"Mike M." wrote:

Here are the figures for a PFT:

[Skipped]

I forget the time frame but I believe their basic was 3 months just like
enlisted but the TBS was 8-9 months as opposed to our MCT (combat training
for non-infantry) was 3 weeks. So in total, your minimum basic training
will be almost a year. And that's before you go to your A-school to learn
the job you'll do. Dont know the numbers for Navy but I believe them to be
much, much shorter. So do you want to spend a year learning how to drill,
land navigation, water purification, squad tactics and fill out paperwork?
Or would you rather just get it over with and start working?

Enlisted training has varied over the past 50+ years in durations, if
not concepts - shorter during VN, longer before and after. Now it is,
sort of, back to pre-VN structure. 12-week training curriculum + a
"Zero week" of 3-7 days depending on time of year/training load at the
MCRDs for screening, shots, etc. Followed by a four-week "infantry"
training course for Marines of all MOSs [that "Every Marine is a
rifleman" thing - in the late-50s/early-60s it was called ITR] before
going on boot leave and then on to their "A" school MOS training. [The
03s {grunts} now have an "A" school of their own, the School of
Infantry. In my day, their post-ITR training was at the tender
mercies of their Company Gunny, Platoon Sgt, and Squad and Fire-Team
leaders.]

Officers training varies by source of accession. For the Academies
it's the minimum, I believe one "Bulldog" summer for Juniors who have
indicated a desire for the Marine option. [Their boot camp was plebe
year.] N/ROTC Marine options and PLCs have two 6-week summer periods,
usually after the sophomore and junior year, of OCS-type training.
OCS, of course, does the three months/12-weeks straight.

TBS was longer, that 9 months you mentioned, pre-VN. It is now a
six-month course - as before, for all newly commissioned Marine
2ndLts. [There's a corresponding WO Basic course for all newly
selected/promoted WOs.]

Also, you'll have to talk to an officer to get the full story, but I do
believe USMC officers have 2 jobs at all times. One is your main job (like
pilot) and other is something green side. Again, just something to ask
someone else. I believe it is a big difference between MC officer and the
others as far as that goes.

All squadron pilots will have another, ground-side, duty. From CO,
XO, OpsO, down to TrngO, AvionicsO, and FltLineO. [The key thing is,
multi-piloted aircraft have more pilots, and therefore all those SLJO
{HumRelO, SqdnHistoryO, etc.} assignments that are in addition to
their primary ground duty are split among more bodies, 30 or so in a
helo squadron compared to the 16 we had in VMA-231. ;-] There are a
few specialist WOs/LDOs around for technical expertise. Few, if any,
pilots in the USMC have flying as their sole duty - I know I never
met/heard of any. And I have no reason for thinking the Navy operates
any differently on that score. Or the Army or Air Force, for that
matter.
--
OJ III
[Email sent to Yahoo addy is burned before reading.
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