-
Please take a moment and update your account profile. If you have an updated account profile with basic information on why you are on Air Warriors it will help other people respond to your posts. How do you update your profile you ask?
Go here:
Edit Account Details and Profile
Forward Air Controller
- Thread starter Carno
- Start date
Guys I ahve been where you are trust me. It is a tough decision. I had decided to drop it and was as far as inside my company XO's office having spent a sleepless night deciding to drop it. He said what is it going to be? And I blurted out Im keeping it.
Best decision I ever made. I dont know if I was eloquent enough but read my post above one more time.
Field Ascesion is hard to get and it depends on "The needs of the Marine Corps" some years if you dont have a rec from a General Officer you dont get in.
During my time at the Battalion no less than 4 1st/2ndLts had fleet ascesion packages in.
IF you are looking to do a long stint in the Marine Corps and you do go grunt after 3 years they may switch you over to Adjutant (you know the paper pushers).
As an aviator the Marines spent millions of dollars on training you. You will be a trigger puller for about 16 years of your 20.
You might get your fill of grunt stuff at TBS if not then be a FAC. AS far as passion for flying goes mine was luke warm at first. I was flying a C152 in college but at the same time I had a chance to drive a tank. The 152 didnt do muhc for me but as I was getting rained on in Quantico the Cobra that came in over my head at 200' motivated the shit out of me. I went to the aviation night and sat down and talked to a Cobra pilot and he told me how it was and I thought "these are my people"
AGAIN THERE ARE FALLEN ANGELS IN THE GRUNTS BUT NO FALLEN GRUNTS AMONG THE ANGELS
Do not decide anything too early.
Best decision I ever made. I dont know if I was eloquent enough but read my post above one more time.
Field Ascesion is hard to get and it depends on "The needs of the Marine Corps" some years if you dont have a rec from a General Officer you dont get in.
During my time at the Battalion no less than 4 1st/2ndLts had fleet ascesion packages in.
IF you are looking to do a long stint in the Marine Corps and you do go grunt after 3 years they may switch you over to Adjutant (you know the paper pushers).
As an aviator the Marines spent millions of dollars on training you. You will be a trigger puller for about 16 years of your 20.
You might get your fill of grunt stuff at TBS if not then be a FAC. AS far as passion for flying goes mine was luke warm at first. I was flying a C152 in college but at the same time I had a chance to drive a tank. The 152 didnt do muhc for me but as I was getting rained on in Quantico the Cobra that came in over my head at 200' motivated the shit out of me. I went to the aviation night and sat down and talked to a Cobra pilot and he told me how it was and I thought "these are my people"
AGAIN THERE ARE FALLEN ANGELS IN THE GRUNTS BUT NO FALLEN GRUNTS AMONG THE ANGELS
Do not decide anything too early.
Firstly, its easy to drop your air contract upon reporting to TBS. If you do it before a certain point, you can enter into the general pool for MOS selection. We had two guys from my OCS company drop when they got here. If you wait too long, you get dropped to the end of the line, risking getting stuck with the leftovers. Also, this year's Fox Co has 2 pilot slots and 1 NFO up for grabs... Risky, to say the least. For me, personally, TBS has, if anything, increased my desire to get to Pensacola. As much as I now appreciate the mission of the guys on the ground, I know that I want to fly. Its a tough choice to make, but you're better off making it before you get to Quantico... good luck.
Absolutely not do not make this decision prior to Quantico because you wont have any info. If it is something you are thinking about make it at Quantico after you talk to a bunch of people. find people who had both good and bad expericences in their MOS. Talk to the guy who was a Grunt and is now an Intel, Logistics, Adjutant etc.
This is one of those big life choices that will have lasting reprecusions. I know at least one guy who dropped hi air contract then tried for fleet ascesions after.
IF you have any interest in flying go to flight school.
This is one of those big life choices that will have lasting reprecusions. I know at least one guy who dropped hi air contract then tried for fleet ascesions after.
IF you have any interest in flying go to flight school.
Unfortunately, when I went to TBS there was a rash of Lts who's only way to get a commission was with an air contract. Their OSO told them "no problem" that they could drop it at TBS and go turn Haakmeeb into pink mist as an 0302.
Then there was this tool in my Plt that dropped his contract right before MOS selection (and was allowed in the normal pool) in hopes of getting that (1) ONE, POA slot for the company (250 Lts, minus air and law, about 180 competing) ...his second choice was 0302 and he got 3002 box kicker(supply). PAO then grunts, what kind of selection card is that?
Here's an option.
Keep your air contract. Finish TBS. Beg to go to IOC before flight school, your company may have slot and then again maybe not. That way if you attrite or DOR out of flight school you already have an MOS lined up. Also, not saying it's impossible, I have yet to see or hear of it...but your chances of getting Infantry, or a combat arms MOS after attriting or DORing is slim to none. Keep that in mind.
Out of my TBS Plt I'd say %90 wanted grunts, at the end of TBS it was down to about %20. Out of our 8 air contracts, 3 wanted to go to IOC (following TBS then head to flight school) at the beginning of TBS and at the end, anything having to do with Quantico was the furthest from their minds.
I'll leave you with this....If you have an air contract the mystery is over. The career path is there, all you have to do is perform. Going to TBS hoping for HARD-CORPS-KILLING-PINK MIST CREATOR- MACHINE OF A GRUNT OFFICERKILL BODIES!!!!!!.....well, that's a huge gamble. At the end you very well could walk away from TBS a comptroller headed 29 Palms to settle travel claims and worry about funding for various operations.
No thanks....I'll keep my wings.
Then there was this tool in my Plt that dropped his contract right before MOS selection (and was allowed in the normal pool) in hopes of getting that (1) ONE, POA slot for the company (250 Lts, minus air and law, about 180 competing) ...his second choice was 0302 and he got 3002 box kicker(supply). PAO then grunts, what kind of selection card is that?
Here's an option.
Keep your air contract. Finish TBS. Beg to go to IOC before flight school, your company may have slot and then again maybe not. That way if you attrite or DOR out of flight school you already have an MOS lined up. Also, not saying it's impossible, I have yet to see or hear of it...but your chances of getting Infantry, or a combat arms MOS after attriting or DORing is slim to none. Keep that in mind.
Out of my TBS Plt I'd say %90 wanted grunts, at the end of TBS it was down to about %20. Out of our 8 air contracts, 3 wanted to go to IOC (following TBS then head to flight school) at the beginning of TBS and at the end, anything having to do with Quantico was the furthest from their minds.
I'll leave you with this....If you have an air contract the mystery is over. The career path is there, all you have to do is perform. Going to TBS hoping for HARD-CORPS-KILLING-PINK MIST CREATOR- MACHINE OF A GRUNT OFFICERKILL BODIES!!!!!!.....well, that's a huge gamble. At the end you very well could walk away from TBS a comptroller headed 29 Palms to settle travel claims and worry about funding for various operations.
No thanks....I'll keep my wings.
winger
FNG
Carno said:Hehehe, thanks for the opinions, I appreciate them a lot
Y'all have pretty much convinced me not to drop my air contract, and like I said before, I doubt that I ever would anyway.
This is one of those posts that makes this forum worth reading.
I can't really relate to your attitude towards your contract, but I was in fighting holes with two guys in TBS that were of your persuasion... and they went in opposite ways when decision time came.
They both based their decision on their experience, however limited, being in the field at TBS. It is invaluable. Sitting in a fighting hole at 3am behind a 249 as you marvel at the Quantico ecosystem's ability to dump gallons of rain on you while maintaining a perfect temperature of 32.0001 degrees fahrenheit is still fresh in my memory. So is the feeling of standing in an enemy CP as the platoon commander of a well-planned, well-executed assault.
Your air contract is your pocket aces. Don't fold 'em unless somebody's got something better.
I disagree. You absolutely MUST make this decision before TBS, because once you get there, it's game over. Despite what your OSO told you about your air contract being non-binding to you, and despite the stated purpose of IFS, if you drop your air contract at TBS, you will almost certainly not be an infantry officer. You will probably be an adjutant, ground supply officer, or something along those lines, because Uncle has that new policy of "Oh, you don't want to fly? We won't make you fly, but that doesn't mean we're not gonna stick you with the green weiner by not letting you compete for MOS like everyone else."
That's EXACTLY what happened to everyone who tested Uncle's resolve on this matter when I went through TBS a year ago. One guy in particular stands out...he was a shit hot guy, physical animal, always on top of his game, at or near the top of his platoon, and voted the Gung Ho award winner in his platoon. Dropped his air contract to compete for 0302.
True to his word, Uncle didn't allow him to compete for MOS selection, and he got ground supply. What a misappropriation of human resources. It's stupid, but it is what it is.
I wanted to be--and was originally contracted to be--a pilot, but to make a long story short, was given some bad info by an OSO and ended up as an NFO, very much against my will. When I got to TBS and found out that I couldn't switch back to pilot, my first reaction was "Ok then, I want to drop my air contract and go ground." When they told me how hard they would screw me if I did, I decided that I'd at least sit on the NFO contract and think about it, which I did. After several months of being undecided (it seems like I'd change my mind every few days), I eventually decided that I'd rather ride bitch than fly a desk.
All of that said, and understanding that nobody can know better than you which community you will be happier in, I would say (based on what you've said so far) stick with the wing. Getting a FAC tour is not hard, from what I hear. I mean, people get "drafted" to do that job--from what I hear, if you volunteer instead of waiting to get voluntold, you can often get the particular FAC job or duty station you want. It won't be the same as being a rifle platoon commander, but it might be close enough. Definitely the best happy medium of satisfying your desire to be in both communities (I plan on either getting switched to pilot after my first tour as an NFO and making this a career, or doing a FAC tour on my way to the Civ Div). The reason I almost dropped it was a little different...I was pissed as hell and frustrated, and didn't think I could handle being 3 feet away from the only job I've ever wanted since I was in elementary school, and after mechanical engineering school (not because I liked it...just so I could be a test pilot, go figure), the last thing I wanted was 1.5 more years of school. I wanted to go ahead and get in the fight, kill some bad guys, then be able to get out and return to the real world a couple of years sooner. Now, I'm still pissed and frustrated about what happened, but I've come around to the point that I can enjoy the good things about NFO (and I love being a Marine and being an officer, and have never once regretted signing that dotted line...although I have no intention of staying active duty for a day past my commitment unless I get switched to pilot...although I kinda suspect I'll end up in the Reserves).
Oh, and TBS definitely turned a ton of people against going 0302 when I went through there...haha. I've seen it go from the very top to the very bottom of a dream sheet...hahahaha
phrogpilot73
Well-Known Member
I, like SkidKid can offer some insight into this topic. When I was at TBS, and I was the number two guy in my company, I seriously considered dropping my air contract to try and get tanks. What stopped me? As a kid, I had always been fascinated by flying. I played Microsoft Flight Sim for hours on end (and still do to this day), read magazines about flying, and dreamed about it. Plus, I was GUARANTEED the opportunity to become a pilot. What did dropping my air contract guarantee? "Needs of the Marine Corps", nothing more, nothing less. It just wasn't worth the risk. If you've always wanted to be a pilot, then keep the air contract. If you like to spend your life gambling, then drop it.
As for a FAC tour, it's not being a grunt. I will agree with SkidKid that it is a rewarding tour. As a matter of fact, I'm having a blast right now and wouldn't change it for the world, but it's not being a grunt. I'm not leading a platoon, or charging a machine gun nest. My T/O weapon is a radio, and I am the duty expert at the battalion about air. However, if you're looking for leadership - you'll get it the minute you hit the fleet. Leadership is not just stepping in front of a platoon as a platoon commander. Leadership is how you carry yourself, advice you give to the random Marine who asks you a question, how you interact with your division, how you interact with the radio watch at 2 am in the COC. There's always opportunities for Leadership, no matter what field you go into.
As for how hard is it to get a FAC tour? It's easy. I would volunteer because you generally get a better one than those that are sent here involuntarily. I would do it as a Captain, because if you wait until you're a major, you end up on MEU staff, or regiment staff. Not as much fun. A FAC tour is well worth it, even if it is the last tour you do in the Marine Corps. Yup, for you old timers on the board - my letter is going in next month. Tough decision to make, but I wanted to end on a high note, and it couldn't get much better than this.
As for a FAC tour, it's not being a grunt. I will agree with SkidKid that it is a rewarding tour. As a matter of fact, I'm having a blast right now and wouldn't change it for the world, but it's not being a grunt. I'm not leading a platoon, or charging a machine gun nest. My T/O weapon is a radio, and I am the duty expert at the battalion about air. However, if you're looking for leadership - you'll get it the minute you hit the fleet. Leadership is not just stepping in front of a platoon as a platoon commander. Leadership is how you carry yourself, advice you give to the random Marine who asks you a question, how you interact with your division, how you interact with the radio watch at 2 am in the COC. There's always opportunities for Leadership, no matter what field you go into.
As for how hard is it to get a FAC tour? It's easy. I would volunteer because you generally get a better one than those that are sent here involuntarily. I would do it as a Captain, because if you wait until you're a major, you end up on MEU staff, or regiment staff. Not as much fun. A FAC tour is well worth it, even if it is the last tour you do in the Marine Corps. Yup, for you old timers on the board - my letter is going in next month. Tough decision to make, but I wanted to end on a high note, and it couldn't get much better than this.