Not Work Safe .

[The Quartermaster]

When my son decided to join the military, he considered the Marines. My fatherly advice was to think about which branch he'd rather make a career in. It always seemed to me that Marines are rightly proud of their service, but are happy to ETS. Army vets often say to me " looking back, I should've stayed in and made it a career" I don't hear that as often from Marines.

* My son had several high school buddies serve in the Marine Corps and I believe they have all ETS'd.

I want to go on record that I have met more outstanding Marines than I have with outstanding Army, the department that I served with and made a career of. However those who left the USMC to join the Army were complete bags of asses and very underwhelming.

*Edit: And on further review that ones that did leave the USMC prior to 9/11 but enlisted anyway they could to get back in it with any service that would take them in, were surprisingly decent.

 

[Devildoc]

And some of them later left the Corps and enlisted in the Army. Very few lived up to the USMC hype and you realized why they were no longer Marines. I suspect that these were the ones the USMC told to leave for being failures to perform.

I don't know how many are advised to leave. That's an interesting question. Now with so many lat transfer MOSs there really isn't a good reason to leave unless you are just a bad fit for the Corps. A lot of the non-combat MOSs and units are Monday-Friday 8-5, have little real field time, and shoot less than 10% per year what we could do in a week. That's all fine, just a huge leap between infantry and FSSG (support).

When my son decided to join the military, he considered the Marines. My fatherly advice was to think about which branch he'd rather make a career in. It always seemed to me that Marines are rightly proud of their service, but are happy to ETS. Army vets often say to me " looking back, I should've stayed in and made it a career" I don't hear that as often from Marines.

* My son had several high school buddies serve in the Marine Corps and I believe they have all ETS'd.

The Marines never had a hard time recruiting, but they have a hard time retaining. It's not an easy life, especially as a junior Marine, and it felt like the Corps was always putting up unnecessary barriers for success. As a corpsman I had an interesting perspective because I was in that culture but could step away.

 

[AWP]

Is it bad or immoral to laugh at this?

...asking for a friend

That batshit crazy 1LT with the 101st didn't give me the "A" in AWP without reason.

(Though she probably misused the term...eh, whatever)

 

[The Quartermaster]

A lot of the non-combat MOSs and units are Monday-Friday 8-5, have little real field time, and shoot less than 10% per year what we could do in a week. That's all fine, just a huge leap between infantry and FSSG (support).

It's the same for the US Army CSS and CS units. However having coming from both CS and C units, this needs to stop being treated as a 9 to 5 in sheltered work conditions.

I have been in leadership positions when we had done minimum manning for up to a week while the rest of the division went and done Lightning Wek in 25th ID as an example and sometimes even on 24 hour shifts or night and day crews. Things still happened and got done but at a slower pace and this is proof that we need to give these CS and CSS units a fighting chance at not doing fire and maneuvering things but a fighting chance to survive out there.

Units like what I suggested are far and few between but they are out there and when you do come across they are fitter, more embracive of the suck things like it's normal to them, and even their equipment shows signs off being well maintained despite constant or once in a blue moon usage.

 

[Topkick]

I was in that culture but could step away.

Army Combat Medics kinda have that same dynamic. In a line unit, you are part of the platoon but you can step back from most of the bullshit details and nonsense.

 

[RackMaster]

Is it bad or immoral to laugh at this?

...asking for a friend

I'll save you a seat.

 

[The Quartermaster]

Army Combat Medics kinda have that same dynamic. In a line unit, you are part of the platoon but you can step back from most of the bullshit details and nonsense.

I was in units where they never put the 92A on any details or DA 6's for detail rotations or the rated for the Motor SGT position 63B later 91B senior NCO for NCO extracurricular things like SDO for BN or BDE levels. Medics were definitely left off too when the units was doing field or training things.

 

[Devildoc]

I was in units where they never put the 92A on any details or DA 6's for detail rotations or the rated for the Motor SGT position 63B later 91B senior NCO for NCO extracurricular things like SDO for BN or BDE levels. Medics were definitely left off too when the units was doing field or training things.

Now, I have no clue what you are saying, but I think I understand. Outside of schools I never had quarters or fire watch, and I was rarely assigned to a detail. I was treated well, and in return I worked hard and made sure everyone was taken care of.

 

[The Quartermaster]

Now, I have no clue what you are saying, but I think I understand. Outside of schools I never had quarters or fire watch, and I was rarely assigned to a detail. I was treated well, and in return I worked hard and made sure everyone was taken care of.

I have to get ready for an appointment with my bank for a medallion signature but I will do this at combat speed; In maintenance unit at the unit level, you don't want the the class 9 supply guy doing the SAMS-E job out for anything including petty details or support ops will have a shit fit when they give a tasking and the 92A isn't there to dispatch any vehicles or warn the motor sergeant that so an so vehicles need to be removed from repair service very quickly because higher wants those vehicles for a detail elsewhere. Such an example would be such as ; If the transportation company is tasked out the maint. unit does have lowboys to move floaters that are assigned to the unit to one for one replacement if battle damaged like M88 wreckers for an example and can be used to do a division or post detail that required lowboys (like a post museum needing things moved or a parade or equipment display for civilians off post).

This is a small example though. Okay, I gotta go now.