Air Force vs Marines

[Anonymous]

Everyone keeps telling me the Air Force is the way to go, but I have had a heart for the Marines for awhile now. For anyone who is a female Marine; If you had a chance to do it over again would you recomend the Marines or the Air Force. I have heard a billiion times that the Air Force is much more female friendly and has a much better quality of life. At the same time, I am looking for self confidence and pride..... Any comments are welcome!

[MCIWS Sgt]

I am a female Marine, and if you are "girly" then go into the Air Force...if you can run with the big dawgs...join the Marines. If you are a tough girl, looking for a challenge, the Air Force is going to be boring. Do you need the "it is easier if you are a girl" way? If you want to be a Marine, then go for it...or else you may look back and say "I wish I would have". Forget what other people tell you, do what is right for you.
Sgt D

[Admin_USMC]

There's no way I could ever go into any other branch of service, although I may have to if I want a medical career as an officer, lol! The Marines are the toughest branch by far. It says a lot when after serving four years in the Marine Corps I could go in any other branch of the service as an enlisted female and skip their bootcamp. Says a lot if you ask me! I LOVE the Corps and the Air Force would be a walk in the park compared to what I've been through. I say follow your heart. If you truely have the desire to be a Marine then go for it! Personally the AF recruiter I talked to completely turned me off on the AF right off the bat. For me it was between the Navy and Marines and I chose Marines. Now if I go back as an officer I'm looking at the Navy, because I would still have that interaction with Marines. Just weigh all the pros and cons and make the decision. No one else is going to serve your four years for you so don't let them make the decision for you either! Best of luck!

[1pogue]

I have absolutely no regrets, no doubts about my decision to join the Marines. I would never ever consider another branch because they can't provide me with the esprit de corps, sense of brotherhood/sisterhood and pride that the Marines provides because I know that regardless of generation, we are bonded by our Marine traditions and history. So, if you must stop and consider what you can get from the other branches then you don't have what it takes to be a Marine. Go ahead and join ANY other service because not everyone has what it takes to become a MARINE. The other branches may have a better quality of life but the Marine Corps provides you with the tools to succeed in anything you want to do with your life and that means so much more.

[tperng]

Choosing the right military branch isn't as straightforward for some than it is for others. Since you posted your questions on the Marine forum, you will get a lot of responses from those who are or were Marines and loved every moment of it. I have not really heard of a Marine who regretted joining the Corp.

I'm sure no one's got anything against the Air Force. It's also an honorable path. Everything I've heard about the Air Force is that it's the branch of military that's most like a regular job. They have more material comforts than Marines and a lot of very high tech jobs you can choose from that's not available in any other branch. If that's what you're looking for, then the Air Force is for you.

If you want to join the Corp, you have to want to be a Marine above all else. The Marine Corp gets the least amount of money out of all the services. So the Marines don't have a lot of fancy gadgets and material comforts like the Air Force. All they really have is each other: the "Espirit de Corp". When you join the Marines, you're not really signing up for a job. You're joining a family that has deep traditions and they don't want just anybody.

I hope this helps. By the way, this is your decision and will have a profound impact on your life. You have to decide based on what you feel is best for YOU. If you decide based on what your friends and family want to hear, then you probably will end up unhappy. Good luck on your decision!

[Anonymous]

I purposely joined the Air Force so that I wouldn't have to go through all the physical stuff the Marines do. I recommend you go into the Marines if you want all the physical challenges. The Air Force is more mentally challenging.

[1pogue]

I guess that the air force general way trying to say that the air force has some jobs that are more academic. There is no way that she can state that the air force in general is more mentally challenging than the Marine Corps. That would be an incorrect statement. The Marine Corps is extremely mentally challenging and not only through boot camp.

[LTC William E. Bailey]

You will find two kinds of people who served in the military..those who loved it, and those who hated it. The ones who loved it will have nothing but good to say about their branch of service, and those who hated it will have nothing but bad to say.

So how should a person, without personal knowledge of a branch of service, or a family history choose the branch that's right for them.

I will try to help, but this is all personal opinion.

The Air Force takes really good care of its people. The quarters are better, the uniforms are better, the equipment is newer, and you're treated as though you're a professional practically from day one. The division between officers and enlisted is a little murky, and it isn't uncommon to find officers and enlisted spending off duty hours together. The food tends not to be as good as the Navy or the Army, as long as you're not getting Army field rations. There aren't many physical challenges, but you work with some of the most sophisticated equipment in the world. The USAF also has some of the worst locations for bases in the world (although they take really good care of them). There are a few jobs in the USAF that require field duty, but they are rare. With the exception of base defense, in the USAF the officers/pilots fight the battles, and the enlisted make sure they get there and get back.

The Navy has a little bit of everything. The Navy has, of course, ships that sail all over the world, but it also has planes and helicopters, and even infantry called Marines. The Navy doesn't take as good care of its people as the Air Force does. The quarters are extremely cramped. The food can be remarkably good or terrible, depending on your chief cook. The work hours can be brutal especially during shift work. On the plus side they do travel all over the world, so sightseeing is quite excellent. The division between officer and enlisted is greatest in this service. Officers don't eat with enlisted, don't sleep with enlisted, and don't play with enlisted. Also since the US has the most powerful Navy in the world, it is unlikely anyone will try a slugfest with our Navy during your lifetime. The Navy takes everything they need with them wherever they go, so field duty is extremely rare.

The Army has slightly better quarters than the Navy, but not as good as the Air Force. The work hours aren't as bad as the Navy's, but you have to prove your worth and that generally takes some time. The time between promotions is actually better in the Army than in the sister services, so you get promoted faster. The Army does literally everything all over the world, so you have more choices in jobs and locations. Army chow is about on par with the Marine Corps, not as good as the Navy (when it is really good), but better than the USAF. The Army conducts multiple field exercises annually, so unless you have the rare administrative job, you can expect to spend a good portion of your time outside in the field. The division between officer and enlisted is not as great as it is in the Navy, but not as chummy as the Air Force. The Army, next to the Marine Corps, is the service that you will most likely and most often find yourself in a hostile fire zone.

The Marine Corps, as the smallest branch you can join (not counting the Coast Guard), has an equally small budget. Therefore the Marines don't spend alot on uniforms, or quarters, or amenities. But they instill fierce drive and dedication to their service. They don't have very many bases, and those they have are usually co-located with Navy bases. They don't offer as many jobs as the other services, as many of their admin and medical jobs are filled by the Navy. The physical challenges in the USMC are probably the greatest of any branch, unless you choose an elite unit in one of the other branches. The USMC has seen more combat than any other branch of service, and has consequently had more battle casualties. The division between officers and enlisted is less than the Navy, but also not as chummy as the Air Force, pretty much the same as the Army.

This is all based on my personal experience, and since we all have different experiences somone else might have an entirely different opinion.

[Admin_USMC]

LTC Bailey I have to disagree with you a a couple of points. First the Air Force doesn't have the best uniforms. I speak both my opinion when I was looking at each bracnch of service and after serving in the Marines. The Marines by far have the sharpest uniforms hands down. I then would have to rate the Navy next best, then the Army, and lastly the Air Force. This was one of the things that I looked at as a prospective recruit. My second disagreement is with the comment about the Marines having the least amount of jobs. The only field not offered in the Marine Corps is the medical field, this is the only service provided to us by Navy personnel. When we deploy our troops a small detachment of FSSG (Field Service and Support Group) staff are attached as well. This includes supply, administration, contracting, computer/it support, and various other personnel in support positions. Of course the number of personnel from each MOS really depends on the size of the deployment and the mission. Yes we do have fewer bases than all others, however tehy are in some of the best locales and are always on a coast line, no chance of being stationed in North Dakota in the Marines, unless you are on recruiting duty or I&I duty with a reserve unit! Also, we have the sole responsibility of guarding our U.S. Embassy's across the world as Marine Security Guards (MSG's), which I think is an awesome opportunity only available to Marines. Male or female can serve as MSG's, although females are restricted from serving in hostile areas, the opportunity's are endless!

I have several friends who served in the Army and there is a difference between our training, and it is mostly on the mental side of the house as well as the physical. The Marines focus on instilling the core values of honor, courage, and commitment into our trainees. We believe that these values are the foundations for success in life and in the Marines and allow us as an organization to bond and accomplish the mission. We want our recruits to develop 13 leadership traits and improve on them through their career. We give leadership responsiblity at lower ranks than other branches of service and we rely heavily on our Non-Commissioned Officers (NCO's), which are E-4's and E-5's, to be the backbone of the Corps and lead our junior Marines. These are our small unit leaders and whether in the office, field or in combat these are the Marines who get things done.

My feeling when I chose the Corps, was that I was going to not only recieve military training, which I believed to be an important component of serving in our military, but also a lot of intangible benefits that no other branch at the time even mentioned. The Marine Corps was the only branch who asked me or showed me what I could gain from my service in their branch. Not to mention that I figure if I am going to serve in the military then I am going to go all the way. I am not going to play GI Joe and sit back and let other branches do what our military was designed to do. I was going to be in the branch of service were the action was happening and that I could stand proud in my uniform and say I am a United States Marine.

I do not disagree with the fact that branch of service is a very personal choice, and we all have our own reasons for joining and we all have different goals for our service. It just was a great help to me to hear from individuals from all branches and find out what made tehm choose their branch and what they had gained from that choice. It was helpful for to to narrow my choices and look inside and see what it was that I hoped to gain from my military experience. It is a choice I would make one hundred times over and to this day still wish I were serving on active duty until retirement.

Best of luck to all of you who are deciding which branch to serve in and know that this site was a valuable resource in my own choice of my branch of service. Each has different things they can offer and different experiences, you just need to decide which best fits your own philosophy and goals and take the leap!

[Anonymous]

Go with your heart. If you look at it long term, the enlistment isn't really that long compared to your lifespan. Join the branch you feel in your heart, then after your enlistment, you have the option to get out or stay in, or go into another branch. You are the one that has to live with your decision. As for the uniforms, I am retired Air Force and I really loved looking at the Marines uniforms. The womens uniforms were pretty awesome looking. But you shouldn't be joining for the uniform. Good luck.

[Unregistered]

I personally just joined the Air Force for various reasons, one is my father is a great influence on me and I love hearing his stories about the AF, two I'm not the kind of girl who is big and tough and badass so the marines didn't seem like the right fit for me. And although the AF isn't as tough physically as the marines, it is mentally challenging based solely on the fact that its the military and no matter what branch you are joining they are going to try to break you down and make you cry. My advice would be to go to your local MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station) and talk to the liaisons from the AF and the MC because legally they cant lie to you, though they will probably be biased. If you talk to them and you think on both of them hard enough then youll be able to decide

[Ghost_E3_AF]

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[Unregistered]

I do not care what anyone thinks...the marine corps are the baddest around. Marines are Ranger Ready after basic (a 3month boot camp). you cant deni that when you meet a soldier whether army navy or airforce you can see the military in there eyes..but when you meet a marine the difference is noticeable from the git go...point in case YOU DONT F**K with a Marine Semper FI