Getting into OCS for flight or other?

[perchul]

Skid and Kbay are pretty right on this, I can now speak from experience from both. I completed OCS with the USMC but had family complications and left. I'm not going through the whole WOCS thing because while I enjoy saying that I went through OCS I really didn't enjoy alot of stuff about the Corps. In the Corps you really need to be a team player and go where the momentum is going. I think Kbay hit it on the nail when he says you have to want to lead Marines; leading Marines provides a very intanigble form of gain. Any other branch your going to get promoted faster, be able to be more of an (gasp) individual, and have a better quality of life (well as far as stuff you can measure). However I'm still most proud of doing all the crap I had to at OCS, but I also knew that the Corps and I differed greatly on what I wanted to do with my life.

 

[skidkid]

Careful, Marines promote on track with everyone else and quality of life is relative yes it is better in some ways in the other services but it depends on what you want I get the same housing allownace as everyone else in this area and live pretty comfortably but I am one of those weird guys who likes to deploy to warzones and other places see the world make a difference all that stuff so by that measure my quality of life is much better than a guy sitting in a missile silo in North Dakota.
But bottom line if you dont want to be a leader of Marines try somewhere else

 

[DocT]

It seems like the issue is a bit muddled. There are commisioned officers on this thread giving you good advice. I've found my limited experience with the Marine Corps to follow the advice you're being given. But if you want to know, yes the Marine Corps will let you sign an aviation contract before you ship to OCS. This guarentees you the opportunity to try and fly for the Corps. Guarenteed airframe...no. This is all very dependant on your performance. There's a long road before you report to primary...and there is alot that could go wrong. You could get broken, you could fail, etc. But barring this, you will be given the opportunity to attend flight school. Your performance in the Corps will dictate your career path.

 

[squeeze]

to build on what DocT said:

maybe if people would stop labeling it a "guarantee" some of the confusion would go away. it's a CONTRACT, meaning there are two sides to it. if you can uphold your end (pass school, pass ocs, get commissioned, pass tbs, and pass ifs), then yes, you can have a seat in API to see if you can prove you belong there. it doesn't promise you an airframe, wings, or even a chance to fly in primary. you have to constantly prove you deserve to be where you are and if you can't prove it, you just violated the contract and the Corps doesn't owe you anything.

i just get fed up with everyone thinking 'if i cant get in the navy, maybe the Marines will give me a flight guarantee.' look buddy, if you don't want to be a Marine first, we don't want you. on the same note, if you can't hack it as a squid in API, the Corps should not be your 'easy out' to wings. you need to start learning that it's not about you.

/rant

 

[Padma]

to build on what DocT said:

maybe if people would stop labeling it a "guarantee" some of the confusion would go away. it's a CONTRACT, meaning there are two sides to it. if you can uphold your end (pass school, pass ocs, get commissioned, pass tbs, and pass ifs), then yes, you can have a seat in API to see if you can prove you belong there. it doesn't promise you an airframe, wings, or even a chance to fly in primary. you have to constantly prove you deserve to be where you are and if you can't prove it, you just violated the contract and the Corps doesn't owe you anything.

i just get fed up with everyone thinking 'if i cant get in the navy, maybe the Marines will give me a flight guarantee.' look buddy, if you don't want to be a Marine first, we don't want you. on the same note, if you can't hack it as a squid in API, the Corps should not be your 'easy out' to wings. you need to start learning that it's not about you.

/rant

A contract means there are two sides, and that is what I am trying to get at. Some of the earlier post made it sound like it is purely one way. Listen, Marines are great and this has nothing to do with the negatives of being a marine or not wanting to lead marines and all that stuff. It seems as though everyone is trying to hide the life of a marine in some cloud of secrecy. I didn't even look at the navy either, so that has nothing to do with it.

As a matter of fact, this particular thread seems to be full of that air of ego that takes respect away from marines. The fact of the matter is that right now I have a choice, and god forgive me if I want to make the best and most educated one for myself. Once I'm in, I'm aware the I goes away and it's all about the team, but beforehand you cannot blame me for setting myself up for success. Like I said, all I want to know is whether or not I get a chance to prove myself, not that I want to know of the Marine Recruiting Command is going to bend over and let me do what I please. This isn't about an easy out, it's about a chance to be the best and enjoy what I do.

 

[Crobar]

Padma,

Have you even spoken with an OSO?

 

[TopFlight]

OK. Let me get this straight. The Marines do "guarantee" flight school (of course if you get that far) but they do not even attempt to guarantee a particular class of aircraft? Also if you don’t get through flight school, what then?

I am about a year and a half out of graduation and am very interested, basically set on joining the Marines. I do want to become a pilot and just like most I want to fly fighters. I just want as much information before I commit this way I'm not disappointed in the end.

 

[KBayDog]

OK. Let me get this straight. The Marines do "guarantee" flight school (of course if you get that far) but they do not even attempt to guarantee a particular class of aircraft? Also if you don’t get through flight school, what then?

Correct. You are guaranteed, upon commission, the MOS of 7599 (Student Naval Aviator). You are do not compete for/are not assigned an MOS at TBS. Upon completion of TBS, you will report to Pensacola to begin flight training.

Your only guarantee for aircraft is what the Corps has in stock, so it might behoove you to take a look at what we fly, and see if it interests you. (BTW - Base your decision on what we fly NOW, not what we "will" fly in the future (JSF, mainly).) The process of assigning airframes is based partly on performance and mainly on the needs of service.

If you attrite from flight school, you will be reassigned an MOS based primarily on the needs of service. From what I have seen, most attrites are kept in the air community (aviation supply seems to be where many go), but if you really want infantry, they can hook that up, too.

I do not know the particulars of the Navy or Air Force, but from what I understand, their process is similar - you must compete for aircraft; nothing is ever guaranteed.

 

[KBayDog]

Of course I'd love to fly jets, but my main concern is even getting accepted into OCS. You are right, I get the same bias everywhere I go, but I'll try to sort through it

I have a family, so I'd like some stability, but I don't mind deployment either. The pay is the same, so its a matter of career I guess and the Marine website isn't so filled with info.

While this thread has been resurrected:

Something to consider (since you'd like some stability): 'Tis true, the Marines deploy. A lot. However, remember that the Army is an occupying force. In a perfect world, and in general, this is how it works: After we win our battles, Marines are relieved by the Army. The Marines continue to float around, waiting for the next mission. The Army remains in the area and restores peace to the galaxy. For some places, that means troop rotations of 12-18 months (very rarely is the Corps out for more than 6-7 months at a time).

OIF kind of muddled things, what with the Corps becoming kind of an occupying force, and messing up the deployment cycle, but many army units are still there for well over a year at a time. Not a good thing if you want stability.

Of course, it is all timing (and what unit you wind up in). You could wind up in a unit that never deploys, and works 9-5 every day. Who knows.

 

[olympianchc]

this is what the people here are trying to tell you...I was down at cherry point the weekend before thanksgiving with a handful of air contract guys (our OSOs took us), and the commanding general down there (2 star general, forget his name) told us this..."you are joining the marine corps, the marine corps isnt joining you." So before people get all caught up in word "guaranteed," think about it that way. You should want to be a marine, you should work as hard as you can, and you should hope to have a little luck, and thats before you even get to pensacola.

 

[USMCSNA]

If you decide to go into our beloved Corps, you'll soon realize at TBS that any aircraft will be awesome to fly. Like you, I came in thinking that 18s would be great, and they still would. Then i started getting rides in 53Es and 46s, and got up close with a AH-1W. These aircraft all help support the 0302 types on the ground. When you know some of those infantry guys, and they're your close friends, you want to do anything you can to help them, so flying any aircraft in support of them and returning to an airfield or carrier afterwards sounds pretty cool. Set a goal, like I did, of 18s, and do whatever you can to stay ahead of your studying, and be ready for each flight. Then, be a perfectionist in everything you do...Do not be happy with mediocrity. If 18s are not there for you, you still get a paycheck to fly aircraft in defense of your country, and your brothers on the ground. Pretty cool stuff.