Navy officers describe what it is to be a Marine and vice versa

[Uncle Fester]

If you're looking for predictability and stability at home, the Marines are the last place you want to go.

Navy aviators rotate between sea (deploying) and shore billets on a regular basis; i.e., you go to Sea for 36 months, then to Shore for 33 months, etc. Once you're in that billet, you stay there until your rotation date, maybe +/- a couple of months depending on deployment and when your next job needs you to show up. And you know where you're going next (as far as squadron/shore/school/staff), when you need to be there and how long you'll be there.

Judging by the Marines I work with here in P'cola, you're pretty much at the mercy of the Corps' whims and needs as to when you go to a new job and you're liable to get yanked off to do something else much earlier than you planned. The guys I work with seem to have no real idea where they'll be going next or when. It does give them a much more Zen, be-here-now approach than the Navy guys, but I'm not sure that's so much an advantage. They might know what they're up for, or what they need to do career-wise (e.g., "I haven't done a FAC tour yet, so I bet I'll be going at some point"), but that's it.

Marines, is that an accurate impression?

 

[Uncle Fester]

If you're looking for predictability and stability at home, the Marines are the last place you want to go.

Navy aviators rotate between sea (deploying) and shore billets on a regular basis; i.e., you go to Sea for 36 months, then to Shore for 33 months, etc. Once you're in that billet, you stay there until your rotation date, maybe +/- a couple of months depending on deployment and when your next job needs you to show up. And you know where you're going next (as far as squadron/shore/school/staff), when you need to be there and how long you'll be there.

Judging by the Marines I work with here in P'cola, you're pretty much at the mercy of the Corps' whims and needs as to when you go to a new job and you're liable to get yanked off to do something else much earlier than you planned. The guys I work with seem to have no real idea where they'll be going next or when. It does give them a much more Zen, be-here-now approach than the Navy guys, but I'm not sure that's so much an advantage. They might know what they're up for, or what they need to do career-wise (e.g., "I haven't done a FAC tour yet, so I bet I'll be going at some point"), but that's it.

Marines, is that an accurate impression?

 

[vick]

For anyone hell bent on govt service but who holds predictability and stability at home as priorities, I don't know that any of the service branches are a good idea - maybe the post office would be a better idea

 

[HAL Pilot]

And as always, make sure you do you're homework and really want to be a Marine first. I'm getting the sense that you just want to fly. If that's the case, try the USAF it might be a bit more conducive to what you want.

Our mighty search engine turned up this --> http://www.airwarriors.com/forum/showthread.php?t=143460&highlight=b-billet

There's that Marine Kool Aid some think is necessary every time a question about the Marines gets asked. As he says, use "our mighty search engine" and you will find plenty of examples of Marines on the site who chose the Marines because they gave them a SNA slot.

So I'd change this pontification to "if you want to fly and choose to do so in the Marines, make sure you are willing to give 100% to the Marines in all things - not just flying." Of course, that would be true for whatever service you chose.

 

[Uncle Fester]

Well, make no mistake - if you don't want to buy into the Marine Metaphysics, service in the Corps will be burdensome. There's nothing wrong with joining the Marines primarily to fly; you just gotta understand that the Marines have a distinct culture, they're proud of that culture, and aren't very tolerant of iconoclasts.

 

[HAL Pilot]

^ Yeah, once you're in you play the game 100%. But I will stand by my statement that there are many who joined the Marines because they gave them the opportunity to fly and not because they wanted to be a "Marine first". Of course, most of these Marines will only admit this in private and lie their butts off in public. Yut, yut.

 

[Rocketman]

If you're looking for predictability and stability at home, the Marines are the last place you want to go. The guys I work with seem to have no real idea where they'll be going next or when. It does give them a much more Zen, be-here-now approach than the Navy guys, but I'm not sure that's so much an advantage. They might know what they're up for, or what they need to do career-wise (e.g., "I haven't done a FAC tour yet, so I bet I'll be going at some point"), but that's it.

Marines, is that an accurate impression?

From my dated experience on the Marine ground side this has certainly been true.

I think the Zen approach, while helpful in doing the Improvise, Adapt and Overcome thing is more of a survival mechanism that helps you cope with the day to day Marine BS.

As we used to say "if you don't mind, it don't matter". "Don't mean nothing".

I guess today's version is "Semper Gumpy". I hate that phrase but it does fit.

If you can't be Semper Gumby every day you don't need to be a Marine.

 

[skidkid]

Well, make no mistake - if you don't want to buy into the Marine Metaphysics, service in the Corps will be burdensome. There's nothing wrong with joining the Marines primarily to fly; you just gotta understand that the Marines have a distinct culture, they're proud of that culture, and aren't very tolerant of iconoclasts.

Every Marine I know from LCpl to LtCol have a little bit of iconoclast in their personality. Yes there is an ethos and to the outsider the Marine Corps seems very monolithic but in reality we are a bunch of individuals who value individuality (we just hide it well in mixed company).

As far as sacrificing ones predictable destiny to "the needs of the Corps", I think the situation the nation finds itself in is a contributor. I would submit that the many many Navy IAs are a comparable upset to the "predictability" of a military career. If you aren't living in the moment to one degree or another maybe it is time for a new career.

 

[HAL Pilot]

I readily acknowledge the esprit de corps of the Marine Corps and that it is a large part of the culture and part of what makes them one of the best fighting outfits in the world. But you have to admit, to an outsider it is heavy kool aid drinking.

What I was pointing out is that every time there is a question on here such as "is it easier to get a SNA contract from the Marines?" out comes the "you have to want to be a Marine first, pilot second" yut, yut. Yet there are many examples of on this site that shows this is just a bunch of yut yut.

I remember on more than one occasion someone with low test scores getting turned down for the Navy and asking if it was true if for the Marines it was basically pass/fail. Marines would answer yes and tell him to go see an OSO.

I also remember at least one poster that got turned down for Navy SNA but got Navy SNFO. He really wanted to be a SNA and Marines chimed in that if he had the PT scores, he would most certainly get a Marine SNA contract.

So what about the Marines that want to keep flying for the military but want to do it in the Coast Guard (DCA). Once a Marine, always a Coastie?

My point is that there are many that want to serve in the military but want to do it as a pilot or NFO. These people will go to whatever service offers them the contract. Once they are in, they will either have to adapt to that service's culture, or they probably will not be successful. In the Marines especially, they need to adapt quickly to the yut yut or they will have an especially hard time at OCS, TBS, etc.

Further the whole Marine first, pilot second concept applies to officers in any service. You have to be an office first and aviators second or you will do your service, your subordinates and your superiors a big dis-service. You will not be a good officer and I'd go as far as saying you will be a failure as an officer.

When I was in the Army reserve, I was all HOOAH. When I switched to the Navy, I mocked HOOAH. I adapted to the culture/mindset of my new service.

So my advice is and always will figure out what you want to do in the military and go to the branch that will let you do it. Then adapt to that branch's culture and be the most/best gung-ho Marine, Soldier, Sailor, Coastie or Airman imaginable. It's a lot easier when you are doing the job you want.