actually paintball/airsoft can be very good for training assuming you do it with people who know a little about CQB and Inf tactics. Im assuming you dont So as 13th said stay away from it. I cant tell you how long it takes to kill habbits soldiers gather playing PS2 and X-Box and Painball/Airsoft before they enter the service....

It's kinda why you hear about those guys who had never done this stuff before doing better than the guys who were enthusists. They don't have any bad habits to unlearn.

funny you should mention that aas i was nearly kicked out of a pistol course i took this week...I couldent change my "bad" habbits" and the instructor was getting in my face

Originally Posted by SHERMAN

actually paintball/airsoft can be very good for training assuming you do it with people who know a little about CQB and Inf tactics. Im assuming you dont So as 13th said stay away from it. I cant tell you how long it takes to kill habbits soldiers gather playing PS2 and X-Box and Painball/Airsoft before they enter the service....

My uncle works at Boeing. A while ago the Boeing paintball team was going out for a day, bragging about how awesome they are to everyone. Unfortunately, some of the LAPD SWAT team was also at the paintball place they went to that day. Lots of silent people covered in welts after that.

I also plan on going to the naval academy but like the other guy said do what im doing and apply for an NROTC scholarship also (just in case) and PLC or OCC. And in response to the guy who said you compete for Marine Corps positions, that isnt true up to 1/6 of your class can go into the Marine Corps and they arent very strict about that rule. Hey if you really wanna train for marksmanship get an AR-15 (civilian M-16 or M4 depending on model) they are exact copies of those rifles and you dont need to worry abut an EGO-tech or anything when you qualify it will be just with the carry-handle sight, AR-15's can be expensive though, they are made by Olympic Arms , and Buschmaster. So if you are serious about qualifying get one and head on down to your local gun range and try to get consistent groupings, grouping are at least 3 shots in the perimeter of a quarter. that is what they will judge you on instead of "bullseyes" all though i dont know if yall have gun ranges up in new york haha. and trust me ive been shooting and hunting all my life, and own many Firearms my self.

Originally Posted by Proud Texan

And in response to the guy who said you compete for Marine Corps positions, that isnt true up to 1/6 of your class can go into the Marine Corps and they arent very strict about that rule.

You're kidding, right? The Marine Corps isn't very strict about a rule? You might want to rethink that attitude if you ever want to become one. And if you think that people don't compete for that 17%, wait until you see the list for aviation.


The 1/6th rule is correct, and very strictly enforced. You might not believe it's that big of a deal, but wait until you talk to the Navy officer who wanted to be a Marine.

As for your firearms advice, it is also incorrect. If you don't have a certified instructor to help you, it's better to wait until you get into the service to begin shooting. That way, the range instructors will not have to correct bad habits before they can start teaching "their way".

Stop spreading bad gouge; no one appreciates their time being wasted. You will also probably not want to call people out people wearing stars and stripes on their shoulders when you get to I-Day.

Assuming you're good enough, I would think that the surefire way of becoming a Marine Officer would to be an enlistedman first then go through OCS.
I thought ROTC was another way to know what you'll get. After the 2nd year, the Marine NROTC guys seemed to actually divert from the rest of the NROTC guys. Did their own PT etc etc. I don't think they'd suddenly make these guys go to the Navy at the end of their 4 year commitment in ROTC. Being selected for the Marine Option from NROTC might follow a similar quota rule (I can't see why it won't) but at least you'll know what you're getting without the risk of destroying your academics.
You can leave NROTC and join the Marines after graduation with hopes of going through OCS.

Alright, I'll lay out the different Marine Corps commissioning sources:

USNA: Assuming you are accepted and get through Plebe year, you will elect to go to Leatherneck between 2/c and 1/c years. This is a 4-week evaluation/familiarization period at MCB Quantico for Marine-select hopefuls. At this point, if you don't do well at Leatherneck, you will not be selected as a Marine officer. After commissioning, you will go to The Basic School for six months. Near the end of TBS, you will select your MOS. This is the only way to become a Marine Corps officer without going to OCS.

NROTC: You apply for a Marine Option scholarship. The purpose of your first three years in the program is to prepare you for a six-week session at Marine OCS (technically called "Bulldog", but it is identical to the Seniors portion of the PLC program). If you graduate from OCS, you will have another year of NROTC to get your degree/commission, and then you will go back to Quantico for TBS. After this, the track is identical to USNA.

PLC: Comes in two flavors, "Juniors/Seniors" and "Combined". J/S is two six-week trips to OCS in Quantico. The name is misleading, as you can actually do Juniors after your freshman year of college. Seniors will always be immediately before your senior year. You will commission after you graduate and then go to TBS.

"Combined" is a ten-week program that takes place immediately before your senior year. After you graduate, your track is identical to Juniors/Seniors.

OCC: Identical to PLC-Combined, but you must have a college degree or be a college senior to apply.

The difference with PLC and OCC to NROTC/USNA is that when you apply to PLC or OCC, you apply for an Air, Ground, or Law contract. This means that, for example, if you apply for and receive an Air contract, you will go to flight school after TBS, assuming that you remain physically qualified.

Note that, in all cases, you must have a bachelor's degree to become a Marine officer. There is no way to go from enlisted to officer without said degree.

Also bear in mind that you do not pick your aircraft until after Primary flight training. There is no way, for example, to "apply" to fly the F/A-18.

Originally Posted by SR Singleton, USNSCC

I'm a US Naval Sea Cadet, planning to apply to the US Naval Academy in a few years to become a fighter pilot in the Marine Corps. I play alot of air-soft (mil-sim) and I want to get a gun thats nearly identical to one that would be used by a USMC officer in an infantry field of operations so I can get oriented to using said weapon before being tested on using it in the academy or some form of Marine school.

If that did't make sense this is what I want to know in simple form-
What do the Marine Corps officers put on they're M4's or M16's?

Don't worry about becoming familier with the weapon. Your only going to teach yourself bad habits that PMI's and Coaches have to correct. They will teach you how the Corps wants it done.

If you become an aviator and decide to make it a career you will do at least one tour as a Forward Air Controller (FAC). This FAC is totally different from other services FAC's in that you will wander around the boonies with the infantry followed by a gaggle of TACP radio operators. By the time you get this gig you most likely will have forgotten about field work and have to be retrained in it anyway.

As far as a fighter pilot i was told by a FAC that the "Hornet was a fictional aircraft used to induce future CH-53 pilots into becoming Marine Corps aviators." meaning the Fighter and attack billets are highly contested.

Originally Posted by Proud Texan

I also plan on going to the naval academy but like the other guy said do what im doing and apply for an NROTC scholarship also (just in case) and PLC or OCC. And in response to the guy who said you compete for Marine Corps positions, that isnt true up to 1/6 of your class can go into the Marine Corps and they arent very strict about that rule.

I think you better listen to c/commander on that. There is a Marine Selection at USNA and they are very strict on it, not everyone who wants to be a Marine can be one. The Corps kinda funny like that. So if you don't have a working knowledge of Marine Officer Selection Pipe down.

Originally Posted by c/Commander

If you have your heart set on being a Marine Corps fighter pilot, a better approach would be to do PLC or OCC during/after getting a degree from a civilian school. At the Naval Academy, you compete for Marine selection (there are lots of stories of midshipmen being designated as Navy Surface Warfare Officers when they wanted to be Marines). Then, at The Basic School afterwards, you will compete for an air slot.

I guess that makes sense, but I wouldn't mind being a SWO either. But right now I'm just focusing on getting to the academy...since I know nothing about civilian colleges and I'm not really interested in pursuing a civilian career. Well that and you couldn't pay me to go Army or Airforce. But for the Navy/Marine thing, I figured I'd worry about it when I get there for now.