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

In the 70s I had the pleasure of working in Special Forces with a lot of prior Marines. Special Forces or Ranger (or possibly both) are a good fit for prior Marines, but as a minimum they make great paratroopers.

I did my first 10 years in the Corps and made SGT E5. 9 years later I went into the Army National Guard. I entered at CPL E4. After a year I was moblized with my unit on 9/11/01. Thats whenI really learned what the Army was all about. Both branches have their Pros & Cons. I first experianced culter shock. The Army is much bigger with 3 different branches Regular, Reserve and National Guard they say its an army of one and one Army but I didnt see that. After mobilization I went into the AGR (Active Guard Reserve) I finished my active time and retired as an SFC E7 with 22 years. The AGR program was the best kept secret in the Marine Corps other former Marines in the progrsm used to say. Finish your time without the hassel.

Speaking from an Air Force point of view so take this as you will.

Con: As a Marine women automatically find you more attractive.
Pro: You fly where you need to go rather than go by ship.

NOTHING AT ALL

Nothing at all

Ladies and gentlemen, and Marines, several posts mention that they believe that the discipline and the brotherhood and the guns-ho-ness is better in the Marines. I honestly submit that judgement of those things is in the eye of the beholder. One of the reasons I did not choose the Marine Corps is because I felt like they went too far into all that Hoo-Rah rather than focus on mission. For a similar reason I left the 82nd airborne after 2 years, I did not like the blind obedience lock step airborne attitude. There is a place and a need for the Marines and the 82nd, but they are not the right fit for me. I'm not better than you because I am an aviator, but it is the right fit for me. Hopefully we all had the chance to serve where we fit. Now, it that is in the Marine Corps, then Hoo-Rah!

Did you ever switch over?

I've been Army since 1985 but have served with people in all branches. The Marines are generally a great bunch of people who usually take pretty good care of each other, as long as you pull your weight. The Army is much larger and more impersonal, except maybe SF Groups and Ranger Regiment. The biggest problem with the Corps is the lack of opportunity for advancement. There are a lot of former Marines but very few retired Marines. Minimum full retirement rank is E-6 in all services which is extremely difficult to make in the Corps. My nephew is getting out after 4 years as a corporal when I made E-5 in the Army under 4 years. I could have made it in 3 had I went infantry from the beginning. Enlisted typically retire at E-7 to E-8 in the Army whereas most Marines retire at E-6 to E-7. The same is true for officers with most Army officers retiring at least one grade higher than Marines with the same time in service. Marines have better overseas duty locations but few here in CONUS while most places the Army goes pretty well suck. It's also easier to become an Army officer than a Marine officer if you ever want to go that route. Good luck.

There are none. The decision on which service to join is a personal one based on numerous factors.

It's called taking a lateral. The corps is great but you can lateral out to FBI support services without a degree. So, you can move around in the federal services, even out to an arsenal like Watervliet arsenal as long as you do it within 30 days. Arsenal apprentices start around 27.50 hour