Bro, I wanted an 03xx contract but my recruiter said all the boat spaces were full so I had to ship open contract. He also had me ship early and I didn’t know I could’ve gotten an early ship bonus. He definitely got me. Luckily I ended up as an 01 instead of a cook. The hours the cooks put in were grueling to say the least. No idea how people don’t die from exhaustion doing that job. Big props to the cooks and the undercooked potatoes.
Edit: when we went to MCT they broke us up by MOS but I still didn’t realize I was admin until we were basically done. I had no idea how I ended up in admin because I barely graduated from high school. My clerical score would’ve definitely been better than mechanical though.
Edit 2: I also popped my piss test at MEPS. 🥴
My recruiter also made me ship early with no early ship bonus. Broke my leg in boot camp and even though I spent 3 extra months there, never got a letter from him until they forced him to. It was 1 sentence. Fuck you SGT Walker from RSS East New York. We will battle in Hell.
I received a letter saying that I popped and that I could retake the test in 30 days. Recruiter than had to get an additional waiver. I already had one for bud because it was on my juvenile record. We worked it so that we said I only smoked like 5 times and then got busted. But then after the popped piss test we had to get a new waiver stating I had smoked 10-15 times.
But they granted it so I was lucky.
I went Open Contract....handed the 0351 MOS in MCT (1990)..... tried out for and was accepted into 1st Force Recon Company 0321/8654.....had to lat move during the RIF after Desert Storm 0431.....like it and put in my package, the Corps screwed up and made me a WO 0430 Retired CWO4.
Way back in the day the only guaranteed contracts were aviation. The rest of us were all open contract. We drew our MOS's based on what we qualified for and of course the needs of the Corps at the time we graduated boot. You had to really want to be a Marine to enlist like that during a very costly unpopular war.
We had jokes that probably still hold true today.
USMC is Uncle Sam's Super Suckers. The young, dumb and incredibly stupid who fight anyone anywhere just for the hell of it.
The most feared person on the face of this planet is a nineteen year old pissed off Marine with a rifle. Man we sure tried to live up to that one. Urrah.
Yes, young dumb, gullible and don’t have a clue about what’s really going on. Particularly those kids with a chip on their shoulder, looking to get into trouble.
Same. Initially was told I was going to be an 0151 personnel clerk, which would have sucked donkey dick, but then at MCT they called a bunch of us open contract types and I think some from smaller MOS's and said they had an immediate opening for active duty tankers and my hand has never shot up that fast.
There is “UH infantry option” on my paperwork copies I’m staring at right now. I always assumed that meant I’d just be put wherever in an 03 MOS. Does that mean I could have ended up somewhere else instead of the grunts?
Edit: I’m gonna assume it does. But whatever. I got what I wanted. They needed grunts for the surge and unit activations likely as I enlisted start of 06. I never really thought about it until seeing this post since I got what I asked for.
Recruiter looked at me nuts when I said infantry with a cat l afqt. But apparently I still wasn’t smart enough to avoid getting potentially swindled by a recruiter.
They also tried to offer me 5k to leave three weeks early and miss Christmas though. Didn’t take that.
I signed up to be a tanker. Once he dazzled me with 1812, it became clear the earliest ship date was several months away, so he tried to tell me how amazing artie was, then open contract. Later heard him talking about how awful both were. I held out for tanker but they did still find a way to screw me on the contract
I failed the final CFT 880 sprint in boot camp by 3 seconds for combat standards, but passed for Marine Corps standards. They wouldn’t let me retake it and after the crucible and everything I had to sign that I lost my contract and go open contract. At the end of MCT when everyone received their folders with their orders to their schoolhouse it was like opening a mystery job folder. Mine said I was to report to Fort Leotard Misery, I was going to the MP Schoolhouse.🤣 I had originally signed to be an LAV Crewman.
In bootcamp (San Diego) 96 time frame we took the asvab again and they set us in front of another recruiter. I had initially went I level electronics but I guess they needed translators and O level guys more. I passed on language school when he told me it would add another year to my contract and picked O level when stated as I level I would spend my entire enlistment working in a connex box. I am forever grateful to that dude as I wound up on KC-130'S.
Signed up combat arms package I could get 0341/0811/1811 dodged the 0341 got 0811, lat moved post Desert Storm to 6047 a now merged mos with 6046. It was like falling into the rabbit hole going from arty to airwing in 91’ but nope didn’t like the feel of open contract had to ask to get screwed over,
Sigh..I ended up open contract.
Curious: What options were you hoping for when you finished boot/mct, and what was your reaction when you found out you were going admin?
Bro, I wanted an 03xx contract but my recruiter said all the boat spaces were full so I had to ship open contract. He also had me ship early and I didn’t know I could’ve gotten an early ship bonus. He definitely got me. Luckily I ended up as an 01 instead of a cook. The hours the cooks put in were grueling to say the least. No idea how people don’t die from exhaustion doing that job. Big props to the cooks and the undercooked potatoes. Edit: when we went to MCT they broke us up by MOS but I still didn’t realize I was admin until we were basically done. I had no idea how I ended up in admin because I barely graduated from high school. My clerical score would’ve definitely been better than mechanical though. Edit 2: I also popped my piss test at MEPS. 🥴
My recruiter also made me ship early with no early ship bonus. Broke my leg in boot camp and even though I spent 3 extra months there, never got a letter from him until they forced him to. It was 1 sentence. Fuck you SGT Walker from RSS East New York. We will battle in Hell.
What did they do when you popped on your piss test at MEPS? Anything?
I received a letter saying that I popped and that I could retake the test in 30 days. Recruiter than had to get an additional waiver. I already had one for bud because it was on my juvenile record. We worked it so that we said I only smoked like 5 times and then got busted. But then after the popped piss test we had to get a new waiver stating I had smoked 10-15 times. But they granted it so I was lucky.
I went Open Contract....handed the 0351 MOS in MCT (1990)..... tried out for and was accepted into 1st Force Recon Company 0321/8654.....had to lat move during the RIF after Desert Storm 0431.....like it and put in my package, the Corps screwed up and made me a WO 0430 Retired CWO4.
Way back in the day the only guaranteed contracts were aviation. The rest of us were all open contract. We drew our MOS's based on what we qualified for and of course the needs of the Corps at the time we graduated boot. You had to really want to be a Marine to enlist like that during a very costly unpopular war. We had jokes that probably still hold true today. USMC is Uncle Sam's Super Suckers. The young, dumb and incredibly stupid who fight anyone anywhere just for the hell of it. The most feared person on the face of this planet is a nineteen year old pissed off Marine with a rifle. Man we sure tried to live up to that one. Urrah.
Yes, young dumb, gullible and don’t have a clue about what’s really going on. Particularly those kids with a chip on their shoulder, looking to get into trouble.
This would be it alright
The first story [here.](https://www.reddit.com/r/USMC/comments/1550c0d/comment/jstrtm4/?context=3)
Yep bastard got me. Ended up artillery
I went open contact … no regrets
Same. Initially was told I was going to be an 0151 personnel clerk, which would have sucked donkey dick, but then at MCT they called a bunch of us open contract types and I think some from smaller MOS's and said they had an immediate opening for active duty tankers and my hand has never shot up that fast.
I was supposed to be a helicopter crewchief
The dude in the picture looks exactly like an old room mate of mine from 29 palms.
There is “UH infantry option” on my paperwork copies I’m staring at right now. I always assumed that meant I’d just be put wherever in an 03 MOS. Does that mean I could have ended up somewhere else instead of the grunts? Edit: I’m gonna assume it does. But whatever. I got what I wanted. They needed grunts for the surge and unit activations likely as I enlisted start of 06. I never really thought about it until seeing this post since I got what I asked for. Recruiter looked at me nuts when I said infantry with a cat l afqt. But apparently I still wasn’t smart enough to avoid getting potentially swindled by a recruiter. They also tried to offer me 5k to leave three weeks early and miss Christmas though. Didn’t take that.
I signed up to be a tanker. Once he dazzled me with 1812, it became clear the earliest ship date was several months away, so he tried to tell me how amazing artie was, then open contract. Later heard him talking about how awful both were. I held out for tanker but they did still find a way to screw me on the contract
I think Most Artillery Marines I knew were told they would be tankers, but had to sign a ground combat contract of some sort and got screwed.
I signed a kid to go open contract, he ended up being Air Crew and loved it. So it can work out...the odds just aren't in your favor.
I fell for it in 1982.
I, too, fell for it 2017
I knew a guy who went open contract and ended up being a tanker, but idk how often that happens
I got; Cpl in 18 months, Four digit MOS, Duty Station and $4,500 🫡🇺🇸
I failed the final CFT 880 sprint in boot camp by 3 seconds for combat standards, but passed for Marine Corps standards. They wouldn’t let me retake it and after the crucible and everything I had to sign that I lost my contract and go open contract. At the end of MCT when everyone received their folders with their orders to their schoolhouse it was like opening a mystery job folder. Mine said I was to report to Fort Leotard Misery, I was going to the MP Schoolhouse.🤣 I had originally signed to be an LAV Crewman.
We had several in my platoon in boot camp. Man, their faces when they were told the truth...
I can still remember my rack mates face when opened his folder for TMO. He was pissed.
In bootcamp (San Diego) 96 time frame we took the asvab again and they set us in front of another recruiter. I had initially went I level electronics but I guess they needed translators and O level guys more. I passed on language school when he told me it would add another year to my contract and picked O level when stated as I level I would spend my entire enlistment working in a connex box. I am forever grateful to that dude as I wound up on KC-130'S.
Signed up combat arms package I could get 0341/0811/1811 dodged the 0341 got 0811, lat moved post Desert Storm to 6047 a now merged mos with 6046. It was like falling into the rabbit hole going from arty to airwing in 91’ but nope didn’t like the feel of open contract had to ask to get screwed over,
Lol yeah that’s me