"THE WORD" at tbs right now about API

[Jim123]

Check out the section "Operational Cultural Information" on your MOL account after you graduate TBS. It will be there. I got assigned the arm pit of the world... I mean East Africa. But yeah, we are supposed to have to take PME along with EWS in our region to become subject matter experts in that part of the world. We'll see if that really happens.

FWIW, the Navy is doing something similar but at field grade and higher. About five years ago the Naval War College broke up the masters degrees into several geographic and functional "areas of study." The program had already been that way for a long time but the difference is that after a cutoff date (~5 years ago) people have to choose a minor, in addition to getting the old JPME + masters in international relations. The minor translates into a sub-specialty stamp in the service record.

Hedging our collective PME bets I suppose, like putting lots of chips on some numbers but at least one chip on every number on the roulette table.

 

[Motivated]

The "Word" is forget about API for now. TBS Alpha Company air contracts have been put on hold. More word will be passed on Monday, but for now, don't expect to go to API any time soon. A group of Marines from TBS A Co (17) are going to IOC and will probably be deploying within the year. The rest will be going to places that have been mentioned earlier in this thread. The point is, API is the last thing that air contracts should be focused on for now. We may all end up with a deployment before we go to flight school, even the 50 language learners. It's likely the Marine Corps is training Officers in languages to deploy them on a MiTT Team. Different times for sure!

 

[Reconjoe]

The point is, API is the last thing that air contracts should be focused on for now. We may all end up with a deployment before we go to flight school, even the 50 language learners. It's likely the Marine Corps is training Officers in languages to deploy them on a MiTT Team. Different times for sure!

I disagree......for one we could argue/debate all day long what the Marine Corps is likely to do....but one thing is for sure, API and flight school should be the biggest focus. I've seen it too many times, when someone enlisted/officer gets too far away from what they were meant/wanted to do thinking it was temporary only to later be told they are too valuable where they are and the needs of the corps will overrule in the end. Being proactive (while being tactful and professional) should be the concern of all involved right now. Of course until word is passed Monday (hopefully) there's no tellin how to be proactive in this just yet.

Personally, my money is on alot of this either going away or just becoming a new stash pool deal Quantico side.....

 

[sanders]

I can't see us learning a foreign language AND getting deployed. I figure language school is probably around 6 months. Then we would have to do a workup and then be deployed for 6-7 months. the wait for API is around 10 months. This would mean they would have a shortage of Marines to start API. Everybody is just speculating... for those of you in A company, during the brief on Friday Captain x made it seem like we would still be doing IFS this summer after all. He said word has been changing on an hourly basis but hopefully we will have final word this week. The whole situation freaking sucks, I already had to cancel the lease on my apartment and I don't know where I will be living when we graduate in 11 days. Oh well, get used to it I guess.

 

[eas7888]

Best of luck to you guys who are being forced to wait it out. As someone who's been in the Army for seven years, I'm very familiar with the "hurry up and wait" mentality of the military, but there's not even a hurry up component there, just a hell of a lot of waiting. I know this doesn't bode well for those of us who have yet to be selected. I just hope they find a way to put you guys into the training pipeline as soon as possible.

 

[Swanee]

The "Word" is forget about API for now. TBS Alpha Company air contracts have been put on hold. More word will be passed on Monday, but for now, don't expect to go to API any time soon. A group of Marines from TBS A Co (17) are going to IOC and will probably be deploying within the year. The rest will be going to places that have been mentioned earlier in this thread. The point is, API is the last thing that air contracts should be focused on for now. We may all end up with a deployment before we go to flight school, even the 50 language learners. It's likely the Marine Corps is training Officers in languages to deploy them on a MiTT Team. Different times for sure!

So you don't know "the word" but you are spreading "word" about "probably deploying within the year" and MiTT teams.... Right. Did you think this one up? I hated the rumor mill when I was at TBS because none of it was true. I hate the rumor mill in MATSG because (gasp!) most of it is bullshit.

For all you know they just have open slots in IOC and it is a class to stash you in without making our pool even larger down here in Pcola. They did that in the 90s. Same with the language deal. So you wait around Northern Virginia and boozehound in DC for the foreseeable future instead of boozehounding on the beach in lower Alabama. Enough with the mass hysteria and cats and dogs living together crap, you'll find out on Monday wtf is going on. You'll probably get some pressure to change your MOS, that flight school is hard and that killing bad guys whether you are doing it with a platoon of Marines or with an airplane is all the same. Some guys will take the bait and change. Most won't. It happens...

 

[Pepe]

So you don't know "the word" but you are spreading "word" about "probably deploying within the year" and MiTT teams.... Right. Did you think this one up? I hated the rumor mill when I was at TBS because none of it was true. I hate the rumor mill in MATSG because (gasp!) most of it is bullshit.

I used to LOVE the rumor mill back in TBS! I could say the most random, off the wall thing and people would just eat it up. Never got old!

 

[KBayDog]

I used to LOVE the rumor mill back in TBS! I could say the most random, off the wall thing and people would just eat it up. Never got old!

You can do the same thing with the white board in the ready room. For example, on Friday, write "AOM @ 1800," "Formation at 2000 in Alphas," or anything somewhat official-sounding in big block letters on the white board, and nobody will question it. It's good for a few laughs...or so I have heard. (I would never, never do such a thing )

 

[Swanee]

I used to LOVE the rumor mill back in TBS! I could say the most random, off the wall thing and people would just eat it up. Never got old!

Ahhhh, so you're the asshole icon_wink) who is filling these young impressionable motards with these terms like MiTT and Deployment, giving them delusional thoughts that they may actually get to the fight before they make Captain. You should be ashamed of yourself.





.....Well played!

 

[AJB37]

In fairness of this rumor mill stuff, all the air contracts were told by our SPCs that those who go to IOC would deploy with a reserve unit and would get "front of the line privileges upon coming back. So the official word was that at least 17 air contracts would get some. However, Friday we were told word changed so now we really have no idea until Monday. But the deployment was the word we heard from our staff, so it wasn't made up by some motivated LT. But come Monday it probably wont be the word anymore.

 

[HueyCobra8151]

I convinced half my platoon during one of the rifle range weeks that we weren't humping back because we were going to get helo-extracted back to Camp Barrett.

Bottom line is that when they turn the faucet back on full (presumably after the MX issues are resolved), they are going to need bodies in Pensacola, ready to train.

 

[KBayDog]

The word from the fleet is that pre-API Marines will be given the opportunity to do an inter-service transfer to the Air Force in order to fill pilot manpower shortfalls, but would incur an additional 365-day obligation. Due to increased UAV manning, the Air Force is short AMC-type pilots.

Sounds like a pretty good deal (I'd love to get some C-17 time!); I'd be interested to see if any Marines go that route.

 

[DocT]

^^^^ Dear Lord ^^^^

 

[HueyCobra8151]

The word from the fleet is that pre-API Marines will be given the opportunity to do an inter-service transfer to the Air Force in order to fill pilot manpower shortfalls, but would incur an additional 365-day obligation. Due to increased UAV manning, the Air Force is short AMC-type pilots.

Sounds like a pretty good deal (I'd love to get some C-17 time!); I'd be interested to see if any Marines go that route.

I think I heard about this, all the guys who are wanting to get into the airlines later in life are eating this up.

 

[Reconjoe]

I used to LOVE the rumor mill back in TBS! I could say the most random, off the wall thing and people would just eat it up. Never got old!

I've been doing this for months here....great way to pass the time, lots of fun to watch...