How is life as an active duty Marine/soldier?

Question

Tell me what its like. Work hours? Housing on base? Do you get certain times when you can take leave and visit family? When are you normally allowed to do that?

Thanks. I am trying to decide whether to sign up and go active duty or go reserves and finish college off.

Answer 1

Unlees you are training or in Boot Camp SOI or MCT or your MOS once you are a fleet Marine meaning you have done all your initial training and get to first duty station you will work from 0730 until 1630 (7:30 am-4:30pm) And you get from 1100-1300 for chow time. After you get off you can do pretty much whatever you want. And your family can visit whenever you want. You get 30 days of leave a year and every holiday you will get either 4 or 5 days off. Remember you always get payed whether you are are on leave or not. So while you arent deployed or training once your in the fleet you will have lots of time off. And you can pretty much do anything while you arent on duty.
Semper Fi

Answer 2

Active Duty Marines

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
How is life as an active duty Marine/soldier?
Tell me what its like. Work hours? Housing on base? Do you get certain times when you can take leave and visit family? When are you normally allowed to do that?

Thanks. I am trying to decide whether to sign up and go active duty or go reserves and finish college off.

Answer 4

Well, work hours vary. Some work normal 8 hour days, some work less, some work more. Also, there are times when you have to train in the field, sometimes away from your base, for days or weeks at a time. And when you get deployed, you work pretty much all the time.

Barracks suck, but they are free. Unless you are married, you get a partial BAH that will barely subsidize a one bedroom apartment, so I would try to find a roommate you can trust, or tough it out until you make E-4 and can afford a place by yourself. On-base housing is pretty good, but you lose all your BAH, and again, you have to be married to get that.

As for leave, they have block leave twice a year, at Christmas, and in the summer. This is contingent on the training schedule, but they don't usually screw with X-mas, and summer leave is stretched over the whole summer. You can take leave at other times, if needed, for weddings, events, thing like that, and if there is a death in the family, they will give you emergency leave, even if you are in Iraq.

Answer 5

It depends on your MOS, your duty station, and your commander. If you are an infantryman, or an armored crewman, you are going to have a different military experience than if you are a supply clerk. But, in general, not in the middle of workups or deployments, your life is a lot like the average person's, maybe a little earlier. Most likely, you will get up at about 0530 for PT, then you get an hour or so to get chow and clean up. You report to work sometime between 0830 and 0900, and you work until 1200 or so. Then you get lunch until about 1300, and go back to work until about 1700-1730. Then you are cut loose for the day, and you can do what you want, as long as you don't have duty, or in the Marines, field day once a week, cleaning the barracks.

As for living quarters, that depends on your rank, and your marital status. If you are junior enlisted E1-E5, and single, you will most likely live in barracks, which is like living in a very clean dorm. You will have a roommate, and probably split a head with the Marines in the room next to you. If you are married, you will either be in on base housing, or be given BAH payments to pay for a place out in town. The size of your quarters on post are based on how many children you have and your rank. An E7 will have better housing than an E2 for example.

You are accrue 2.5 days of paid leave per month, plus there are several long weekends programed into the year (i.e. 4th of July, Christmas, New Years, ect). Most commands have a liberal leave policy around December and January, and it is fairly easy to take extended leaves in those months. Also, when you are changing units or duty stations, most Marines I knew took leave at those times. Also, you have leave periods before and after deployments.

Your life in the military is pretty much what you make of it. If you go in with a positive attitude, take advantatge of the opportunities provided, and you work hard, you will have a very positive experience. If you spend your off duty time hanging out alone in your barracks room, and do just enough to get by, you will have a bad experience.

I loved my 6 years in the Marines, I deployed to both Afghanistan and Iraq, I got stationed on Okinawa, and when I was there I went to 4 other countries, and I went on a MEU while in North Carolina where I went to 5 others. I managed to get 2 years of college finished while I was in, and got selected for the Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program (MECEP), where you get to keep getting paid while you go to college. If it wasn't for the car accident I got into in college, I would be a Marine officer today. I had an amazing time, and I loved it. However, I know a lot of guys who couldn't wait to get out.

The military is what you make of it.

Answer 6

i will describe me experience...i was with an infantry unit in the Marine Corps, when on base a regular day was a bang on the door at 0530, this didnt mean you have to get up, but it meant to start your day, ****, shower, shave, eat some good Marine Corps chow, be to work at 0800..lunch was from 1100-1300, then we were off at 1600..the rest of day was ours to do as we please, unless you had some kind of duty, which happens about 1 a month..we lived in 2 and 3 man rooms, like hotel rooms without the class..all times for work usually change depending on the plan of the day, every other day for us we would run in the am after reveille.our leave periods were prior and after deployments, 15 days before and 15 after if you wanted to go, keep in mind all this was with my unit, it varries a little bit from unit to unit, and base to base.....good luck

Answer 7

Works hours vary dependant on what type of job you have. I f you're single you'll live in the barracks. Married depending on the base your stationed you live in base housing or off base being a private you might get some apartment or trailer home because that's all you can afford. If you just couldn't look yourself in the mirror and have to be a Marine, good luck w/ off base housing in So Cal.Try looking @ Tijuana that's all you can afford. Nice US Marines living in Mexico. Classic.
Leave is accured & they'll decide if you can go on leave.

Reserves you're looking @ a minimum 8 years so don't even think of getting out before you're 30. Why not finish college, then if you really need it that bad look into OCS(Officer Candidate School) or flight school w/ all services. Including Coast Guard Butt Munch.
I know it's that burning uncontrollable desire for Marine Blues or the Beret Army all the Way.

Turn on The Jim Lehrer report on PBS especially when he does the silent Rollcall for the Bodybags coming home from Iraqmire. That's a reality& a certain probablity if you decide to join Active or ReservesTHINK BEFORE YOUSIGN STOOP

Answer 8

Regimented life but enjoyable.

Answer 9

For the best answers, search on this site https://shorturl.im/6H1Uq

Yes, you have time to go to parties and chat!

Answer 10

Not really sure