What are the Pros and cons of switching from the Marine Corps to the Army?

Reach for your dreams and do what your heart say's to do. Always do right and serve with honor, wherever and whatever you do. If your career is the service (any branch), then serve as best you can with full dedication. No other way will do.. JP

Simple answer: We are ultimately one team. Individuals have to find where they contribute to that team in the best way. We all have our pros and cons but how those weigh out is for each individual to decide. Love what was good both about where you were and where you are. Try to expand those good things wherever you are. As an NROTC instructor, my Drill Team "adopted" an AFROTC team that had no support from their staff. My midshipmen (and our supporters) worked their tails off to make that AFROTC team the best they could be. That's what it is all about whether at the drill team level or combat.

The Army has a room big enough for the diversity. The experience you get will be mostly up to you, and the attitude you bring. I spent my first four in the Corps, but I had to make a few adjustments. The advice I would give is this: Keep your "Toolbox" to the side, as you integrate and learn the Army way, keep the tools that work and stow the ones that don't.

Do it!

My time in service I worked with Marines a couple of times. I can tell you Marines are nuts. In a good way. They rely more on personnel to get job done while other services use alot more technology. My brother had a small business and hired a young man. In first 5 minutes I asked him how long he servec in the Crotch. He knew exaxtly what I meant and had served in the Corps. The term once a Marine always a Marine is real and why the Corps is what they are.

Do it. I left the Marine Corps after a 3 year hitch and 13 months in VN as a 2533 radio operator assigned to an Infantry battalion. Results - 26 months in grade as a L/Cpl and wanting to do something more beneficial career wise. During my exit interview the Commanding Officer offered my CPL if I re-enlisted for six (6) years. While keeping a straight face I regretfully declined and processed out. After discharge, I visited the Army recruiter and discussed career possibilities requesting airborne school and and assignment for Viet Nam, with a long range view of eventually applying for Special Forces training. I took a reduction in rand from E3 to E2. After arriving in VN I volunteered for a Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol Company and was accepted. Made E-5 within 12 months. Returned toFt Bragg, passed the required tests for SF consideration and was assigned a date for reporting to Camp McCall for SF Tng (Feb 1972). Graduated, assigned to Teams, attended additional training/schools, college courses on my time, Associates and Bachelors degree and most of all a professional, caring professional environment with supporting chain of command, great team members, exciting duty and travel, and opportunities. Best time of my life! Promoted to E7 and retired after 21 years with the Army as a CW3 with Masters Degree.
Switching from MARINE to ARMY was absolutely the best career move for me.

I was born a Marine...my Dad, a WWII Marine was fighting on Saipan when I was born. He had 2 years of college prior to WWII and after Saipan, a SSgt., he was sent back to OCS and commissioned. After the War he finished his college degree and went career. Retired a major. I joined the Corps after high school made sergeant in 4 years, went inactive, did college on the G.I. Bill, and reentered the Marines as an officer via OCS, a "mustang", and went 1802, a Tank Officer. The Corps is very limited for Armor types...it has only one tank battalion per division, and most of the time the individual platoons are farmed out to the grunts, so even company-level operations are rare. I got sent to Barracks duty and other assignments, ended up in a divorce, got off of active duty, and moved to western Montana, where I was convinced to switch Services and take command of a National Guard Armor Company. I commanded for 3.5 years, did very well, and the Senior Army Advisor for the State recommended that I go on Army active duty to finish my career. I did so, and after finishing Armor Officers' Advanced School I got orders to the 1st Armored Division in southern Germany during the Cold War. My experience as an Army Army officer is similar to others who have made the transition and commented earlier. Combat units in the Army are different than admin units, and the quality and esprit of the troops are too. Troops are troops...if they are firmly-led, treated fairly and held to high standards soldiers will get the job done. My soldiers in Germany were not Marines, but they were damned fine Armored soldiers and I was proud to command them, and would have taken them to war if the balloon went up, and they would have done well. My heart will always belong to the Marine Corps, but I am proud also of my Army Armor service. I retired on 22 years as a lieutenant colonel.

No matter which branch you choose to serve with, you will ALWAYS be a Marine. That having been said, go where he money is. My MOS was so damned top heavy and so damn small, (there was only ONE Electronic Warfare Squadron in the whole of the Marine Corps) that staying in was going to keep me from reaching Staff NCO until I had damn near 12 of more years TIS. That was taking into account 2 meritorious promotions. No lateral moves because of cost of training. Becoming a Navy "retread" was not for me. You seem to have an opportunity to move into the same or similar billet by going to the Army. Likely you can gain a stripe just by enlisting. Remember this. Retirement pay is based on rank. Civil service jobs abound and your TIS will AUTOMATICALLY count as TIS for whichever job you take. If you retard out with 20 yrs. TIS, you will start on day one with 20 yrs. in your field. Another 10 yrs. in civil service and you can retire from that too. With 30 yr. pension. Once a Marine Always a Marine. Go Army.

Good move for you SGT Fulmer. As of next year the US Marines are getting rid of their armor units. With your specialty or otherwise similar job skill, it's transferrable to the US Army. I see a lot of former Marines in the National Guard also.

Interesting you should ask, I only know from a GI brat perspective, but Dad was a CCMSGT in the Air Force. In his earlier career, he was A/F recruiting and good at that. When he got out, he went to work for the Army as (yup) a recruiter. He was being paid GS payment and I think he was around a GS 6 or so. Just weird watching Dad go to work in army uni's! He loved it.