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

Probably better advancement in the Army??

i was an active duty Marine for 4 years, then spent another 2 years in the Marine Reserves before switching to Army Reserve. Some of the benefits of the Army for me were many more opportunities and locations to serve. I wanted to be in specialty engineering units and they are all in the Army Reserve, Real Estate, well drilling, utilities etc.

I'm in my 70's & it was a different Marine & Army in the 60's. Marine's were considered the toughest. First one in last one out. The army was tougher than today. SSG said: you better work harder, it's damn hot over there. He wasn't just referring to the weather. Army is the biggest & offered more opportunities. I was offered OCS, my first weeks & turned it down. 6 yrs enlistment? Made top 10 at AIT(Ft Sam) & stayed off the front lines.
Unless you plan a long military career, look for all the civilian related opportunities you can get. On my discharge day, a Major begged me to reup. She said I was the best Corpsman in our unit, offered me a grade up. a compliment? I politely said no thanks, I have great career opportunities waiting. Grew out my hair & went to Woodstock. Changed my life. Army got me into college & made 3 times the money in 2 yrs. Nice car, apt & women. Don't miss the snoring in the barracks.

I think the first thing you have to ask yourself, is what do you want to do with your life. Each has opportunities similar to other, but what are YOUR goals.

Then explore what service has the opportunities that you would like to utilize.

In general, the doctrine of each is different so they have different opportunities but there is some overlap. Then there are unique opportunities that only certain services provide. This is my own diatribe...so forgive me if I get something wrong, but it's what I've learned over the years.

Let's look at the generality/stereotype of each service:

1. USMC is a smaller force. Intrinsically they have a smaller amount of opportunities. However, the corps takes care of their own as long as your needs coincide with what the corps needs in this day and age. Limited reserve opportunities unless you are near a reserve unit. Uniforms and comradery are awesome, but you need to take care of you for twenty-some years. You make your family in each service or component. Be the leader that takes care of the family regardless of where you land.

2. USA is a HUGE force. They have nooks, crannies, and all sorts of unusual specialties. Don't forget they have unique opportunities that other services don't offer (think flying warrants, warrant boat captains, Rangers vs. Spec Ops). While they have a magnificent amount of opportunities, the force is huge and some people can feel lost in this massive component. It also offers great opportunities in the Guard and Reserve in case your life changes or you prefer to try the civilian sector for some time. Since you mentioned Force Recon...don't forget that you don't have to be Q coded to work with spec ops. There are plenty of support units in the Army that are not "Operators" but do many if not all of the same things in support of Spec Ops.

3. USAF is a moderate sized force. However, they have very unique capabilities that many forget about. Think flight nursing and Pararescue. Not only can you do the Spec Ops, but you can do some very unique things that other services do not do. While many of us don't like the current uniforms we are very proud of the things we accomplish daily. One of the biggest things is that the USAF tries to ensure all members have something to fall back to when they get out. More so than other services. Especially on the enlisted side the Community College of The Air Force (CCAF) offers the ability for enlisted members to obtain degrees while working in their field. In fact it's ingrained into our culture. While the other services try to do this, sometimes it falls flat because of the unique nature of the military.

4. USN again is a moderate to large sized force. They have opportunities that the other services don't have, and look at managing those forces differently than the other services. I don't have much to say about the USN, other than think through the opportunities and keep reaching out to people in those services to try and figure out the quirks and opportunities that may or may not make your decision based on your own goals.

Finally, if you have further questions...reach out. I have been in three services (USMC, USA, and USAF) both on the enlisted and officer side as well as Guard and Active duty. I'm always open to sharing my experiences and I spend a lot of time mentoring other military individuals from multiple services so they can find the path that is right for them. After a while the DOD enterprise works very similarly across the services. It's really about what you can offer to the services as well as what your goals are.

I see you must be from the Houston area. A bit of guidance if you would like to stay in the "special ops", move up as fast as possible and get specialized training opportunities from different service branches, maybe qualify for LE pay and be treated as an individual rather than a number....plus join a service and unit which will appreciate your prior training. Look into the USCG and the Marine Safety and Security Teams.
Just a suggestion........terrible bus driver dress uniforms but, you will get to wear OCP which everyone else in their doesnt get to wear. All the dress stuff diesnt matter at the end if your time anyway.....you can thank me later....

Left Marine Corps after 5 years. Got commissioned 1Lt in Army. Retired Lt Col. rank is more available in Army.

I was Army XO, then CO of a 8” Howitzer Battery that we re-tubed on occasion to 175mm Guns. We shot mostly for the 101st AB, sample of which was Operation Apache Snow, on Hill 937, later known as Hamburger Hill. The Army lost a lot of good men there. We also shot mostly 175mm for the Marines up on the DMZ off Hwy 9. The differences I saw in the Army, my Battalion was composed of three firing batteries all of which were Self-Propelled either 8” or 175mm. Every piece of artillery I saw that the Marines had were towed, a lot more work and effort. While the Army lost a lot of guys on Hill 937, the Marines up on Camp Carroll lost half or more of their ranks. I ran into one of those Marines wearing a Marine Vietnam cap one day a few years ago. We found out we were there at the same time, at least the day the mess hall got blown to pieces. So we reminisced for a few hours and cried together. He has since passed away. I hardly knew him but I miss him terribly.

Cons; less discipline, lower work ethic, less dedication.

Does anyone teach civilian helicopter lessons in New York City? If so how much do you charge? My name is Kurtis. My email is: [login to see]

Back in the day I was an Army SGT and sported an EIB. I though I would switch to the USMC but they offered me nothing. E-2 even though I was an Expert Infantryman. I decided to re-up and went to the Infantry again and then language school. I was an E-2 when I went to "Nam. I was an E-7 four years later. In essence the Army was veddy, veddy good to me. I retired as a MSG. My last billet was the SGM slot with WESTCOM IG. 1983.