damn PMI's didnt do much for me, got me a pizza box :P. i requal soon i hope and i want sharpshooter atleast . feel like such a terd w/ a pizza box.

what if i am on a rifle team already being taught by Marines, and qualify highly everytime i shoot....is that bad....

Originally Posted by 03USMC

Well FMJ. You might want to start typing Marine and USMC with the proper cap's.

Do not. I repeat Do not worry about tactics or marksmanship at this point. If you enlist the Corps will have wonderful NCO's called PMI's to teach you how the Marine Corps wants you to shoot. The less you know the less bad habits they have to relieve you of.

The Instructors at SOI will teach you Small unit tactics, if you pass the INDOC for Recon and are accepted then you will be further schooled on the tactics required of you in that enviroment.

I have to agree with RndrSafe. Seems a few folks have the cart well ahead of the horse. It's fine and good to say I want to be a Super Duper Freaky Spec Op's Ninja Night Fighter. But first concentrate on becoming a Marine then a Good Infantry Marine. Then worry about cool badges or titles.

Thank you all for your responses to my query.

Is Force Recon the USMC version of SF's or Delta? The way I understand it is that and Army grunt can enlist in either SF's or Rangers, and eventually(after promotions, etc) be asked to join Delta(provided they pass the exams and are accepted). To me, this puts Delta on the top of the pyramid.

What about Marines? Is there a version of SF's or Rangers, or is that exactly what Force Recon is all about?

By the way, I am in no way indicating that being a standard Marine or Army grunt is in anyway not good enough or inferior. I have the utmost respect for soldiers in every branch, MOS, and echelon.

It's fine and good to say I want to be a Super Duper Freaky Spec Op's Ninja Night Fighter. But first concentrate on becoming a Marine then a Good Infantry Marine. Then worry about cool badges or titles.

As I said, I am in no way seeking special badges or honors or glory. I am merely wanting to be all that I can be. I dont care if all I have is a National Defense ribbon. I want to know that I am being as good as I can possibly be.

But as far as what will prepare me, I guess my main focus was on the physical and psycological. I know that both of these aspects are tried to extremes buring training, I just want to be more prepared than I would be if I charged in blindly. I would rather know what is coming and be prepared for it, than be surprised and do less than I hoped.

Tx

"Delta" is not something you should worry about, it is on the Army side of the house, and they do recruit from the entire Army, not just SOF.

As for the Marine Corps having a version of Army SF or Rangers, no. There wouldn't be much point in having carbon copies of units that were branch specific. Everyone brings something different to the table, and while mission crossovers are bound to happen, everyone has their speciality. You can't compare apples and oranges.

Force Recon is a world of its own. The Marine Corps is a world of its own - and it has an entirely different outlook on special operations than everyone else. Some good, and some really bad.

If you want the Army SF mission, sign an 18X contract, if you want the Ranger mission, sign an 11X w/OPT 40 contract. If you want to be a Recon Marine, you've got to become a Marine first and hope you get the chance to take indoc, there is no guaranteed contract.

It doesn't matter how many scare badges you have, at the end of the day, you'll be a Marine - and nothing more.

If you read through some of the news articles concerning the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, I think you will find that the 'best' aren't just in special operations - they are all over our military, in different branches and MOSes.