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Offline Tanatra

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Re: Is going into the marines worth it for free college?
« Reply #15 on: April 22, 2011, 07:12:25 AM »
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Well, I just decided to so some exercise this Wednesday, and I must say, just an hour of it is quite some hard work.

I wasn't even working out that whole hour. More like twenty minutes.

If there was anything I learned from this, it's that I need to keep exercising. Sure has motivated me to do so.

I said the same thing about myself when I first joined. In fact, in my very first Marine Corps PFT (Physical Fitness Test,) I didn't even finish the 3-mile run! I kept at it though and in less than a year I was able to do 20 pullups and run 3 miles in 20:08. However, the requirements for OCS are much higher than bootcamp, all you need to be able to do before shipping off to bootcamp is the following:

Pull-Ups: 3
Stomach Crunches: 50
3-mile run: 28:00

If you can't do that, they won't get rid of you; they'll just stick you in the "Fatty" platoon until you can hit those numbers (and believe me, you don't want to be that platoon).

The Marines sure are complete morons if they're seriously looking for people like me. That, or they're desperate.

Why would they want hypocritical hemophobia pacifist who can't even jog to save his life in their ranks? Not only that, but one that's in it just to become a mercenary, and not a Marine?

As I said earlier, that recruiter sounds like a douchebag. A real recruiter would be asking you in a drill-instructor voice "What can you bring to my Marine Corps?!"

As for the pacifist thing, probably half of the Marine Corps disagreed with the reasons for going to War in Iraq, and it was same way with Vietnam. However, their country called on them to fight, and they answered. The military is far from being the war-horny bastards that the media and movies always portray them as (though those types certainly do exist in the ranks).

And I'll say it again - you're still in a civilian mindset, thinking only about the benefits and what's in it for you. This is perfectly normal man, everyone thinks that way before joining. I did too. You'll come around during training, believe me. Hell, I came around while just getting ready for training!

Also, even if you're only in it for the benefits, that's still far from being a mercenary. Real mercenaries (Like Blackwater or Xe as they're called now) make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, work on their own schedules, and basically just fight whenever and wherever it is convenient for them. Do you see the difference? You won't get any of that in the Marine Corps or any other military branch for that matter.

Like hell if I'm joining the Marines. I can't even run a block without collapsing to my knees and gasping for air as though I'm dying.

Another strange thing: As soon as I decided not to go to the Marines, I've been getting mail from the Navy to join their ranks. They sent me a personalized letter and everything to contact a recruiter. Not only that, but their offering the exact same things the Marines were offering me.

There is going to be physical training in all the branches of the military, dude, though generally speaking the Marines are certainly the most hardcore about it. If you're considering the Navy now, then I hope you're a good swimmer.  ;)
« Last Edit: April 22, 2011, 07:22:14 AM by Tanatra »

Offline Mooning Freddy

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Re: Is going into the marines worth it for free college?
« Reply #16 on: April 22, 2011, 11:45:49 AM »
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Beavis and Butthead taught me more about life than any teacher could have.

http://www.220.ro/desene-animate/Beavis-And-Butthead-Be-All-You-Can-Be/Mu4DpE5KeR/

Be all you can be: Beavis and Butthead join the army. Well, kind of.

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« Last Edit: April 22, 2011, 11:50:17 AM by Citizen Freddy »
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Offline Successor The Cruel

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Re: Is going into the marines worth it for free college?
« Reply #17 on: April 23, 2011, 02:33:33 AM »
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Like hell if I'm joining the Marines. I can't even run a block without collapsing to my knees and gasping for air as though I'm dying.

Marines or no marines, you should get in shape : p

Offline JR

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Re: Is going into the marines worth it for free college?
« Reply #18 on: April 23, 2011, 02:40:21 AM »
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Yeah, seconded. It gets fun after a while. Stronglifts is a good start.
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Offline CastleToastM

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Re: Is going into the marines worth it for free college?
« Reply #19 on: April 23, 2011, 07:51:45 PM »
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I went to a gym and punched a punching bag hard, and my hand started bleeding.

It didn't break my hand, so that's a good thing. Not so much on the pain, though.

It was a combination of me punching the bag wrong and the gloves I borrowed.

I also now have a Navy recruiter trying to hound me.

Sure, it's nice having someone carry my shit and excort me from class to class, but why can't they understand that I don't feel as though I should go into any branch of military?

I also can't swim. At all. How can I be a good Navy person guy if I hate the ocean or boats period?

Ironic thing about that statement: I live on an Island surrounded by the ocean.

Offline X

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Re: Is going into the marines worth it for free college?
« Reply #20 on: April 23, 2011, 11:36:17 PM »
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I live on an Island surrounded by the ocean.

Goddamnit!! I want to live on an island too  :'(

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Offline Flame

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Re: Is going into the marines worth it for free college?
« Reply #21 on: April 25, 2011, 07:46:16 AM »
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Its not worth it. theres family experience talking here.
My cousin joined the army because of the GI bill. he was shipped off to Kosobo during the shit that was going on there, managed to avoid armed conflict because he was really good at a desk job, and managed to become a high enough rank to become a Sargent. He was denied the rank when he went to be interviewed for it, due to a feud between his superior and the one he was being interviewed by. (or racism, considering my cousin is Hispanic, and LOOKS it.) under the pretense that "his neck wasnt the right size".

He was apologized to, and he denied the rank when offered again, and didnt renew his contract.

Guess what.

He didnt get ANY studying accomplished.
Not one bit. There was just no time.

The GI bill is just a lure. a way to dupe people into joining, nothing more. very few people if any, ever get anything accomplished in their career of choice on a GI bill.

Dont do it.

Only ever accept something like that if there are no wars being fought. you are more likely to have more luck then.
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Offline TheouAegis

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Re: Is going into the marines worth it for free college?
« Reply #22 on: May 07, 2011, 10:53:21 AM »
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Doing exercises is something the military will get you conditioned for. I used to not be able to run even a quarter of a mile, but these days I am late for the bus so often that I've conditioned my body to run 3/4 of a mile (with some short walking breathers along the way).

The only reason the recruiter is going after you is because you don't look fat. It's possible you look geeky and he thinks, "I can use sex appeal to get him in!" Or it's also possible you really do look dirt poor and so he knows he can use the money line to snag ya.

Simple fact of the matter: the Marines are still the Navy, although with land-based training for joint assaults (otherwise navies would be useless most of the time). Think of the Army as the Air Force's ground assault unit and the Marines as the Navy's ground assault unit.

From what I've heard, though, for technology oriented people, Air Force is the way to go. You get to work with cool planes and some state-of-the-art machines. Marines get state-of-the-art weapons, sure, and Navy has their own spin-off of the Air Force (I'd hate to drown or be eaten by sharks, though), but the AF is almost entirely technology based unless you're really inept and get stuck with grunt labor. Also, think of it another way: if you want to learn computer tech in the Marines, you'll have to go through college some of the time and go through Marines training the rest of the time; but in the Air Force, you'll go through college some of the time and get tech training the rest of the time, because the AF doesn't want idiots working with their multi-million dollar investments.

So sure, the Marines look cool and sound cool, but remember, D-Day was fought by Marines
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Offline Tanatra

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Re: Is going into the marines worth it for free college?
« Reply #23 on: May 07, 2011, 11:53:09 AM »
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"The nation that insists on drawing a broad demarcation between the fighting man and the thinking man is liable to find its fighting done by fools and its thinking done by cowards."
-Sir William Francis Butler

From what I've heard, though, for technology oriented people, Air Force is the way to go. You get to work with cool planes and some state-of-the-art machines.

This is true. The same can be said for the Navy as well. The Army and Marines may not be as tech-intensive as the Navy or Air Force, but you'd be surprised how much applied math there is in the armed forces, even in infantry (if you have any experience with land navigation you'd understand.) In fact, some officials are concerned that in a few years high school graduates may not even have a sufficient background to serve, given the pathetic state of math education in this country.

Marines get state-of-the-art weapons, sure, and Navy has their own spin-off of the Air Force (I'd hate to drown or be eaten by sharks, though)


Marines have the smallest budget of all the branches by far (less than a tenth of the Army's budget.) I wouldn't call their armaments outdated, but the all the other branches have much newer, advanced equipment. It has always been this way. Not many people seem to realize this, but the Marines have their own fighter aircraft as well. In fact, they are the only branch that operates in all three theaters of war - air, land and sea.

The primary difference between the Army and the Marines (other than the Marines having to rely on the Navy for medical and logistical services) is that the Army is occupational whereas the Marines are expeditionary. A MAGTF (Marine Air-Ground Task Force) can mobilize and strike anywhere in the world within days, but only the Army can occupy an area, conduct siege operations, etc.

So sure, the Marines look cool and sound cool, but remember, D-Day was fought by Marines

The Marines only participated in the Pacific Theater in WWII, but you are correct in that the Corps prides itself on being "First to Fight". Hell, they even use that line for recruiting purposes, haha.

Offline Kale

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Re: Is going into the marines worth it for free college?
« Reply #24 on: May 07, 2011, 12:06:51 PM »
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I went to a gym and punched a punching bag hard, and my hand started bleeding.

It didn't break my hand, so that's a good thing. Not so much on the pain, though.

It was a combination of me punching the bag wrong and the gloves I borrowed.

I also now have a Navy recruiter trying to hound me.

Sure, it's nice having someone carry my shit and excort me from class to class, but why can't they understand that I don't feel as though I should go into any branch of military?

I also can't swim. At all. How can I be a good Navy person guy if I hate the ocean or boats period?

Ironic thing about that statement: I live on an Island surrounded by the ocean.

Uh get some good gloves, you aren't supposed to punch those things with your bare hands or bad gloves, and if you're punching it wrong..... well, watch a vid or get someone who knows to teach you.

Tell him you have asthma and he'll never bother you again.

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