Roles in the Marines are varied, as are the skills that can be acquired. The Marine Corps is a self-sufficient organization with its own engineers, computer programmers, lawyers, weathermen, police, news reporters, and accountants. The two career options closed to Marines are medical careers (doctors, nurses, medics) and religious services, as the Navy provides these functions. Of note, the Marine Corps Band is especially prestigious within as well as outside of the military—they are "the President's Own."
The number of women in the Marines is growing rapidly, and, though they are not eligible for combat positions (the infantry, artillery, or armor crews), all other roles are open to them. Female officers attend the same OCS and TBS courses. Female enlistees all attend Boot Camp on Parris Island and the training, while segregated from that of male recruits, is the same Marine Corps training that every enlistee receives.
There is a focus on technical skills in the Marines—from Web design to aircraft maintenance—the kind of know-how that is valuable in the private sector, too. The Marines encourage people to join on the understanding that they will have more opportunities for hands-on work and more responsibility from the start than employees in the civilian workforce do. Even if a Marine don't plan on spending his or her entire career in the military, it offers valuable paid training in a chosen technical field.
The Marines offers something else to its constituents—something unique to the Corps. The Marines Corps makes Marines. Throughout the history of the United States, the Marine Corps has been a small, elite group that is well-trained and tightly bonded. If you enlist in the Navy, you are a sailor; if you enlist in the Army, you are a soldier, but if you enlist in the Marines, you are nothing until you prove yourself in Boot Camp and are awarded the title of "Marine." No other service or career can offer such challenge or such a reward.
Time commitment in any branch of the military is generally proportional to the amount of training, money, and benefits an enlistee receives from it. The more valuable the deal, the more time is owed. If the Marines Corps trains someone in a highly technical field, they make sure they get something back. The range of initial time commitment is four to six years, with the ability to stay on for shorter amounts of time afterwards. Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) graduates who received scholarships typically owe five years, as do U.S. Naval Academy graduates.
The armed forces offer a highly structured environment, and part of that includes an established system of rank and promotion. There are separate rank systems for enlisted Marines and commissioned officers. On the whole, Marine officers move up according to the following schedule: from Second Lieutenant to First Lieutenant after two years, Captain after four, Major after 10, Lieutenant Colonel after 16, Colonel after 22, and the General officer ranks at some point thereafter. Enlisted Marines begin as Privates, Privates First Class, and Lance Corporals, before advancing to Corporals, Sergeants, Staff Sergeants, Gunnery Sergeants, First Sergeants (or Master Sergeants), and Sergeants Major (or Master Gunnery Sergeants). Advancement depends on your abilities, time in your rank, time in the service, the needs of the Corps, and your Military Occupational Specialty (MOS). Generally speaking, rising through the ranks in the Marines takes longer than it does in the Army, since fewer spots become available in the former over the same period of time.
The pay is standard among the military branches, and each promotion brings a pay raise. In addition, Marines are provided medical benefits, housing allowances, and other benefits that increase the value of the service. Many benefits and allowances increase with rank, so a Major receives more money for housing than a First Lieutenant does.
There are a variety of ways to become a Marine. Future officers can attend the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland for four years and graduate as second lieutenants in the Marine Corps—following completion of Officer Candidate School (OCS). College students can apply for commissions by participating in NROTC at their college. NROTC offers scholarships to some candidates, but even non-scholarship students can seek commissions. College students can also become involved in Platoon Leaders Course (PLC), which provides them some college assistance, while college graduates can pursue commissions by applying to OCS following college. High school graduates can enlist after they graduate from high school. They can also enter the Delayed Entry Program (DEP) while in high school, and pick their date of departure for Boot Camp and choose their MOS. Enlistees receive education benefits—including the option to participate in the GI Bill, which can pay more than $35,000 for college—which they can use to attend college during or following their service.
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