Thinking of applying for USMC OCS

Hi All,

I have been mulling this decision for some time and it has become significantly more complicated than it was a few years ago due to personal developments (getting married, having a newborn, etc).

I am leaning towards applying for Marine Corps OCS to pursue a path towards becoming an officer. I do not know what MOS I would choose yet; is there somewhere that has a list of available MOSs and descriptions? As much as I love the idea of flying, I think aviation is out of the question as the vision in my left has deteriorated to 20/40 so I don't think I'd fail that test (plus age, next issue). Another issue is age; I'm 28 turning 29 in April 2017. Reading online it looks like there is an age restriction of 28 (pilot is 26)...is it impossible to get a waiver at 29 for age? Also, is there a waiver required for being married w/child? I had also read something about a waiver if you've done the Mary Jane only a couple of times in your lifetime...is that the case (say if you did it 3 times your whole life and the last time was 8 years ago...)?
I am leaning towards the Marines as I think that would suit me best personally, but I could see myself going the Army route as well. Personally my motivation is to serve my country as others have done. I feel it is the least I can do as payment for the freedoms that we enjoy here on a daily basis. On MOS, all I really know is infantry or pilot (or nav). My inclinations are to be infantry to be on the front lines but I would be interested in hearing about other experiences as well.

That being said, have any of you enlisted/commissioned (or re-upped) when you were married and had children? How did you explain it to your wives and were they supportive of your decision to do so? If they were not supportive, were they at least understanding? Am I insane for thinking about this now? Am I too old to keep up with the younger men and women? From a financial standpoint, I'd say we are in pretty good shape but we are currently dual income and make good money relative to the cost of living for our area (Bay Area Northern California) and it is a hard pill to swallow salary-wise but something I would be willing to eat. I also think it'll even out in the long run anyway.

Appreciate your responses on this.

Ben

 

I wasn't a Marine, so I can't speak for the Corps personally. They are however an excellent organization IMOP. I don't know any Marine officers, but I've known quite a few enlisted folks. I assume you have a Bachelors degree if you're thinking of being an officer. The pay for officers it pretty reasonable. It's something you really need to discuss with your wife, if she doesn't support your choice to serve the likelihood she will stay your wife is going to get small. Don't discount the Reserves if going full-time isn't going to work for you. If you haven't had any MJ in 8+ years and never got in any trouble for it, I'd probably just keep that to myself. If you did get in trouble then you need to disclose it, there are waiver processes for just about everything in the military. Though right now it can be difficult to get one to go through, as there are usually enough volunteers without those issues to fill slots. If you have a degree in something highly desirable like Engineering, it would probably help your case. To turn a fraise, you need to either shit or get off the pot. Given your age, you need to make a decision ASAP. Bottom line if it's what you want to do and your wife supports it, I'd say apply. I would however also talk with the Air Force, Navy, Coast Gaurd, and Army to see what they offer. I think serving your country is an awesome choice in any branch of the Armed Forces. We need good people to step up to lead our nations defense, if you think that is you go for it!

 

Marine enlisted age cutoff is 29, commissioned is 28. Waivers might be possible, ask a recruiter.

 

I served 8 years in the enlisted side I was in boot camp with a 32 year old. You don't require a waiver for being married with kids and you simply deny the fact you ever smoked the Mary Jane even though it probably wouldn't disqualify you they have no way to prove you did any drugs unless you admit to doing them or test positive for them. To be an officer you must have a bachelors degree. In my experience married Marines are taken care of you are given a monthly housing allowance based on the area in which you are stationed that's for officer and enlisted. And I agree with an earlier post I know it sounds glamorous to be on the front lines and the bonds you form are undeniable but they are forged through getting through some God awful times and having a family that would suffer if you where to be killed or in my opinion even worse come home and suffer from PTSD and dragging your family along for the ride. Air Force has the best quality of life and would most likely result in more home time with the family. But good luck with whatever you choose.

 

OP, I can give you a little insight as a ten year Army engineer officer who just made the promotion list for MAJ. I commissioned through ROTC, so cannot offer you too much advice for OCS. Being physically fit will make life easier, and the Army and Marines like to run. Minimum standards are five miles under 40 minutes, 2 miles under 16 minutes (13 minutes for max score), and 12 miles in boots with minimum 35 lb ruck plus water weight under 3 hours. Body weight exercises like push ups, pull ups and sit ups are common in unit PT, and CrossFit combined with some running and ruck marching would be a good way to get ready.

The biggest factor in your decision will be your wife and family needs. She needs to know exactly what you’re signing up for and be on board. The divorce rate in the military is high because of the long hours, deployments, and turmoil military life can cause. You will be asked to move constantly, rarely staying at one location for more than 2-3 years. You will be deployed on short notice. When you are home, you can expect to leave the house before 0530 and likely not return home until after 1800 on a normal day. While at home station, you may go on field exercises lasting several weeks. Prior to a 9-12 month deployment, you will spend long hours at work preparing and training to go. As an officer you will be expected to support all unit social functions after hours. You will be called in the middle of the night if one of your Soldiers get in trouble. Many military bases are located in more remote areas where quality of life will not be comparable to the Bay Area. Local schools may not be good, and your wife may have a hard time finding a job. If she is lucky enough to find one, it will only last until the next move. The military is not a job, it is a lifestyle that takes complete commitment from the Soldier and their family. You will come home exhausted some days and not want to do anything. You will be frustrated with bureaucracy, and incompetent leaders at times.

That being said, I love the military and have no regrets about the path I chose. I have met amazing people, travelled, and been pushed to my limits. Leading Soldiers is extremely rewarding. You will discover a lot about yourself and what you are capable of. You will be challenged mentally and physically. You will meet people from all walks of life. Let me know what specific questions you have, I can’t help much with OCS specifics or the Marines but can help give insight about the Army. PM if you’ll like to talk over the phone.

 

It's easier to get an age waiver as an officer. I know plenty of individuals over 28 who have gone to OCS.

You don't need a waiver for being married or having kids. It doesn't show up on your package.

You will need a waiver for admitted drug use, but it's literally just paperwork. Unless you've done some crazy shit, marijuana is not a big deal, especially with the lapse in time since it occurred.

Unless you are an air contract, you don't get to "choose your job" as an officer. You compete for class placement at The Basic School, and you fill out a wish list, then the computer determines a mathematically perfect job placement based on your ranking and your wish list, with some controls put in place.

I commissioned a year ago in the Marines, so I am very familiar with the process. PM me with any and all questions as I can give you the best information available.

Edit: I can also give you insight into the officer acquisition process for all other branches. In my opinion, the Marine Corps is the easiest process for guys out of college, and that's not just bias. I spoke with every branch before I aspired to be a Marine .

 

Stumbled on this post today and wonder what you ended up doing. Navy OCS 2014-->Aviation

 

I spoke with my wife about it and also spoke with the USMC OSO - I got my wife's blessing to go for it; OSO said given that I'll be 31 in April of 2019 that I probably wouldn't get granted a waiver as Active, but Reserves are entirely possible. I am going for it (going field officer - not aviation as I am well past that cutoff). Now it's on me to get my ass into shape to get a good enough PFT score. Thanks everything for the responses. I hope to be able to give you an update after I've made it through OCS.

 

Get in good shape, and most importantly, don’t get injured while at OCS. I was enlisted, so it was boot camp, but my (and most others I think) biggest fear was getting hurt and staying there longer. Good luck!

 

Good luck OP, make sure family is 100% on board as you'll likely move around a decent bit depending on how long you stay (2.5mo OCS -> 7mo TBS in Quantico, then 4-12mo MOS school wherever, then 3yr unit, then EAS or get new orders to probably a different coast).

MOS selection is nearly a lottery system towards the end of TBS, and there are a lot of great ones outside of Infantry that can get you good experience depending on what you want to do after.

OCS isn't too hard, you will PT a lot (2x a day, lots of running and some heavy log runs/lifting). TBS is a marathon, less PT but it's a challenge to stay healthy for 6mo doing lots of basic infantry officer training.

If you do 4yrs or 20yrs, there is a not a lot of things better than the opportunity to lead Marines. They are some of the finest group of hard charging degenerates and red blooded Americans, and it will humble you every day.

 

Age waiver was approved. My application goes to the November board (Nov 5-9) to attend OCC-230 in January. I am going the reserve route, doing 1 year active after training before going to the reserves (I am really happy they have that as an option). I am making sure to constantly talk to my wife to make sure she's still on board with it. I will pull the plug if I can at anytime before if she has a change of heart. Trying to keep an open mind about the MOS's (and whether it's even applicable since I selected the Geo reserve contract). The OSO I am working with has been excellent as they've allowed my wife to come in and ask her questions directly which has given her a lot of comfort. She's aware of most everything that this entails for the next 4+ years (that we can foresee).

I am really only sad about our son leaving his current daycare (he turns 2 next month). We got extremely lucky with our setup so it'll be tough to find a place to that same standard and with the quality of people.

Thanks again to everyone who has posted on here - I am very grateful to get advice/input on this. Hopefully I can provide some good news in a couple of weeks and then again in March after the 10 weeks if all goes well.

 

It looks like you talked to your wife and gave this a lot of thought. You got good advice from people with different perspective on what to take in to account. Good luck!!

 

Got the news today. I got accepted to go to OCC-230 in January.

 

Congratulations!

 

I am currently an enlisted instructor at TBS in Quantico, once you come through here ill see you on the demo ranges and most likely on your FEX's. In the meantime if you have any questions feel free to ask.

 

Also as far as the officer MOS selection goes, its really kind of a gamble for you guys. At TBS you will make a list of your personal MOS preferences and from there your SPC's will go through and give out the MOS's to the students based on how they rank in the class (it is a bit more complicated than that but that it the jist of it)

 

Congrats! They will have to break the ice on the Quigley for you. If you don’t know what I’m talking about...you’ll see

The number one important thing is to be in great running shape. You will run a couple hundred miles at OCS. If you can’t keep up you will wear down mentally very quickly. If you can run well it will be much easier.

 

Good luck man! One of my younger cousins just got sent off to Parris island last week.

 

That's what happened to me. Injured in Basic and haven't been right since. Took a General discharge thinking it was just a fitness issue(thought I could train up and re-up). Turns out my cartilage in my hip joints are shot. Really pissed I couldn't serve in the fight, but now I'm supporting the mission from the civ side as a machinist for the gov. Hooah.

 

Do you know/remember a Trimble? Still in Quantico but finished TBS I believe.