Army or Marine Corps Reserve

[sff70]

Lots, lots, lots, lots more opportunities and flexibility for you in the Army system than in the Marine system.

I say that as a former enlisted Marine.

[MeanRider]

The Marines have come a long way in the reserves over the years. And I would not join a different branch. But I could definitly see why going to Army would be more flexible.

[JSantoro]

Lots, lots, lots, lots more opportunities and flexibility for you in the Army system than in the Marine system.

I say that as a former enlisted Marine.

Yep, that's a fact.

Also, bear in mind, when you hear the commercials, they say "AS LITTLE AS one weekend a month and two weeks out of the year." Pay attention to that verbiage, because it's generally a good bit more time spent than that, unless you want to be more than a minimalist bagg-o.

At the risk of branch-specific chest-thumping, you join the Corps if you want to be a Marine. You join the others if you want options. You trade one set of complications for another, whichever branch it is. Going officer in the Corps, even through the Reserve Commissioning Program and PLC path for OCS is basically a year-long kick in the nuts.

I am toying with the idea of getting a uniform back on, and am personally looking sideways at the NG option. I don't like the idea of potentially being yanked by the state to fill sandbags at some disaster for a far lesser wage than getting federalized and deployed to create bright lights and loud noises in a faraway land. It happened to a buddy of mine in the WVNG in 2002, and prompts me to look harder at AR because, being totally honest, I'm greatly unsympathetic to folks that knowingly live on flood planes, or in the paths of mudslides and forest fires, etc.

I get the feeling that there's way fewer AR units, though, and can totally see what 120mm is saying about greater opportunities for personally/professionally fulfilling billets in the NG. Makes sense.

[Soupsandwich]

As a USAR field grade who has spent the past couple years training Reserve and NG units, I'll offer my somewhat biased opinion on the subject.

First, don't forget that in the Reserves or Guard, after OCS, you'll still need to go to your branch qualifying officer basic course (OBC or whatever they call it these days). During the high OPTEMPO periods post-9/11, the only time I saw LTs in the Reserves was in deploying units. Most of them got commissioned, went to OBC and then got snatched up by a mobilizing unit to deploy.

If you plan on staying in your area, get your recruiter to give you a list of the Reserve and NG units in your area. Give them a call and arrange for a visit. All of them should be happy to have a visitor drop by during a Battle Assembly (Drill for those of you who are old school) and you’ll get a much better idea of what you’re getting yourself into. There are some great, and some crappy, units in both the USAR and the ARNG so do your homework before committing.

Opportunities for mobilization tours for both Guard and Reserve officers have been plentiful since 9/11 but that’s starting to change. Reading the tea leaves, it looks like there will be substantially less Reserve and Guard personnel mobilized in support of overseas contingency operations in FY2012.

I agree with JSantoro that the one weekend a month and two weeks a year thing is long dead, especially if you’re a unit commander. Command on Active Duty is tough, in the USAR/ARNG, it’s even tougher since you have to balance command with your day job.

Good luck with your decision and feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

[vel525]

Thanks for everyone's input so far. I have met with an OSO from the Marine Corps. and the only issue may be my age. Used to be that as long as you were fit, you could get an age waiver, but he said over the past few months it has been harder and harder. This may be a no-go for me on the Marine Corps. side (I will be 33 when I start OCS).

Also met with an Army Reserve Officer Recruiter and walked through the process and opportunities. Unfortunately, the branch I want does not allow officers right out of OCS to join, instead, I would have to branch in another area for a few years and then request a transfer. The alternative is to join the unit as an enlisted guy, which, like everything else, has its pluses and minuses.

Lots of options to consider for sure and still narrowing down my choices. Will let you guys know where I end up in the next few months. Plan is to sign papers by the end of the calendar year (want to take my time since it's a pretty big decision).

Might reach out to some of you via PM as I go through this progress. Thanks again!

[devildogljb]

sorry im not in your area but i would go with the marine corps due to well shit i was in and i have a few buddies of mine that are officers in the marine corps and they love it. Look at what each branch offers you and weight out the options but to expect to be deployed very soon after you finish your job training. But if i where you marine corps all the way. Good luck and stay safe

[Gombey]

I would recommend the Guard as well. With the accelerated programme you cut out a lot of training time. There are also a few more MOSs to choose from should you wish to re-class.

Now, it is not as easy as it used to be to go active from the Guard as it was in the past but that option is still there.

After AIT I plan on going to OCS if my other plans don't work out.

Talk to a recruiter: www.1800goguard.com

Whatever you do, good luck mate!!