changing the day before I was to PCS.



Have you tried to do a FOIA/personnel record check since/lately?


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## Grunt (Oct 15, 2014)

SOTGWarrior said:


> Not entirely true.  I am missing several schools and according to my SRB (now Dd214) I am a tan belt. I earned the schools and my green belt (14 hour haze fest) but 1st FAST lost my records sometime between me receiving orders to 3rd Mar Div and those orders changing the day before I was to PCS.



I am missing many schools myself...however, whether he attended TBS or not isn't hard to vett. Whether it was in his SRB or not, there would be records of his attendance there much as ours at MCRD. 

Once people are at the position of being selected/considered for CMC, there are many assumptions made -- especially with training and schools -- by those that are approving him. Many of them assume he has already achieved the things necessary to be where he is so they mostly consider his positions and decisions he has made versus his actual school/training.


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## BloodStripe (Oct 15, 2014)

pardus said:


> Have you tried to do a FOIA/personnel record check since/lately?


It's been 8 years since I got out (we'll 6 years since my invol recall) and honesty makes no difference to me. If I was attempting to do a career where it would be needed,  or if it was my CAR I would simply fill out a DD215 and just resend the certs that I have or ask our MCMAP instructor if he has his records still, but my war fighting days are behind me.


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## Ooh-Rah (Oct 15, 2014)

SOTGWarrior said:


> Attended TBS via a correspondence course? That's like me doing the Reconnaissance Marine MCI and gaining the 0321 MOS.



I once read No Easy Day and watched both Navy SEALs and GI Jane all in the same weekend... I think I can add BUDS to my resume now!


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## pardus (Oct 15, 2014)

SOTGWarrior said:


> It's been 8 years since I got out (we'll 6 years since my invol recall) and honesty makes no difference to me. If I was attempting to do a career where it would be needed,  or if it was my CAR I would simply fill out a DD215 and just resend the certs that I have or ask our MCMAP instructor if he has his records still, but my war fighting days are behind me.



I hear you, but it would be nice if you could have your record corrected. It's only going to get harder to do so with time...


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## AKkeith (Oct 15, 2014)

0699 said:


> And after saying all that, Teufel's KW story reminded me that I did know one enlisted Marine that did NOT go to boot camp.  It was right around 1990.  He had been a SSgt in the Army, got out after 8-9 years, and a couple of months after he left the Army he enlisted in the Corps.  Probably because he was turd with five kids to feed who couldn't find a job, but that's a different story... Anyway, he was allowed to join the Corps as a corporal and instead of boot camp he was sent to Corporal's Course.  He was issued all of his clothing before he went, but he wore the EGA without ever going to boot camp.  Crazy stuff; we used to fuck with him all the time, especially when he tried to convince people that Corporal's Course was just as tough as boot camp.



Sorry for the Hate. 

I don't hate you.

But what you just said put me in a hateful mood.


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## Gunz (Oct 16, 2014)

_Navy Seals _was on Encore the other day. Charlie Sheen. I watched it while I folded laundry. WTF has happened to my life? :wall:


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## compforce (Oct 16, 2014)

pardus said:


> I hear you, but it would be nice if you could have your record corrected. It's only going to get harder to do so with time...



Agreed.  I got back in after being out for 15 years.  Several awards and schools are missing from my official records.  You have to almost piece things together to figure out that I was in Desert Storm.  I have a CIB, Southwest Asia Service Medal, Liberation of Kuwait (Kuwait) (no Saudi version) and a handwritten note on my 2-1 that says "Operation Desert Storm" that is scrawled diagonally across the margins.  It doesn't identify unit, time period, position or anything else.  That's all that is in my official record.  My promotion points and several other related areas suffered due to those missing.

You never know where life is going to take you.  Get your paperwork fixed.

On Topic - I agree with Agoge to an extent.  Once you are in those upper ranks, people assume that you checked all the boxes to get there along the way.  I do think that consideration for flag officer should include a complete vetting of all required schools.


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## mac21 (Oct 16, 2014)

This made me take a look at my DD 214. It has me as an 8156, Marine Security Guard instead of 8152, Marine Sentry. Looks like I've got some calls to make.


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## Gunz (Oct 17, 2014)

I thought DD214 mistakes were supposed to go away when they shitcanned IBM Selectrics and carbon paper.  

Seriously, all your awards and various schools should be typed out in full, not abbreviated, providing there's room. Purple Heart, not PH. Mountain Warfare School, not MWS, etc etc. Your company 1st Sgt has the responsibility of making sure all information on the DD214 is correct, MOS, everything, before you walk out the door. If anything needs to be added or amended later, it goes on a DD215. In theory at least the 214 should be written in such a way that the average civilian prospective employer can read all the pertinent stuff without having to ask for translation. There should be absolutely no typos, no misspellings, and no sloppiness.

Goddammit, it pisses me off. It's one of the most important documents you'll ever own and it'll follow you right to your funeral.


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## compforce (Oct 17, 2014)

Ocoka One said:


> I thought DD214 mistakes were supposed to go away when they shitcanned IBM Selectrics and carbon paper.
> 
> Seriously, all your awards and various schools should be typed out in full, not abbreviated, providing there's room. Purple Heart, not PH. Mountain Warfare School, not MWS, etc etc. Your company 1st Sgt has the responsibility of making sure all information on the DD214 is correct, MOS, everything, before you walk out the door. If anything needs to be added or amended later, it goes on a DD215. In theory at least the 214 should be written in such a way that the average civilian prospective employer can read all the pertinent stuff without having to ask for translation. There should be absolutely no typos, no misspellings, and no sloppiness.
> 
> Goddammit, it pisses me off. It's one of the most important documents you'll ever own and it'll follow you right to your funeral.




Exactly how I lost an AAM.  My original DD214 has
Army Achievement Medal (2)  meaning 2 oak leaf clusters.  I had two for service and one for achievement



The current personnel people read the same notation
Army Achievement Medal (2) to mean total of 2 awards.

So when they did my DD214 from my first deployment with Group (NG gets a DD214 when they demob) they changed it from AAM w/ 2 oak leaf clusters to AAM with 2 awards.  It was so long ago when I got out the first time that I can't find any of the original paperwork on one of them so *poof* gone.



There are also 2 ARCOMS missing from the second DD-214 above.  I learned my lesson.  I highly recommend anyone that is in starts a notebook and put all of your stuff that should be on your DD214 or Promotion packet in the notebook.  For those in the Guard, carry a notebook that has that stuff in it to the demob so you can prove whatever is missing when they do your 214.  I got the ARCOMs corrected because I had a copy of the orders with me at the demob after my trip to AFG.  If I hadn't done that, there would be no record of those either.  .

Bottom line: Ocoka One is exactly right.  Make sure that it is not only there, but that everything is spelled all the way out with nothing that could be read ambiguously.


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## Salt USMC (Oct 17, 2014)

My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...d-takes-over-as-new-top-marine-corps-general/
*Gen. Joseph Dunford takes over as new top Marine Corps general*


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## Ooh-Rah (Oct 17, 2014)

Deathy McDeath said:


> My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over
> 
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...d-takes-over-as-new-top-marine-corps-general/
> *Gen. Joseph Dunford takes over as new top Marine Corps general*



...and come 10 November:
Marines throughout the world,
both enlisted and officer,
active duty and retired,
will notice that their steak more tender,
their shrimp more delectable,
and their cake even sweeter,
as they raise their steins to the Corps, and toast a new direction.

Semper Fi


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## Teufel (Oct 17, 2014)

http://www.duffelblog.com/2014/10/general-dunford-commandant-general-amos/

"WASHINGTON, D.C. — Just hours after Marine Gen. Joseph ‘Fighting Joe’ Dunford was appointed as Commandant of the Marine Corps, the general uploaded a video to YouTube of him and his entire staff urinating on the career of former Commandant Gen. James Amos...."


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## 8654Maine (Oct 17, 2014)

My DD214 is missing a few things...like a small Army school where one loses some weight.  I forgot what they call it..oh, yeah, it's some "leadership" school.

As for my 1st Sgt catching it and doing his job, what a waste of sperm and egg.


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## compforce (Oct 17, 2014)

8654Maine said:


> My DD214 is missing a few things...like a small Army school where one loses some weight.  I forgot what they call it..oh, yeah, it's some "leadership" school.
> 
> As for my 1st Sgt catching it and doing his job, what a waste of sperm and egg.



Fitness Training Unit?


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## Salt USMC (Oct 18, 2014)

8654Maine said:


> My DD214 is missing a few things...like a small Army school where one loses some weight.  I forgot what they call it..oh, yeah, it's some "leadership" school.
> 
> As for my 1st Sgt catching it and doing his job, what a waste of sperm and egg.


Body Composition Platoon?


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## x SF med (Oct 18, 2014)

A deceased member of this site, Tripwire, fought at Chosin, as part of the 1st Cav Ranger Company...  he had some stories to tell.  Miss you Tom.

eta - Trip had a great love for all services, Army first, then the USMC for their contributions to his safety in the Korean engagement.


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## 0699 (Oct 18, 2014)

Deathy McDeath said:


> My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over
> 
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...d-takes-over-as-new-top-marine-corps-general/
> *Gen. Joseph Dunford takes over as new top Marine Corps general*


 
Hmmm.  I'm so jaded at this point, I don't know that'll make a difference.

I do love the fact theat the ceremony was disrupted by the possible Ebola case on the bus taking people to 8th & I St.  That's the kind of chaos that warms my heart... 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local...3f1316-5612-11e4-ba4b-f6333e2c0453_story.html


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## dmcgill (Oct 28, 2014)

0699 said:


> Hmmm.  I'm so jaded at this point, I don't know that'll make a difference.



He's an 03, and General Mattis is the one who gave him the nickname "Fighting Joe" when he was commander of 5th Marines during OIF I. 

I'm confident.


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## Grunt (Oct 28, 2014)

General Mattis' endorsement of him means more to me than anything Congress could say about him...good or bad.


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## Gunz (Oct 28, 2014)

x SF med said:


> A deceased member of this site, Tripwire, fought at Chosin, as part of the 1st Cav Ranger Company...  he had some stories to tell.  Miss you Tom.
> 
> eta - Trip had a great love for all services, Army first, then the USMC for their contributions to his safety in the Korean engagement.


 

I didn't know. I'm very sorry to hear Tripwire passed away. I had a few brief but enlightening conversations with him on the old Shadowspear. A belated but heartfelt hand salute to his memory.


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## Gunz (Oct 28, 2014)

0699 said:


> ...the ceremony was disrupted by the possible Ebola case on the bus taking people to 8th & I St.  That's the kind of chaos that warms my heart...


 
Not only that, but a Lance Corporal in the color guard staggered out of formation just as Dunford was being introduced. Poor bastard probably got shipped off to some Ebola testing lab. Or made to clean the head.


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## BloodStripe (Oct 28, 2014)

Haha


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## x SF med (Oct 28, 2014)

Ocoka One said:


> I didn't know. I'm very sorry to hear Tripwire passed away. I had a few brief but enlightening conversations with him on the old Shadowspear. A belated but heartfelt hand salute to his memory.



"Old" Shadowspear?  Do you mean PS?


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