It dawned on me..

[Thomas]

that I have posted on here a few times but havent introduced myself.

On THC boards i'm GhostMarine, a 17 year old boy who gets bored enough to post there.

I plan on sticking around for awhile longer.I'm enlisting in the United States Marine Corps this summer, and hopefully will be shipping out to MEPS then basic by the summer of '07.

Lets see how much fun I can have until then ;D

[Merceditas]

Hi Thomas!

Good luck to you with the Marine Corps.

[Sailor]

Welcome aboard Thomas, pleased to see you.

Signing on with the Marines this summer and not going to boot until '07? I didn't know they did delayed enlistment that far in advance.

Speaking for everyone else here, look around and feel free to speak your mind, ask questions and just hobnob. I think you know most of us, the regulars from THC.

[CommonSense]

Good to hear from you Thomas.

Congratulations with your decision on the Marine Corps, good luck!

[Thomas]

Thanks for the welcome everyone.

Sailor - I will be entering the Delayed Enlistment Program which will allow me to delay my entry into the Corps for up to 1 year.

By the way. when did you serve in the Navy Sailor?And were you based on a ship or land?

My father served on the USS Kitty Hawk in the mid 80s until he got out at around 88.

[dustdevil28]

Welcome aboard Thomas and congrats on your decision to join the USMC

[tits]

Semper Fi. I switched from the Corps to the USNR many years ago because I hated running!

The funny thing is that I served longer on ship as shipboard marine (MARDET USS Enterprise) than I did as a sailor. Go figure!

Good luck. What are you going to be doing for the next year?

[Thomas]

I'm hoping to do good enough to graduate my Senior year.

My father said he hated the MARDET guys on his ship.Well then again he said he hated Marines period, but there is nothing wrong with a little harmless interservice rivalry

[Sailor]

thomas said:

Thanks for the welcome everyone.

Sailor - I will be entering the Delayed Enlistment Program which will allow me to delay my entry into the Corps for up to 1 year.

By the way. when did you serve in the Navy Sailor?And were you based on a ship or land?

My father served on the USS Kitty Hawk in the mid 80s until he got out at around 88.

I served from July 1972 through August 1993. The first half of my career was all ashore, Okinawa Japan, Washington DC, Hawaii and on staff at Great Lakes IL. Then destroyer USS CARON (DD 970) out of Norfolk VA, military courier out of NAS Norfolk and finishing in the amphibious assault ship USS NASSAU (LHA 4,) also homeported in Norfolk. I was enlisted, retiring as a 1st Class Petty Officer (E-6.)

Over my career I had a lot of contact with the Marines, primarily with those who had the same training and job as the Navy's Cryptologic Technicians, electronic and communications intelligence. One of my first supervisors was an "old" (mid 30s age) Gunnery Sergeant named Klause, an NCO who thoroughly impressed this very young sailor. Most Marines I worked with were pretty decent, smart and sharp.

Do you have any idea yet about what you want to specialize in?

[Thomas]

Your a lifer!I cant imagine some of the things you've seen over that period of time you spent in the Navy.

The NASSAU is parked out in the Persian Gulf at the moment, helping the Marines find their way to Iraq.

I'd like to specialize in the Infantry, but my father would rather have me doing something with Electronics, or something closer to having a REMF job.I'm really split between Comm Specialist or Infantry at the moment though.I just recently took the ASVAB at my high school and gave my recruiter the results.I'd like to check out what is available to me before I get set on anything.

Well I talked to my recruiter recently and he is pretty sure I could be an Infantryman, and said i'll have loads of fun at Basic!He also said once I finish BCT and am assigned to a unit we might all take a vacation in the desert.I cant wait!!!

[101ABN]

Hey Thomas!

Whatever other specialty you are trained in, every Marine is an Infantryman at the center.

If you qualify, I'd suggest looking for some specialized training that will give you marketable skills in case you decide not to make a career of military service.

Personally, I liked the Infantry but it's not for everyone.

Thanks for being willing to serve.

Regards

[tits]

admin said:

Hey Thomas!

Whatever other specialty you are trained in, every Marine is an Infantryman at the center.

If you qualify, I'd suggest looking for some specialized training that will give you marketable skills in case you decide not to make a career of military service.

Personally, I liked the Infantry but it's not for everyone.

Thanks for being willing to serve.

Regards

Try avionics, that is a field that will get you everywhere afterwards and the GI bonus is around $40,000.

Thomas, you are conversing with some men of real experience, ask them anything and they will shoot you a straight answer.

Question, what prompted you to select the Corps? I wanted to be like my WWII uncle, a true hero to me.

[Thomas]

I dont know but I am drawn to the Corps.I will hopefully be the first member of my family to become a Marine, amongst Navy, Army, and Airforce vets.

I'm fascinated by the "every Marine is a rifleman" approach they have.After researching the Marines and Army I found the Marines were more elite then reguler Army Infantry, and either the same, or better then Rangers, except without the Airborne training (some Marines do get to go through Airborne, usually Recon Marines or SOC unit Marines).

I also just have the urge to do something for my country, and give something back for all the freedoms I am allowed.So I figured I could best do this by becoming a member of one of the most elite military units in the world.

Hope that helped!

[Sailor]

"Your a lifer! I cant imagine some of the things you've seen over that period of time you spent in the Navy."

Yep, seen and done some interesting things, many many things that would just bore your ass off, and just enough really SCARY stuff to keep life interesting.

"The NASSAU is parked out in the Persian Gulf at the moment, helping the Marines find their way to Iraq."

While NASSAU was not my favorite of the two ships I served in, I try to keep abreast of where the old bucket is and what she's doing. Right now she's involved in Maritime Security Operations (keeping an eye on tanker and merchant traffic.)

www.defendamerica.mil/articles/nov2005/a112805ms2.html

As Rex (101) correctly stated EVERY Marine is first and foremost a rifleman and infantryman. Even the "CT" Marines I worked with trained regularly. There is no such thing as a Marine REMF'er.

"After researching the Marines and Army I found the Marines were more elite then reguler Army Infantry, and either the same, or better then Rangers, except without the Airborne training (some Marines do get to go through Airborne, usually Recon Marines or SOC unit Marines)."

Quite a few Marines go through the Army's Ranger School at Fort Benning. If you really intend to be a "mud Marine" (infantryman) you might want to consider requesting Ranger training once you have some time in. Your recruiter can probably answer any questions you have in that direction, how much time you need to have in the Corps first and so forth.

Whatever you choose to do Tom, give it your best effort, then stand by for them to demand more.

[FightingFalcon]

Hey Thomas....good luck at boot next year. I would have joined the Marines if their quality of life was better but nothing compares to the Air Force.

I become a 2nd Lt in May 2007 so we should be entering active duty at around the same time