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originally posted in: My girlfriend won't let me join....
Edited by Wolf_Odinson: 1/5/2015 2:45:28 PM
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1) Understand / accept / believe that no matter what your specialty might be within the Marine Corps (or any branch of any military for that matter); no matter what your reasons for joining are (i.e., job security, travel, educational opportunities, etc.), your ultimate job is to die for your country, if that's what is called for. 2) Watch as many documentaries / news related stories as you possibly can about what the true cost can be of surviving catastrophic injuries related, not only to "usual / customary" combat, but especially IEDs. Listen to stories about guys within units having pacts regarding what should be done in the event their genitalia are blown off (along with their feet and / or legs) by IEDs. Then talk to and, more importantly, [u]listen[/u] to veterans of Iran / Iraq / Afghanistan, etc. who have actually experienced what these things can do to your body, your mind and your life afterward. Learn about the long term effects of traumatic brain injuries and PTSD. [u]Warning[/u]: what follows will sound patronizing but I assure you, that is not my intention - 3) Understand that what you are thinking about embarking upon is not a video game experience. There are no respawns; your k/dr will equal exactly ###:1... if you're lucky. If not, it will equal exactly 0:1. But in either scenario, you will still be dead. If you do these things and still decide you want to join the Marines; being okay with the additional [possible] expense of your relationship, then take the oath. You have my thanks in advance for your service to this country if that's what you ultimately decide to do; in any event, good luck to you.
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  • Edited by Big Poke: 1/5/2015 2:45:06 PM
    1) Your ultimate job is NOT to die for your country. It is to make someone else die for theirs. HOWEVER, by joining you accept the possibility you may make the ultimate sacrifice 2) Not every job requires you to come in contact with an IED. There are administrative jobs or in my case (6257) an F-18 mechanic. If a single jet costs 40 million tax dollars, they are going to put it as far away from combat as possible when not used. Since I only fixed them when broken, and did not use them for what they are for, I was not in a combat situation 3) Correct, but again, not every job has a combat roll

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  • Your 1) We can lightheartedly agree to split hairs on that one Your 2) Assuming that you transit directly into your assigned duty station by aircraft (and aren't convoyed in after landing somewhere else), then don't leave that base going anywhere by any other method than by direct, point-to-point air transport (of one form or another) then yes, you can avoid IEDs. Any over-the-road transit however, by foot or vehicle could possibly lead to an encounter with an IED. Your 3) I'm 54; unless things have changed, every Marine's PRIMARY job is that of rifleman. Yes, that usually applies specifically to the base being completely overrun by hostile forces, but even that is possible; why every Marine (including admin personnel and mechanics) is trained to use their weapon. By the way, thank you for your service.

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  • Edited by Big Poke: 1/5/2015 4:01:17 PM
    Lot of hypotheticals in there. Not to get into a pissing match on a video game forum, but: I could get hit by a car today picking up my garbage cans in front of my house Yes every marine a rifleman first but I will say this. After landing in Kuwait and getting to al-jabar air base the absolute FIRST stop was the armory to turn in our rifles. A week later we turned in our bayonets. Sure there was da nang during Vietnam but todays military, and enemy for that matter is very different. I say let the kid do what he wants. He will gain a life skill and be a better person for it.

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  • No attempt to start a pissing contest; if it seemed that way, my apologies. As a former member of the armed forces myself, I completely agree with everything you said. But you hope for the best and plan for the worst; looking at the worst possible case scenarios gives him an opportunity to make a better informed / thought out decision.

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  • Plenty of good advice here.

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  • Thank you.

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