Need some advice on joining the military, and also how tanks

Also, I really don't want to make this seem like it's all about the money, but the returns I would be giving up on not pursuing a job as a mate on a ship for 4 years in exchange for serving my country for 4 years is literally on the order $100,000-$200,000. Because from what I can tell, until you get into flag rank type shit in the military, your pay is pretty abysmal, even as an officer.

Of course, I hear there are a lot of benefits to being a veteran. Not sure what benefits there are that I also wouldn't get with a good shipping company.

Are there tax breaks or something for military personnel? There has to be a reason people make careers out of it.

>>31652192
What do you like better Tanks or Memerines? Because the army has bettter tonks. Also be careful they don't shove you ins something gay like Tracks or some shit

>>31652255
I would specifically like to do the Marine Corps, even if their equipment is shittier. If I'm going to be an officer, it's either going to be doing something in the Navy or the Marines because I want it to be at least somewhat nautical related. But seeing that I'll be looking at water the rest of my life, I'd prefer to do the Memerines over the Navy.

And could they do that? From what I understood, if you score well enough in your class or the ASVAB, you could choose what you want your occupation to be, within limits. Like you can request infantry, but you can't specifically request whether you'd like to be an automatic gunner or a rifleman.

But I thought armor was its own division that only included MBTs. I thought IFVs and amphibious landing craft and stuff were a different thing altogether.

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bump?

>>31652308
The armour isn't in there own Division, but they are in separate battalions which have about 50 or so tanks in it which are divided between 4 companies of 14 tanks each.

>>31652672
So do the platoon and company commanders still have their own personal command tank or do they direct the actions of their platoon/company from a remote command and control center?

Basically I'm asking if I join the armor as an officer if I'll be doing the actual interesting stuff of commanding my own tank or if I'm going to just be sitting in an office all day looking at spreadsheets of the maintenance costs of my platoon for the past month or some bullshit like that.

>>31652926
Company and platoon (and maybe battalion?) leaders have their own tank and they also are in charge of their unit, they usually have more radios and shit. But don't expect that you wont have to do any paperwork, especially in peacetime, I don't know what paperwork or how much you will do but i know you'll have to do it.

>>31652192

>I'm currently at a maritime academy. The job outlook and hiring rate for mariners pretty much guarantees that I would be making $80,000 a year, if not six figures right out of the academy.

Damn, how did you pull that off? Can I join?

>>31653029
sign me up too

>>31653029
I don't see why not. A lot of people at the maritime academies are older anyways. It's not particularly hard to get into, although I'd say most maritime academies have about a 60-70% acceptance rate.

It's just a career that not a lot of people know about anymore. Immediately after WWII, the US had the largest merchant fleet in the world. Thanks to rising costs of shipping, increased legislation and pollution regulations, STCW, and flags of convenience, we now had a dwindling fleet that is only kept in place by massive subsidies from the government that ensures they will have a sealift force to call upon in case of a SHTF war.

So basically, the industry is here to stay for quite a while, but it's diminished public limelight has led a lot of people to not consider it or even know about it.

But I wouldn't do it if you're just in it for the money. There's no romance to being a mariner. The job is hard, dirty, tiring, stressful, and lonely. If you have family, or even any kind of a social life on shore, it will be tough. But if you love the sea, it's well worth it. There's a certain solace to be found standing watch over a 1000 foot cargo vessel in the dead of night, with only the light of the moon and stars and dim radar displays to illuminate you.

>>31652192
I can't give you any real advice.

I deployed to some hot spots as an 0311. But our battalion did everything. Our own armored Vic's, and foot patrols. We were self sufficient without support.

It seems like you have your mind set up. You could do a lot worse than being a marine tank commander. I say go for it man. That's all I can say.

Oh and my friend who worked at Caterpillar said they hired marine tankers at $75 grand starting because it's the same as heavy diesel machinery. But those were enlisted tankers.

Officers are not garunteed an MOS once you pass OCS. Depending on how you do in TBS they might try to accommodate what you want to do, but ultimately it goes down to needs of the Marine Corps.

Realistically, unless you want to do infantry (due to the drip out rate of IOC), you have no garuntee of any job, and can easily find yourself becoming an admin officer due to that being what the USMC needs.

>>31653153
Really? That's disheartening. And seems odd. In the Navy, I've been told that after OCS you pretty much get to choose what you want to do, unless they really, really need you somewhere else. So if you want to go to nuke school after OCS and you were smart enough and dedicated enough for it, they oblige your request. But in the Marines, they just don't give officers any say in the matter? It seems weird than enlisted men would have more of a say in their MOS field than an officer would.

>>31652192
>dying for Israel because your ancestors did

>>31653552
Dank meme, well edged my friend

>>31652192
1st and 2nd LTs are Platoon leaders. A tank platoon is 4 tanks. Captains command a tank company, which is 14 tanks, broken into 3 tank platoons and 2 HQ tanks ( CO, a captian and the XO, normally the most experienced 1st lt.)

>>31652192
the best way to get on Tanks is Army though. There is a pretty slim chance of getting on them as a Marine Officer. You may get armor but your Platoon Commander time and onwards may be spent completely off of tanks and maybe even on AAVs, etc.
In the Army if you Branch armor you will either go Light or Heavy. Heavy will probably land you as a Tank PL or Scout Brad PL.

>>31653029
Mass Maritime here. Maritime academies are weird places. They are pretty easy to get into. It's a regimented campus but it's not too bad. Academics were the really tough part, that and the constant shit weather and mentally unstable, paranoid student body. My class had over 60% attrition rate over 4 years.

>>31656448
I was thinking of going to a maritime academy once I'm done with my stint in the Marines. What exactly do you mean by the mentally unstable student body? Is that just your school or all maritime academies.

>>31653552
> French and Indian war fought for Israel

Those tricky Jews. Making empires fight for a country that wouldn't exist for hundreds of years.

>>31652192
Im not going to read the previous comments in this thread because /k/ is saturated with angry cav scouts and airborne that hate the USMC.

As a former Marine I will tell you that if you want to do anything with armor you should go Army. They have the dank tanks. We still have A1's though the USMC is outfitting their armor with TROPHY they are still A1's.