Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Another Military Advice Sought thread

For whatever it is worth, coming from an Enlisted Marine.

I do not believe there is or was ever a better time to be a woman in the Corps.

There are some great opportunities in the Corps for a woman as you describe. However her ASVAB score will decide that.

My recommendation is to enlist and get an Intelligence MOS, possibly Linguistics. After bootcamp and her schooling she will get assigned a duty station. After she has been at her Duty Station she should apply for MECEP. After completing the MECEP program she will become a Commissioned Officer. Also she will become what is known as a Mustang, which are in general the most respected officers.

This way she is not racking up education bills so early in her life. She is getting to see both sides of the Corps. She is making a living throughout the process.

Semper Fi

Something that hasn't changed in recruiting are the big prize in the sky college graduates. She should go talk to a AMEDD recruiter, a regular ol recruiter will not help her. Why? they don't want to lose her to a AMEDD recruiter. Far as the SLRP its good and bad, every year you have to submiit the paper work for the Army to pay the loan. It's not automatic, I seen Soldiers get ph ucked over as well on the SLRP, enlistment bonus.. just had one recently for an enlistment bonus. First contract the kid signed at MEPS he was getting a enlistment bonus. Something happened, I think it was the MOS they picked regardless they held him longer in the DEP program. He went back in signed another contract, he asked about a bonus they told him don't worry about it. He could get it fixed later. At this point I'm not happy, so I fired off a email to the civilian who's name was on the contract. You know they did some shady [bleep], when they deleted the email without reading it.. told the kid to go to JAG/IG if he wanted this fixed. That is a extreme case, point being please take someone in there with her that knows a thing or two so she doesn't get screwed over.. if she goes AMEDD she can get commissioned in the medical Corp. As renegade pointed out come in enlisted as a E4, then drop an OCS packet. Or go into the recruiter station tell them she wants to fly helicopters and they will get her lined up to take the test. But as a college grad, the Army will bend over backwards to get her to sign a contract..

Another vote for finishing her undergraduate education. Even if she only does it for a few years, like the typical enlistment she will be way ahead.

My dad finished college enlisted in the Navy his combination of size, good eyesight, and math and physics ability got him in to OCS training, and eventually flying jets for a few years.

I looked at enlisting in the Navy or AF after med school but ended up enlisting with public health services, still in a uniform, and military rank. They paid off the remainder of Med School and I ended up working for them for seven years I finished out as a O-7 rank. I did CDC, and IHS. Even took a few emergency assignments with Hurricane Katrina, as well as a few military assignments doing physicals, and medical care for marines leaving for the big deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. Overall very rewarding I just wish it paid better.

My wife has multiple family members who served mostly army and marines. The ones that had an associates degree before enlisting did better in the long run.

AF is a good choice for any young person. there are a ton of jobs available. if she has at least an associates she can get out of basic as an E3 which will put her a year ahead of everyone else. 6 years in the AF set me up for life.

Local gal here, whose parents own the Mexican Restaurant we have eaten at since we moved here in 1995.

their daughter was about 6 years old at that time... at 18, she went down and joined the Marine Corps..

Last time I ran into Leslie, she was at the local high school regional wrestling tournament.
Our Scout Troop runs the concession stand there every year, for the last 20 years.

Leslie, was there, along with the rest of the Marine Corps recruiting contingent, with a recruiting booth set up.
She had been in the Corps for 11 years, was 29 years old, with two kids... with hubby who was a Marine from Oklahoma... she was just getting promoted to E 7... and what was impressive on her dress blues also, was the 4 or 5 medals she has that she earned in several combat tours to the Middle East...

The most impressive thing she did in combat, was at first she trained to be a mechanic.... in Iraq, her HumVee was in a convoy and got hit on both sides by Ragheads....her vehicle was hit with an RPG, killing and wounding everyone in the vehicle....

The gunner was killed in the blast... she got her composure.. and then got pissed... got up on that 50 cal and went to town....wasting a whole bunch of ragheads and forcing them to withdraw... and essentially saving the convoy while waiting for air support to get there....

Birdy,

why not just send her the link to this thread, let her read it all herself?

Geno

So is this a vote to join the Marine Corp or just a cool story?? Come on man.... I'm for everyone taking a look at all branches but,,,,,,,, my loyalty is to the best GD fighting machine ever assembled the U.S Army! Anyhow story time.. so we were at Camp Buehring Kuwait, for you ol fluffy duds it used to be called Udari range back in 2003. Anyhow our BCT (brigade combat team) was there as a reserve force. Well a bunch of marines showed up one day, a ship came in and they decided to get some training. I'm not sure what it was called. Regardless a whole bunch of them were on the camp. Anyhow me and some buds went to chow they were 11C (mortarman) well standing next to us were some marines. Two E3 so we got talking with them. They both been in for more than 3 yrs one was a cpl at one time. They said joining the marine Corp was a mistake etc.We stood there laughing, Then they Asked my buddies how long they been in. One said 6yrs those marines eyes about bugged out lol. They go SSG in 6 yrs we go yeah it's the Army.. if you want get promoted and climb the ranks the Army is the way to go!

With that you talk too Army joes they will probably say the same thing unless they are a tanker.

Assuming wildlife management curiculum includes a good natural science foundation the Army has an officer specialty that could be a good fit. Within the Medical Service Corps they have Environmental Science Officers:

https://www.goarmy.com/careers-and-...-corps-jobs/environmental-scientist.html

Direct commissions are pretty common in that type of field. The school and training is at FT Sam Houston in San Antonio.

She won't be doing wildlife management. Those jobs are all civilians in the Army, but she may be able to apply some of the basic knowledge she's picked up. She will do field time. ESO Lieutenants typically (at least used to) end up in Division Main Support Battalion preventive medicine sections or similar positions in either their first or second assignment. I was in a closely related specialty, but quite awhile ago, so most of my more detailed info is out of date.

If she is at all interested, make sure she contacts an Army Medical Department recruiter, not just the local recruiting office Although she should be able to go thru a regular recruiter to make contact, she would need to be specific and adamant about contacting the AMEDD recruiter and not get sidetracked. I'd bypass local recruiting and get a contact thru the website above.

The Air Force used to have something similar, but you'd have to search for it in their system.

I've also heard of game wardens/conservation law officers within the Army military police, but have no idea what it takes to get into those jobs.

Majority of game warden/conservation officers gigs are done by civilians now. I would discourage anyone from becoming a mp. Unless it's there absolute dream job.

If she is interested in the Marines, she should definitely look into the Platoon Leaders Class (PLC) . . . If she qualifies, she can go to one 12 week session of Officer Candidate School (Quantico Va) in the summer between her Junior and Senior year or one 12 week session after graduation her senior year. Upon successful completion of OCS and upon graduation she would be tendered a reserve commission as a 2nd Lt and incur a six-year obligation of active duty, with a chance to augment to the Regular Marine Corp if she applies and is competitively successful. She could also qualify for a guaranteed flight school slot. Upon commissioning she would attend The Basic School (TBS) in Quantico, then receive further orders from there (flight school, etc) In my day, 1970s, PLC supplied 80% of all Marine Corps officer.

Sorry about the CG mention, just realized you asked military......

Coast Guard was it the top of my list, didn’t know about the swimming proficiency requirement tho it makes sense.

A young friend of mine was working hard to get through college. He visited with the Navy recruiter and they paid the rest of the way for his BS. He went in to take his oath and they said no, we want you to get your Masters. He then did his OCS and is an officer.
Typical GI, bitches all the time, but has probably 8-10 years left to retire.

My daughter did 12 yrs in the active Utah Air National Guard as a Spanish Linguist. She went to Lackland right there in San Antone for Basic, DLI in Monterrey, Water Survival School in Pensacola and "somewhere" ( in WA ?) for SERE Training. She liked it well enough. She got out when her baby ( she married a Marine) was about 5, went on the U of U and got her BA in Languages, even picked up Portugese while there. She helps out as a Translator at my Grand Daughters school. she will later move on into Education. So Air Force would be a good one for your friend.

My friends neighbor up here in Alaska was in CG, he spent majority of his career on drug interdiction teams ( you would probably no more about how those teams work, I never asked him about it). Talk about making rank real fast he was E7 in no time. Then went warrant officer, last I heard he was a cw2 and doing very well. How he ended up on duty here in Anchorage i couldn't answer that. All I know he worked on Ft Richardson. Real good guy, when you run into folks like really makes you question why you didn't join the CG.

I’d never encourage a bleeder to join the Armed Forces because I don’t think they belong.

A former student texting a former teacher that is as old as you is creepy as fugk. Especially when you don’t know schit about what she’s asking.

If she wants to go Active, Air Force or Coast Guard all the way

Birdwatcher; All,

IF she wants a "full ride" leading to a commission, I have a friend here in SA (A member of our Lion's Club in Alamo Heights) who has several full scholarships to TA&MU "in his hip pocket", that can be awarded IF the student can get admitted to A&M.

Tell the YL to PM me IF she's seriously interested in a commission & I'll put her in touch with John.
(John is a BIG SHOT in the A&M Former Students Assn & can make it happen quickly.)

yours, tex

Gees talk about being Debbie downer... what next no beans in chili?

The individual in question, is in their Jr year of college..