Jarhead
14th December 2004, 03:54
Good to meet all of you. The following is a short introduction of myself:
I am 31 years old currently employed as a state correctional officer. I served 4 years in the USMC from 94 to 98, both as a rifleman and mortarman. I possess little to no information directly related to the FFL. However, after reading a number of posts related to the selection process, I do have some knowledge pertaining to the subject. Near the end of my enlistment in the Corps, I was a training NCO at Infantry Officer Course (IOC) in Quantico, VA. Given my billet and location, I had access to a wide range of reenlistment opportunities. A Captain who was urging me re-up managed to pull some strings and set me up with an oppurtunity to enter the human intelligence MOS. I passed the initial battery of tests and already spoke a foreign language (Spanish) so I was an ideal candidate. The last part of the selection process consisted of an oral board in which you field questions from officers within the MOS. Needless to say, I failed the board. Subsequently, the Captain that set up the board for me offered me the following critique: the board members felt that I was answering questions according to what I felt they wanted to hear. So ultimately, they felt I was either hiding something, or I was fundamentally a weak individual who did not have the courage to express my own personal convictions. In short, I tried to portray myself as someone that I wasn't, and they saw right through it. In retospect, I attempted to become the type of NCO that I hated so much: a YES man. So to all you hopefulls, be yourself, if you make a statement don't contradict yourself because you think it's what they want to hear. Once again, I by no means possess the knowledge that alot of these former legionnaires have. However, I just want to contribute to this forum in a constructive capacity. Like I said before, it's good to meet all you, I find it fascinating to share thoughts with such a diverse culture of soldiers, former... current... and future...
I am 31 years old currently employed as a state correctional officer. I served 4 years in the USMC from 94 to 98, both as a rifleman and mortarman. I possess little to no information directly related to the FFL. However, after reading a number of posts related to the selection process, I do have some knowledge pertaining to the subject. Near the end of my enlistment in the Corps, I was a training NCO at Infantry Officer Course (IOC) in Quantico, VA. Given my billet and location, I had access to a wide range of reenlistment opportunities. A Captain who was urging me re-up managed to pull some strings and set me up with an oppurtunity to enter the human intelligence MOS. I passed the initial battery of tests and already spoke a foreign language (Spanish) so I was an ideal candidate. The last part of the selection process consisted of an oral board in which you field questions from officers within the MOS. Needless to say, I failed the board. Subsequently, the Captain that set up the board for me offered me the following critique: the board members felt that I was answering questions according to what I felt they wanted to hear. So ultimately, they felt I was either hiding something, or I was fundamentally a weak individual who did not have the courage to express my own personal convictions. In short, I tried to portray myself as someone that I wasn't, and they saw right through it. In retospect, I attempted to become the type of NCO that I hated so much: a YES man. So to all you hopefulls, be yourself, if you make a statement don't contradict yourself because you think it's what they want to hear. Once again, I by no means possess the knowledge that alot of these former legionnaires have. However, I just want to contribute to this forum in a constructive capacity. Like I said before, it's good to meet all you, I find it fascinating to share thoughts with such a diverse culture of soldiers, former... current... and future...