Nevy to Marine

[jarhead]

here's the f-n problem IMO ... the Corps isn't short on Hornet pilots, every squadron here at NBC has plenty of pilots, most are at T/O, with more pilots waiting at the MAG to be sent to a gun sqd, as well as new dudes checking in. i've been here almost a year and my sqd has averaged 22 pilots (max was 24) with as little as 6-8 up jets as a norm ... of course my squadron is on the backside of a deployment so that is typical, but other squadrons here average around 20+ pilots. one of the reasons for the so-called pilot shortage is over the last 6 months or so, first tour Capts, as well as second tour Majors, that have been in their respective squadron around 2-2½ years (the guys with a good overseas control date) are being snagged up and sent to the Middle East on individual augment tours as Air Ops, FAC, etc ... with little as a weeks notice ... from anywhere to 6 to 9 months, and get this → it's considered TAD, so there is no extension on your DIFOP orders on the backside of the butt screw (i.e. your 6-9 months in Djibouti or Iraq counts as your time in your gun sqd so when you come back, you will most likely be up for PCS orders, and for lifer Hornet pilots, that means back to a FAC tour, etc - oh the vicious cycle!). i'm fairly safe 'cause i haven't deployed yet (no overseas control date) but i know 3 dudes from my squadron who have been plucked away, and two more are sweating it right now. i also know of a few guys from different squadrons in the MAG who've been snagged ... everybody who fits the requirements for this butt screw are "notching" & "putting out chaff" trying to avoid it ...

so you see where this shortage of Marine Fighter pilots is coming from? it's from the need for more FACs & ground jobs that require pilots to man them. for all you nugget SNA's & shower shoe <API dudes, this is the reality of Marine aviation ... oh, you beggin for more reality, come July 1st, Hornets, Navy & Marine, will be limited to 350knots/4G's in the break, as well as numerous ACM rule changes, all in an attempt to spare the Hornets airframe for another 10+ years until the JSF gets here ... we are becoming nothing but a JDAM truck, our only hope is we buy some Supers in the interim to spare us the agony.

is it cost effective to send Squid pilots over to the Corps? maybe... do we need them here? hell NO. i've been lucky to scrounge 10 hours a month over the last year i've been here in my sqd. last thing i need is more pilots here snaking all the (limited) flighttime. you Squids are better off on the boat where you can log all your time from engine start-up to shut down ... but i tell you what, the deployment rates for Carrier squadrons are sucking ass right now, you might what to get into a squadron that is in the UDP cycle ... either way, Navy dudes in Marine Gun squadrons won't go over too well with the squadron's brass, i'm thinking, and i feel sorry for the first few nugget JG's who shows up to a Jarhead Gun squadron ... i thought i was hazed LOL

my 2¢

semper fi

 

[35_NSS]

"do we need them here? hell NO."

AMEN to that. Thats the first thing i read yet on this thread that makes sense

 

[mat]

yeah, what jarhead said in it's entirety makes sense, taking it all in context. I wouldn't want someone taking away from my flight time. 10hrs/month, that sucks. I guess we'll see what happens. If they decided they need more strike pilots then they do, but I still think it would be more wise to pick from guys who have jet grades rather than lower the standards.

 

[squeeze]

I only know of one guy that wants to transition here in Meridian. However, I'd be willing to bet that a bunch of Navy guys in primary would jump at the chance of getting a jet slot. Even if it does mean becoming a Marine.

From the scuttlebutt I've heard from TW1 guys, around the 'Rock, and from buddies in HTs, the transition won't affect anyone in primary at all (granted, we haven't had a sit-down like they gave the HT boys).... that it's just an 'offer' to those already in advanced jets or helos. Maybe the Corps learned from the last jet draft... i dunno

As for the TBS thing...I think it's more of a right of passage issue vs. a necessity. The Corps always been about earning the right to be called Marine, and throwing out any transition requirement kind of ignores that. So you're now a Marine because you said you wanted to be? That's it?

 

[KBayDog]

As for the TBS thing...I think it's more of a right of passage issue vs. a necessity. The Corps always been about earning the right to be called Marine, and throwing out any transition requirement kind of ignores that. So you're now a Marine because you said you wanted to be? That's it?

I don't believe it is a right of passage issue OR a necessity - or is it?

As for it being a rite of passage, that is not entirely true (though those of us currently at TBS might disagree). Mainly in response to hazing events, the Corps recognizes only three rites of passage: To become a Marine, you must either successfully complete recruit training, the Naval Academy, or OCS (and accept a Marine commission). If you do not do one or more of these three things, you are not a Marine. End of discussion.

TBS is where the basic lieutenant learns to be a basic Marine officer. Just as every Marine is a rifleman, every Marine officer is a rifle platoon commander. TBS teaches the basic skills of a rifle platoon commander (can I say "basic" one more time?), as well as the military knowledge required of all Marine officers.

More importantly, it reinforces the mindset that in the Corps, no matter what your MOS, you exist to support the rifleman on the ground. At TBS, you gain at least an elementary understanding of what the man on the ground needs to accomplish his mission. Therefore, while it does not teach you how to fly, it gives you another perspective on just how important your job in the air is to the boots on the ground.

Is TBS a necessity for a Marine to be an aviator? No, it really has nothing to do with flight. A Marine could accept a commission and head straight to Pensacola, and be a fine Naval Aviator. However, the general military knowledge and "Marine" mindset would be lacking. It could be compared to, say, an excellent civilian marksman going straight to the infantry, without completing recruit training. Could he shoot? Sure. Would he be the most effective infantryman he could be? No.

Would TBS benefit the Navy? I believe so. If aviators from the Navy are to serve within Marine units (with our emphasis on infantry support), it would only help to understand "where we come from." If the Navy had a similar course, I would advocate Marines attending.

(As a side note, since MOS assignment is done at TBS, it actually is a "requirement" if you want an aviation MOS - or any MOS, for that matter! I put it in quotes, however, because, as many of us know, you can get aviation guarantees prior to TBS, often prior to commissioning. Thus, unless you are a prior enlisted Marine, you can have an MOS guarantee before you are even a Marine!)

 

[squeeze]

I said 'rite of passage' because there is no way they're going to make a commissioned officer go through another services OCS, so if TBS is all we can get....TBS is it I suppose. Skip the TBS summary....having gone through it, I have a good idea of what it's about.

 

[KBayDog]

Previous post not directed at you, squeeze - the TBS "brief" is just some 411 for those who haven't been through the course, and might say "WTF?" if they are ever directed to head out this way.

Sorry for the confusion.

 

[squeeze]

roger that...sorry