So the Gunny called...

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  • sgreger1
    Member
    • Mar 2009
    • 9451

    #16
    Originally posted by ShaulWolf
    Three picks are Intel or Infantry. I'm also curious about Light Armored Recon or Artillery, but my two top picks are Intel or Infantry. Jackie hates the thought of me going into infantry, and understandably so. Could be worse though. I could be trying to work for the Camden, NJ police department.

    I was an artillery forward observer so I got a good taste of both the artillery and the infantry world, since my actual unit and team were all infantry units but each heavy weapons team is required to have 1 forward observer attached to manage their indirect fire support assets.

    That being said, I also know a bit about the officer angle of artillery and infantry. We cross-trained often with the marines artillery units so I know a lot about how the marines operate vs. the army as well. Also i've had a few friends in intel, particularly in HUMINT and interrogation teams but I don't know any intel officers

    Here's some pro's and con's to help you decide, based on my experience:

    Intel is less likely to get you shot, but you may still be able to see action depending on where in the intel world you get placed. If your overseeing a bunch of anylysts than not much action, desk weenie type work. If you are officer of a HUMINT team that collects data on the scene than you will be going out of the wire more often and may even see some action.

    Intel is good because it could translate into a civilian job when you reach your ETS date and now have to go find a real job out in the civilian world.


    Artillery: In my experience, the marines artillery do get to play with cool toys and blow shit up more often, but the necessity for indirect fire assets like artillery, mortars, close air support etc is is dwindling. The new hotness is trying to somehow operate a war with minimal civilian casualties. This is a fail but its how the've chosen to do it. As a result, mayn people who get into artillery end up getting re-classed into another job field, usually not of their choosing. CCA Helicopter assets are used a lot though for things like recon and route clearance for convoys etc so there still is some need for observers, but less so for artillery personell.

    Infantry:

    Being a dismounted light infantry guy is hard because it involves mroe training (read as `pain`), more physical endurance since you gotta walk your ass, your assault pack, and your weapon all over the place often time while running, ducking through windows etc. So it is tiring.
    But on the plus size you get to kill people. If you want to kill people, this is obviously the route that will elad directly to accomplishing that goal.
    It is seen as the cooler job as far as military MOS's go but it also carries a higher risk factor. Especially the marines, who seem very careless in terms of trying not to get shot from what i've seen. We had one cross training exercise where it was army vs. marines in Ft Polk LA where we spent 30 days doing a Joint Rediness Training Regiment. In this exercise we all had lasers strapped to our guns and sensors strapped to our armor/helmets. It was like a game of laser tag using blanks and lasers to simulate real firefights.

    The marines lost. Badly. The exercise had to be reset more than once since the marines lost most of their force before the exercise was complete.

    That leads me to the mechanized units you are also thinking of:

    Mechanized means less walking, but bigger target. Also, motorpool. You will spend countless hours washing and servicing the constantly breaking machines you use when in the field. This is boring and gay, to say the least. But, way cooler toys. I think marines use the lav-25's nowadays but i'm not real informed on current nomenclature for the vehicles they use at the moment. Either way, light mech units kick ass.


    Just think, do you want to get a good job after your service? If yes, than intel.
    Do you want to kill people and get promoted the fastest? If yes than infantry.

    Either way, kick some ass, and enjoy your unnecesarily higher than enlisted rate of pay for being an officer.

    Comment

    • tom502
      Member
      • Feb 2009
      • 8985

      #17
      I would pick intel. I think it would not be good to be "in action", and if you had to end up shooting someone, you have to have a crime scene investigation, evidence, local witnesses, and stuff, or you get charged with murder.

      Comment

      • sgreger1
        Member
        • Mar 2009
        • 9451

        #18
        Originally posted by tom502
        I would pick intel. I think it would not be good to be "in action", and if you had to end up shooting someone, you have to have a crime scene investigation, evidence, local witnesses, and stuff, or you get charged with murder.

        Lol it's so true.
        We have this have this whole procedure, I forget what it was called, I think it was SSI, Sensitive Site Intel, or Sensitive Site something. Each fire team had to have 1 guy that had a camera and you had to take 1 shot of the whole rool from different angles, one shot of an object before you move it, one after, one shot with nothing touched etc. Then we had this cool iece of equipment that I think was called the HIDE or something but it was a camera that you use to take a shot of whoever the high value individual is that you captured, and on the operators side of the camera it would doa biometric scan of the face and cross reference it with databases of info so you could immediately identify who the person was, their affiliations, history, everything about them.

        Intel will be a chiller job, and will make you money when you get it. Infantry is very gung ho and is great for certain personality types, but i'm not joking you dude it's a shit load of work. Like seriously, it's ****ing tiring to the point of insanity. You will get bored of it very fast and will just hope you get shot so that you can go chill in a bed somewhere lol.

        But you get decorated faster in infantry, not that decorations mean shit after your out.

        Comment

        • ShaulWolf
          Member
          • Jan 2009
          • 495

          #19
          Heh. I was also looking at it from the point of view of what do I do while I'm stuck as a reservist waiting to opt for active duty and what do I do after my 20 years. There were no slots available for active duty officers, so I had to go reserves or wait another year to year and a half. It doesn't seem like that long of a wait, until you take into account that it's still not a guaranteed slot for active duty, and I have student loans among other bills adding up quickly.

          So for now, and the Capt and Gunny agreed, my best choice if I can't wait and don't want to wait is to go for a reserve slot at OCS. I have the choice of going 12 months active after completing my MOS school, and after 24 months of graduating from my MOS school I can apply for transfer to active duty. If I get denied then keep putting in. Worst case scenario is that I have to let my reserve contract run out and reup as active duty.

          Meanwhile I'm going for law enforcement. State troopers, then possibly go for federal LE. That makes my two top picks intel and infantry. We'll see how well I do and how things pan out. The Capt said I have an aptitude for both, and I'll trust his word on it. He just got awarded as best officer recruiter in the region, based on applicants received and graduated, so it's not just how many people he gets to sign up. Doesn't hurt that I've had an infantry Major and Capt both say the same when I told them my plans.

          Anyway... Intel seems like it could be a boring desk job and whatnot, but the skills learned and used could translate really well for law enforcement. Likewise, infantry could do the same. Maybe not for strait up smashing things down with sheer firepower, but it'd show an aptitude for team management and quick thinking.

          We'll see what happens towards the end after I've gotten through more of it.

          Comment

          • sgreger1
            Member
            • Mar 2009
            • 9451

            #20
            Judging by your post. Go Intel.

            It won't just be boring desk job shit all the time, only sometimes. But trust me, you'll be thankful. If your doing anything with the cops than Intel will give you the most opportunities. Infantry won't help you much with police stuff. A few of the guys from my unit went cop after they got out and the problem is you have to re-learn everything since you've already trained your brain to operate in a certain way. Military tactics don't always work great in civilian situations. Either way, your dad probably knows more about the marines than I do so listen to him. You don't spend your life as a marine and not know shit... (unless you were infantry) lololol j/k

            Comment

            • Xeph
              Member
              • Feb 2009
              • 21

              #21
              His girlfriend wants him to be happy, but she also wants him to stay alive :lol:

              I'm willing to travel all over the damn country and let him haul around as many guns as he likes, but I'm going to be so pissed if he gets himself shot xD

              Comment

              • sgreger1
                Member
                • Mar 2009
                • 9451

                #22
                Originally posted by Xeph
                His girlfriend wants him to be happy, but she also wants him to stay alive :lol:

                I'm willing to travel all over the damn country and let him haul around as many guns as he likes, but I'm going to be so pissed if he gets himself shot xD

                Intel officer for the win!

                Comment

                • tom502
                  Member
                  • Feb 2009
                  • 8985

                  #23
                  These fighters in the Taliban and Al-Qaida are a different breed than we are too. They are fighting a jihad in their minds, against an invading occupying force. Their religion since birth has told them it's their duty and call to fight and die for Allah. And they love death more than we love life. This is not like a war between another nation and soldiers, where both sides seek a polical win, and don't want to get killed. They will happily strap bombs on themselves to kill as many as they can, along with themselves, because they become a hero martyr and are rewarded in heaven. How you can fight and win against this? The only answer I can think of, is if we literally, conquered the nation, took it over, installed our laws, and leaders, and installed a re-education process to de-islamify them.

                  Comment

                  • sgreger1
                    Member
                    • Mar 2009
                    • 9451

                    #24
                    Yah Tom couldn't have said that better. The American GI is fighting so he can get back home and collect all his college benefits and bang his wife. The enemy is fighting in hopes that they die. Their death is the ultimate victory for them. Kind of can't wage a conventional war against an enemy who's goal is to die in battle lol.

                    Reminds me of the vikings!

                    Comment

                    • ShaulWolf
                      Member
                      • Jan 2009
                      • 495

                      #25
                      I've been over this discussion numerous times with Major Prichard and Capt Kutilik. We've all figured roughly the same thing. This isn't a war we'll win easily in the slightest. It isn't just a single nation we're fighting, but an entire region joined by a common religion against a common enemy: non-Muslims.

                      I'm not in it so much as to kill and conquer, but more because I know I can do the job they give me and do it well. Along with that, I know I can help my brothers and sisters out there, and they'll be able and willing to do the same for me.

                      Truthfully I'm hoping we find some form of resolution to this giant ****ing mess, though I doubt it'll happen anytime soon. I just want to be there next to another I can call "Marine" and do my best to make sure they get what they need done and get back home.

                      No glory in death, but no honor in not doing a job you know you can do.

                      Comment

                      • tom502
                        Member
                        • Feb 2009
                        • 8985

                        #26
                        When Germany was defeated and Japan, we de-nazified and de-emporerized their nations, and that helped them alot. I think Islam conquers under a banner of religion, and thus we wanna handle them with mittens, but these nations would be more advanced and stable and even prosperous if we de-islamified them. Islam is not really a religion, as it is not a personal faith or practice one chooses, but a world totalitarian death cult of barbarism, and we can't win or help those people brainwashed into it, if we refuse to see it for what it is.

                        Comment

                        • sgreger1
                          Member
                          • Mar 2009
                          • 9451

                          #27
                          Originally posted by ShaulWolf
                          I've been over this discussion numerous times with Major Prichard and Capt Kutilik. We've all figured roughly the same thing. This isn't a war we'll win easily in the slightest. It isn't just a single nation we're fighting, but an entire region joined by a common religion against a common enemy: non-Muslims.

                          I'm not in it so much as to kill and conquer, but more because I know I can do the job they give me and do it well. Along with that, I know I can help my brothers and sisters out there, and they'll be able and willing to do the same for me.

                          Truthfully I'm hoping we find some form of resolution to this giant ****ing mess, though I doubt it'll happen anytime soon. I just want to be there next to another I can call "Marine" and do my best to make sure they get what they need done and get back home.

                          No glory in death, but no honor in not doing a job you know you can do.

                          Support unit. You've got intel written all over you

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                          • ShaulWolf
                            Member
                            • Jan 2009
                            • 495

                            #28
                            sgreger, you haven't seen me in martial arts or shooting competitions then. XD

                            Comment

                            • tom502
                              Member
                              • Feb 2009
                              • 8985

                              #29
                              I think the goal, should be to re-educate them, and get them cleansed of this Islam. This would have a more lasting and effective end goal, than just trying to fight them while they yell "Allahu Akbar" and blow themselves up and everything around them.

                              Comment

                              • sgreger1
                                Member
                                • Mar 2009
                                • 9451

                                #30
                                Originally posted by ShaulWolf
                                sgreger, you haven't seen me in martial arts or shooting competitions then. XD
                                Hhaa, no no I didn't mean it like that. I mean it sounded like your goal was more of a support role, where it wasn't so much that you wanted to kill as it was that you wanted to be there for your fellow servicemen. Also you mentioned being given a job and being able to do it well.

                                Hence, Intel. lol.

                                Intle will really be worth more if your going to be in the reserves for a while. Infantry relaly has no comparable job inthe civilian world other than swat team. The police also have intel type positions.

                                Another great thing about intel is that while in the service, if you stay in for 20 years you get a retirement package. But, if you leave after x amount of years and then go into a gov job (like intel) and finish the remaining of the 20 years, you still get the retirement package. So it would allow you to get out if you don't want to spend 20 years in the military, which, well the super huge majority of people who enlist don't want to do, even if they thought they did at first.

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