What MOS in the Army most reflects my past experience in the Corps as a Machine Gunner with a Combined Anti-Armor Team?

Cpl Stephen McClanahan — Sat, 09 Jun 2018 09:54:08 -0400

Good morning guys,

I’ve been out of the Corps now for 3 years, and starting to look around into other branches such as the National Guard. My time in the Corps I was a 0331 (Machine Gunner) with a CAAT (Combined Anti Armor Team). My question is what MOS in the Army most reflects my past experience? I’ve heard 11B, and 19D.

Thanks for the help!

Response by SSG Brian L. made Jun 9 at 2018 10:26 AM

SSG Brian L. — Sat, 09 Jun 2018 10:26:32 -0400

Infantry... weapons squad

Response by SPC Bradly Martin made Jun 9 at 2018 10:32 AM

SPC Bradly Martin — Sat, 09 Jun 2018 10:32:19 -0400

11B Infantry. Only answer. Stay away from wannabe-infantry. They wear cowboy hats, it’s cute.

Response by CSM Darieus ZaGara made Jun 9 at 2018 11:48 AM

CSM Darieus ZaGara — Sat, 09 Jun 2018 11:48:16 -0400

Infantry! And some Combat Engineers and Cannon Artillery. Thank you for your service.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 9 at 2018 12:16 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 09 Jun 2018 12:16:55 -0400

11B. Anti Armor used to be an MOS but they did away with them. D Companies in Infantry units are anti Armor companies.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 9 at 2018 12:47 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 09 Jun 2018 12:47:02 -0400

11B all the way!!

Response by 1SG Dale Barnes made Jun 9 at 2018 1:12 PM

1SG Dale Barnes — Sat, 09 Jun 2018 13:12:12 -0400

11B

Response by SPC Anthony Lewis made Jun 9 at 2018 1:18 PM

SPC Anthony Lewis — Sat, 09 Jun 2018 13:18:30 -0400

Go infantry jack of all trades and a master of none.

Response by SGT Joseph Gunderson made Jun 9 at 2018 2:52 PM

SGT Joseph Gunderson — Sat, 09 Jun 2018 14:52:40 -0400

Probably 19D.

Response by SFC Ralph E Kelley made Jun 9 at 2018 2:59 PM

SFC Ralph E Kelley — Sat, 09 Jun 2018 14:59:58 -0400

Either one would serve you well. It depends -
If you like to "Look for a Fight" then 11B.
If you are a "Fight for a Look" guy then 19D.

Response by SSG Eduardo Ybarra Jr. MS Psyc made Jun 9 at 2018 5:08 PM

SSG Eduardo Ybarra Jr. MS Psyc — Sat, 09 Jun 2018 17:08:34 -0400

When I first came in the Army there were four designators for Infantry: 11B straight leg or Airborne, 11C mortar men straight leg or Airborne, 11H anti-armor straight leg or airborne and 11M mechanized Infantry.
Since the change of the Army fighting force, Infantry has been folded in with armor units. If you are looking for something similar to what you did in the Corps, Infantry would be your best bet the reason for this is now 11B's are trained in mechanized and anti-armor. Another advantage to this is Marine Infantry tactics are the same as Army Infantry tactics. The battle drills are the same.

Response by SPC Erich Guenther made Jun 9 at 2018 7:21 PM

SPC Erich Guenther — Sat, 09 Jun 2018 19:21:08 -0400

11B, 19D would lean more towards Recon. 19D's mission is different than 11B in that 19D is more silent recon. 03 series in Marines is totally assault, most similar to 11B. Also, a lot of Marines these days join the Army Reserve or Army National Guard and adapt but a significant chunk does not like it. Just beware that the National Guard is a LOT more laid back than the Marines are and they need to be that way to retain and recruit people for the mostly part time duty. So if you can adapt to that overall change then fine, just letting you know in advance it drives some Marines batty. So you might also want to ask Marines that transitioned to a NG or USAR unit what they think. Also they have sub categories of 11B that more closely align with other Marine Infantry MOS. I used to be an 11H which is TOW but they rolled that into 11B now. So within one 11B MOS on the Army side you have TOW missile, Heavy Machine Gun, Light Machine Gun, Rifle, Grenade Lanuncher, Javelin, etc, etc. I am not sure because I have been out of the Army for a long time but I believe the Army classifies the different flavors or skills of 11B with what they call a skill identifier.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 10 at 2018 6:41 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 10 Jun 2018 18:41:34 -0400

11Bravo, I did all of it while with the 82nd. ABN.

Response by SPC David Ryan made Jun 13 at 2018 8:35 PM

SPC David Ryan — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 20:35:16 -0400

11 c maybe

Response by SGT Joe Gill made Jun 14 at 2018 8:50 PM

SGT Joe Gill — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 20:50:41 -0400

11B is the only answer. The organization of the small units has minor differences, but the tactics fundamentally are the same. The Infantry in the Army is very culturally different from the rest of the Army. Also, there is no infantry in the Army reserves. You'd have to join the national guard. The NG has a reputation as being more lackadaisical than active, so keep that in mind. You're also dealing with people who train 1 weekend a month and 2 weeks a year, so TTPs may be little rusty for everyone.

As others have said, the Army collapses all infantry specialties into one MOS: 11B (there is also 11C which is infantry mortarman, but you don't seem interested in that). If you re-up as an infantryman, you may or may not be assigned to a heavy weapons squad/platoon/company. You could be assigned as a rifleman, automatic rifleman, grenadier, RTO, driver (in mounted units), gunner (similar to what you were), ammo bearer, or anything the company needs.

Your best bet is to meet the unit you hope to join and talk to the commander to let him know your intentions. If he is a good officer, he'll probably want to take advantage of your experience. However needs supersede wants, so be ready to fill any role.

I'm not sure if you are planning on making a career out of this, but consider taking on a role outside of your comfort zone. If you want to become an NCO or advance your career, it helps to have a variety of experiences.

Hope this helps.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 15 at 2018 6:48 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 15 Jun 2018 18:48:58 -0400

11B

Response by CPL Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 17 at 2018 5:11 PM

CPL Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 17 Jun 2018 17:11:36 -0400

I would say 11B because especially in the D Co we use heavy type machine guns and anti armor weapons like the TOW missile

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 28 at 2018 12:40 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 00:40:36 -0400

11B ALL DAY. Ground Pounder for life