What is life like for a 91a? Duty stations? Career advancement?

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 12 Nov 2019 21:34:33 -0500

Prior service marine switching to 91a. Looking for any advice or insight into this mos since there isn’t much on here for day to day life, work/home balance, advancement opportunities etc

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 12 at 2019 9:40 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 12 Nov 2019 21:40:44 -0500

Ft Carson Co, Ft Stewart GA, Ft irwin CA, Ft Riley KS, Ft Benning GA (schoolhouse), Ft Hood TX and one in germany which is rare, day to day duties vary depending upon unit you go to or BDE. Im at Ft carson its okay it has its shitty moments but with you being prior marines im sure you can handle the bullshit being an NCO already before. Advancement opportunities are slim for E-6 and above as the promotion points are high and Advanced leadership course is hard af but getting E-5 right now in 91A mos is easy its only 40/800 max promotion points if you have any other questions hmu man i hope this helps a little bit to your question

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 12 at 2019 9:56 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 12 Nov 2019 21:56:48 -0500

SGT,

I reclassed in 2017 from the NG. It was a bit of a culture shock for me, perhaps not for you depending on your previous experience.

We work long hours. IF you do PT, you'll likely work til about 1900-2100 everyday on average. If you're married/have a family, be up front with them about this. Once you're in the field, there were several nights where I went on 3 or less hours of sleep.

I'm at Fort Riley, and when I say we're in the field every other month, I mean it pretty literally. And these aren't 1-2 week exercises, these are 4 week exercises. To say that high command is unrealistic of the maintenance cycle of these vehicles is an understatement, by the time you get them halfway working again, you're back in the field, and your life goes to hell. In my opinion the Abrams Tank is the least reliable vehicle in the Army's inventory, and most of the issues are self-inflicted.

Unless you end up at Fort Irwin, you most likely will be in a rotational unit, so depending on where you go and their cycle you'll be going overseas eventually. For instance my contract was 3 years and I just got back from my 9 month rotation. So in essence I lucked up with two years stateside and 1 year overseas, you could easily be the reverse. You'll know quickly once you report.

As far as advancement, you're probably looking at SSG in 2 years plus, perhaps more. Points are currently maxed out, and ALC slots are hard to come by as our ALC is a hair short of 11 weeks long, with a class size of 15. You REALLY need to know what you're doing before you go, I've already been and failed halfway through. I was one of three reclasses, but the other two had a mechanical background and I did not. The rest of the class had on average about 5.5 years of pure Abrams experience. If I'm allowed to reenlist, I'll most likely be reclassing to another MOS as I felt I'm just too far behind the power curve skill wise. The current RCP for us is 14 years, so keep that in mind based on your own time. I would hate for you to end up in a situation where you force yourself out when I know you most likely left the Marines to continue your career.

I hope that gives you a good start. I apologize if my forecast was a little grim, I haven't had the best go of it with this MOS, but if you're mechanically inclined and you're a natural like some you may be in for the time of your life. Best of luck.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 12 at 2019 10:30 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 12 Nov 2019 22:30:59 -0500

Bases: desert, desert, swamp, mountains, and... Well, not really sure what to call Hood and Riley. Avoid swamp at all costs, been at Stewart over 2 years. Tank breaks you just as much as tanker breaks tank. Study manuals, specifically theory of operation. Straight up tells you how everything works. 24P will be your friend, those are parts manuals. If you get to your unit and they don't have a Drive file with all manuals, push hard till you do. Hit me up if you've got more questions

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 13 at 2019 6:48 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 13 Nov 2019 06:48:55 -0500

Not a bad job if you enjoy maintenance. It is hard work and since the Abrams is a pacing item. Anytime it goes down, expect late hours unless you have a knowledgeable team and part on hand. As for opportunities, it begins when you make Staff Sergeant, you can go to the school house, or go teach H8 etc. But at SFC that’s money, you can go to Detroit where they actually make the tank or the basic school house. As well as army assignments like IG (Inspector General) Recruiting is easier as a SFC. Basically your gonna work a lot and you will be able to some schools like H8 and such. But the “chill” jobs are t until E6-7

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 13 at 2019 6:49 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 13 Nov 2019 06:49:12 -0500

Currently a 91A here at school house.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 13 at 2019 6:49 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 13 Nov 2019 06:49:30 -0500

Don’t do it. It’s not worth it

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 12 at 2019 11:12 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 12 Dec 2019 11:12:23 -0500

My first duty station was in Germany working in a rebuild shop on M1's, it was a great gig, great work schedule with weekends and holidays off.
Then I got stationed at Ft Irwin, very long hours and a lot of time in the field. It didn't help that I was the only H-8 qualified mechanic in my unit.
But overall, it was the best MOS I ever held.

Response by SPC Salvador Rodriguez made Dec 17 at 2019 9:12 PM

SPC Salvador Rodriguez — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 21:12:11 -0500

There is plenty of advancement in the Army in general. Being a 91A is a difficult task especially if you're not mechanically inclined or good at troubleshooting, this is what helps your advance in your career ask plenty of questions about your job absorb all the knowledge from your seniors and your peers. Stay motivated in your career because if you loose interest in your career then you get stuck. A day to day life for a 91A.... that may not be the same every where you are station but just prepare for long work hours and be ready to do a lot of field training. If you are married let your spouse know that you are going to be busy with work. work on your marriage to keep it strong and aslo on your family if you have a wife and kids that is. If you have any other more specific questions please ask me I'll be glad to answer them I hope this helps.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 16 at 2020 8:46 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 20:46:45 -0400

Don’t do it

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 16 at 2020 9:03 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 21:03:20 -0400

I say do not become a 91A due to the type of leadership you can experience and the hours

Response by CPL Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 6 at 2022 2:01 PM

CPL Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 06 Feb 2022 14:01:43 -0500

Difficult. I see this is an old post but I have been a 91A for 3 years at Fort Bliss and I would call it miserable at times. Long hours and hard days, longest day I've worked is 0630 to 1030 the next day. All depends on your chief and BC, really. CO and XO can get bent usually, at least in my unit.