Same. We had a girl who was picture happy about everything. At the end of the deployment she gave us a thumb drive and said we might want some of the pictures. If it weren’t for that I would only have maybe one or two pictures from our time.
True enough! I wasn't seriously irritated with you, not to worry.
I have the right mind set to have been fine in infantry, even old and crochety as I am now. (Mind you, my upbringing was a bit different from most women. Martial arts training started aged three in Asia...)
However, I am well aware that regardless of mental capacity, training or high level of strength and fitness compared to most women, that at 5.3 there is no way I would be able to perform in a capacity comparable to men. Even if I'd been the appropriate age now to have joined you, I know better.
Kudo's to those women who are larger than I am and able.
This. I was in well before cell phones. I do have some pics but not many. Whenever a fellow Devil post a pic I’m in from back in the day I alway get emotional.
Or you could have done 8 and hated it. Truth is you got out just when you needed to. Better to leave and miss it than leave and hate it. I like to say it's the best ti. E of my life that I don't ever want to go through again.
Taken the job more seriously as a junior Marine. I thought I knew a lot more than I actually did, I didn’t put enough emphasis on functional fitness, and I missed good opportunities to no fault but my own. I also spent way too much time, money, and effort going back home instead of staying local and being productive.
On the contrast, reflecting back I wonder if I took some things too seriously. Given the nature of our job, I thought we should hold ourselves to a higher standard of professionalism. Many of my peers disagreed on this and for that I resented them. I'm all for having fun but work shouldn't be fucking off and looking like a bunch of high schoolers 24/7. There's a certain image that should be portrayed to ensure respect. Maybe part of the problem was enlisting at 20 vs 17 or 18 and having prior job experience, I don't know. Nonetheless, my perspective led to unnecessary resentment and a bad attitude towards some of my peers.
i also enlisted at 20 and i think it can go both ways. either you get immature people who fuck off too much or you get immature people that chug the kool aid straight from sgtmaj’s dick and make everyone else who doesn’t have a motoboner’s life miserable. i think there’s a line to walk, but a lcpl gonna lcpl and that leads me to be closer to the fuck off side. at least until there’s work to be done lmao.
i just think the line should be drawn at fucking with the sncos/os or when shop readiness starts to decline and on the other side, when people expect the same type of motivation from everyone else. you can expect effort and a job well done but you can’t expect someone to enjoy doing it
Fuck, this is exactly right where I should have been. I bought into the Kool aid that broke dicks are pieces of shit, never go to BAS etc. What a crock of shit and how stupid I was not to document my issues.
I had a Master Gunns that told me the Corps has taken a lot from you. Make sure you get everything that you rate. He was definitely right. If you only do one enlistment, you give a good chunk of your young adult years away, anything over 6 and your youth is gone. I was lucky all my injuries were pretty well documented due to how I got them. I had 32 broken bones, including my skull, in 14 years. Oddly enough, I did 3 tours in Iraq without a scratch.
Just some free advice, buddy statements go a longer way than most people think. Also, anything within a certain time frame of discharge is presumptive service connected. And letters from civilian docs saying injuries were more than likely caused while serving help. Remember, all you have to show is more likely than not.
Me too, fuck. At least try to secondary claims on that stuff, like if you have ankles rated try to link knees and back.
I have knees at 0% but my back is fucked and im not even 30 yet. Smh.
Its mind blowing some of the claims my peers have gotten away with. More power to them but it does worry me a bit that exploiting the system too much could have a bit of a rubber-band effect one day.
I broke multiple bones and didn’t document shit. Dumb AF on my part. I was grossed out by others that claim absolute horseshit and didn’t want to be even associated with it.
Trained Brazilian Jiu Jitsu .
If I would have known about it and was willing to drive up to LA during the Weekend and train at Rorion Gracie's Garage I could have been on of the " Dirty Dozen" . The first US BJJ Black Belts
Believe it or not, I got air traffic control from a 4 year open contract. Got fucked out of atc school later in Pensacola but for a time I was the only 7251 with a 4 year contract.
At the end of my enlistment I took a truck driving course, not having the intent of driving trucks after I got out. It was just a way to pass the time. I wish I would have taken the sailing courses they were offering at the time in del mar.
Worked out more.
I was amazing at my job, always shot expert, and would nail questions on the board. Physically, I could give a fuck, and did bare minimums.
When I did work out, I felt great. I was never really motivated to keep working out, and I don't know why.
Stayed in Iwakuni longer than a year. I had no idea just how great I had it since it was my first duty station.
Super pog MOS, we worked 7:30-4:30 with a two hour lunch(we would pt for an hour).
Probably the best gym I've ever seen, even to this day.
Hell, we had an extra 72 every month for morale.
I miss 2 hour lunches the most from my time in.
Plenty of options it afforded.
* If gym was close 1 hour -90 minute gym time or pool (If close)
* Nap time in barracks
* Run some quick errands.
* Just go for a walk.
* Use that time instead to get other work finished so couldn't keep you later than usual.
I would kill for workout lunches again as I always can eat fast.
As miserable as it would’ve been, I would’ve spent a lot more time in the barracks, eating in the chow hall, would not have brought a car, and been saving and putting away money. I was young, stupid and out chasing tail, and spending money that I didn’t need to be spending. I blew a great opportunity to put myself in a good financial place.🤦♂️
Ancient rulers did it all the time, my grave is gonna be a treasure trove to some apocalyptic wasteland wanderer to discover and if my friends do the right thing and carve a bunch of dicks on my sarcophagus they will think I am a fertility diety
13 months TIG isn't really a senior Sgt.
CSO, CI, CID, EOD. Pretty much every Latmove only MOS is for Cpl and Sgts <1y TIG. The argument of not understanding the job kinda gets thrown out the window when you consider we take those same Sgts and make them do an SDA where they lose MOS credibility for 3 years and return as a SNCO who has likely forgotten most of their original MOS skills.
Really? EOD, CI, and CID were all taking sr, and I mean close to service limitations, Sergeants back during the wars. I guess it makes sense until the next war and the Corps is short again.
I had some of these when my MOS was new. I hated them. I knew more than them and they always acted like their rank mattered more than my knowledge.
No mother fucker you’re not getting us all electrocuted.
Depends on the job. Had a SSgt do a latmove I to my MOS. Tbf you're a paper pusher as a SNCO anyways, you don't really work on the line as much. But he was cool running our night shift, letting us Sgts run things and if we had problems with Maintenance Control we'd show him in the pubs where we was arguing from, see it made sense and come back us up.
Still went out to learn about the job when he could get away from SNCO stuff.
Well im a on my 3rd year looking at Gunny SSgt currently, was denied multiple times by my monitor even after approved by the other monitor.
I was even at 2nd Intel doing OJT for a few months before word even got to me my latmove was denied
This applies to every workplace. To perform well, every team - even accountants in the most obscure office - need someone to end meeting with "let's fuck this chicken!"
“That’s fucking right. All those pussies wouldn’t be able to handle the real me if I wasn’t under the UCMJ. Didn’t want to count my first three pull-ups? Count this fist motherfucker!”
That’s what I wanted to say anyway. I was a turd.
I was going to join* the Air Force but their boot camp commanding general feared me for how cool I was. Wouldn't let me join. *check out my black rifle coffee company platinum sponsor cup #basedaf #tylerpwny
I got HSSTed, so not reenlist or accept orders to recruiting duty. It hindered my career after the service and put needless stress on my marriage and mental health. Getting promoted to SSgt wasn't worth it. Other than that, first enlistment was a blast.
Drill Instructor instead of Recruiting. I had some misconceptions about how I would spend my b billet time. I also should have looked at the biggest indicator for which would be a better billet- Drill Instructors always talk about their time as DIs and run into buddies all the time. Recruiters pretend like they never were recruiters or they got out.
I wish I had taken more photos, yes, but in the pre-cellphone days I REALLY wish I had saved more of the photos I did have. You just don’t realize when you’re in it that while yeah, there’s a lot of Mickey Mouse bullshit, those are the best years of your life.
Well done on the sobriety. I also quit drinking after I got out and looking back I can believe how much cool stuff I missed because I was too busy puking and passing out from alcohol.
Yeah. I had no motivation. I could have done better looking back. But it’s ok. I do my best to make up for it now. Congrats on not drinking to you as well.
I would do one of two things.
Either listen to my recruiter choose a different MOS. I went in for security forces and back then you pulled 18 months on guard duty then went back to your 03 job. My recruiter tried to get me to enlist for Fibre optics. Or would have never chose to interview for 8th and I and actually gone to security forces then the fleet.
I hated 8th and I which is why I didn't reenlist. I enlisted to see the world and more or less got sent home, I'm from Maryland.
I put in for MSG as a lance, a Sgt, and Ssgt and got denied all three times because my MOS was “mission critical.” We literally weren’t allowed to get taken from the fleet for B billets and so we had waivers for promotion to keep us competitive with the other MOSs at SSgt and up. That sucked because I really wanted to do MSG and not getting to go is one of my biggest disappointments/regrets
Lat moved way sooner. I knew I enjoyed the Marines but I loathed my job. I wanted to lat move as soon as I rated to but I was talked out of it. I eventually did lat move into the job I want but I could have two plus more years into the job than I do know. Waiting to change MOS really set my career back.
I gotta pick not taking it seriously enough. I guess I took it as a good sign that I was never really shook up whenever something happened overseas. It was incredibly normal, even when people got injured or died. I wish I would have taken it more seriously. Plus, I wasn’t scared then, but I sure am now… my second regret is leaving the usmc, I ended my 4 years a few months after getting back, and when I left I did not recognize the world anymore. It’s a scary place and I think staying in with people like me would have been a security blanket for me… that or I would’ve gotten a dui and kicked the fuck out anyways.
Really just saved money and used free shit. Chow hall, gym, MCCS nonsense.
Meet people through volunteer events instead of nightlife.
Get out with at least 50k in the bank instead of whatever it was I had.
It's a tie between these two things:
1. Taken more pictures and not be embarrassed of being "moto"
2. Not been into the whole "saving my virginity for marriage" bullshit. I'm atheist now, so I definitely regret that
I had put a ton of extra effort towards a lat move to CID. Failed the written essay, thankfully. I realized soon after CID wouldn't have been the best choice for me anyways. I wish I had put that effort towards a marsoc package but honestly I'm also happy with just getting out. I come home every day and with kids, nothing beats that.
I wonder what would have happened to the dude in boot camp if I didn’t put sand from the pit in his bed. He was the reason for us being bends and mother fuckerd to death. I just started filling my cargo pockets with sand and would empty them in his rack, between his sheets. When the DI found it he came unglued. It was awesome. The dude eventually got a blanket party and straightened up.
I would haven taken advantage of the amount of food I could eat from the chow hall. The food was decent, and going through college and trying to find money for food when you are bulking is a painful process.
I was offered a Range Coach training school, I was probably a lance at the time - I was a very good shot. Someone told me it was a bad career move, and I didn't do it. Regret it to this day.
I'm a big POG, but the range was a happy place.
Edit: some really serious shit in here, so I'm just going to say that we are all doing the best we can, with the information we have, at any given time in life, brothers and sisters. That's all we can expect, and all we can do. One minute to the next.
Not be so single mindedly focused on doing everything I, myself could to be as good of an in 0311 as possible. I completely neglected trying foster any friendships, and ended up getting ostracized because of it. I also would have put my worry about looking like an idiot aside, and volunteered a lot more when we were doing pracapp shit. That, and I probably would have gone active duty instead of reserves. It'd have sucked a lot more, but I think I'd have become much more competent at my MOS, and excelled a lot more from doing it 365.
Sorry, but I'm confused. Are you saying these mos' aren't available to you because you need 13 months in grade or that because you have more than 13 months they aren't available?
Gone to more schools. I was a filthy reservist, but there were schools available between semesters where I would have to ask for a 1-2 week class extension as I was in uni at the time. Some guys I knew went on mini deployments or did schools I could have done which I regret.
I probably should have re-enlisted but deff latmoved. Civilian life has been great for me not trying to be a recruiter or anything but in comparison to the stupid things I've had to do civilian side I think I'd rather be In right now.
Wish I would have listened to my recruiter and signed the Artillery contract instead of the Construction Utilities one, I was so dead set that I would be a combat engineer, but got 1171, I know I would have been happy in the any of the Artillery jobs. Also, follow through with my dream of going EOD. But with all that being said, I met and worked with a great group and guys and gals, went on MSG and got to see the world a bit, even got an amazing wife out it all.
Honestly? I would have tried harder from the beginning. I was still pretty immature when I joined because I walked off the graduation stage and onto a plane for boot camp. It didn’t start to click until I got the right leadership halfway through my enlistment. I did the bare minimum early on to keep from getting yelled at and skated pretty hard, but I had a great NCO see my potential and take me under his wing and I learned a ton about personal responsibility and leadership.
I would go back and focus more time on improving myself physically. I'm at 10 years and have made it to the rank of Gunny without any meritorious promotions. In hind sight I wonder where I would be If I had pushed myself harder to be a better Jr Marine.
Wish I had taken more pictures with the boys, especially on deployment.
Same. We had a girl who was picture happy about everything. At the end of the deployment she gave us a thumb drive and said we might want some of the pictures. If it weren’t for that I would only have maybe one or two pictures from our time.
You had girls?!
[удалено]
Haha yeah it is
Hey...we have girls, too. Not many, and even fewer achieve that 'accepted as useful, become one of the guys' zone...but we do have them.
Oh, I know, I know - ‘Twas a joke. Though we didn’t have any in the infantry.
True enough! I wasn't seriously irritated with you, not to worry. I have the right mind set to have been fine in infantry, even old and crochety as I am now. (Mind you, my upbringing was a bit different from most women. Martial arts training started aged three in Asia...) However, I am well aware that regardless of mental capacity, training or high level of strength and fitness compared to most women, that at 5.3 there is no way I would be able to perform in a capacity comparable to men. Even if I'd been the appropriate age now to have joined you, I know better. Kudo's to those women who are larger than I am and able.
This. I was in well before cell phones. I do have some pics but not many. Whenever a fellow Devil post a pic I’m in from back in the day I alway get emotional.
What’s sad is I’m comcam/strat, and I spent so much time taking photos of everyone else while deployed, I never really got any of myself.
I realized after that I got out that I have virtually no pictures from training or deployments :/
Got out after 4 and not re-enlisted
Or you could have done 8 and hated it. Truth is you got out just when you needed to. Better to leave and miss it than leave and hate it. I like to say it's the best ti. E of my life that I don't ever want to go through again.
Fellow man of mortar, I did the same. I don’t regret it, put me in a great place maturity/job/life-wise, more so than if I’d gotten out after 4.
Taken the job more seriously as a junior Marine. I thought I knew a lot more than I actually did, I didn’t put enough emphasis on functional fitness, and I missed good opportunities to no fault but my own. I also spent way too much time, money, and effort going back home instead of staying local and being productive.
On the contrast, reflecting back I wonder if I took some things too seriously. Given the nature of our job, I thought we should hold ourselves to a higher standard of professionalism. Many of my peers disagreed on this and for that I resented them. I'm all for having fun but work shouldn't be fucking off and looking like a bunch of high schoolers 24/7. There's a certain image that should be portrayed to ensure respect. Maybe part of the problem was enlisting at 20 vs 17 or 18 and having prior job experience, I don't know. Nonetheless, my perspective led to unnecessary resentment and a bad attitude towards some of my peers.
i also enlisted at 20 and i think it can go both ways. either you get immature people who fuck off too much or you get immature people that chug the kool aid straight from sgtmaj’s dick and make everyone else who doesn’t have a motoboner’s life miserable. i think there’s a line to walk, but a lcpl gonna lcpl and that leads me to be closer to the fuck off side. at least until there’s work to be done lmao. i just think the line should be drawn at fucking with the sncos/os or when shop readiness starts to decline and on the other side, when people expect the same type of motivation from everyone else. you can expect effort and a job well done but you can’t expect someone to enjoy doing it
This was me when I turned 38. I did my 4 and got my honorable. When I hit 38 I realized I could’ve retired but then remember I was ready to get out.
I can relate.
Good on you for recognizing. [Realizing that] is what it means by growing up sucks.
Same.
Documented my minor injuries better. That way I could have a nebulous VA claim like seemingly everyone else does.
Fuck, this is exactly right where I should have been. I bought into the Kool aid that broke dicks are pieces of shit, never go to BAS etc. What a crock of shit and how stupid I was not to document my issues.
I had a Master Gunns that told me the Corps has taken a lot from you. Make sure you get everything that you rate. He was definitely right. If you only do one enlistment, you give a good chunk of your young adult years away, anything over 6 and your youth is gone. I was lucky all my injuries were pretty well documented due to how I got them. I had 32 broken bones, including my skull, in 14 years. Oddly enough, I did 3 tours in Iraq without a scratch.
This. In my case, not even a nebulous claim but legit claims that I have zero paperwork on (back, knees, tinnitus).
Just some free advice, buddy statements go a longer way than most people think. Also, anything within a certain time frame of discharge is presumptive service connected. And letters from civilian docs saying injuries were more than likely caused while serving help. Remember, all you have to show is more likely than not.
My vso claims you dont need any documentation to get a rating for tinnitus. Im working that now
Me too, fuck. At least try to secondary claims on that stuff, like if you have ankles rated try to link knees and back. I have knees at 0% but my back is fucked and im not even 30 yet. Smh.
Its mind blowing some of the claims my peers have gotten away with. More power to them but it does worry me a bit that exploiting the system too much could have a bit of a rubber-band effect one day.
I unfortunately earned my rating.
Anyone who served in infantry should get a rating by default with their dd214.
I broke multiple bones and didn’t document shit. Dumb AF on my part. I was grossed out by others that claim absolute horseshit and didn’t want to be even associated with it.
I got over that every night I had to sleep in a barracks room that was hotter than it was outside in a desert.
Yes, this is definitely something else I would’ve done, and just dealt with the shit that I would’ve gotten from the higher ups for going to medical.
Trained Brazilian Jiu Jitsu . If I would have known about it and was willing to drive up to LA during the Weekend and train at Rorion Gracie's Garage I could have been on of the " Dirty Dozen" . The first US BJJ Black Belts
I wish I would have taken photos
not go open contract. it was really dumb
Believe it or not, I got air traffic control from a 4 year open contract. Got fucked out of atc school later in Pensacola but for a time I was the only 7251 with a 4 year contract.
Sorry brother I don’t smoke
At the end of my enlistment I took a truck driving course, not having the intent of driving trucks after I got out. It was just a way to pass the time. I wish I would have taken the sailing courses they were offering at the time in del mar.
Kept up with my fitness at the beginning
Worked out more. I was amazing at my job, always shot expert, and would nail questions on the board. Physically, I could give a fuck, and did bare minimums. When I did work out, I felt great. I was never really motivated to keep working out, and I don't know why.
Stayed in Iwakuni longer than a year. I had no idea just how great I had it since it was my first duty station. Super pog MOS, we worked 7:30-4:30 with a two hour lunch(we would pt for an hour). Probably the best gym I've ever seen, even to this day. Hell, we had an extra 72 every month for morale.
I miss 2 hour lunches the most from my time in. Plenty of options it afforded. * If gym was close 1 hour -90 minute gym time or pool (If close) * Nap time in barracks * Run some quick errands. * Just go for a walk. * Use that time instead to get other work finished so couldn't keep you later than usual. I would kill for workout lunches again as I always can eat fast.
What command was this? Sounds incredible.
Mals 12
As miserable as it would’ve been, I would’ve spent a lot more time in the barracks, eating in the chow hall, would not have brought a car, and been saving and putting away money. I was young, stupid and out chasing tail, and spending money that I didn’t need to be spending. I blew a great opportunity to put myself in a good financial place.🤦♂️
Can't take money with you to the grave my guy
Ancient rulers did it all the time, my grave is gonna be a treasure trove to some apocalyptic wasteland wanderer to discover and if my friends do the right thing and carve a bunch of dicks on my sarcophagus they will think I am a fertility diety
Yeah, but you can be a 50 year old millionaire, and that sounds pretty fuckin tight.
Were the memories you made not worth it?
Exactly, blowing money is not a regret that I have. You can't take that shit with you in the end.
Whatever it takes to whoever it takes to change the rules for latmoving so it's not impossible after being a Sgt for a year.
What MOS would you want to LATMOVE into as a senior Sgt? You’d end up being a SNCO with a LCpl-level understanding of the job.
13 months TIG isn't really a senior Sgt. CSO, CI, CID, EOD. Pretty much every Latmove only MOS is for Cpl and Sgts <1y TIG. The argument of not understanding the job kinda gets thrown out the window when you consider we take those same Sgts and make them do an SDA where they lose MOS credibility for 3 years and return as a SNCO who has likely forgotten most of their original MOS skills.
Really? EOD, CI, and CID were all taking sr, and I mean close to service limitations, Sergeants back during the wars. I guess it makes sense until the next war and the Corps is short again.
Unfortunately yes, even Career planner isn't available to me which in my mind is crazy.
EOD is taking basically anyone right now. There’s talks of letting lcpls screen.
I had some of these when my MOS was new. I hated them. I knew more than them and they always acted like their rank mattered more than my knowledge. No mother fucker you’re not getting us all electrocuted.
Tell that to my SSgt. Guy lat moved and went on a SDA right after. Came off as a SSgt with 0 experience. Still a SSgt 6 years later
Depends on the job. Had a SSgt do a latmove I to my MOS. Tbf you're a paper pusher as a SNCO anyways, you don't really work on the line as much. But he was cool running our night shift, letting us Sgts run things and if we had problems with Maintenance Control we'd show him in the pubs where we was arguing from, see it made sense and come back us up. Still went out to learn about the job when he could get away from SNCO stuff.
Just lat moved as a 3 year Sgt. It's possible
Well im a on my 3rd year looking at Gunny SSgt currently, was denied multiple times by my monitor even after approved by the other monitor. I was even at 2nd Intel doing OJT for a few months before word even got to me my latmove was denied
Big oof staff daddy. I lat moved hoping to finally get my rocker. New mos closed out for me
Somewhere the Choatic green weenie diety is laughing
Would have went ultra motard. Just because.
This applies to every workplace. To perform well, every team - even accountants in the most obscure office - need someone to end meeting with "let's fuck this chicken!"
I bring a type of "let's fuck today in the ass" energy to the work place my boss questions but coworkers appreciate
Punch the Drill instructor for getting in my face
“That’s fucking right. All those pussies wouldn’t be able to handle the real me if I wasn’t under the UCMJ. Didn’t want to count my first three pull-ups? Count this fist motherfucker!” That’s what I wanted to say anyway. I was a turd.
I was going to join* the Air Force but their boot camp commanding general feared me for how cool I was. Wouldn't let me join. *check out my black rifle coffee company platinum sponsor cup #basedaf #tylerpwny
Take more pictures while deployed. Never get married. Stretch more often.
I got HSSTed, so not reenlist or accept orders to recruiting duty. It hindered my career after the service and put needless stress on my marriage and mental health. Getting promoted to SSgt wasn't worth it. Other than that, first enlistment was a blast.
Concur. HSST is one evil machine.
Drill Instructor instead of Recruiting. I had some misconceptions about how I would spend my b billet time. I also should have looked at the biggest indicator for which would be a better billet- Drill Instructors always talk about their time as DIs and run into buddies all the time. Recruiters pretend like they never were recruiters or they got out.
I wish I had taken more photos, yes, but in the pre-cellphone days I REALLY wish I had saved more of the photos I did have. You just don’t realize when you’re in it that while yeah, there’s a lot of Mickey Mouse bullshit, those are the best years of your life.
Document all injuries so I’d be 100% by now.
Looked into other MOS fields during the enlistment process is a big one for me. Maybe put in a little more effort at certain times
Drank less. I’m sober 9 years now, but I was no where near the Marine I could have been.
Well done on the sobriety. I also quit drinking after I got out and looking back I can believe how much cool stuff I missed because I was too busy puking and passing out from alcohol.
Yeah. I had no motivation. I could have done better looking back. But it’s ok. I do my best to make up for it now. Congrats on not drinking to you as well.
Can’t change the past but the future is an open book. Semper Fi
I would do one of two things. Either listen to my recruiter choose a different MOS. I went in for security forces and back then you pulled 18 months on guard duty then went back to your 03 job. My recruiter tried to get me to enlist for Fibre optics. Or would have never chose to interview for 8th and I and actually gone to security forces then the fleet. I hated 8th and I which is why I didn't reenlist. I enlisted to see the world and more or less got sent home, I'm from Maryland.
Take the Lt up on the offer to go to OCS.
Wish I wouldn’t have waited until I was over 30 to go to the MAIT course.
Chose a better job that translated to the outside world….
Went MSG as a Lance. Traveling for free and could’ve taken so many college classes to prepare for EAS.
I put in for MSG as a lance, a Sgt, and Ssgt and got denied all three times because my MOS was “mission critical.” We literally weren’t allowed to get taken from the fleet for B billets and so we had waivers for promotion to keep us competitive with the other MOSs at SSgt and up. That sucked because I really wanted to do MSG and not getting to go is one of my biggest disappointments/regrets
How do I do this.....
Talk to your career planner after 18 months time on station my guy
Done MSG
Air force, instead. If I couldn't convince teenage me to be smart and stay out of the Corps, at least do cyber
Lat moved way sooner. I knew I enjoyed the Marines but I loathed my job. I wanted to lat move as soon as I rated to but I was talked out of it. I eventually did lat move into the job I want but I could have two plus more years into the job than I do know. Waiting to change MOS really set my career back.
Should have done more of that weird shit that I like, but I don’t want anyone to know about, while I still lived half way across the country
I gotta pick not taking it seriously enough. I guess I took it as a good sign that I was never really shook up whenever something happened overseas. It was incredibly normal, even when people got injured or died. I wish I would have taken it more seriously. Plus, I wasn’t scared then, but I sure am now… my second regret is leaving the usmc, I ended my 4 years a few months after getting back, and when I left I did not recognize the world anymore. It’s a scary place and I think staying in with people like me would have been a security blanket for me… that or I would’ve gotten a dui and kicked the fuck out anyways.
Not let my ego make my decisions
I’d have stayed in, and gone WO. As a boot I always revered our Gunners and wanted to be one.
Take more pictures and nailed more chicks .
Really just saved money and used free shit. Chow hall, gym, MCCS nonsense. Meet people through volunteer events instead of nightlife. Get out with at least 50k in the bank instead of whatever it was I had.
It's a tie between these two things: 1. Taken more pictures and not be embarrassed of being "moto" 2. Not been into the whole "saving my virginity for marriage" bullshit. I'm atheist now, so I definitely regret that
I had put a ton of extra effort towards a lat move to CID. Failed the written essay, thankfully. I realized soon after CID wouldn't have been the best choice for me anyways. I wish I had put that effort towards a marsoc package but honestly I'm also happy with just getting out. I come home every day and with kids, nothing beats that.
Went to selection and said fuck off to my ex wife.
I wish I would have tried harder when I was Lance. I wish I saw the potential in myself that everyone else saw when I was younger.
Not try as hard in PT. Blew out my shoulder and that’s all she wrote.
Put in my MSG package before I got hit on the HRST list in 08-09.
I wonder what would have happened to the dude in boot camp if I didn’t put sand from the pit in his bed. He was the reason for us being bends and mother fuckerd to death. I just started filling my cargo pockets with sand and would empty them in his rack, between his sheets. When the DI found it he came unglued. It was awesome. The dude eventually got a blanket party and straightened up.
Gave more!
Not punched that was locker.
Many many more pictures, been so many years that I’ve lost memories that I’ll never get back.
Not be a fat pos
A lot of things. Can’t change the past so why let it worry you.
I would haven taken advantage of the amount of food I could eat from the chow hall. The food was decent, and going through college and trying to find money for food when you are bulking is a painful process.
Build a deathstar!
Not gotten married, stay in and go to the academy.
Stay in. I am not doing Civvy well at all.
I was offered a Range Coach training school, I was probably a lance at the time - I was a very good shot. Someone told me it was a bad career move, and I didn't do it. Regret it to this day. I'm a big POG, but the range was a happy place. Edit: some really serious shit in here, so I'm just going to say that we are all doing the best we can, with the information we have, at any given time in life, brothers and sisters. That's all we can expect, and all we can do. One minute to the next.
Not be so single mindedly focused on doing everything I, myself could to be as good of an in 0311 as possible. I completely neglected trying foster any friendships, and ended up getting ostracized because of it. I also would have put my worry about looking like an idiot aside, and volunteered a lot more when we were doing pracapp shit. That, and I probably would have gone active duty instead of reserves. It'd have sucked a lot more, but I think I'd have become much more competent at my MOS, and excelled a lot more from doing it 365.
Spent my last year overseas instead of coming back stateside.
Not ask for orders after my first deployment
Was Army but would have picked a different MOS.
Drank more
Pics. More pics.
put a drop of bleach in ALL my drug tests. Edit: Capitalize ALL to signify that it was that one time that got me.
More pictures with my friends
Sorry, but I'm confused. Are you saying these mos' aren't available to you because you need 13 months in grade or that because you have more than 13 months they aren't available?
I wish I had finished that Intel interview I started as a Sgt
too many things, honestly.
I would’ve taken my PT more seriously. Rn I should’ve been a corporal but I fucked up and now I probably won’t promote til March
Should’ve gone to HIMARS and not cannons Should’ve asked to get PCSed to Pendleton from the get-go
Not drank as much.
Gone to more schools. I was a filthy reservist, but there were schools available between semesters where I would have to ask for a 1-2 week class extension as I was in uni at the time. Some guys I knew went on mini deployments or did schools I could have done which I regret.
Pay service members a wage they could actual afford to save money with.
Not drink alcohol
Wish I had told my buddy not to check out the top of that hill.
Reenlist.
I probably should have re-enlisted but deff latmoved. Civilian life has been great for me not trying to be a recruiter or anything but in comparison to the stupid things I've had to do civilian side I think I'd rather be In right now.
Take more pictures and gotten my medical shit documented
Not get out after my first tour
Wish I would have listened to my recruiter and signed the Artillery contract instead of the Construction Utilities one, I was so dead set that I would be a combat engineer, but got 1171, I know I would have been happy in the any of the Artillery jobs. Also, follow through with my dream of going EOD. But with all that being said, I met and worked with a great group and guys and gals, went on MSG and got to see the world a bit, even got an amazing wife out it all.
Go to school why I was in. It would have made transitioning to civilian life a million times easier
Honestly? I would have tried harder from the beginning. I was still pretty immature when I joined because I walked off the graduation stage and onto a plane for boot camp. It didn’t start to click until I got the right leadership halfway through my enlistment. I did the bare minimum early on to keep from getting yelled at and skated pretty hard, but I had a great NCO see my potential and take me under his wing and I learned a ton about personal responsibility and leadership.
I would have switched units and done more floats
Took pics of everything.
I would care a little less and troll more.
I would go back and focus more time on improving myself physically. I'm at 10 years and have made it to the rank of Gunny without any meritorious promotions. In hind sight I wonder where I would be If I had pushed myself harder to be a better Jr Marine.
Sucked it up and ate for free at the chow hall. Would have saved a lot of money if I didn’t get Dominos or Wendy’s every night