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Hopeful Marine looking for expert advice

F

FNGTony

Marine
Hey everyone what's up my name is Tony and I want to become a Marine. My goal with the Corps is to one day become a Marine Corps Officer and Pilot so that I can fly for my country.

Also, I am enlisting in the Marine Corps, not going directly to Officer. The reason for this is because my student loans are becoming too high, plus I would like to enlist to see it from an enlisted-person's perspective, kind of work my way up from the bottom.

What specific rate would those of you who are experienced recommend? I am looking for an enlisted position that would have me actually in the plane with the Pilots and NFO's during the missions.

I have researched the Marines web site and as far as aviation goes, my guess is "Enlisted Aircrew" and "Air Support" seem to be the ones closest related to what I am looking for. But I am not certain.

Any experienced perspective, knowledge, and insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your response and above all thank you for your service to our country.
 
I'm not an expert, but I can offer my 2 cents.

First, the only way you can be a pilot or NFO is to be an officer. You have to be 29 by the time you commission in order to fly, so plan your future accordingly.

Second, and this is nit-picky, but in the Marines it's called MOS or Military Occupational Specialty, in other words your job. The Navy has ratings (your job) and rates (your pay grade).

Third, from all I read on various forums, enlisting before becoming an officer doesn't really increase your chances of selection. If it's what you really want to do, by all means go for it. But if your heart is set on being in the cockpit, I suggest applying straight to OCS.

As to your financial situation, have you looked at the PLC program? From what I understand, PLC candidates get some financial assistance for school. Talk to your local OSO (Officer Selection Officer. Google should help you out here) and explain your situation. He can help you out and give you the most up to date information.

Good luck!
 
Hi Lord Doog,

Thank you for the information you have provided, Sir. I understand the age limit for the commission and am certain I will be able to earn my commission before that day.

My appologies about saying rate instead of MOS. The honest to god truth is I have been researching the Navy for a while and decided on the Corps just recently. I like the lifestyle in the Corps and I like how much pride there is in the Corps as well. Plus, I am a big fan of The Basic School and like that it is tough and that it is six months of leadership training, I want that when I get my commission.

I understand what you mean about how it does not help my situation and I am aware of that, but something seems to be drawing me toward enlisting and its not just my financial situation. I don't know why but I want that enlisted-person's perspective. I feel it will truly teach me how to be an effective leader.

Also, regarding the PLC program. Thank you for that information as well and I have looked into that. I found out the program will pay me about $3000 each summer for two summers. But what I don't understand though is, if I got my commission before my senior year, would that mean I would actually get an O-1 pay each month while in college?

I tried Google'ing that question but came up short on an exact answer.
 
FNGTony said:
I found out the program will pay me about $3000 each summer for two summers. But what I don't understand though is, if I got my commission before my senior year, would that mean I would actually get an O-1 pay each month while in college?
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Doog was referring to the Financial Assistance Program. As for the PLC program, you do not commission right after graduating from Seniors if you do not have your degree yet. You would complete Juniors and Seniors, then return to college for your senior year, then commission upon your graduation.
 
FNGTony said:
I am looking for an enlisted position that would have me actually in the plane with the Pilots and NFO's during the missions.
Click to expand...

One of my onwings was an Naval Aircrewman in the back of CH-46's. He did VERY well in the program once he commissioned.

Something that I tell my sailors too: once you enlist, make sure you continue working on your degree. You can get a FREE (with TA) bachelors that is recognized by OCS from AMU (American Military University). If you let your life interfere with continuing education, it's hard to get started back up. GOOD luck, fly safe and don't fvck it up.

~d
 
I went through the PLC-C and you can get FAP and TAP if you want. I think TAP is a pretty decent amount of money, but it also delays your pay entry base date (when your time in begins, basically) until you actually commission versus when you contract. I made the mistake of accepting both because I thought I was going to commission right after graduating, but lately that hasn't been the case for a number of people.

I was just like you at one point, wanting to enlist to get experience and see the enlisted side first. I did some research and spoke to a lot of people about that, and the general concensus is that if you want to be an officer and your ultimate goal is to fly, you're just delaying the process by doing so.

You will not be payed O-1 pay while in school, or any time before commissioning. You will get FAP and TAP if you accept them while taking classes. After graduation while waiting on commission, you will have to find a way to support yourself. It sucks, but you have to deal with it if you are serious about all of this.

I hope these answers don't change your mind about anything, if you really want to enlist, do it! But just make an educated decision about these things. It's easy to be motivated and just rush into things. I hope this information was accurate, but you should honestly contact your local OSO and ask them questions about everything. Meet up with them at their office and discuss your plans and see what advice they have.

Good luck.
 
FNGTony said:
Hi Lord Doog,

Thank you for the information you have provided, Sir. I understand the age limit for the commission and am certain I will be able to earn my commission before that day.

My appologies about saying rate instead of MOS. The honest to god truth is I have been researching the Navy for a while and decided on the Corps just recently. I like the lifestyle in the Corps and I like how much pride there is in the Corps as well. Plus, I am a big fan of The Basic School and like that it is tough and that it is six months of leadership training, I want that when I get my commission.

I understand what you mean about how it does not help my situation and I am aware of that, but something seems to be drawing me toward enlisting and its not just my financial situation. I don't know why but I want that enlisted-person's perspective. I feel it will truly teach me how to be an effective leader.

Also, regarding the PLC program. Thank you for that information as well and I have looked into that. I found out the program will pay me about $3000 each summer for two summers. But what I don't understand though is, if I got my commission before my senior year, would that mean I would actually get an O-1 pay each month while in college?

I tried Google'ing that question but came up short on an exact answer.
Click to expand...

Before I give any advice I'll let it be known that I am niether an Officer or a Pilot. I spent four years as an Enlisted Marine and found myself in a very similar position to where you are now. With college acceptances in hand and the 90 day reservist option pushed at me, I decided to drop everything and enlist active duty for four years. For me this was the right choice. Two deployments to OIF and a lot of "tough love" experience matured me in many ways. At 18 I was nowhere near where I needed to be in terms of maturity to be an Officer. That said, my decision may not be the right one for you. You may have the maturity and dedication that I lacked back then.

I will tell you right off the bat that life as a Junior Enlisted Marine would quite likely frustrate someone who already has the qualifications and maturity to be an Officer. For most of your enlistment you'll be treated quite like a child, getting herded from one place to the next, usually without anyone bothering to tell you whats going on, or asking for your opinion. For someone like me who likes to think big picture this can be very frustrating. After the first year or two the machinegun shoots, MOUT, helicopter rides, and excitment of deployment will wear off while the "hurry up and wait", field days, and ass chewings will begin to come front and center in your brain. Once you become an NCO life will improve a bit and you'll experience your fairshare of leadership. This leadership will be completely different than the leadership an Officer excersises though. To sum it up, my enlisted time in the Marine Corps made me realize that I liked the Marine Corps but that I didn't particularly like being an enlisted Marine. After my first deployment, I felt I had gotten all I wanted out of my experience and that an enlisted career wasn't in my future. I was simply waiting for the clock to run down. A two year enlistment would have been perfect for me.

Less than a year from the end of my contract I'm sitting here in college very seriously considering OCS and a career as a Marine Corps Officer. Many of my friends, who swore up and down they'd never consider the Marine Corps again, are also looking into OCS. My point being, we all feel that a career as an Officer would be very different and more rewarding than the 1st term enlisted experience that we often loathed.

I hope am not out of line putting my two cents in here but I felt I had something to offer. Remember that my perspective is only from a one-term infantry Marine, airwingers may have it better. This modicum of experience is no way representative of the entire career of an enlisted Marine....it's just representative of what your first four years will likely be.
 
The "should one enlist before becoming an officer" question has been beaten to death. I won't debate the merits here. If one does enlist in the Corps with hopes of being a pilot, going for an aviation MOS won't really help much later on. The knowledge of a crew chief doesn't carry over much to being a pilot, unless you happen to get the same aircraft, in which case you'll have a leg up on your systems classes at the FRS and your aircraft commander board, but that's about it. An aviation MOS might give you a clue about what goes on in a squadron, as well, but that's about it.

As I think about it, going into a ground combat arms MOS, e.g infantry, might be the best play for a future pilot. The ex-grunts had big advantages in OCS and TBS. Especially in an air-contract-heavy TBS company, having grunt knowledges will bump up your class rank considerably, if you apply yourself. That TBS rank follows you around longer than you might think.
 
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