To piggy back on the yoda-eske comments of FLY USMC and Harrier Dude....
You gotta have both to some degree. You always hear about the "Marine first, Officer second, Pilot third" mentality. But there are actually some pretty darn miserable pilots out there because they bought into all that a little too much. Guys who really wanted to be a Marine ground pounder but thought, "Hey, even as a pilot I am a Marine First!" are often fairly bitter. Can't speak to that on the helo or C-130 side, but in jet land it is out there for sure.
I think people who endure TBS and OCS because they want to be a pilot might do a lot better than people who endure being a pilot because they want to be a Marine.
You gotta have both to some degree. You always hear about the "Marine first, Officer second, Pilot third" mentality. But there are actually some pretty darn miserable pilots out there because they bought into all that a little too much. Guys who really wanted to be a Marine ground pounder but thought, "Hey, even as a pilot I am a Marine First!" are often fairly bitter. Can't speak to that on the helo or C-130 side, but in jet land it is out there for sure.
I think people who endure TBS and OCS because they want to be a pilot might do a lot better than people who endure being a pilot because they want to be a Marine.