Cliffs notes:
1) He gets his wings at the conclusion of the syllabus in Meridian.
2) He goes to the FRS (Fleet Replacement Squadron) for whatever jet he will be flying
3) He reports to his first operational/fleet squadron.....this tour is about 3 years, give or take a few months. How many deployments depends on the deployment cycle for whatever squadron he ends up in. Could be several deployments, or could be less.
4) He will be obligated for 8 years of active duty service starting the day that he earns his wings at the chapel in Meridian. Not all of those years have to be in deployable units, but many will. He will have the option of getting off active duty when this obligation expires. Overall, it is a little over 10 years of active duty service for most Marine jet guys at a minimum, counting the time he spends in flight school, TBS, and various periods of waiting for different schools to begin. For example, I had about 2 months of doing nothing before I started in Meridian, and I had about 5 months of sitting around before I started the Hornet FRS. The good thing is that as soon as he wings, his clock starts ticking in terms of his service obligation.