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Eye protection?

phrogpilot73

Well-Known Member
^ 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.
I think where most of us stress the "Marine first" statements, are that yes - you may join the Marines to fly, and only fly - but the chances are VERY good that as a Marine pilot, you'll end up on a FAC tour. Also, if you stab yourself in the eye at TBS (something the Navy guys don't have to worry about) during night land nav, you still have to be a Marine Officer until the end of your committment.

Some guys that join solely for the flying sometimes don't take that stuff into consideration.
 

teabag53

Registered User
pilot
Dude, don't worry about the deployment cycle as nobody's guess means jack shit. The best you can do do is plan for the worst case and be pleasantly surprised if it's better.

So far as the eye-gouging is concerned you really don't have much of a choice, per se. You would then fill out a 'dream sheet' that gets placed in the TBS raffle and get what you get based on the needs of the Corps. Your performance at TBS has some impact on what you would get but quality spread can still bite you in the ass (ie. supply officer in Barstow, CA or something of the like).
 

BigRed389

Registered User
None
I think where most of us stress the "Marine first" statements, are that yes - you may join the Marines to fly, and only fly - but the chances are VERY good that as a Marine pilot, you'll end up on a FAC tour. Also, if you stab yourself in the eye at TBS (something the Navy guys don't have to worry about) during night land nav, you still have to be a Marine Officer until the end of your committment.

Some guys that join solely for the flying sometimes don't take that stuff into consideration.

Maybe I'm interpreting this the wrong way, but just b/c you temporarily can't pass a vision test while recovering at TBS, they'd force you out of an air contract!?
 

MettGT

Registered User
pilot
Eye protection at TBS

Maybe I'm interpreting this the wrong way, but just b/c you temporarily can't pass a vision test while recovering at TBS, they'd force you out of an air contract!?

No, more along the lines of permanent problems resulting from a stick in the eye. They're not going to can you for a healing scratched cornea, but if it doesn't heal right it's a different story.
 

phrogpilot73

Well-Known Member
Maybe I'm interpreting this the wrong way, but just b/c you temporarily can't pass a vision test while recovering at TBS, they'd force you out of an air contract!?
As previously stated, it depends on the nature and severity. When I went through TBS, it was at a time that they really needed pilots so we (air contracts) were encouraged by our SPC's to wear the issue goggles during land nav to avoid it.
 

HueyCobra8151

Well-Known Member
pilot
They are still issuing these for land nav, right?

804221576_8e23d126c4.jpg
 

vick

Esoteric single-engine jet specialist
pilot
None
Actually in my TBS company the eye goggle question was a big issue - the point being from the staff's perspective that the eyes of the guys with air contracts were no more or less valuable that the ground guys. As long as you don't get a superiority complex everyone stays pretty happy.

The real question is what happens to you if you get flagged at the NAMI whammy or flight school doesn't work out for you - then where you'll end up is much harder to predict. The better your attitude has been up to that point the better your odds.
 

CumminsPilot

VA...not so bad
pilot
My SPC's take on eye pro is:

"when we are in the field, you will wear eye pro."

Pretty simple...nobody is exempt.
 

LazersGoPEWPEW

4500rpm
Contributor
I think where most of us stress the "Marine first" statements, are that yes - you may join the Marines to fly, and only fly - but the chances are VERY good that as a Marine pilot, you'll end up on a FAC tour. Also, if you stab yourself in the eye at TBS (something the Navy guys don't have to worry about) during night land nav, you still have to be a Marine Officer until the end of your committment.

Some guys that join solely for the flying sometimes don't take that stuff into consideration.

What?! They don't issue eyepro? But on a more serious note if you're doing landnav at night you probably would benefit from some eye protection. I know a guy who is a surveyor and he lost one of his eyes running into a branch. Not a good day.
 

ArkhamAsylum

500+ Posts
pilot
Air contract or not, it behooves you to wear eye protection any time you're walking through the woods at night. Daytime doesn't hurt either - try the tinted ones.
 

MettGT

Registered User
pilot
Air contract or not, it behooves you to wear eye protection any time you're walking through the woods at night. Daytime doesn't hurt either - try the tinted ones.

Agreed. I also recommend ear pro....got a stick in the ear during land nav 2 (TA-6) that perforated my eardrum. Talk about luck. Luckily it healed up ok.
 

usmarinemike

Solidly part of the 42%.
pilot
Contributor
Ah the infamous "stick in the eye for SNAs at TBS" argument. Older than the Corps itself I believe.

I'm also on board with the eye pro. It doesn't hurt, and it doesn't get in the way. And you don't have to wear the ski mask that fogged to hell and back or the $60 set in the PX. Wal-Mart sells a set of Winchester shooting goggles for like 6 bucks.

And I don't care who you are, if you haven't experienced night land nav in deciduous forest or thicker in the summer time, you don't understand it. Not beating my chest (cause I hated it & the format it's done in proves nothing about your abilities), it's just the truth.

Besides, all super secret black ops operators wear sweet eye pro, right?
 

HeyJoe

Fly Navy! ...or USMC
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
if you haven't experienced night land nav in deciduous forest or thicker in the summer time, you don't understand it. Not beating my chest (cause I hated it & the format it's done in proves nothing about your abilities), it's just the truth.

Memories! So true! Hard to believe it's been 30+ years for me, but that memory is clear as a bell. All it takes is once close call with a sapling branch at cheek level.

I still duck or recoil when moving around in my deciduous forest yard at night in poor lighting conditions.
 
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