JOINING The United States Marine Corps This page intentionally left blank J M OINING THE ILITARY A MCFARLAND HANDBOOK SERIES BY SNOW WILDSMITH 1. Joining the United States Air Force. 2012 2. Joining the United States Army. 2012 3. Joining the United States Coast Guard. 2012 4. Joining the United States Marine Corps. 2012 5. Joining the United States Navy. 2012 This page intentionally left blank Joining the United States Marine Corps A Handbook S W NOW ILDSMITH JOINING THE MILITARY, 4 McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Jefferson, North Carolina, and London LIBRARYOFCONGRESSCATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATIONDATA Wildsmith, Snow, ¡973– Joining the United States Marine Corps : a handbook / Snow Wildsmith. p. cm. — (Joining the military ; 4) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-7864-4761-9 softcover : acid free paper ¡. United States. Marine Corps—Vocational guidance. I. Title. VE23.W46 2012 359.9'602373—dc23 2012008435 BRITISHLIBRARYCATALOGUINGDATAAREAVAILABLE © 2012 Snow Wildsmith. All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, i ncluding photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without p ermission in writing from the publisher. On the cover: insetseal of the United States Marine Corps; photograph United States Marine Corps Recruit guides march at the front of the formation (United States Marine Corps photograph by Lance Cpl. Jose Nava) Manufactured in the United States of America McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Box 6¡¡, Je›erson, North Carolina 28640 www.mcfarlandpub.com For my father, HMCM Donald P. Wildsmith, USN (Ret.), with love and respect for all he has given for me and for his country. Acknowledgments This book could not have been written without the sup- port of the United States Marine Corps. Thank you to all of the Marines who took the time out of their busy days to answer my questions, supply me with needed information, tour me around recruit training, and generally help me out with whatever I needed. Thank you also to librarian and friend Emily Leachman for proofreading my rough drafts and making suggestions for improvement. I owe a debt of gratitude to all of my friends and family who supported me during the writing process, especially to my ever-patient and ever-loving hus- band Barry. viii Table of Contents Read This First 1 One: Thinking About Joining the Military 3 1. Things to Consider for Potential Enlistees 5 2. Things to Consider for Parents of Potential Enlistees 24 3. Things to Consider for Spouses of Potential Enlistees 29 4. Military Benefits 33 5. The Branches of the Military 41 Two: General Information About the Marine Corps 47 6. The History of the Marine Corps 49 7. Career Opportunities in the Marine Corps 60 Three: The Enlistment Process 67 8. What Is the Enlistment Process? 69 9. Eligibility Requirements 71 10. Talking to Military Recruiters 77 11. The Qualification Process 90 12. Visiting the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) 94 13. Taking the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery 103 14. Joining the Delayed Entry Program 117 15. Preparing for Basic Training 122 ix