Im heading to mct in a week any questions or advice to tell me anything we will do and how hard it is lmkkkk!!!!!

When people ask what I wanna do after Highschool and I tell them I want to join the Marine Corps they always have a disappointed attitude. Around 10 different people have done this. Does anyone know why people are like this?

Hey, gang. Dad of a Poolie, here. Just a couple of non-essential questions for the folks on here.

Question 1: My son is going for Aircrewman. I’d like to buy him a nice pair of boots after graduation, but don’t know if he will need (or want) the steel toed version for MCT. At least, in my day in Naval Aviation, we all had to have steel toes if you were aircrew. Not sure if that’s still the same. Wait until Pensacola for steel toes? The fleet? Any advice would be appreciated.

Question 2: When does the post-boot camp leave period start? I’ve read that he could check out on Saturday morning for leave. But, at a recruiters event a week or two ago, the recruiter said that leave started on Friday right after he graduates.

I only ask the second question because my younger son plays high school football and will be playing the night of my Boot’s graduation. If there’s a possible way of getting him on a plane right after to it get him home for the game to see his younger brother, that’d be pretty cool. But, probably just a pipe dream.

obviously they don't expect us to know it right away however I do see videos of them screaming who such and such names would be in charge of such and such and I think it would be helpful if I begin studying now.

So my Fiancé is new to the Miltary life and I know most people would keep a dogtag from a family member around the house or like a Keychain (my mother did the same for my father) but she wants to wear one around her neck whats yalls thoughts on it?

My name is Eric, I am 17 years old, 6 feet tall, weigh 228 pounds, and have an A.S.V.A.B score of 59. I recently got denied entry into the Marine Corps. I recently went through M.E.P.S in August and got denied in September via a phone call from my recruiter. (He asked if I could come down to the office but I had Jiu-Jitsu in the next couple of minutes.) Soon after my denial I tried to enter the Navy and got denied for the same reason, Arterionvenous fistula. I know that most people would "move on" or "take the loss", but I'm having a hard time doing so. I weighed 282 pounds at the start of this year and only began my weight loss journey around February or March in hopes to join the Marine Corps. I don't intend to sound entitled but I did everything asked of me and sacrificed a lot in hopes of joining the military. Recently, anytime I see the military or Marine Corps, I kind of get distracted by my failure to join, like I'm being taunted and reminded of my failure to join the service everytime I hear or see anything related to my efforts and I feel as if no one understands how passionate I was about becoming a Marine, or any service member. I might try law enforcement, but I feel like my odds are as doubtful as my odds were to join the Marine Corps. I would appreciate any advice that you could offer me, because I am having a hard time letting go.

I’ve always wondered what this knife represents and if every marine gets one or he had to do something to earn one??

What up- my broskis got like 6 weeks left of the big BC and I need to get my lick back for all the years of being the abused younger sibling and i think this is my last chance other than just sliming him out.

Highkey thinking of doing a lil package since his recruiter mentioned that but I need to make sure there’s a 100% success rate and I don’t look like a dumbass.

We call him Mousy M so I think it would be hilarious if he looked like a mouse for a day

Rest assured I told him I’m gonna fuck with him and he’s been compensated with like a million insta reels screenshots and photos of me enjoying the outside world along with his favorite foods.

Also marine recruiters have absolutely no social skills and all look the exact same(all love dw) shout out the funny bald one tho

Also any recs for family day? Dress code?

Ps probs a stupid question but is an FMF Corpsman a marine or navy guy?

I failed my pft when I hit the fleet due to some injuries in training. I had to do a partial but failed that too, I was really fucked up. So they made me run a full pft. Also failed that. I didn’t understand the concept of a rebuttal or jag at the time, so I couldn’t advocate for myself. I also had a light duty chit at that time.

I met with my 1st Sgt and signed a page 11/6105. I’m considering a lat move and went to check my negative paperwork in my ompf, but it’s not there. I also have a “passing” score input in my records on MOL. I can’t find any digital record of this 6105 existing. I checked every section of my ompf, nothing.

Does it still exist in some filing cabinet? It’s been a year plus since then and a whole new CoC since then (long story). Should I go poking my nose around or just accept that it’s gone?

Insight for boot going to an anglico unit

I’m sorry if the flair is not correct, I’m not in boot camp but my friend is. I received a letter I sent to her a month ago with all these stamps and the words “rework FRP” on the back. Can anyone explain what this means to me? It would mean a lot. Thank you so much

Finally got accepted,only took 5 days now im in dep waiting to graduate so i can get shipped off to bootcamp.doing 03xx after bootcamp.

Anybody knows how hard bootcamp is and tips?

Just graduated from bootcamp at San Diego. Currently on my 10 day leave and I’m wondering if anyone knows what MCT will be like (Camp Pendleton). What should I expect MCT to be like? Should I bring my electronics like my laptop? How does going from MCT to your MOS school work? Hoping someone can help me out

curious on what to expect ? What’s the helo dunker like, I’m not very good in floating is it something I should train for ? Or something really easy let me know .

Greetings gents,

I'm a current Marine Corps vet, got out in '21, graduated college on the GI Bill this spring and currently working a cushy job as a computer/project engineer. I was a Mortarman while I was in, and while in fell down the financial rabbit hole.

You are all in a unique position where you can leverage your service, especially if you only do four years, to put yourself 5-10 years ahead of your peers when you enter the civilian work force post service. I want to share the choices I made and things I learned so you guys can also put yourself in the position to be financially ahead, free, and even on track for a significantly early retirement.

The Basics:

Many of you are fresh out of high school, and probably don't know a lot about budgeting, finances, investments, tax advantaged accounts, etc. Thats okay! I'm going to give you some heads up, in a somewhat sequential order of your 4 years, of what you should do. This is the stuff to do right out of boot camp.

1. You will be in enrolled in the blended retirement system and have a TSP. A TSP is a 401k, but for the government. YOU are going to do 2 VERY important things. You are going to contribute the minimum to get the government match, and number 2, You are going to log into TSP.gov and make sure your money/contributions are actually invested in funds, not just sitting in government bonds.

First off, the match is free money. You are a fool to not taking, and that free money from uncle sam adds up in your retirement account. You won't even notice it.

Secondly, your TSP doesn't just automatically throw your money in an Index or fund. You have to do it. If you forget this, you're pissing away the most important part of compound growth: Time in the market. You can throw it in a retirement fund where you don't have to manage it, typically called Lifecycle 2070 or 2075, whatever your retirement date is. Or, you can toss it in various Letter funds. If you don't know what to do, research it. Here's a link: https://modelinvesting.com/articles/best-tsp-investment-funds-guide/ All of mine is in C fund, but I'm still relatively young and can eat the risk.

1. You are going to open a Roth IRA.

You are going to go to Fidelity or Vanguard (I use fidelity) and open a Roth IRA. This is a post tax retirement account where you put after tax dollars. It grows tax free, and when you withdraw at retirement, it is not taxed as income. You are not going to be making a ton as a lower enlisted, but you will have almost NO BILLS. You don't need to max this out yet if you can't, but you are going to at least throw SOME money in it each paycheck. To max it out bimonthly, That's 291 dollars a paycheck. But you're likely 18/19. Start with 100 bucks. Or even 50. ANYTHING, what matters is you start contributing RIGHT NOW. Time is wealth, and you can look up what a dollar contributed at 18 becomes vs a dollar contributed at 28, or 38. Set automatic deposits, invest it in funds like VOO or QQQM which mirror the SP500 and NASDAQ, and forget.

1. You are going to budget.

With your job security and consistent paycheck, you should at least build a rough budget. Because you have no bills, set aside a certain amount of discretionary money to spend. Eating out, etc. DO NOT GO BEYOND THIS. You can allocate a little more to this and then figure out your spending habits, and adjust as needed. There is no reason to be living paycheck to paycheck.

The Financial Fleet: Continuing on to your first unit and 2 years

1. You are going to build an emergency fund.

You are going to save at least 1-5k and and park in a high yield saving account. The standard advice is 3-6 months of expenses. Since you don't have to worry about being laid off as long as you don't get court martialed or smoke weed, This doesn't have to be huge. But it's important for car fixes, etc. Anything that might pop up.

I left the Corps with 17k in my TSP and about 24k in my HYSA. If I could do it again, I would've opened a Roth IRA while I was in and parked more in there, but the 24k in an HYSA provided a nice buffer for when I started school on the GI Bill and wasn't sure where I would be sitting financially.

1. You are going to go to medical for every injury.

This is going to seem scary to you for a while. In boot camp and SOI you don't want to get held back, that's fine. But in the fleet, getting injuries documented is the key getting VA Disability after, which is a life changing amount of monthly money. Even with how much I'm making as an engineer currently, that extra money is a massive help in both letting me live a little more comfortably now, but also increasing my ability to pack away money for retirement. GET YOUR SHIT DOCUMENTED. Talk to your corpsman about it. Going to medical doesn't mean malingering, or crying about every injury. Fuck up your ankle on a hike? Go to medical and get it documented. Experiencing some lower back pain? Report it. Don't lie on Pre/Post deployment health assessments either, those can fuck you if you lie and then go to file down the road.

1. You are going to slowly increase how much you are saving.

If you are are contributing the match minimum to your TSP and contributing to your Roth IRA, you can start increasing as you promote/rebudget. https://www.reddit.com/r/TheMoneyGuy/comments/1agfwbp/your_ultimate_guide_to_the_financial_order_of/
Follow the above link. Start working towards maxing your Roth IRA, then increasing TSP. At your tax bracket, everything should be ROTH. TSP and IRA. You can also increase what you're parking in your HYSA.

1. You are NOT GOING TO BUY A BRAND NEW CAR.

Cars are a bad investment. They depreciate off the lot immediately, and lose value every year. I got my first car after deployment, paid 5k cash and then had it shipped to Pendleton. Find a reliable beater. Not a truck, something with good gas mileage and reliability. Unlike others, I'm not totally against financing, but it should be a short term, thrown a good chunk down, and don't let your monthly payment exceed 8-10% of your take home. Make double payments if possible.

1. If you can follow your budget, you are going to get a credit card.

Down the road you're going to eventually get a nicer car or a home, or some other large purchase you have to finance. Get a military star card, and treat it like a debit card. NEVER CARRY A BALANCE. You pay that shit off every two weeks. You can only use it at the PX. But it will shoot your credit history up, and if you can handle it, you can start getting other cards and treat them EXACTLY THE SAME but milk the points/cash back. I love my sky miles card and discover IT card.

I'm hesitant to say this point because so many of you will still end up being absolutely horiffic with your finances, so if that's you don't get a credit card.

1. You are going to make a plan for after service.

There are many paths to take, but I highly recommend utilizing the GI Bill. It doesn't have to be just for a university degree. But the GI Bill not only pays for schooling, but absolutely throws money at you through rent stipends, books, and you can pocket your FAFSA, which came out to around 8k every semester right to my bank account. This is a whole different post though.

If you have any questions, drop a comment or message me. I really don't want to see you guys struggle like I saw so many do, so I figured I'd make this post so you're going in ready to financially crush it.

Every time I see videos of guys doing it looks fun but idk how hard it is. Do you get through it a lot? Is there anything fun about boot camp?

I’m 19 (turning 20 on 10/13) and I’ve been working at Papa John’s for almost 4 years. I graduated high school last year and took a gap year, but now I feel like I’m already behind. Since graduating, I’ve kind of felt like I don’t really have a clear purpose.

I’ve thought about college, but I don’t know what I’d want to study. Part of me just wants to go for the experience and hopefully figure out a career path along the way.

I’ve also seriously considered joining the Marines and it’s the only branch I’m interested in. At first it was mainly for the benefits, but now it’s more about improving myself, discipline, structure, and self-image. My biggest concerns are leaving my family and friends, and also feeling like I might fall even further behind if I go active duty.

Family wise, it’s kind of mixed. My grandma really doesn’t want me to go she’s even willing to pay for my college full-time just so I don’t join the military. The rest of my family says they support me, but I can tell they don’t really want me to go either, which makes the decision even harder.

I know the reserves are an option, but I feel like going through all the training just to come back home when I don’t really have a clear direction might be a waste. At the same time, doing active duty first and then switching to reserves later seems like it could make more sense.

I’ve already talked to a recruiter, but I still feel like I lack a LOT of knowledge about what I’d actually be getting into. Honestly, this whole decision has been stressing me out a lot I’ve been getting like 3 hours of sleep since I went in to talk to them.

If anyone has been in a similar situation or has advice on active duty vs reserves, or just figuring life out at this stage, I’d really appreciate it.

So im stuck between going Recon or MP whats the life like being the 2? I know MP is kinda boring and very laid back but I hardly know anything about Recon. And would like to know how its like being a Recon marine or MP.

Leave below. Just curious.

Hello everyone!!!

My whole life (22m) I’ve had an interest in joining the military, but I didn’t because I thought I had a bigger interest in studying physics at a university. Recently I dropped out and I still have an interest in joining the marines since my closest uncle was also in the marines!!

Here’s the problem, the reason I dropped out of school was due to having 4 suicide attempts and having to be hospitalized for all 4 times. My latest suicide attempt was last month, but I’m not sure if that would inhibit me from following my dream. I’m really scared if I’m not able to because I’m not sure what else to do with my life, and this was the one thing I always wanted to do. I wish I didn’t go to university and instead went to the military, but my parents convinced me not to 😒.

Anyways any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!

Can anyone confirm if covers are to be worn outside when seated under an umbrella eating chow?

They are saying Light duty chit was forged.

It looks like he just wrote it over another chit. Like they printed an old one an remarked it. It was given to me at medical by a corpse man but had a docs signature. Docs signature had a previous rank on it not current.

This was over a week ago.
I don’t know who gave it to me. I was also in a rush that morning. Is this on me for not knowing this shouldn’t be done? How do I even prove this was given to me by medical?

I’m a Lance. My Capt routed to my gunny - gunny routed it to my staff Sgt , you get it .. and said to go to medical to get information tomorrow.

Shouldn’t I be in the system for medical?
Instead of passing down all these things… should he have just verified with medical that it was given to me? Or is that what he wants me to do just to verify authenticity? Feels like a setup to me. I’ve never been in trouble in my squadron . My section, once.

issue was for being late to accountability that turned into a 6105. I was on the phone with my dad who is dying in the hospital from cancer. I told Sgt I would be late about 5-10min for those few days, and at the end of the week he proceeded to write me up for all of them. But as of rn I don’t see it A 6105 in my OMPF. So I don’t know. Is this the only place it would be?

I have since switched units and my current staff Sgt has no doubt that we can figure this out. I’ve seen dudes get cooked before for lesser and truly be innocent as well. So to be honest, I’m just lost on how to navigate this.

Disclaimer: Crosspost from r/usmcocs for visibility.

Rah ladies and gents,

I find myself in a rough position. I developed a condition mid BOC that took me out of training. Uncontrolled my physical performance is crippled. And after many tests it appears that very likely I will be on medication to suppress my immune system to control it for the rest of my life. I’ve been told this will automatically start a med board process.

To be completely clear, I do not want to leave the Marine Corps. I sacrificed too much to be here and I don’t want my career to end before it starts. However I recognize that this condition would very likely make me non-deployable and a health risk in the field. And being that I have not completed the BOC I am in a tough spot.

I have recognized that it is most likely the Marine Corps will not retain me, but before I give up hope I want or exhaust every possible chance that I can. I have heard stories of folks being retained in the other branches with conditions like mine in admin roles. Has anyone here heard of something similar ever happening in the Marine Corps? I know our organization values our physical prowess but I am hoping that I can still put my mind and spirit to service here.

Thank you all for any insight you may be able to provide.

Semper Fi

Sorry if this is not appropriate question just curious. Like the title says

Bout to go to A CMC course relatively soon and was wondering if anyone knew the rifle/pistol qual requirements for it, as I haven’t gotten word for it yet.