Yeah I hear you. I'll definitely go infantry with airborne and or ranger i nthe contract. If I fail ranger will I still be airborne infantry?

If you meet the standard for airborne, you meet the standard for Ranger. Start doing pushups, situps, and running 4-6 miles, alternating muscle endurance and running, now. You want at least a 270 going into basic. Also check out armystudyguide.com and learn the warrior tasks and battle drills.

All branches have good offers right now, we all need bodies. Be sure and check the fine print on everything before signing. Some recruiters are infamous for not giving the full story. Yes there are signing bonuses but they are usually attached to longer enlistments or assignments to hard to fill jobs. A lot of these jobs restrict you from attempting other things such as Rangers for a specific amount of time. If you are promised something make sure it's in your contract or you’re most likely not going to get it. Don't let them pressure you into taking a job you don't want by saying what you’re looking for is unavailable. Get what you want or wait.

The Marine Corp. is under the Department of the Navy but their procedures for enlistment/job selection are quite a bit different. As said before getting an inter service transfer is next to impossible. In many cases you have to just wait out your time and transfer at the end of your enlistment.

Thanks. In UK the Royal Marines are part of Royal Navy, that's why I asked.

I would also recommend getting something in the contract that will serve you well should you get injured or for some other reason can't go on as a Ranger, etc. My choice would be a language or other technical skill like UAV operator. Both of those, and many others are still needed in the Special Forces and Rangers. Then, you'll have something a little more marketable in the after military life, and something to continue with should you blow out your knee or back, etc while still serving.


Next piece of advice, if it isn't in writing in the contract, it wasn't promised. Don't believe anything else.

Yeah, do double check your contract before signing. Oh, I almost forgot, don't forget to learn the Drill and Ceremony (marching, facing movements and that kind of stuff) before you go. With the Army, everything I mentioned doing prior to joining will get you higher rank, and make life a little easier in Basic. Plus, the better you do in basic, the better you will do in later schools and training.

Globehopper,

I think it's one of those things where you go into basic "knowing" it, BUT, not telling anyone that you do...because in basic, "no one likes a know it all".

It's called being the "grayman".

K

Kell, good one. Complete the checklist for rank, but don't act like you know it, unless the command is given to do it. The most basic rule of the Army is, if you know it to be the right thing to do, take initiative and do it. If you're not sure, wait until you're told to do it.

I agree fully.

I went into basic and made the mistake of mentioned my martial art traning. Well, low and behold one of the drills was a yellow, green belt in Tae Kwon do I beleive. From then on he had something to prove and not to mention he was short. So the only way he could prove it is to smoke us.