I want my lil bro to make the right decision...

[JasonSnake]

Hey guys,

Well my lil bro graduated high school back in June and is now simply working at a small sandwich shop barely scraping by. He really doesn't have much of an interest in college (right now) but he has spoken about joining the Marines.

Now, I hear the Marines are normally at the front line of combat so, naturally, that worries me a bit. Secondly, when he comes back out, I want him to have some kind of skill he can use outside. Unfortunately, he really doesn't know what he wants to do. For a brief moment, he mentioned he'd like to do something in the medical field but being that he's had low grades in high school mixed with some a.d.d., I'm not sure if that's something he can do?

One last question. If he wanted to do something medical, would he get that kind of training in the mil or does he actually have to study it in college first?

I'll admit, it took me a while after high school to really feel the need to get in college so I think he's going a similar direction.

Thanks for your time, folks...

 

[granny03]

Well just support his decisions and give him some guidence. being in the medical field does not just mean being a dr. He can go the route of lpn,rn,emt or medic which he can easily obtain with some focus and dedication.give him some time he will figure it out

 

[THE_STIG]

Go with him and talk to some recruiters from a couple branches and just support him no matter what he wants to do.

 

[hammerhead2]

There are a lot of good and bad jobs in the military. Tell him to get the list of jobs from a recruiter and google search info about the ones that sound interesting to him. If the medical field is where he wants there are multiple areas he could go into, though I belive he will need to have a decent GT and ASVAB score to do it. Whatever decision he makes he will need your and the rest of the familys support. Good luck to him.

 

[RDJ]

what they said .... and have him go ahead and take the ASVAB. there is no requirement to join just by taking the test and it will give him some feel for what he can start out with.

 

[THE_STIG]

+1 on the ASVAB, and like you said if he is unsure about testing, pick up a copy of ASVAB for Dummies, probably the best asvab test prep out there.

 

[Bloostd]

If he wants to do it, have him study the Barons or ASVAB for like a month. Its what every public school teaches...

He will do just fine. 70+ is definitely attainable. People that speak a lick of English can still do it, and props to them.

 

[Gringo185]

First of all, good on you for looking out for your brother and wanting to help him make the right decision. I too have a little brother that just graduated HS and would be in the same boat if he was looking into the military. But he decided to go the firefighter route instead.

Second of all, being a Marine myself, I'm a little biased as to which branch is the best. But we do not have our own medical personel. We use the Navy for that. So if he wants to work in a hospital, he would have to go Navy. But if he wants the best of both worlds (medical training, combat environment and Marine Corps physical training) be could look into becoming a a Naval Corpsman. They are part of out unit just like any Marine. They live, train and deploy with us. Except alone with their rifle, they have a med-bag and are the first responders to casualties in combat. But either way, he would have to talk to a Navy recruiter, go through Navy boot camp and then Corpsman school.

If he want's a skill for life after the military, I would talk to recruiters from all branches. But the Marine Corps would able to teach him that too... providing he doesn't go Infantry. I'm a grunt myself and, if it was soley based on what I've learned in the Corps, I'm qualified to be a security guard, body guard or bouncer. I know too many former grunts that work as burger flippers, stock boys or salesman at Best Buy. But when he talks to a recruiter, make sure that he lets him know that's a priority when it comes to picking an MOS (military occupational specialty... job).

My biggest suggestion though, be supportive and voice your opinion constructivly. Joining the military by choice is an exciting, and nerv-racking, experience.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Eagle24]

First of all, good on you for looking out for your brother and wanting to help him make the right decision. I too have a little brother that just graduated HS and would be in the same boat if he was looking into the military. But he decided to go the firefighter route instead.

Second of all, being a Marine myself, I'm a little biased as to which branch is the best. But we do not have our own medical personel. We use the Navy for that. So if he wants to work in a hospital, he would have to go Navy. But if he wants the best of both worlds (medical training, combat environment and Marine Corps physical training) be could look into becoming a a Naval Corpsman. They are part of out unit just like any Marine. They live, train and deploy with us. Except alone with their rifle, they have a med-bag and are the first responders to casualties in combat. But either way, he would have to talk to a Navy recruiter, go through Navy boot camp and then Corpsman school.



If he want's a skill for life after the military, I would talk to recruiters from all branches. But the Marine Corps would able to teach him that too... providing he doesn't go Infantry. I'm a grunt myself and, if it was soley based on what I've learned in the Corps, I'm qualified to be a security guard, body guard or bouncer. I know too many former grunts that work as burger flippers, stock boys or salesman at Best Buy. But when he talks to a recruiter, make sure that he lets him know that's a priority when it comes to picking an MOS (military occupational specialty... job).

My biggest suggestion though, be supportive and voice your opinion constructivly. Joining the military by choice is an exciting, and nerv-racking, experience.

Good luck and keep us posted.

I'm Infantry also man in the Army. Do some research bro, there are some decent opportunities for us in the civilian world. Law enforcement, and could do a contractor company, Dynacore or Triple Canopy pay well for some of our talents.

 

[Chrome98Cobra]

Just because someone joins the Marine Corps doesn't mean they are going to be at the front line in combat.

Like others said, first step would be to take the ASVAB to see what kind of jobs are open to him in the military. Once/if he does that he needs to start researching jobs in whatever branch he decides on to figure out what he wants to do.

 

[Marc]

Chrome98Cobra: Just noticed you are stationed on Okinawa, so am I.

And to the OP, doesn't matter what job you are in, you can be put in combat situations. I was a Admin guy and was a Troop Commander on a Convoy Team in Iraq. AF deployments are typically 6 months. We also fill taskings for the Army as well.

 

[Chrome98Cobra]

Chrome98Cobra: Just noticed you are stationed on Okinawa, so am I.

Yep, I'm over at Futenma.:beer:

 

[Marc]

I work here on Kadena.