Considering the Marines.

[snowman6251]

I've been thinking about the military a fair bit recently. When I was younger I scoffed at the idea of myself in the military, because it's my understanding that getting shot sucks. I can't pinpoint exactly what or when I changed my attitude about it but I've grown more interested in it. It might be stemming from a deep sense of respect I have for people who are and have served, and regardless of what you may think about the military, you can't deny the soldiers who make it up have massive balls.

Anyway I'd been thinking about it on and off. Some days I'd think about how much I'd want to do something like that and then other days I think there's no way it'd work out. Ultimately I decided I'd probably end up waiting until I finished college so that I might have my fun go uninterrupted, and then make a decision based on where I was upon graduating (girlfriend present, job available, etc).

Recently however I received an e-mail in my school inbox telling me about the Platoon Leader Class program. I had never heard of this before and it caught my interest. I'll just quote the e-mail word for word here.

"With your education, you may qualify for our paid summer leadership
program - the Platoon Leaders Class (PLC), which allows you to continue
your studies while earning your commission as a Marine Officer.

This is not ROTC. All training takes place during the summer.

- Freshmen and sophomores attend two six-week training sessions over two
summers
- Juniors attend one 10-week summer training session
- PLC takes place at Quantico, VA
- After graduation from college and completion of PLC, candidates are
offered a commission as a second lieutenant and decide at that time to
either accept or decline

The training is an exceptionally challenging curriculum that is
specifically designed to develop your mental and physical abilities and
test your leadership potential."

I didn't want to ROTC for anything because I didn't want it to interfere with me screwing around in college. This program doesn't have that same issue. It would also get my mom off my back about getting a summer job. Anyway as far as military training goes, this seemed like a pretty good deal.

Anyway this kind of thing is obviously a pretty huge commitment that I have no intentions of jumping into hastily and therefore I want to talk to as many people as possible about it. My uncle served in the army and claims it's the best thing that ever happened to him. I've heard some stories from him, other veterans, and various documentaries, and these stories probably make up the basis for my interest in the military. I guess I'm drawn to the idea of "living to tell the tale", being a survivor to a life threatening situation, the only problem being actually surviving.

Regarding basic things like health, I've been a bit of a lazy ass since arriving at college. I'm healthy but probably a bit out of shape, but nothing that some running can't fix. I've started working out a bit more because I'm what you might call a "skinny ass ************" and I wanted to gain a bit of muscle. Ultimately, I doubt my physical prowess would end up being an issue.

Anyway I guess what I'd ideally get here is testimony from actual veterans. I don't think this will likely end up being the place where I get the most veteran responses but like I said, I want to talk to as many people as possible. I'd like to hear from other civilians as well but I'm going to place a lot more weight in the testimonies of people who've seen the real deal.

Also specifics about the PLC program, or the role of officers in the Corps are doubly appreciated.

 

[IBlackKiteI]

The military is a damn good place for a career indeed, just try not to be in it when a war comes.

Thats all I have to say about that, I live in Australia so I don't know much about your military.

 

[Simalacrum]

Well, as a strong pacifist and a person who looks at the military not from the perspective of individual soldiers, but rather the global political perspective and how military and war can affect millions of lives across the globe, I personally discourage you from joining the military.

However, any reasons I would put forward is to do with political and moral reasons, rather than 'what it's like to be in the military' - I'm not saying that individual soldiers have a bad experience in the army/marines/navy/airforce/whatever, I'm just saying that making such a commitment to join the military is making a commitment not just for yourself, but for those people you will be interacting with as a soldier as well.

Therefore, I'd encourage you to try and look at the big picture as well as your personal experience when considering the military - say, for example, if you were sent to Afghanistan or Iraq, would you have any political/moral objection to that? Put it this way: joining the marines is not just about getting shot at, but also can be about shooting other people yourself. That, in some ways, is a far bigger responsibility to shoulder than getting shot yourself.

Do bare in mind that my opinion is rather biased as I'm highly against the so-called 'war against terror', and the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan. Nevertheless, upon your point about the veterans who have been in wars, and say that it is a good experience... consider this: have you had any opinions upon the other side? The side who is being invaded by the soldiers? Do you think they have similarly good experience as the veterans?

 

[Scolar Visari]

Alright, a couple of questions:

1. Would you object to having almost no control over your life?

2. Are you willing to accept that you can be called to war at any time and that it is a very real possibility that you may be killed or seriously injured?

I'm glad you're taking this seriously. If you want to be an officer you'll need to be as serious about it as possible, what with you being responsible for the lives of others.

 

[Tron-tonian]

From someone in HR and not a vet:

A military career is not a bad thing at all, particularly at the officer level. Even if you don't stick around long enough to get a pension (which, if it's 25 and out, would put you at about 47), your resume will not only have the degree, but the experience in a chosen field AND the military as a previous employer which can be a BIG boost. Military experience generally indicates that the person knows WTF they are doing, know how to give and take orders and know how to execute those orders. In short, ex-military often make *excellent* employees, and are snapped up quickly. ;-)

That being said, are you willing to be shot at? That's probably the biggest question you will want to answer. You may also want to investigate what sort of options the other branches have for officer training.

 

[snowman6251]

Alright, a couple of questions:

1. Would you object to having almost no control over your life?

2. Are you willing to accept that you can be called to war at any time and that it is a very real possibility that you may be killed or seriously injured?

I'm glad you're taking this seriously. If you want to be an officer you'll need to be as serious about it as possible, what with you being responsible for the lives of others.

1. This is why I opted out of ROTC programs (the other reason being more time to make the decision). I figure if I can go through college without any obligations getting in the way of my shenanigans then I could tolerate several years of duty, including the lack of real freedom.

2. This is the part where I have to stop and debate it with myself. I'd pretty much be guaranteed to be shipped off to Afghanistan. On one hand Afghanistan is pretty dangerous. IED's and suicide bombers indistinguishable from civilians sound like a nightmare. On the other hand I could end up getting killed back home in any number of ways. Car accidents, slip and fall, etc. Ultimately this is where I get hung up. I try to think of it in terms of risk vs reward and end up stuck.

 

[Scolar Visari]

Alright, a couple of questions:

1. Would you object to having almost no control over your life?

2. Are you willing to accept that you can be called to war at any time and that it is a very real possibility that you may be killed or seriously injured?

I'm glad you're taking this seriously. If you want to be an officer you'll need to be as serious about it as possible, what with you being responsible for the lives of others.

1. This is why I opted out of ROTC programs (the other reason being more time to make the decision). I figure if I can go through college without any obligations getting in the way of my shenanigans then I could tolerate several years of duty, including the lack of real freedom.

2. This is the part where I have to stop and debate it with myself. I'd pretty much be guaranteed to be shipped off to Afghanistan. On one hand Afghanistan is pretty dangerous. IED's and suicide bombers indistinguishable from civilians sound like a nightmare. On the other hand I could end up getting killed back home in any number of ways. Car accidents, slip and fall, etc. Ultimately this is where I get hung up. I try to think of it in terms of risk vs reward and end up stuck.

I think that if you were to think of it in a risk reward sense, then you would probably opt not to join. The amount of reward that is received is physically much less than the amount of risk incurred. If you're just thinking in terms of "What can I get out of this", I suggest that you don't join. Deployment will be a physically and mentally exhaustive nightmare in one of the worst hellholes on the planet and it's very likely you wont be the same person you were when you get back.

 

[snowman6251]

Alright, a couple of questions:

1. Would you object to having almost no control over your life?

2. Are you willing to accept that you can be called to war at any time and that it is a very real possibility that you may be killed or seriously injured?

I'm glad you're taking this seriously. If you want to be an officer you'll need to be as serious about it as possible, what with you being responsible for the lives of others.

1. This is why I opted out of ROTC programs (the other reason being more time to make the decision). I figure if I can go through college without any obligations getting in the way of my shenanigans then I could tolerate several years of duty, including the lack of real freedom.

2. This is the part where I have to stop and debate it with myself. I'd pretty much be guaranteed to be shipped off to Afghanistan. On one hand Afghanistan is pretty dangerous. IED's and suicide bombers indistinguishable from civilians sound like a nightmare. On the other hand I could end up getting killed back home in any number of ways. Car accidents, slip and fall, etc. Ultimately this is where I get hung up. I try to think of it in terms of risk vs reward and end up stuck.

I think that if you were to think of it in a risk reward sense, then you would probably opt not to join. The amount of reward that is received is physically much less than the amount of risk incurred. If you're just thinking in terms of "What can I get out of this", I suggest that you don't join. Deployment will be a physically and mentally exhaustive nightmare in one of the worst hellholes on the planet and it's very likely you wont be the same person you were when you get back.

Well the thing is I'm not limiting reward to things like tax benefits and something to put on my resume. Maybe I'm weird but I feel like I'm drawn to the kind of brotherhood type thing that people who serve together seem to have. As I mentioned earlier I also like the idea of living to tell the tale. I'm really curious about the type of experience one has in the military. The easiest way to find out for sure would be to do it myself. The problem is getting out alive.

 

[Scolar Visari]

Alright, a couple of questions:

1. Would you object to having almost no control over your life?

2. Are you willing to accept that you can be called to war at any time and that it is a very real possibility that you may be killed or seriously injured?

I'm glad you're taking this seriously. If you want to be an officer you'll need to be as serious about it as possible, what with you being responsible for the lives of others.

1. This is why I opted out of ROTC programs (the other reason being more time to make the decision). I figure if I can go through college without any obligations getting in the way of my shenanigans then I could tolerate several years of duty, including the lack of real freedom.

2. This is the part where I have to stop and debate it with myself. I'd pretty much be guaranteed to be shipped off to Afghanistan. On one hand Afghanistan is pretty dangerous. IED's and suicide bombers indistinguishable from civilians sound like a nightmare. On the other hand I could end up getting killed back home in any number of ways. Car accidents, slip and fall, etc. Ultimately this is where I get hung up. I try to think of it in terms of risk vs reward and end up stuck.

I think that if you were to think of it in a risk reward sense, then you would probably opt not to join. The amount of reward that is received is physically much less than the amount of risk incurred. If you're just thinking in terms of "What can I get out of this", I suggest that you don't join. Deployment will be a physically and mentally exhaustive nightmare in one of the worst hellholes on the planet and it's very likely you wont be the same person you were when you get back.

Well the thing is I'm not limiting reward to things like tax benefits and something to put on my resume. Maybe I'm weird but I feel like I'm drawn to the kind of brotherhood type thing that people who serve together seem to have. As I mentioned earlier I also like the idea of living to tell the tale. I'm really curious about the type of experience one has in the military. The easiest way to find out for sure would be to do it myself. The problem is getting out alive.

No it's not weird. When I first made the decision to join ROTC, I did so only out of a desire to serve and to be able to experience all of the things that it entails.