What is it like to switch branches from Marines to other branches, specifically USAF?

My dad was a Marine in Korea. He then switched to AF in 1958 or 59 and retired after 22 years AF and 4 USMC. He enjoyed his AF career, and growing up as an AF brat, I enjoyed being stationed in Turkey and Spain when I was a kid. But I also loved being a Marine and being stationed in Okinawa, Puerto Rico and Denmark. It may all depend upon your MOS and what you want or expect from a swap in service.

I was Army and want to go back in but they won't take prior service to be Active unless your job is needed. And they won't give you a new job. I was considering Marines or AF but I have way too many tattoos so all that was left was either Navy or army reserves or guard. I was considering navy reserves but I'm having issues because of all the crap we talked about them. It just makes me uncomfortable and I would be embarrassed to admit to being in the navy.
I guess after all that rambling on, I would just do whatever is best for your career. It will be different, especially going from marines to the chair force

I would not get to hung up on the culture / customs of other branches. I made the switch from USMC to the Army Reserves and found it's not that much of a change. We are all in the military so most of the same holds true across all branches. The biggest change was coming from the Infantry to the Support Companies, as I re-classed into supply. If you get in with a good group NCOs and use what you learned as a Marine, in leading from the front, and getting the mission accomplished you will excel in any branch. I would keep your options open, but jump at best opportunities offered throughout your career and in life.

Don't do it. You forgot how much it sucked. Hang out at your legion for a bit and you'll change your mind.

I don't have that experience but I would say USAF would likely be the best option, especially since they have more jobs. It also depends on what your career goals are and what service you want to retire from.

I Think the question here should be, why do you want to switch services? If you feel you have a valid reason, then go for it. I don't have any personal experience in this matter but, my oldest brother transferred from the Air Force to the Army because they had a better flight training program. I find it rather ironic and surprising that the Army would have a better flight training program than the "Air" Force.

We had a guy in boot camp that was 6 years prior navy. I don’t know for sure what he had been told by his recruiter but it seemed he was under the impression that he only had to do a “condensed” course, since he was a seasoned veteran. I believe he was the most unhappy recruit in our platoon, but he made it and earned his EG&A.

The range in behavior and interaction with subordinates per service seems to relate directly to the impending request for mortal action from the superior to the subordinate. If I am a Marine infantry Captain, likely to order you to some activity that might cause your death, I can only imagine that my service will indoctrinate me to shield myself and you from the psychological impact of such a thing.

Never served in the AF, Just the USMC, I crossed paths with many branches while in and heard stories from family and friends when I got out. The Air Force is laid back but runs some very lethal weapons systems that require brain power not necessarily psychological or physiological like the Corps emphasizes. I've heard it explained like this: The AF is a Corporation, the Marines are a Cult, and the Army and the Navy are the REAL Military. With few exceptions, that seems to be about right...Semper Fi.

I went from active USMC to army guard so the transition was not to bad but then I went air guard and that was a major shock that I really never got over. The politics in the guard are pretty bad but the USAF seemed worse and the attitude of 8 and the gate worse the hardest to get used to.
And yes the willingness to just through paperwork out instead of trying help the person is pervasive. Just my take

the marines AF and navy work pretty close together aside from tech school probably not that difficult.

I went Marines to Army. It was easier.

I will say in the Air Force discipline depends on the career field. I served 11 years as an NCO in the Telecommunications career field. I was then commissioned and became a cop (Security Police no of course called Security Forces). I saw airmen being given LOR's for being late to work one time. In my telecommunications experience they would have been told not to show up late and then given progressive discipline if they didn't improve. So discipline depends on the job or it did when I was on active duty.

Why would you want to? Take what you've done and learned in USMC and put it to work for you. If that means going active, going to school, lateral move, whatever. Plenty of opportunities and you've already got your foot in the door. You're likely going to lose rank otherwise and it's like starting all over. Whereas you could be a Sergeant in a short while, SNCO before too much longer. Go B billet and bust ass, pick up meritorious rank. Go WO, or MECEP. If not, blink an eye and you'll be respectably retiring as a Senior SNCO of Marines, and that's top notch in anybody's book. Point being you already got a lot going for you so make it happen. Good luck with whatever you choose.

The shock is real.

Lots of marines have made the transition from Marine to soldier and seemed to like it. Going from marine to chair force is going to be hard

Going from the Marine Corps to any other military branch is like being Raise a St. Louis Cardinals fan, Then moving to chicago and rooting for the Chicago Cubs. It's blasphemy sacrilege an abomination against nature itself. Me as a cardinals fan putting on a cubs Jersey I will be better off shooting myself in the foot.

The Air Force tried to convince me there is no I in team. What they didn't tell me was most of the time I was the entire team.

As I read about people leaving the Marine Corps to join another military branch. One has to wonder what is the real reason they want to leave the Marine Corps, This is only my opinion but I think most people can't handle the strict discipline and regimen of the United States Marine Corps. You have to stay on your game 100% of the time were as you see and hear stories about other branches how they get laxed in their expectations of their enlisted people. If I were any other branch and I see a marine wanted to join me I would be insulted because really what that Marine is saying, is you guys are not as hard as from where I come from. I know I can make it in your branch vs the Marine Corps. And to tell the truth they are probably right. But that also says something about the individual marine That wants to make the switch, Mentally they have given up and once you start to give up in one area you will slowly give up in other areas not a good way to go through life. I'm just saying

A Marine should not go into the USAF and the USAF should not accept them. While it can work and sometimes does, the Marine's air of superiority can grow old in a hurry. Their training and mentality is foreign to Air Force culture. A Marine is trained to take an objective under fire and instantly listen to his platoon Sgt or squad leader without hesitation. An airman will never be asked to take an enemy objective and our senior NCO's are there to make sure that the technical work done by the airmen in their charge is done correctly because lives are at stake and our mission is all about putting aircraft into the sky, not charging an enemy position. So yes, AF discipline is different because the mission is different. Flightline work or shop work doesn't need Marine Corp discipline. It needs people to work in a relatively stable and comfortable environment so they can accomplish difficult and technical tasks. And it works for the AF, as our air power is without question, the finest in the world.

I fully respect the Marine Corp and what they do, but I get tired of people flaming the USAF because we are not like them.

If you you a squared away Marine, then you shouldn’t have an issue becoming an airman. I’ve been on a few Air Force bases and agree about the chow halls. Some of the best in the DOD.

I went from USAF to USN. As an officer in USAF, if you aren't a pilot, you're a second or even third class citizen, unless you're CCT or CRO, and even then others don't know what to do with you. USN is completely different- much more demanding, but more proud, and the genuine article. I was doing things as a USN LT that USAF would send an O-5/O-6 to do. And as a Line type, I had to know, or learn EVERYTHING, from standing bridge/engineering watches to conducting XOI/Masts/Summary Courts Martial to sword drills for parades/change of command. I swallowed a lot of crap along the way, but I never regretted the decision.

I am an OSVET, Other service Veteran. Served 5 years in a combat outfit and was doomed to stay in combat outfits for my career. So after the first 5 in the 5thCMBTCG I went 17 in the US Navy. What was better? Schools are better in the Navy. Working in your field is better in the Navy. Opportunities were better in the Navy as I earned 11 NEC codes compared to the one in the USAF. Opportunities for advancement were better in the Navy.

What was worse in the Navy. Being away from home and family with sea deployments and remote assignments, food, food was worse in the Navy, Housing was worse in the Navy, the bases were worse in the Navy, family care while you were gone, worse in the Navy.

I also had to repeat boo tcamp. I went from the Viet Nam War era USAF boot camp and then into Navy boot camp where little girly boys whined and complained about the PT and how their little blue shorts chafed them. We wore field packs and combat boots in the USAF running the PT, in the Navy it was Nikes and whining. I had 10 more medals that my Navy Company Commander.

The Navy said my USAF training would be useless, I challenged most every course, graduated honor student every time and graduated months earlier than expected.

What is also worse in the Navy? MEDICAL CARE! But then the Navy wants you to die first or labels you as a malingerer. Some how I served 9 years with an undiagnosed broken neck in the Navy it was only found by the VA 27 years after I broke it. I broke my back in the Navy as well in 1994 and the VA finally diagnosed it in 2015, but only after mis diagnosing me with ALS in 2002 and giving me End Of Life Counseling in 2005. In 2014 they figured I was the longest living Vet with ALS or THEY WERE WRONG. I now have 7 fused vertebrae and got out of a wheel chair after 17 years more of waiting for promised proper medical care.

But there is much more wrong with the VA Medical system and I am they guy they talk about when it comes to misdiagnoses and VA failures.

I don't know about switching branches, but as somebody who ended up disabled from too much pounding sand, pending surgery late this year. I say go for it, the USAF will preserve your body! My brother-in-law went from Army Infantry to the USAF. When I joined the Army, he said, "bro, you're an idiot, you could have had a good easy life". I should have listened. My father was a Marine Combat Veteran, he said the same go to the USAF. If you feel good, and you want to keep serving, I say go for it. You always have the title of a Marine for life, plus you can square away some of those Airmen!

Is your ASVAB score high enough to switch? Lol, I was Air Force 20 years, I can tell you that deployment wise, we have it better than any other service.

I am Navy. There is something special about being in one of the Sea Services. The Ocean makes everything more difficult. The Marine Corps is an important part of the most capable expeditionary Force in the world. If you want to learn more life lessons you should go Marine Corps

From Hero to Zero!!!
Lol

During 22 years USN I spent a little time with our Soldiers, Marines, and Airmen in various exercises and operations. One thing that impressed me about the USMC is that a PVT does not become a PFC until he knows how to give an order. And the rest of the services, including my beloved Navy, eventually teach a PO or NCO the right way to give a "suggestion."

I never switched Branches so I can't speak to that but I was Army (Intelligence) and the son of a Navy Officer. I'll say this though, the guy I respect the most who ever served was a Marine. 30 years after getting out, he's still Marine. Me, I'm a civilian veteran. Big difference in my eyes. I respect everyone who served but the Corps is just different and I have the utmost respect for those guys.

Switched Enlisted Navy Reserves to Active Marine Officer. Words cannot describe the discipline, bearing, and attitude difference I’ve experienced since making the switch.