My son told us this morning he's joining the Marines

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momof2angells said:
He met with the Recruiter yesterday who gave him all this paperwork
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Gotcha. Well, not to be a downer, but I’d tell him not to count on anything until he at least passes the medical exam. Lots of people who want to enlist can’t because of some medical issue that might seem trivial.

Also, tell him to get everything in writing and never take a recruiter’s word for anything. 🙂
 
The higher his ASVAB score, the better job placement he’ll have.
 
And…don’t let the recruiter talk him into signing up for more than 4 years at first. He can always re-enlist if he wants to.
 
Marines are doers. We make Marines and we win battles.

I have a friend who was an 0-6 (reserve no less, he was brought back to active duty, he was an infantry officer, reconnaissance officer, combat veteran, very “agile” in his thinking and way).

There was to be a White House level task force on cyber warfare; they’d meet at the executive office building of the WH.

Each service ponied up a body for this task force. The Army sent a 2 star, the AF and Navy a one star (all active duty). The Marine Corps sends an 0-6 Infantry officer, who was a reservist, my friend.

That’s the different mindset…make do, get action, push down responsibility all the time to ever lower ranks, and stretch the reserves.

That’s the way you grow new capacity, cheaply.

The Marine Corps spends about 92% of the DOD budget…with the highest op tempo
 
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Great advice by USAFWife.

Make sure he studies for the ASVAB and scores as high as possible, it will open many doors for him.

And have him enlist for 4 years or even 2 if possible. I myself and many I knew regretted enlisting for 6. As USAFwife said, he can re enlist if he wants.
 
Edward_H said:
The Marine Corps spends about 92% of the DOD budget…with the highest op tempo
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The Marine Corps is the second smallest branch behind the Coast Guard.

The DoD yearly budget is almost 600 billion USD.

The USMC operates on a yearly budget of about 40 billion USD, which is like 5% of the total DoD budget.

Where did you come up with that patently absurd number that the USMC uses up over 90% of the DoD budget?

Wouldn’t common sense tell you aircraft carriers, nuclear subs, and F-22 fighters are more expensive than rifles and grenades?
 
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You have been given good answers. Yes it depends on which side of the Mississippi you are on. I guess you can request a place with a good reason, for instance if other family members went there. My son graduated from San Diego. His brothers, brother-in-law, nieces and sister all attended his graduation. We went in a motor home and made a family vacation out of it.
 
@Edward_H My professor’s son joined the Marines and so did my neighbor down the street. Neither had a goal in mind for afterwards nor did they strategically plan out their future. My neighbor died unemployed and I believe it may have been drug related. My professor’s son completed three tours in Afghanistan before succumbing to PTSD and getting a less than honorable discharge. Unfortunately, he’s now ineligible for VA benefits.

Looking towards the future and ensuring you can get employment is the most important thing to consider! I chose college because I don’t like the way our government or military is being operated. However, someone seriously interested in joining MUST have a plan for afterwards. “Failing to plan is planning to fail".
 
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Hi, thank you. I wonder what test he took, he didn’t study. Can he take it again?
 
He doesn’t have a plan, he’s just hoping it opens doors to success. Thanks for sharing.
 
If he already took the ASVAB and passed, no he cannot take it again.
 
momof2angells said:
He doesn’t have a plan, he’s just hoping it opens doors to success. Thanks for sharing.
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It’s fine not to have his life completely mapped out at 18, but hopefully he at least has a general idea of what he might want to do. It’s hard to know if it will open doors to “success” unless we know what “success” looks like to him.
 
Tell him to start going on daily 3 mile runs, and doing as many daily pushups, situps, and pull ups as he possibly can.

Tell him to learn basic drill movements - standing at attention, parade rest, left, right, about face.

Tell him to learn the ranks and grades and hierarchy of the USMC.

This basic stuff will give him a huge advantage going into boot camp.

Also tell him to learn and memorize the Marine Corps Hymn and the Riflemans Creed.
 
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@momof2angells

This is the Riflemans Creed, tell your son to memorize it.

"This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life.

Without me, my rifle is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless. I must fire my rifle true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will…

My rifle and I know that what counts in war is not the rounds we fire, the noise of our burst, nor the smoke we make. We know that it is the hits that count. We will hit…

My rifle is human, even as I, because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weaknesses, its strength, its parts, its accessories, its sights and its barrel. I will keep my rifle clean and ready, even as I am clean and ready. We will become part of each other. We will…

Before God, I swear this creed. My rifle and I are the defenders of my country. We are the masters of our enemy. We are the saviors of my life.

So be it, until victory is America’s and there is no enemy, but peace!"
 
Oh I almost forgot, make sure he learns to tell time by the 24 hour military clock as well!

Here’s a good article for you and him: Redirect Notice
 
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