gamerbro65

I'm a junior in college who's currently filling out the application for the Marine PLC program. I want to fly jets and then become a commercial pilot. But I also want to have a family, and right now its my biggest concern because my girlfriend has never seen herself with a military man.

Are there any USMC pilots on here WITH a family that can tell me what its like. All the way from TBS to your first and last deployment. If you get deployed oversees can you take your family with you and have them live on base? Within my 8 year contract, how many different places would I move to if I was a fighter pilot? I just want any and all information about family life from a current or former USMC pilot who's going through it or has done it.

Thanks.

Roll Inverted and Pull

NO, you can`t take your family with you, and no, they can`t live on base if (a certainty) you are deployed outside the USA. The Marine Corps is designed to be a shock force, able to deploy anywhere in the world on short notice. The Big Green Machine doesn`t want the headache of worring about your dependants. I was a regular (as opposed to a reserve) officer who intended in making the Corps a career. I did serve 8 years. In about year 5, I married, and in year 7 became a father. I resigned my commission in year 8. The Corps isn`t a place for a married man in my opinion. It takes a real " trooper" of a wife to put up 20 or so years of this life. Others might tell you differently, but that`s my experience. BTW, at a recient squadron reunion, I counted the retired buddies still with wife #1. There was two of us. Take this for what it`s worth and shoot for the USAF...out.

USMCFLYR

gamerbro -

Throughout training you will be around home most of the time. There will be days/weeks away at a time. If your girlfriend is expecting you to be home every night at 1700, then one (or both) of you had better rethink your plans. I rmemeber a friend with a wife who had no idea in TBS that he would be gone overnight. It was a rude awakening for them both; and this was just TBS! He ended up a CH-53 pilot and the last I heard - still happily married. It can be a learning process.

After training and into the fleet, it doesn't matter what aviation community you find yourself in you had better be prepared for between 40-60% time away from home.
In that first commitment, you can expect quite a few deployments while in the fleet and during your non-aviation related tour (outside of your warfare community) you could be faced with extremely long work hours or more deployments if on a FAC tour or the like. There are some second tours that have a fairly family friendly atmosphere. Professional schools and flight instructing are two of the most popular.

Can you live overseas? The Marines only have overseas bases in Japan, and yes you can get 3 years orders over there and take your family and you can eitehr live on-base or off-base. You might get some staff tour in Germany later on and take your family with you; but in those first 8 years - Japan is your main (if not only) option. Otherwise - Marine aviation is basically East/West Coast based with 6+ month deployment cycles.

USMCFLYR

Grumble

Do what YOU want to do. I had a g/f in college that said she couldn't see herself with a military guy, I showed her the door. No way was I going to miss out on flying Hornets for her...

"Don't get married until you're 30." Truest words my old man ever told me.

While it's not the doom and gloom RI&P paints up there at post #2, it def takes a certain woman to survive a 6-8 month deployment, AFTER 6 months of workups.

HSLD

Just for clairfication, "deployment" in the Corps usually means living on a big gray boat for 6-9 months.

USMCFLYR

It can mean living in the desert sands for 6+ months too or in Iwakuni, Japan (or Aviano, Italy in a tent city in the past). See...variety It often depends on your community. Ask a KC-130 guy where his deployments are and you'll get a much different answer than from a CH-46 guy.

USMCFLYR

HoursHore

Ditch the GF, See the world and blow stuff up.

And don't get married until after 30. Best advice ever.

Grumble

Amen brother, and get paid well to do it.

You've got your whole life to get married and have kids, your 20's only come once.

Deuce130

Not USMC, but agree with the above posters. Ditch the GF and and press on with your dreams. Let the woman you marry meet you after you become an aviator, not before. I'd also be willing to bet that 80%+ of Marine Corps aviators are married with kids. If they can do it, you can too. Just find the right woman. Sounds like the one you have isn't it.

Aloha

I spent 10+ years as a Marine Avaitor...... most of the statements are true. There is certainly going to be overseas deployments - period. Some you can take your family - most you cannot. (I was lucky and got to fly out of Hawaii for three years (with family), then off to Japan (without family). If you have a family in the Corps, plan on spending long periods of time without them (on or off the boat).

My advise to you would be, don't make your goal to be a jet pilot - make you goal to be a Marine Officer first, then avaitor, then jets. When you get to TBS (even with the flight contract, the competition is tough - but tons of fun (if you like that kind of stuff)). When you get to flight school, you could be number one in your class and at your winging and aircraft selection date, on that day, there could be a helo draft..... guess what you are now a helo driver..... no jets for you. that's just the way it happens.

The life of the Marines is a difficult one, yet a rewarding one. I will say, that after a long while (for me anyway) it becomes time to leave. The constant deployments (especially for the jet guys), the lack of good equipment that the other services have, and the constant "more with less" mantra that the Marines are famous for - became tiresome for me.

I will say that I am finishing up my career as an Aviator in a Navy Reserve Squadron now, flying there on my days off from the airlines. The squadron jets are great, the guys are great, but it will never be the Marines. You will never have that Esprit de Corps again - anywhere.

For me, the Marines were the best thing I ever did - full of sacrifice, discipline, and reward.


For what it's worth,
Aloha


PS - if the babe can't see herself with a military man - she is goingto hate the Corps - it's like the military on steroids. Make sure that she fully understands what it means to be married to a Marine before you aske her to marry her.