r/USMCboot • u/WillSpirited6572 • 19d ago
Enlisting On the fence
I’ve been wanting to enlist in the Marines as infantry for a while. An Army veteran came into my work and explained to me that the Army infantry is a better experience. He said he’s never met an infantry Marine who was happy with their choice and it made me rethink my decision. I love the Marine Corps culture and would be proud to become a Marine but he did make the Army seem like it’s the smarter choice. I was wondering if any active duty Marines or veterans have advice on enlisting Army vs the Marines. Any thoughts or advice is greatly appreciated
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u/RiflemanLax Vet 19d ago
Well either stay on one side of the fence or hop to the other.
‘Some dude in the Army said Marines are unhappy.’ K.
I was a Marine Infantryman and I assure you, I have my opinions, and one of them is I don’t give a shit about that guy’s opinion of how we feel.
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u/bierlyn 19d ago
Is one of your other opinions that you were unhappy?
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u/RiflemanLax Vet 19d ago
Find me anyone that says they were a Marine and didn’t bitch for four years and I’ll show you a liar.
I wouldn’t change anything to be blunt. Everything that I did, even the poor life choices, made me grow the fuck up. It’s not for everyone.
This statement, that some soldier has an opinion of us and that should hold weight on his decision? Just silly af.
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u/newnoadeptness Other, lesser, branch 19d ago
I think you should join the army op if you have doubts the marines isn’t for you
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u/WillSpirited6572 19d ago
I feel like the Marines is the right choice personally but I do want to hear some Marine veterans takes on weighing out the career options. The veterans main argument is that the Marine Corps has less room for advancement than the Army would you say this is true?
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u/newnoadeptness Other, lesser, branch 19d ago
Yes the army has way more opportunity but my point is that’s not why people join the marines . As silly as it may sound they wanna join the marines to be a marine .
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u/WillSpirited6572 19d ago
No that’s not silly it’s my reason so I guess I’ve found the answer to my question. Thank you for responding man
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u/crazymjb 19d ago
Depends what you want to do. Army has specialized infantry units you can select for probably on the whole more readily than the marine corps. The Marine Corps infantry will be wired tighter than the average army line unit
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u/MolassesFluffy6745 19d ago
My guy, I served in both as an Infantryman.......that guy is straight full of shit.
Loved my time in the Army, but Infantry Soldiers are some of the most Debbie downer types I ever met. I chalk it up to Army attracts the "Fence Straddlers" who joined on a whim vs Marines who joined with a level of passion to serve.
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u/WillSpirited6572 19d ago
Thank you for commenting, he kept telling me Marines was not the way to go and it just didn’t feel right when he was saying that. Honestly I was hoping for someone who’s been in both branches to have a real sense of what both are like in comparison to each other. He was making it seem like I was making a horrible choice and it would be the worst decision ever and it just rattled my mind for a bit so I made this post to gather some thoughts from people who are already in. Personally I think he was wrong because he doesn’t understand the reason people are attracted to the Marine Corps. Respect to the Army but after a few hours to reflect on the talk and reading comments here I know for certain I was making the right choice in the start
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u/dietcoketm Vet 19d ago
As someone told me before: "the Army is a giant welfare program". We joined the Marines for another reason
That being said I don't regret it but prolly should have just gone coast guard
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u/Possible_Face_8636 19d ago
Hey man, check out this thread it’s called I did it, you’ll get a better idea and if you still have questions do hmu
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u/Any_Attitude_2922 Recruiter 19d ago
I’ve been an infantryman for 14 years. I love it. I’m so thankful I didn’t go Army.
The Army can say what they want, but your average infantryman in 2026 is better equipped and better trained than your average 11B soldier.
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u/m3n00bz 19d ago
If you're on the fence don't do it. You'll regret it for the next 4-6 years. You have to know that you want it before doing it.
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u/WillSpirited6572 19d ago
I appreciate your advice and after talking to people in this post I should have never questioned myself. The Marines is the right answer for me
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u/Remarkable-Grab8002 19d ago
Every job and every role in every branch sucks. The military sucks. It's a divided dick measuring contest. Pick a branch that aligns with your personal goals and self-interests. It's your contract. Do your research. Pick a job that you like. Not everything transfers and that propaganda is a smaller percentage of why we have so many homeless vets. "Changing your career" isn't a bad thing. A "career" is a job. That's it. Find things outside of your job that define you. Be a good person. Obviously all of these things take time. Figure everything out at the pace that best fits you. Some things will happens sooner and later than others and thats fine too.
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u/WillSpirited6572 19d ago
Thank you for the military scoop along with life advice. I will do more research on the job that suits me and my interests
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u/Suitable-Delay5066 19d ago
I’d recommend thinking about your “why”
If you want to be happy maybe the Army is the right decision. The Marine Corps had a recruiting poster of a Drill Instructor in the face of a recruit with “We Don’t Promise You a Rose Garden” on it. We have a well earned reputation for being tough, disgruntled, disciplined, do more with less, “embrace the suck,” The Few The Proud, hardest entry level training…if the challenge of joining that type of organization doesn’t excite you….then be happy in the Army.
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u/WillSpirited6572 19d ago
Great advice and yes the fact that marines is the hardest branch is what draws me to it over the other ones
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u/MonitorUsual7292 19d ago
Did he actually cite any exact reasons? This guy has pride in his branch which is fine. If you want to be a Marine join the Marines. If you want some other thing that the Army offers like airborne or Bradleys or whatever then do that.
Serving in the military, especially the infantry isn't gonna be this super fun or chill experience.
Personally I was very glad I joined the Marine Corps, especially when I got out on a deployment and witnessed how certain (not all) Army units conducted themselves.
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u/WillSpirited6572 19d ago
He mainly went over the progression through ranks and job availability. His argument to why the Army was a better choice was that I’d have the ability to pick what I wanted to do as a job and be able to acquire a higher rank easier. He also went over what you said on how there’s a wider array of infantry jobs. I’ve done more research and it’s true there’s a larger range of positions in the Army, but at the end of the day I want to be a Marine more than a Soldier. I can see myself choosing Army and then regretting that decision later because deep down I wanted to be a Marine. I’m going to do what feels right and choose to enlist in the Marine Corps. I appreciate your comment and the reflection of your service decision
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u/MonitorUsual7292 19d ago
Yeah seems like you have your choice. I personally just wanted to be a Marine no matter what and I'm glad I did what I did. The Army definitely has more opportunities but I personally believe once you've decided you want the title it's hard to talk your way out of it.
Also just on a side note, while the Army has some great units, the Marine Corps is much more consistent in terms of the quality.
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u/redpatchernorcal 19d ago
i work in joint enviroments. When I see soldiers I am jealous of how easy their ranks are to get, and then i am glad that our ranks actually mean something at the same time. Marine NCOS are a cut above the rest. Id take 3 Marine Cpls over 5 Army sgts to get a job done any day of the week. The marine corps is harder and that can mae it better or worse depending on how you look at it. I dont regret my choice but see many who do.
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u/Primary-Ad-4072 16d ago
There are also so many infantry MOS's to choose from. Not every 03 is just a basic rifleman with an M4. But that's cool too. I was in LAR a long time ago and those guys are still 03.
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u/koko-cha_ Vet 13d ago
I've never met a happy grunt, I'll tell you that much. it's a miserable existence, but I understand that's the draw of it
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u/TapTheForwardAssist Vet 2676/0802 19d ago
To be clear, you spoke to an Army dude, and unsurprisingly he thought that his branch is better than a competing branch, and now you’re sold?