Vanity: Should my son enlist in Army or Marines?

keats5 | 6/16/2010 | keats5

[Retired COB]

The army has more boats than the navy. :)

But the Navy has more SHIPS!

By the way, the Navy has more airplanes than the Air Force. :)

[Retired Greyhound]

Thanks. I stand corrected.

[JHL]

Marine Corps — no question about it. I’m a retired Navy man, and now run an office for a defense contractor. If I interviewed two equally qualified job candidates and one was a Marine, the other Army, I’d hire the Marine in a heartbeat. There is something in the fiber of a Marine speaks of excellence, integrity, and character.

[Vinnie]

My 26 y.o. grandson was drifting around, not making any progress on the outside world.
He joined the Navy about a yr. ago and loves it.

Being trained to work electronics on sub hunters. P3 Orions at the moment. He’s really gung-ho.
I’m very proud of him.

My BiL was a Navy medic during Viet Nam. Got out, went to Penn State and became a PA. Makes good money in a heart surgery practice.

[Svartalfiar]

Yea, but if you join the Army or Marines, you’ll actually get the Air Force girls ;)

[don-o]

for later

btw, the answer is Marines

[Travis T. OJustice]

There’s a FReeper amry boat veteran who wrote a book about the Army fleet. I hope I can remember his name to ping him. His freeper page is pretty interesting.

[weldAllday]

***** NAVY *****

[Travis T. OJustice]

Your son should look at all 4 services. Each is different.

Psst, there are 5 armed services. :)

[mware]

One of my FRiends who has since passed away, was a corp man on Tarawa. You are correct, the Marines love their corp man because they go into hell with them. He told me that because they treated the wounded, they were special targets for the Japanese.

[Citizen Tom Paine]

Navy or Air Force. Get training at one of their good technician schools. The Navy and Air Force are famous for their technical schools.

But better yet, stay in college and then become an officer in the Navy or Air Force.

[Forty-Niner]

Marines without question.

The Marine ads during football season tell the honest truth in that he will be transformed (to the good) forever.

Read Gen Victor “Brute” Krulac’s (USMC Ret.) book “First to Fight” especially the first chapter where he describes the answer he gave to the Marine Commandant to the question of “Does the United States need a Marine Corps?” His response is as true today as it was back in the fifties...

Read Tom Clancy’s Book “Marines” where he answers detractors that Marines are “Dumb.” Of the five major military advances during the 20th century the US Marines pioneered 3 of them....Marines dumb? Yeah,.... like foxes....

After months (years?) of foot dragging, the Corps was forced to assign Marines to a “Joint Special Operations Command” in Iraq. The response from the Group Commander (a Navy Captain)? “I’m thrilled... every Marine is a shooter even the cooks! Every Marine can lead patrols. They’re the best!”

To others that have posted..... The Military is our Nations first line of Defense.....its not a trade school, nor is it a social engineering experiment.....only patriots dedicated to that purpose (selfless national defense) need apply.....

[chae]

Well, I wasn’t in the Air Force, but all of us girls would absolutely swoon when we would see guys in their Marine dress uniform. Also I’ve dated Army guys and Marines and I have to say that I think the Marines were more gentlemanly when it came to women. Holding doors open, pulling out chairs, helping me get up into the pick-up, getting the check, cool stuff like that.

[Forty-Niner]

“The food is better.”

Not in the Corps! It is uniformily mediocre, like cafeteria chow, for both officers and enlisted! The one saving grace is that the Marines do not scrimp on portions! a 5,000 calorie per day ration is not unusual for those in training.....

[Drango]

GO Navy. They have a better football team.

(What, you expected a more intelligent response from me?)

[Vermont Lt]

Tell him to find real soldiers and marines. Not recruiters.

Call them up and ask them to meet him and talk about their experience.

I think that would give him a better sense of the day to day.

[Vermont Lt]

Along those lines, a stint in the ANG will get him a free education (at least in my state) and it will put him ahead of classmates if he wants to get a commission.

Some classmates did that and they were commissioned six months ahead of the ROTC kids. THAT makes a difference at promotion time.

[Vermont Lt]

I spent six months trying to get into the Navy Aviation program in 1982. When I finally failed the flight physical for the last time, I tried to get ANY other officer slot. The wait was 18 months minimum. And the graduate school grads were filling up the spots faster than they could open them.

The early eighties sucked.

[Hot Tabasco]

Do any of your FReepers have some wisdom to share?

From my experience, the military is not at the top of the employment compensation scale. So, since finances for military personnel are at a minimum, your son needs to look at what branch is more conducive to promotions and which offfer the type of training he is most suited for.........

When I was in the Army, I made E-5 after only about 2 1/2 years which is really no big deal other than the fact that it paid me a whopping $380 per month...which was really all I cared about.

[Non-Sequitur]

Neither. Go Navy.