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Marines to Army

By: Reinhold Woykowski

In 1972 I went into the Marines and got out in 1974. Was out only a short time and decided to see what the Army was about. I did not have to go to Army Boot Camp because they said I had the worlds finest training in the Marines. For my first year and a half I was stationed at the Presidio in San Francisco, right off the Golden Gate Bridge. After that, I was sent to Berlin Germany when it was still East and west. I can only say it was one big vacation in the Army. Have any of you Marines gone to another branch after the Marines? The funny thing is, I hardly ever think about the Army but the Marines is where my heart is at. Semper Fi

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Comments

Bailey - May 18, 2020

USMC 68-72, VN 69-70, went to college and a direct commission into the USAF 76-83, switched my
commission to the Army and got my second all expense paid trip to a war, the 1st GW 90-91. Got promoted after I got back and finished my time in the Army Reserve. Retired after 26 yrs. total service time. I’ve been asked a time or two why I didn’t serve in the Navy and hit all four branches?? I smile and say I did serve in the Navy, the men’s dept..

S.Sgt. Donald Graves - May 18, 2020

After graduating high school in1974 I earned my EGA & worked the brig for 12 years ,got my rocker & then became an instructor/Plt.Sgt at MCSF . After getting RIF’d In 1991 ,I tooled around as a civilian for 14 years before joining the army national guard & went to Iraq in 2008. Peacetime in the ‘Corps was infinitely more difficult than was being an OldMan in the wartime army ! Was given lots of awards ( colored ribbons) in the army but they mean considerably less ,to me, than the EGA . God blessed me when those 3 D.I.’s put the fear of God in me ( yes I remember their names ,1 died of cancer ) &the Devil cursed me with my time in the army !

James Kanavy Cpl 0311 VN 66-67 - May 18, 2020

I agree

JC - May 18, 2020

I served active duty Marine Corps then Selected Reserve Marine Corps, but not as a traditional reservist as it was all active for two weeks at a shot on orders. Then I moved and went to college to finish my baccalaureate degree. After college, I joined the air farce reserves. I went active for a while then back to reserves. I hated the political mental midget games, so I 368’d to the nasty army guard. Hated the good ol’ boys club and drama there. Finished my time and got out. Years later, I thought I could help the community in boating, so I joined the coast guard auxiliary. Wasn’t organized very well. Felt no camaraderie, so I left. What about the Navy, you ask? My time spent as a Sea Cadet in my youth was enough for me. Of all branches, I miss the Corps the most. If I had it to do all over, I would’ve stayed in and retired, but hindsight is 20/20.

Art Niswonger - May 18, 2020

I joined the Marines in August 1979, barely 17 years old, as a 0331 I was sent to Barracks duty Norfolk, VA. Did my entire first enlistment there and got out in August 1982. Back in Michigan I got married and ended up joining the Michigan National Guard, did not need to go thru boot of course, they made me a Specialist 4 and would be the Squad leader for the machine gun squad, the 8 months I was with the Guard I preferred my men call me Corporal since that’s what I got out of the Corps as. These were good men, but not Marines, I re-enlisted in the Marine Corps in June 1984 holding rank and time in grade. It was good to be back, not easy, especially now with a family, but there’s something about the comradery and esprit de corps of the UNITED STATES MARINES!

Andrew Gardner Cpl 1371 - May 18, 2020

Bob, I know what you mean. A lot of my friends I grew up with were in the Army Guard, but when I got home in 1971, the way they wore their uniforms looked like Joe Sh*t the Ragman dressed them. All I could say was “No Thanks”.

Richard Oldenburg - May 18, 2020

I only served in the Marine Corps, but going through boot we had a recruit a lot older than the rest of us young bucks. He got a lot of attention from our DIs. Come to find out, he had a USAF tattoo in his arm. He had done an enlistment in the Air Force before joining the Corps. They gave him hell, but he graduated with us.

Stan Parkin - May 18, 2020

I was sent my US Army draft notice in June of 1966. I took a physical and was accepted for enlistment. I went into the recruting section of my area and spoke with the recruting sargent. He said the Army wouls accept the draft physical and I enlisted on the spot.
I served basic training at Ft. Lewis Washington and it was not easy. The 1966 Army training I got was hard and exhausting but I loved every minuet of it. In 1967 I was sent to Viet Nam and returned home in 1968 in good shape. I was released from active duty in september of 1969.
Since then I served for 13 more years in the Airforce National Guard and the US Airforce Reserve. I was activated for the last part of Desert Storm in 1992 at 47 years of age, and sent to Saudia Araibia for 110 days.
I am not complaining. I am honored that I was able to serve my contry for three years active and 13 years reserve duty. I would do it again if I could. It does not matter to me which Military Unit I did service in, it just matters that I did as I was asked and that I am proud to have served.

Henry A Nocella - May 18, 2020

I entered on Active Duty in the Corps in 1968, did my two years of Active Duty at Camp Lejeune, and then did Active Reserve Duty (if you remember, way back then there was something called “Inactive Reserve”time) with a Unit (4th CAG) stationed at the Washington (DC) Navy Yard. In 1976, the role of “intelligence” became very important in my full-time civilian job (Investigator with the DEA), and I tried to pick up an Intel MOS through my USMC Reserve Unit. Because there were no slots for Intel MOS’s anywhere in the USMC Reserve TO&E at that time, I did an Inter-Service Transfer to a US Army Reserve Unit, where, over the course of about 18 years of Reserve Duty, I picked up MOS’s as an Interrogator, as a Strategic Intelligence Analyst, and as a Counterintelligence Agent. The comparison between the two Services was interesting. I did not have to go to Army Boot Camp (remember, it had been 8 years since I went through PI); I was automatically promoted one pay grade (to E-6); whenever the Unit went to qualify at the rifle range, I was automatically made the Range Safety NCO;
and I was always the most squared away person in any formation or in the field – just because I was a “ former Marine”. All of the Army Reserve Units with whom I served over the years accomplished their missions (some better than others), but that “esprit de corps”, that brotherhood that is ingrained in the Corps was never there. I am proud that I earned the title of United States Marine; and despite the fact that my DD Form 2 (RETIRED) days that I retired from the US Army, I will always be a Marine at heart.

George Apostolopoulos - May 18, 2020

Having read a few memories, I consider myself fortunate. After boot camp graduation (platoon 145-1957) I was chosen for “choice”duty to marine barracks-Naples,Italy-security duty at AFSOUTH.
After my hitch there returned to camp Lejuene and assigned to artillery platoon as chart operator.
One fact worth mentioning is that everybody home and abroad know and respect the “marines” – SEMPER-Fi.

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