Which Branch? Marines? Navy? Air Force?

Question

My son wants to join the millitary. Always has. He had always talked about joining the Marines - he's kind of b@lls-to-the-wall and loves physical challenges - the more challenging, the more he thrives. But, lately he's been told by a lot of people if he goes Marines, he'll go straight to Iraq for four years and there is no other alternative. He's also been told the Marines have no "career training" and that he'll never leave the Marines and go into a good job. His friends and co-workers say he should go Navy or Air Force because it will keep him out of the desert and teach him a real skill that can traslate into the career world of the civilian. Since he's in a serious relationship and is thinking about marriage and kids (no time too soon I hope!) he's starting to abandon the idea of the Marines. I don't know which is the "better" branch (if such a thing exists) but want him to pick what will make him happy. He's asked my advice and I just don't know ...

Answer 1

That is a load of you know what.

First, there is no "4 year tour" in Iraq. While he can be deployed to Iraq, return home, and be sent back a few months later, he will not he stuck there that long continuously. That's why it's considered a deployment, not an assignment. Joining the Marines does not GUARANTEE that he will deploy! It all depends upon his job and the needs of the Corps.

Additionally, joining the Navy or the Air Force to avoid going to Iraq is not going to help him. All of the branches are here, and NO ONE is safe from being picked up for a deployment. People have to understand that when they sign that contact, the government can do whatever they want with them. I never NEVER thought I would be deployed to Iraq because my job is a Spanish Linguist. Yet here I am!

I don't consider myself an expert by any means on what career fields the Marines have to offer. But while a lot of their jobs are combat-related, there are plenty of jobs that would benefit him in the civilian world as well.

The Navy and the Air Force do tend to have a lot more technical, specialized careers which, in general, are better suited to the transition to a civilian job.

If being a Marine is what he really wants to do, then I say go for it! If he is looking for a skill that he can use as a civilian as well, just make sure he researches what jobs he can sign up for. I strongly suggest going to talk to a recruiter and seeing what his options are. Once he finds out some jobs he it interested in, you can then look on the internet to see exactly what they do (not just what the recruiter says they do!).

If you have any questions, let me know. Like I said, I'm no expert on the Corps, but I've worked in a joint service enviornment for the past 8 years so I've picked up a thing or two. ;)

Answer 2

First and foremost, there are benefits and drawbacks to each branch. By far, the Marines are the most physical unless you go into a special ops unit of one of the other branches.

With that said, you can and will get real life job training from any branch if you enlist for the right type of job - it really boils down to how to relate the skill you learn to the civilan world.

My biggest question would be what does your son want to do when he is done with the service? Any good recruiter could and should help him with this aspect of enlisting.
Do your research before you go to see the recruiter - advancement opportunities, certifications/apprenticeship programs, and so on. Don't be afraid to ask the hard questions and look for straight answers.

As far as going to Iraq, there are no guarantees. What I can tell you is that your son won't be over there for an entire four year period.

A good site to check out is www.careersinthemilitary.com.

Good luck!

Please feel free to contact us if you need more help or have some questions.

Answer 3

I'm a 26 year old sailor. I joined the Navy when I ws 23. I've always been a motivated guy and in pretty good physical shape. All of the Armed Forces have something different to offer. If your son is in a relationship with lifetime potential, I cannot stress enough that the Air Force is his best option.

With the war in Iraq, the marine corps and army are cutting their technical training schools short and sending marines and soldiers to Iraq. I'm in the Navy but because of a combination of selfish supervisors, the fact that I'm single and have no criminal record, I was sent to serve on a forward deployed ship in Japan for 3 years. Needless to say, this has given no chance for a relationship with anyone back in the States and has had quite a negative impact on my social life. However, I have seen things and visited places that I will remember my whole life. Plus the Navy has quite a bit more "special pays" such as sea duty, COLA (Cost of living allowance) that add to our paychecks and that never hurts.

I have a younger brother in the Air Force. Since he's been in, he's gotten married, and had a child. I should also mention that he was sent overseas to Korea right away and has already served his overseas time. In the Air Force, 1 year is very easy to deal with being away from your wife and family. In the Navy, 3 years is quite a bit harder.

Also, I was raised in an Air Force community and I still see problems because of the stress of a military life. But it all depends on one's outlook on life.

Answer 4

It is harder to advance while in the Marine Corps, so if he is thinking about going for a career it would be harder for him. The Marines also pick your job based on your ASVAB score so he might not get what he wants. You said that he was someone who liked physical challenges and while it is a little physically challenging in the Navy and Air Force the Marines would give him the greatest physical challenge.

Air Force and Navy are branches where he'll be less likely to see action and also are branches where he'll be more likley to get a job he can use in the civilian world once he gets out.

I believe that Marines also have longer deployments, not sure though.

All that being said it sounds to me like he would rather be a Marine than anything else. Talk to recruiters from all three branches but know that you should research everthing that they say to make sure it is true.

Answer 5

From a personal point of view, and especially since he's in a serious relationship, I'd recommend the Air Force. He'll get the opportunity for a good service school, with skills he can use outside in civilian life. The Navy would be a close second, but obviously there's a lot of sea-duty and he'd be absent from his lady for extended periods of time. FYI, I'm a four-year Navy vet, but in his case I'd still pick the Air Force for him. Good luck, and hope this helps.

Answer 6

The Army has one of the widest ranges of training options. The Navy does also. But keep in mind that if he is planning on marrying soon, the Navy tends to have folks join them on ships for months at a time. Time spent away from his family. I went the Army route and overall it was a positive experience. My cousin went with the Navy and his marriage did not make it past his second tour on board a carrier. These are things to concider. Joining any of the services can be an exceptional benefit for someone and the opportunity to get the wild out of his system and learning a trade is invaluble. He also will qualify for educational assistance, during his enlistment and when he completes his obligation. Sadly, war is the line of work he is concidering joining. Picking a service based on the likelyhood of going to battle is not a good way. I suggest your son should talk to each of the branches and objectivly decide which one is going to train him in the area most interesting to him, offer him the largest enlistment bonus, opportunites to advance, etc.
Good luck

Answer 7

Any millitary branch is not great for a family. But my husband was Navy. GO NAVY! However he was stationed with the MArines and was a Marine corpsman and he liked the MArines better. More commrodity. There is a big chance he will go to Iraq though. Also my brother-in-law was a Marine and had to leave my sister and kids for a WHOLE year and go to Okinawa.
Also the corpsmen do see combat too............ they are the ones who go into the field to save the other guys butts when they are injured. The marines highly respect their corpsmen and call them all DOC or angels. So if he likes medical........ it is a very respected job.

Answer 8

FAst Fact on the Marines, please do not dispute you will be incorrect. Iraq Deployments- 7 months, on avg you will do a tour w/in 2 years. Hardest training(opinion) If he ever wants to join another branch he will be able to retain his rank and not go through boot camp(fact) BTW this does not work vice versa. Tell him not to listen to second hand info. Tell him to remember, this is the next four years of HIS life, not his friends or coworkers.

Answer 9

If you join the Military, expect within the next 6 years or so to see combat, unless of-course you join the navy (Better become a SEAL to see some good combat). The Marines treat you harshly in everyday life, but since they're becoming a smaller and smaller branch of the military, that means they will become more selective and elite in the next few years, more budget less person ='s better quality training. The Marines are balls to the wall gung-hoe kill everything they see motherfuckers, and it should always stay that way. The army is just a group of punks (Besides the few good one's that end up becoming high level NCO's, you could go far if you're high speed and not a complete douche.). The Air Force will take the best care of you, give you the best training, give you the best discipline and allow you to pay extream attention to detail, you could work on a flight-line all the way to just doing desk work (Pencil pushing desk ranger... GO!). Or you could join Security Forces for the Air Force that is generally the ground infantry and military police for the Air Force, it is more of a brotherhood then anything else. If you want to do alot of hands on police work, the coast guard is the way to go. In the end, it depends upon what you want.

Marines=Spartans
Navy=Lamers with a small select group of Spartans
Army=Chodes/punks
Air Force=High speed ninja's (Who are looked at as a group of pencil pushing chair rangers.. muaha!)
Coast Guard=Not respected by any other branch, but alot of ahnds on police work if you do coastal duty and are not stuck behind a desk.

Tell your son goodluck.

Answer 10

Many famous Americans, as well as CEOs of many Fortune 500 Companies, have served in the Marine Corps. Tom Monaghan, the founder of Domino's Pizza, is a Marine. In politics, Senator Zell Miller, pundit James Carville, Reagan Secretary of the Navy and U.S. Senator Jim Webb and military analysts Anthony Zinni, Joseph Hoar and Bernard E. Trainor are Marines. Baseball Hall of Famers Tom Seaver, Ted Williams, Rod Carew, Roberto Clemente, Eddie Collins, and Bill Veeck all served in the Marines. Professional boxers Leon and Michael Spinks are both Marines as is heavyweight champion Kenny Norton Sr. Six astronauts, including Senator John Glenn, Charles F. Bolden, Jr. and Fred Haise are all Marine aviators. Several have succeeded in the entertainment industry, including Steve McQueen, Gene Hackman, Harvey Keitel, Lee Marvin, Drew Carey. R. Lee Ermey and comedian Jonathan Winters were both drill instructors prior to their notoriety.

Being in the Marine Corps doesn't necessarily mean you'll spend 4 years in Iraq. My friends have spent the last 2, 2 1/2 years on Okinanwa and some are in D.C. at the 8th & I. It all depends on your MOS whether you get sent to Iraq or not. It's what you make of yourself during and after your time in service that measures how successful you are career-wise.