Seabee1973 Posted September 20, 2010 Share Posted September 20, 2010 Lets get a few things straight. The Marines are not a part of the Navy.The Marines are a department of the Navy. The Little Boys department. Fixed that for ya Westy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seabee1973 Posted September 20, 2010 Share Posted September 20, 2010 Been in 18 and a half years i am on my last deployment ever so hopefully its the best one Been a lot of places and wouldnt have it any other way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RLeVan Posted September 20, 2010 Share Posted September 20, 2010 US Navy 10/1993- 08/2001 E-6 Nuclear Machinist Mate (MM1) Boot Camp/A-School/Nuc School - Orlando, FL Nuc Prototype - Charleston, SC '95-'98 - USS California Bremerton, WA (Decommissioning Crew) '98-'01 - Pearl Harbor (PHNSY-IMF) Left the service because I didn't want to get involved with carrier politics where a pretty uniform is more important than maintaining equipment. I enjoyed being a knuckle dragger. Worked both secondary and nuke side. If the Navy still had nuke cruisers, I'd still be in the service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinfan133 Posted September 20, 2010 Share Posted September 20, 2010 Technically not in the service yet, but I am an ROTC student (Marine NROTC). I've always wanted to be a Marine, but I've recently thought about doing VA National Guard instead. (National Guard should have been a poll option btw) Yep, I made the switch to Army ROTC last summer, I'll be doing LDAC the summer after I graduate from VMI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macs-a-skins-fan Posted September 20, 2010 Share Posted September 20, 2010 The bottom of my sig says most all of it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forehead Posted September 20, 2010 Share Posted September 20, 2010 I've never been in the service but appreciate those who have. Father was in the army during Vietnam (drafted) but was a computer specialist and spent the war in Germany doing computer stuff, don't know what exactly. I know he was at Fort Leonard Wood (which he also calls Lost in the Woods) and that his yearbook picture looks really goofy. Stepfather was a Lieutenant Colonel in the USMC, and true to the "always a marine" mantra, still introduces himself as "LT. Col. *** *****, USMC Retired" to anyone he meets. He hasn't been in the corp for at least 30 years, but he takes it seriously. So anyway, here's my question. How hard is it to advance and make higher ranks in the military? I'm sure there's a political aspect to it, but I was seeing all these posts about being an E-5, getting out as an E-7, etc., and I was curious, so I looked up the military chart, which I'll post here for anyone who, like me, isn't too familiar with this stuff. This is posted to point out pay scale, everything I could find listing the rankings also includes pay. Anyway, there are five W-Ranks (Warrant Officers) and 10 O-Ranks, which I assume are enlisted officers. But I don't remember seeing anyone post in this thread that they were either at that rank or had retired as such. Is it extremely hard to advance into higher levels in the military? I would have figured that for as many servicemen as we have on this board, there would have been a few. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostofSparta Posted September 20, 2010 Share Posted September 20, 2010 Tried to join the Marines out of HS, and they rejected me on medical grounds. Same thing happened with the Army and Navy recruiter who were there. Air Force guy was out to lunch at the time, but considering what I had was an automatic disqualifier for the other 3, I didn't even bother coming back to talk with him. So for me the answer is a sad "no" but not for lack of trying... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RLeVan Posted September 20, 2010 Share Posted September 20, 2010 Keep in mind your only looking at the Base Pay chart. Advancement has many factors but aside from battle field advancements, it very structured. You may have noticed from the pay chart that after a certain number of years, if you stay the same rank your pay doesn't increase. I'm not sure if it's still this way, but if you didn't advance in paygrade after so many years, you were actually forced out of the military. Given the needs, I would imagine this isn't the case. E-1 to E-6 can be achieved within 6 to 14 years depending on your rate. After each advancement, you wait a year and then take a test. Your score is compared against all those in your same rate (MOS, your field of expertise) as well as your evals, your awards and commendations. One of the many things that pissed me off about the military is that it's the only job in the United States that discriminates based on marital status. You can have two separate men, of equal rank, and equal time in service, serving in the same location, and the military will pay the married man more. Not only that, when you're deployed for an extended period of time, married soldiers get an additional $100-400 a month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forehead Posted September 20, 2010 Share Posted September 20, 2010 Keep in mind your only looking at the Base Pay chart. Advancement has many factors but aside from battle field advancements, it very structured. You may have noticed from the pay chart that after a certain number of years, if you stay the same rank your pay doesn't increase. I'm not sure if it's still this way, but if you didn't advance in paygrade after so many years, you were actually forced out of the military. Given the needs, I would imagine this isn't the case. E-1 to E-6 can be achieved within 6 to 14 years depending on your rate. After each advancement, you wait a year and then take a test. Your score is compared against all those in your same rate (MOS, your field of expertise) as well as your evals, your awards and commendations. The pay wasn't what I was worried about, I was just looking at something that has all the ranks in it. Really only the first column is what's important. But still, based on the times of service and ranks posted in this thread, it makes it sound very hard to get into those higher levels. I think an E-8 or E-9 was the highest posted. There looks to be about 25 ranks here, and you had pointed out it can take 6-14 years to get to E-6. A decade (average) to get 25% of the way up the ladder? Strictly from an advancement/money point of view, and aside from the "call to serve" and all that, how does the military retain anyone with this system? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RLeVan Posted September 20, 2010 Share Posted September 20, 2010 It's because you're only looking at base pay. You need to add in BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing), BAS (Basic Allowance for Substinance), COLA (Cost of Living Allowance based on location), Spec Pay (Special Duty Pay), Career Sea Pay (When deployed based on years on service) etc. Keep in mind anything that says pay is taxable. Anything that says allowance is non-taxable. So, although the pay isn't great, an E-6 with 8 years in can earn well over $45k since almost half the salary is non-taxable. Then you had in the military benefits and the actual value of the annual salary is around $55-60k. On top of that, after 20 years of service you can retire with full benefits and receive half your pay. That means an 18 year old can retire at 38, pull benefits and still work an easy job. It's not as ugly as it seems. Not to mention the GI. Bill that can be passed along to children and the military paying 50% of education costs without tapping into the GI Bill. It can be a decent alternative. In any job, it's hard to advance. There is incentive as I stated earlier. Easiest way to think of it is separate O and E. Two ladders. the first couple of rungs are easy to climb. That pretty much gives you a good 10-12 years to actually advance. A pineapple could do that. The question is if you want to pass over the hump, i.e. the 10 yr point. After that either you get out or you stay the full 20. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC_RedskinsFan Posted November 11, 2010 Author Share Posted November 11, 2010 Thank you...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Champskins Posted November 11, 2010 Share Posted November 11, 2010 USMC 6 years CPL MOS - 1345 Combat Engineer Served 2002 - 2008 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC_RedskinsFan Posted May 27, 2011 Author Share Posted May 27, 2011 Don't forget the reason we have this long weekend...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRAVEONAWARPATH Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 Don't forget the reason we have this long weekend...... +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 +2 Daughter just made Petty Officer-2....E-5 Nuclear Machinist Mate Son is a USMC Sgt doing PSD in Afghanistan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitman21ST Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 First Lieutenant, USMC, got out in 2009, thanks to a bum knee. Was on track to be a pilot (7599 - Student Naval Aviator) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grego Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 Don't forget the reason we have this long weekend...... nice bump. God bless our troops. heres a marine i served with who didnt make it back. http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/jrlang.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitman21ST Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 nice bump. God bless our troops.heres a marine i served with who didnt make it back. http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/jrlang.htm May he rest in peace. One of my buddies from my Basic School platoon didn't make it back from Iraq, I was shocked to hear that he had died. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skins_Fan82 Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 I probably already posted in here.... But I was US AIR FORCE 2001-2005. :salute: I recently put my va home loan to good use Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killerbee99 Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 US Army SSG / E-6 Satellite Communications Equipment Operator (ASI: Satellite Network Controller) 2000 - present Duty Stations Fort Gordon, GA (447th Signal battalion) Fort Stewart, GA (3rd Infantry Division "The Rock of the Marne") Fort Meade, MD (53rd SIgnal Battalion"SATCON" ) Cincinnati, OH (Columbus Recruiting Battalion) - currently working as an Army Recruiter Currently on orders to Camp Arifijan, Kuwait by Dec 2011 Will be dropping my Warrant Officer packet for 255N , which is Cyberspace Network Management Technician, by July, becuase I am a technical guy and I might as well get paid for the job cleanups I always have to do. Self proclaimed nickname "The Fixer" because I am always called to fix other people's screw ups. Always on it !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nonniey Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 Well, off to my third tour in Iraq tommorow. Should be a bit quieter this time around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frostyj Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 Fort Stewart, GA (3rd Infantry Division "The Rock of the Marne")Fort Meade, MD (53rd SIgnal Battalion"SATCON" ) Currently on orders to Camp Arifijan, Kuwait by Dec 2011 Small world, I was with 4/64 Armor at Ft. Stewart(Bradley wrench), then with the 372nd MP Co. at Ft Mead and a few weeks at Arifijan to an from Iraq. Have fun in the heat!! Rock of the Marne!! Always be a Dog Faced Soldier!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teller Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 Thanks to all my brothers and sisters in uniform. I appreciate you. Very humble 6-and-2 here. USAR. 95B, military police. 372d and 307th MP Cos. 1995-2003. ---------- Post added May-27th-2011 at 10:13 PM ---------- Small world, I was with 4/64 Armor at Ft. Stewart(Bradley wrench), then with the 372nd MP Co. at Ft Mead and a few weeks at Arifijan to an from Iraq.Have fun in the heat!! Rock of the Marne!! Always be a Dog Faced Soldier!! Hold up. 37deuce???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killerbee99 Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 Well, off to my third tour in Iraq tommorow. Should be a bit quieter this time around. Good luck man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teller Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 Well, off to my third tour in Iraq tommorow. Should be a bit quieter this time around. Thanks brother, best to you. Much appreciation for your service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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