What are the advantages of joining the ARMY over joining the Marine Corps?

Question

Are there any?

Answer 1

Advantages in the Army:

Guaranteed Job:
The Army will guarantee your MOS in your contract and has more options, the Corps does not. Remember, the Marines have cooks, textile workers (laundry) and fuelers too and you don't know what you will be.

Training:
Airborne, Air Assault, Pathfinder, Sniper and other training: The Army has more variety in training and the average soldier can go to airborne school etc. In the Corps, you have to be in an airborne slot which there are very very few of.

Promotability:
Promotions are faster in the Army. Up to E-4 is guaranteed based on time in service. In the Corps, you have to compete for anything above E-3.

Stability:
Marines are largely stationed on ships and at embassies. This is cool when you are 19 years old. If you are 23 and want a family this sucks. In the Army, you can atleast be stationed in the US if you want have remain at one post for several years. If you want a tour in Europe or Korea, you can request that as well.

Higher lever training and options:
The Army has the largest Special Forces community. They have the Rangers, Green Berets, and "Delta." If you want to be a member of an elite force, and you can make it, the opportunity is there. I know the Corps has "Force Recon" but they will not fall under SOCOM until 2010 and even that may not happen.

Also, the Army has a much larger Intel force, so you can be a linguist, interrogator, and analyist if an academic field is what you desire.

Better Equipment:
The Army has better equipment. When I was in Baghdad, every soldier had a shiny M4 with rails, PEC-4, Aimpoint, front pistol grip and all the bells and whistles. The Army M249 SAWs had collapsable stocks, short barrels, rails, and MGOs. The Marine's weapons looked like they were straight outta the box in 1989. M16A2's without optics and old-school 249's with the long barrels and plastic stocks. I know the average Marine will tell you "I don't need all that fancy stuff," well good for him; I'd rather have modern equipment. This is because the USMC budget comes from the Navy because they are Dept. of the Navy. So, once all the battleships are built and the white uniforms starched, then the Marines get money for gear. There is a reason why the Marines still use vietnam-era Hueys and Cobras while the Army flys Apaches and Blackhawks.

Lastly, you will get a bigger signing bonus from the Army because they are much larger, have more money and need more people.

The choice is yours. The Marines do have way cooler commercials though.

Answer 2

Advantages Of Joining The Army

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
What are the advantages of joining the ARMY over joining the Marine Corps?
Are there any?

Answer 4

I was a member of both. I left the Marine Corps because of limited training availability and advancement opportunity.The Army trained me in three different MOs's in the 24 years I was in the Army. I studied hard, trained hard and retired from the Army as an E-9. In the Marine Corps I would have been lucky to make E-7.
I was proud to be a Marine, but I could see the handwriting on the wall early on. The Army did not have the glitter or the esprit de corps of the Marine Corps, but it offered a lot better life for a married soldier and considerably less deployments.

Answer 5

Pros: Bigger bonuses, more jobs(which may or may not matter depending on what you want to do), and you will typically get promoted faster at least up to E-3 or E-4/Specialist , after that its about the same.

Cons: Longer deployments, 12-18 months rather than 7 months in the USMC. And depending on your unit, the Army has a reputation for not being quite as professional.

zclifton is an idiot.

Answer 6

If you have questions about which to join. Go with the Army. The Marines attract a certain breed. They will go Marine without question. And you can't talk them out of it.

Answer 7

There are two ways to look at this...

First...where do you want to go? The Army does have more bases in different locations...but it really depends on what kind of job you want to do. On every base they have jobs that other branches of services fill.

Second....which one fits your personality. Which one do you think that you are better suited for? That's the important question.

Army and Marines...they both are great!!! They both offer money for college...Just decide which one is right for you.

Good luck

Answer 8

Safety in numbers. In this age, 80% of the military is logistic and 20% is the fighting force. That means even if you are in the army during a war, there is an 80% you will not be shooting at anybody. Since the marines are called up to do tasks more than the army, that gives you even better odds of not being attacked if you join the army.

Answer 9

The Army has no advantage over the Marines.

Answer 10

Being a Marine is the Advantage.......The Few The Proud, The Marines... Once a Marine Always A Marine.......Semper FI....
Any more questions??? Carry On.