Kbone,
I am currently in 4th Force Reconnaissance Company (4th Force) in Alameda, CA.
Four caveats:
1. I am not a Reconnaissance Marine but a support Marine serving in Headquarters and Service (H&S) Platoon.
2. I started off as active duty, transitioned to the Reserves after four years, and joined 4th Force as an inter-unit transfer (IUT) three years after that, so I am not as familiar with the process of joining a reserve unit straight from the civilian world.
3. I am most familiar with operations at Alameda; I am not as familiar with the accession process for Marines with our Detachment (Det) at Kaneohe Bay, HI.
4. See #1.
So first off, is it possible to enlist directly into the 4th Force Recon Company, or do they only take prior service Marines? I am aware that in active duty, Force Recon is only available to prior service Recon Marines, so I am wondering if this is also the case on the reserve side."
It is absolutely possible to join 4th Force directly as a civilian. Now, that being said, while the majority of H&S Marines are first-term enlistees straight from the civilian world (thus, they're now PFCs, LCpls, etc...), the majority of Reconnaissance Marines have prior active service and joined 4th Force from 1st Reconnaissance Battalion (1st Recon), 2nd Recon, Marine Special Operations Battalion (MSOB)/Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC), and so on (thus, they're now Sgts, SSgts...). The Reconnaissance Platoons are consequently "top-heavy" in terms of rank and experience. They do take people straight off the street, but*** (see below)....
Also, if it is possible to obtain a UZ contract with the company, is there first a Recon screening process to get the contract, like how it is for lat movers? Lastly, if anyone could enlighten me on what the pipeline is like it would be greatly appreciated. I have read varying answers to this question from it being about 9 months of nonstop training, to after boot camp there can be a delay upwards of 2 years till you can proceed to BRPC and BRC."
This is my understanding (from what I've seen here in Alameda) for those infantry Marines desiring to become Reconnaissance Marines:
1. We've had both initial entry Marines joining 4th Force as well as infantry Marines from other units IUTing into our unit. If you're an initial entry Marine, then yes, that's a solid six month commitment right up front (between Recruit Training at the Depot and the School of Infantry [SOI]).
2. These infantry Marines (both initial entry and IUTs) "drill" for a bit with 4th Reconnaissance Battalion (4th Recon) in San Antonio, TX -- not 4th Force. In other words, our Reconnaissance Platoons here in Alameda aren't "training up" Marines to get ready for the Basic Reconnaissance Course (BRC). All the 0321s here in Alameda are BRC graduates already.
3. Once the cadre at 4th Recon decides, the Marine will be accorded an opportunity to take the Reconnaissance screener.
4. If he passes that, the Marine goes to BRC.
5. If he passes that, the Marine is assigned to one of the teams within the Reconnaissance Platoons at 4th Force. Jump, dive, and other follow-on training awaits (you don't just do everything at once, however -- attendance at follow-on training depends on the drill schedule, funding, personal availability, etc.)
6. If, however, he fails at any point along the way, this infantry Marine retain his original infantry MOS and is assigned to another reserve infantry unit.
This is my understanding (from what I've seen here in Alameda) for those non-infantry Marines desiring to become Reconnaissance Marines:
1. These non-infantry (H&S) Marines perform their normal duties here at 4th Force.
2. They train on their own time to get ready for what's next.
3. If the command says he's good to go, the H&S Marine can attend one of the quarterly Reconaissance screeners.
4. If he passes that, the Marine goes to BRC. I believe he also goes back to SOI for the full infantry training package (as opposed to the Marine Combat Training [MCT] that he previously did as a non-infantry Marine), but I am unsure regarding the timeline on that.
5. If he passes BRC, the Marine changes his MOS from whatever it was before to the 0321 MOS. He eventually rejoins the unit, but he bypasses H&S Platoon and gets assigned to one of the teams within the Reconnaissance Platoons at 4th Force. Jump, dive, and other follow-on training awaits (again, depending on the drill schedule, funding, personal availability, etc.)
6. If he fails at any point along the way, this non-infantry Marine returns to H&S Platoon and resumes his normal support duties (administration, intelligence, logistics, communication, etc).
***Because of #6 -- the high failure rate -- the overwhelming majority of Reconnaissance Marines at 4th Force are prior service. Since the vetting, evaluation, and screening (namely BRC) for these 0321s is already in the books, the transition to a reserve Reconnaissance unit is a lot easier.
However -- yes, it is possible to join directly from the civilian world. Yes, there
are Reconnaissance Marines at 4th Force who are
not prior active duty service, but came straight from mom and dad's house. It is a long, difficult, and uncertain road, but it has been done.
If you wish, send me a private message and I'll put you in touch with someone from Hawaii.
Very Respectfully,
Butler
