USMC......

Your first mistake was talking to a recruiter.

They'll say anything and everything to get you to sign up, they don't care about you.  Your just a number they get paid for.

Unless you can get an absolute gurantee that you will be doing what you want to do, dont do it.

Cause you'll probly get stuck doing something you hate, and the have to do it.

I would never join the military unless I had to.

Anything a recuriter says you NEED in writting.

Their word is bull, their job is to recruit you, getting you your ideal position is second or third.

The Job in the reserves is based on the needs of the reserve unit. They have an opening, they recruit you to fill it. It is the best gaurentee you can get.

You get paid, based on rank and time in service, for each weekend drill you get paid for four days. During the two week drills, you are paid like your on active duty.

Small Arms repiar, is an armorer, m-16, various machine guns, Mortars, etc. It will depend on what your unit has.

Artillary repair would be a mechanic, after all it is just a trailer with a big gun mounted on it.   

AAV is Amphibious Assault Vehicle. It's the big eight wheeled mostrousity the Marines use. Mechanic.

Before you go, you will sign a contract, it will spell out your garuntees, bonuses, rank etc.

And yes, the recruiters are salesmen, really really good salesmen. They could sell Ice Machines in Alaska. But, they won't lie to you. The just make it sound better than it really is.

If you're ever drafted into the Army, join the Navy.

thanx kevin i was hoping you, wun gun or another marine would see this...

so if the reserve unit needs something i like and i sign up for it then i get that spot no ifs ands or buts? and if i get pulled into active duty then il be that mos? im not worride about that in the back of my mind im thinking active duty light inf anyway but i thought ide start here...
    

Hmmm, I had to take hours to weed through what they offered me. I wound up picking something that let me shoot things and blow stuff up.

If you're looking at reserves, go check out the Reserve unit you'd be with. Ask the full-timers there if you can hang with them for a couple drills, because you're interested in joining. That's going to be your best look at what you'd be getting into.

You will be shown a list of available jobs as soon as you complete your physical. Anything your recruiter tells you beforehand is BS. If you don't see anything you like WALK AWAY! After you pick your job you will be sworn in for real, so pick carefully.

The pretest isn't always accurate, but one thing is for sure, if you don't score over a 50 on your ASVAB, don't go in. If you don't get over a 50 you won't qualify for any of the better jobs. Your recruiter will tell you that it will take months to retest, but don't fall for that, he gets a bonus for getting you in, the sooner the better.

Maybe I'm a little impartial, but if you are looking for variety, and quicker advancement once you are in, consider the Army. I tested well, and the Army gave me a choice of more than 80 different jobs. I took the one I wanted, with my unit of choice, and the Army stood by it's word.

The Marines promised a friend of mine a job in aircraft maintenance, and he ended up spending two years washing helicopters at El Toro.

 

merc wrote: is the asvabs the same for all branches? like if i took the test one time could i go to all the different branches and check to see what they can offer me?

Yes, it's all the same test.


Edited by 5ptcontingency