Are Marines good pilots? You bet they are. But they don't have the same "mission" as the USAF or USN guys. So if you want to become a pilot, then become a pilot. But if you want to be a Marine who happens to fly airplanes, then pursue a USMC aviation career.
Great advise here. Never a more accurate word has been spoken on this forum.
Now, that being said, as a former Marine primary flight Instructor Pilot, (with a lot of old buddies still teaching at Navy flight school), I would argue that getting sent off to foreign shores while waiting for your class date is a rare thing. It happens, but rarely. Especially if said Marine Officer has not been to OIC. If one reads all the excellent posts above, one gets the impression that everyone is being shipped off to dirka-dirka-stan to kick in doors and take the fight to the enemy. Not true. It does happen, but rarely in my opinion. More likely, is the reality of said future Naval Aviator - getting stashed at a squadron in the fleet as the crappy little jobs officer, or getting stuck in a waiting pool in pensacola and having to teach lectures, or funeral detail, etc. There are a million jobs out there, that are perfect for a wet-behind-the-ears officer to do. MATSG in Pensacola has a lot of 1st and 2nd LT's running around doing all sorts of jobs as they await their initial shot at API. The drinks are cold, the beaches are excellent, and the girls are still as young as they were when I went through. I'd do it all over again.
Best of luck and Semper fi,
Aloha
