Xdeth
1 November 2002, 18:48
Note to all wannabees that are colorblind, have club feet, bad eysesight, are bad swimmers, are about to graduate high school, college, julia childs cooking school etc etc...
Force Recon is not, I repeat NOT, for brand new Marines or folks with the above listed disabilities. There is no contract for Force Recon, you cannot get a guarantee for it. What is expected is Marines from the infantry and communications MOS fields that have demonstrated hard charging and intelligent behaviour in keeping with the Marine Corps highest traditions. The number of Marines in this job is so few that absloutely no compromises can be made in selection and retention. And every day you are there is an evaluation of someones decision to keep you there. Guys that made it in then fucked off or did something stupid, and I mean only one or two events are quickly shelved and are forever remembered by those events no matter how many things they did right. There is saying that goes,"he's a good guy but being a good guy is not enough".
Why is it like this? Why the fuck do you think, it aint no game. Survival in small teams or on larger scale assaults depends on each Marine executing flawlessly. Unlike the other services SOF Marine Recon routinely employs a larger more diverse set of conventional firepower as is native to the Marine Corps air ground task force. Team memebers have at their disposal command and control of weapons platforms generally reserved for company level commanders. Marines must intimately know how these weapons systems and forces can be employed at any instance. The amphibious nature of the Corps mission means tacking on all the knowledge of boat, swim, dive, and jump operations from amphib platforms as well as ground based. Assaults, recon, special taskings, and maintaining individual profecincies reads "jack of all trades", it will take you no less then half a career to become a master of most of these skills. You will get the chance to attend every training school the other services SOF forces do, and some they mostly don't. You may be the only Marine they ever encounter in the training loop. Most of them will tell you they saw some top quality folks, and it's no accident. Be the one guy to fuck up and it will forever be a story of how the Marines suck at whatever the skill was you blew at.
Now, don't get all teary eyed, focus on your job of being a basically trained Marine and keep your aspirations hidden. Go to whatever training you can get , MCIWS, HRST, build a resume so to speak.
Physical training is key, I won't go into how to prepare for that because it would be another post in itself, if you have any weakness it will be exposed and likely exploited to make you quit. You wont understand that until the hollywood aspirations meet the real world perspirations, good luck.
Getting to know someon never hurts, play spades with the Force DET guys on your deployment, get to know someone by name. If they like you it means they are either taking your money in cards or might do something to help you get screened. But no matter what talk you talk eventually you will be standing in the 1st SGT's office and god forbid your wasting his time with NJP's and piss poor pros & cons. And if you get through that someone not as nice as me will be trying to kill you every time they see you in the company AO as a RIP'r or god forbid only an indoc participant.
And don't think that any Marine not in Force is not "high speed". Marine cadre in the training commands do not give a RATS ASS if you want to jump out of a plane. They are professionals that will kick your ass for fun because they do that shit 24/7. Being a bad-ass Marine is an individual skill, your units reputation only lasts until the rubber meets the road, then it's on you.
Now quit dreaming and take your ass down the block to the company HQ and ask to see someone about becoming a Force Recon Marine. That single step is the most important one you can make, AND the one that almost no one takes.
Have great Marine Corp day!
Force Recon is not, I repeat NOT, for brand new Marines or folks with the above listed disabilities. There is no contract for Force Recon, you cannot get a guarantee for it. What is expected is Marines from the infantry and communications MOS fields that have demonstrated hard charging and intelligent behaviour in keeping with the Marine Corps highest traditions. The number of Marines in this job is so few that absloutely no compromises can be made in selection and retention. And every day you are there is an evaluation of someones decision to keep you there. Guys that made it in then fucked off or did something stupid, and I mean only one or two events are quickly shelved and are forever remembered by those events no matter how many things they did right. There is saying that goes,"he's a good guy but being a good guy is not enough".
Why is it like this? Why the fuck do you think, it aint no game. Survival in small teams or on larger scale assaults depends on each Marine executing flawlessly. Unlike the other services SOF Marine Recon routinely employs a larger more diverse set of conventional firepower as is native to the Marine Corps air ground task force. Team memebers have at their disposal command and control of weapons platforms generally reserved for company level commanders. Marines must intimately know how these weapons systems and forces can be employed at any instance. The amphibious nature of the Corps mission means tacking on all the knowledge of boat, swim, dive, and jump operations from amphib platforms as well as ground based. Assaults, recon, special taskings, and maintaining individual profecincies reads "jack of all trades", it will take you no less then half a career to become a master of most of these skills. You will get the chance to attend every training school the other services SOF forces do, and some they mostly don't. You may be the only Marine they ever encounter in the training loop. Most of them will tell you they saw some top quality folks, and it's no accident. Be the one guy to fuck up and it will forever be a story of how the Marines suck at whatever the skill was you blew at.
Now, don't get all teary eyed, focus on your job of being a basically trained Marine and keep your aspirations hidden. Go to whatever training you can get , MCIWS, HRST, build a resume so to speak.
Physical training is key, I won't go into how to prepare for that because it would be another post in itself, if you have any weakness it will be exposed and likely exploited to make you quit. You wont understand that until the hollywood aspirations meet the real world perspirations, good luck.
Getting to know someon never hurts, play spades with the Force DET guys on your deployment, get to know someone by name. If they like you it means they are either taking your money in cards or might do something to help you get screened. But no matter what talk you talk eventually you will be standing in the 1st SGT's office and god forbid your wasting his time with NJP's and piss poor pros & cons. And if you get through that someone not as nice as me will be trying to kill you every time they see you in the company AO as a RIP'r or god forbid only an indoc participant.
And don't think that any Marine not in Force is not "high speed". Marine cadre in the training commands do not give a RATS ASS if you want to jump out of a plane. They are professionals that will kick your ass for fun because they do that shit 24/7. Being a bad-ass Marine is an individual skill, your units reputation only lasts until the rubber meets the road, then it's on you.
Now quit dreaming and take your ass down the block to the company HQ and ask to see someone about becoming a Force Recon Marine. That single step is the most important one you can make, AND the one that almost no one takes.
Have great Marine Corp day!