Why I'm Joining the Marine Corps After High School

[Anonymous]

Today I'm going to explain why I'm joining the marine corps after high school over college and the other military branches. These are reasons why I am going into the marines so you can then decide if you want to join too. So let's get into this

1. I've been getting bad grades and bad ACT scores.

I'm not very bright. I have a 2.9 GPA in high school and a composite score of 20 on the ACT. The only place I can get into with that is community college, which pretty much anyone can get into, but I don't want to do that at all. I wanted to go to a big college, but when I realized that that's never going to happen I decided to take a different route. The marine route.

2. I want to be away from civilian life

I'm simply tired of being a civilian. I don't want to have the chance of seeing the same people I see in high school (including friends. I don't want to see them either) and I want to go abroad and protect the people of the United States (which I'll talk about in a second). Being a civilian is boring to me and with the grades I have in high school I can't live the average joe's life and go to a big named college.

3. I want to travel abroad.

In the marine corps, and any military really, you get to travel abroad for work. In the marines you will be aiding other countries that have recently had a disaster struck their way or going to a country to fight a war. I'm prepared to do both if it comes down to it.

4. War

War isn't something pleasant, but if it means protecting and serving my country I'm ready. The marine Corp is definitely not a branch you want to go into if you don't want to go into combat. Me personally, I don't care if I do go into combat no one is going to care if I die but my parents anyway, I know that's sad, but it's reality and two people aren't going to stop me from serving an entire country.

5. Pride

There's a certain amount of pride that you get once you complete boot camp and become a marine. It's the pride that says that you are no longer a citizen and that you are not a soilder, but a marine. It would be an honor for me to become a United States marine and I would be proud of myself for becoming one.

So the marine corps weren't my first choice for my future, but now it is. I'm currently preparing myself for boot camp by increasing my endurance and becoming stronger and bigger. Feel free to comment whatever. Agree or disagree I don't care. Thanks for reading!

[meowcow]

If I were you, I'd probably join the marines out of the possible military branches as well.

However, you mentioned your grades were low and you weren't too bright. Being in the military requires very good decision-making, particularly when there are many unknown factors in a real scenario. Even if you're not good at memorizing things or doing complex math, I'd recommend you turn to some good books on logic and decision making processes. A few good books on leadership skills and charisma would also help you.

[reixun]

Only people who joined the marines that I know are dumber than bricks 😂 Respect though, whatever works for you.

I think it's self delusion. You think that you'd be working for a "greater cause" when you're actually working as a pawn for things you might not believe in. I've got loyalty to America but I don't believe in our leaders enough to join any ranks.

[myTake Owner]

Well I can't get into any of the colleges I want to get into and I don't want to be a bum, so the military is the only option and why not join the best team in the military if you are going to join the military.

[cth96190]

I question your assessment of yourself, that you are "not very bright".
I have degrees in journalism and education (secondary) and I am working on a doctorate in history. An IQ test put me in the top 2 per cent of the population, but if you were to give me a math test the result would say that I was mentally retarded.
What you wrote told me (as an English teacher) that there was nothing sub-standard about your IQ. Your literacy and demonstrated cognitive process are toward the upper end of the scale.
I would question the pedagogy (teacherspeak for techniques used by teachers), curriculum and assessment that you experienced.
I would encourage you to read this linked article about something that is called Gardner's Multiple Intelligences.
https://www.tecweb.org/styles/gardner.html
It is extremely rare to find an individual who is good at everything. Our brains are not made that way. It is normal for someone to be outstanding at something, but rubbish at another.
I would encourage you to take advantage of the educational programmes that are offered within the Marines. You might be surprised by how well you do, once you have some life experience and have been out of the school system for a while.
Such programmes will also give you a leg up for promotional courses, if you decide to make a long-term career out of the Marines.
I served in the Australian Army (2/14 Light Horse) for several years. During joint exercises, the espirit de corps of the Marines was always impressive.
When the time comes to pick a specialty, give that some serious thought. I was mechanised infantry. I can assure you that any form of infantry is bloody hard work.
I opted for Armoured Corps, because I thought that I would be in a tank and, therefore, would not have to walk. I ended up as a super grunt in an armoured regiment that had M113 armoured personnel carriers.
If you want something other than being cold/hot, hungry, tired and sleeping in a water-filled hole in the ground, you should give some thought to signals, intelligence, transport, or artillery. Signals and engineers will give you skills that have workplace applications outside of the military. Engineers can be fun, but it is a more dangerous job than infantry.
When I went through commission training, all of my instructors had done Vietnam and most of the NCOs were engineers, for some reason that I still do not understand. They were all outstanding soldiers, but they were also batshit crazy.

[JudgmentDay]

Good luck! Like someone had said earlier, it's best to go with the commissioned officer route, you would then become a "leader" and not merely a "follower" compared to when you are enlisted and start at the very bottom. Besides being at the bottom, the pay isn't really all that much. As the pay is always based upon rank to begin with in the military.

I hope you make enough to time to seriously prepare mentally and physically because military life is going to be really fucking demanding in both areas. If you aren't in good shape, not only will it not be easy, it will be a struggle and possible a real nightmare to keep up even to the bare minimum standards all just to barely pass and qualify for their physical fitness exams. Ideally spend at around 1 to 2 years to prepare physically if you aren't really in shape to begin with.

How many pull ups and crunches can you do? And how fast can you fun for 3 miles non-stop?

As it isn't going be simple like Marvel's Captain America where Steve Rogers was really skinny and not in shape but quickly become in shape when he was given some "Super Soldier formula" serum injections by the military. This is reality.

If you are absolutely certain about nationalism then go for it. My other question is that although your parents may be the only ones that care if you had died?

What about yourself? Do you give a fuck whether you live or die? Or how you die? Because if you didn't care whether you lived or died then you could potentially become reckless and that's no good in real life combat. The way it works is that you are part of a unit of marines and that you must always work together and watch each others backs, so if you never gave a fuck whether you live or died that isn't the problem, but you better give a fuck whether your fellow marines gonna get hurt or killed because of any actions that you may or may not take while in combat.

[AlphaMale1]

Our country is not being attacked by a foreign government. Exactly how are you protecting us from?

The reality is we are the invading force around the world. Other countries have to defend themselves against our military as we shove our way of government down their throats with bullets and bombs.

With that being said I believe you are making a good choice given the options you have. If you make a career out of the Marine Corp you will be able to retire with a pension before you are 40 with benefits and get a job in the civilian world. The two incomes will provide quite well for you and, if you have one, your family. :)

[ClassicRocker]

Speaking as a veteran, the only reasons you've listed that are likely to remain valid when you look back on your military experience will be 1,2, and 5.

You don't really get that "worldly" experience you're craving. If you're really curious to know what an endless expanse of desert looks like there's one right here in the states.
I know a ton of people that joined to get away from their hometown for whatever reason, and most of them seemed to be pretty happy with their choice.
You will be proud of yourself at several steps along the way. You'll be proud of yourself for having the physical and mental fortitude to achieve something most people would quit out of. Don't let the assholes, naysayers, and anti-military types get you down. They're mostly just entitled asshats that wouldn't know what it really means to fulfill a commitment and see something through to the end.

[oddwaffle]

If you can make it pass the lieutenant rank then you know you have made it. If you are stuck as a permanent enlisted with no prospect other than living in a hole somewhere and just wait for stuff you get better then you should find something else to do.

#1 you will have to fix this at some point. Stupid soldiers tend to either die or get kicked out of their group fast. If you think the Marines were composed of people who couldn't get higher education tend you would be in a lot of troubles.

#2 same ad the above except now you have to work harder.

#3 you are not moving around as a tourist. You have a job to do. You are not getting paid to have fun.

#4 oh glamorous war. Always the best until you are on the receiving end of it.

#5 pride alone is empty. Tradition and discipline matter more.

[JudgmentDay]

@oddwaffle

From Wikipedia: "Officer candidates who complete OCS (and have obtained their college degrees) are then commissioned as Second Lieutenants and sent to The Basic School (TBS) at Quantico for six months of further training with other newly commissioned Marine officers from all other commissioning programs. At TBS, they receive the skills and knowledge necessary to lead Marines in combat; much like "every Marine is a rifleman", every officer is introduced to the skills necessary to lead a provisional rifle platoon."

Greatly recommended for anyone that is serious about a career in the military as becoming a commissioned officer is where they should strive for and aim for. Besides they have the higher pay grades than enlisted personnel so they'd make better income. Having leadership skills on their helps significantly when transitioning back into civilian world and looking for a jobs. Who wouldn't want to be a leader, a supervisor or manager, at least at some point later?

[Anonymous]

soldiers are worthless when the police get paid to brutalize their children. there is no point, you'll come back crazy, and the va will be terrible. your family won't see benefits. i'm anti-patriotic from my veteran parent. i haven't gotten any help from the va. i haven't gotten any pay for having to deal with a bat shit crazy parent. if i go to the looney bin, i have to pay the bill. the military has distorted my personal life without just cause. if i work, i pay taxes funding this occurring to other people. guess what, i don't work. i would rather starve, and be single than support this. 60% of your unreasonably expensive taxes pay for war. i would rather be homeless than pay to bomb children. soldiers kill themselves regularly because they kill children in warzones.

[LilyWonderer]

It's awesome that you want to join the Marines. I'm in 8th grade (even though it says 18 but it won't let me change it) and I'm lookin into the army. I know it's not the same thing as the Marines (just gonna say cuz most people go on and on about that stupid stuff cause they act like they know everything) but I was just adding because I think its pretty cool that you actually have a good reason for it. Most people I know want to join these things because they think it will make them "cool." Hope you find the best luck in it. And I agree with the civilian life thing.

[Khailz]

Do OCS trust me, as an enlisted you get treated like a dog your first year or so. Its a better route than doing this side of the Marine Corps, but you do get a very tight comrade with the people you meet, it's literally amazing how you bond with the strangers who have your back. (Even if its 20 Marines all in a 10 x 20 room with gear and MRE's sleeping on each other. Marines can sleep anywhere)

[JudgmentDay]

I've been trying to tell him that is what he should strive for and aim for if he is absolutely serious about career in the military. Becoming a Commissioned Officer would provide very useful management and leadership skills which are essential to success in the real professional world. Who wouldn't want to be the boss or the person in charge of their department at some point at least later on in their career or even in life?

Do they really want to be the bottom feeding guys that are just always following what their bosses say and put up with bs and can't do much about it since they area always at the bottom and can become easily replaceable or disposable?

But it's also harder for him to qualify for Officer Candidates School, as becoming a leader would mean the requirements and qualifications are much more demanding for BOTH Physical and Mental Requirements.

[FakeName123]

"protecting and serving my country"

The only thing you protect and serve are geopolitical and company interests. Enjoy coming back without a limb or two for the benefits of some billionaires.

[myTake Owner]

It's more than that bro. It's for normal citizens too. Your average citizen like you and me

[JudgmentDay]

What he said. In reality, you would still only be an expendable asset fighting in actuality of protecting large corporate interests. If war doesn't make money and isn't profitable they would never had occurred in the first place.

Some people had eventually became disillusioned with all the violence and slaughter in war and begin to question whom and what the fuck are we and am I really fight for and dying for? They may claim it's for the best of nation's security, etc., etc., but there is always some underlying motive from those who would benefit the most and profit the most from war.

[Anonymous]

A friend of mine has a daughter joining the navy. She was going to college didn't like it much. She signed onto one of the nuclear rates to begin with and changed later to intelligence. She's super excited and will leave with enough college credit to nearly have a BS and will still have the GI Bill on top of that. It's a fantastic deal for her.

[Cccgala]

Wow 😮 I'm so proud of you.
I think you also need to be in good physique and in good health condition to be in the Marine Corps. Traning is known to be rigorous overtime. Good luck and nice myTake!

[myTake Owner]

Yeah I'm training to have a good physique so that by the end of my senior year I'll be good to go.

[meatballs21]

You're not very bright, yet this is a very good take.

I am hopeful this will turn your life around and give you the start in adulthood you might not get otherwise. You might want to start doing physical training now before boot camp.

[myTake Owner]

You don't have to be bright to make a good take.

And yes I'm doing physical training now. I'm trying to workout everyday, run everyday, swim everyday, and overall improve endrance.

[meatballs21]

No, but you have expressed yourself very well, something many arguably more 'intelligent' people would struggle with. You're also taking what isn't the easiest option in your life but one which will give you the chance to be something you will be proud of. For that, I wish you the best of luck.

[myTake Owner]

Thank you!

[Ghassan]

If you look up how many crimes America did to other countries, you will rethink joining the Marine corps. Don't assume that you are fighting for a good reason, because they won't tell you the real reason why you are fighting in an area or another.

[JudgmentDay]

@Ghassan

"War is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of the people. Only a small 'inside' group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war a few people make huge fortunes." -

[Ghassan]

@JudgmentDay I respect your opinion. But the American army doesn't defend the country, but does damage outside. I don't think it's a good idea to fight for some inside group at the expense of many, which is gonna be mostly innocents, and knowing that the inside group might be evil.

[NotMyUsername15]

Dislike. You're full of it.

[Marinepilot]

The Marine Corps is a wonderful way to do these things. Get them to send you to school, go to OCS become a commissioned officer and make a career of the Corps. That said, no one gives you title of US Marine. You earn it ! OOHH RAH SEMPER FI MARINE !

[TadCurious]

Thank you for choosing to serve our country. Semper fi.

[myTake Owner]

Hell yeah! Semper fi!

[watercolor_lions]

Respect. My boyfriend joined the Marines. It made a man out of him.

Good luck.

[OhioNativeForLife]

Unless you actually are in danger, it's a bunch of phony crap.

[Jeeevan]

Great take and good luck to you ☺