USMC - Career Progression - Enlisted to Officer

Factual Questions
1

A couple questions for the Marines of the board for a simple project I’m working on (not a book!):

1.) Is it possible for an enlisted Marine to serve out his term of service, pursue an education as a civilian afterward, and then later attempt to rejoin as an officer?
2.) If so, how common is this sort of thing?
3.) Should he be successful, will his previous experience as an enlisted have any bearing on what rank he begins at as an officer? If so, just how much of an impact?

Thanks!

(In case it makes a difference: Imagine a hypothetical enlisted Marine who served throughout the majority of the Vietnam war, returned to civilian life when it was over, received an education, and then made his go for rejoining as an officer in the early '80s.)

To Mods: Wasn’t sure if this was best suited for GQ or IMHO. Feel free to move wherever.

2
  1. Yes.
  2. No idea. Also, it may be possible for an enlisted who has become a NCO to become an officer without a college education in some trades like infantry, armor and artillery.
  3. No, at least not for enlisted-then-college-then-officer path. It may be possible for high ranking NCOs to start above the lowest officer rank although I can’t say that I know it to be true.
3

To add to the above correct reply, the Marine Corps has (or had) a program whereby stellar enliste Marines selected would basically transition to the reserves and attend college on the Corps’ dime, receiving an officers commission upon graduating.

There are very few infantry Warrant Officers, and I believe there are some in aviation.

4

FYI the slang term for an officer who began his/her military career as an enlisted person is a “Mustang” (though I’m not sure if that term would strictly apply to someone who had an extended period of civilian life in between two terms of service)…the head of the JROTC unit at my high school was one, and was readily identifiable as such by his Good Conduct ribbon (an award only given to enlisted persons.)

5

My BIL is an example.
He enlisted, rose to Lt (never could spell that word) or Captain (do not recall) and left the Corp to pursue a degree.
He later re-joined and was given his old rank a credit for time in service.
He retired as a Major.

6

It can make a difference in rank in the Army, but you only get to skip the first rank, 2nd Lieutenant. Nothing will earn you any higher start. It will also affect your pay. You’ll be an O1E or an O2E. You get another $750-ish per pay.

7

Would it make a difference if the marine had pursued a medical education and career?

8

In the US Air Force:

  1. Yes. Sometimes the person will even go from one branch of the military to another.
  2. Happens all the time.
  3. Previous experience doesn’t change the rank that they start at. I finished my college degree while a TSgt with 14 years in the USAF and would have started as a 2LT. About that time I received my line number for Master Sergeant and decided to stay enlisted.

However it’s possible for a prior enlisted person to get paid more as a junior officer. There’s a special pay for prior enlisted 2Lt, 1Lt, and Captains. When they make Major, the pay is the same. The trick is that the person must have server at least 4 years and 1 day active duty. There’s been a few people who got out after 4 years then returned as an officer. They did not get the extra prior enlisted pay because of the 1-day.

9

Medical doctors and lawyers can get commissioned as O-3, Captains (USA, USAF, USMC) or Lieutenants (USCG*, USN). I can’t imagine prior service as enlisted would harm their chances, as long as they were released from active duty under honorable conditions.

Okay. What the hell is “Released from active duty under honorable conditions”? Back in my day, a federal commitment was 6 years. When you got drafted, you got drafted for 2 years active duty and 4 years inactive reserve. If you enlisted, you enlisted for 3 years active duty and 3 years inactive reserve. After you completed your active duty, you were RELAD, released from active duty. You didn’t get your Discharge until your 6 years were up. Unless you signed up for ready reserve, you didn’t have to attend drill, keep your uniforms, or keep your hair cut. Of course, you didn’t get paid either. You only had to fill out a card they sent you every year informing them of your current mailing address, so when your 6 years were up, they knew where to send you your Discharge papers and certificate.

*All the medical doctors (including optometrists and dentists) I came across in the USCG were USPHS in uniform.

Most services have programs where some enlisted personnel could, after the active duty commitment is completed, can attend college under an ROTC scholarship, and after graduation, receive a commission. And there’s nothing stopping an enlisted person, who, if released from active duty under honorable conditions, couldn’t join the ready reserves or National Guard, attend college and either go the ROTC route there, or after graduating, apply for OCS.

10

There are no Marine medical personnel. So they would have join another branch of they wanted to continue to serve.

Just occurred to me that a mustang 2nd Lt would make more than his peers, due to accumulated time in service.

11

That depends on the length of Enlisted service. The “E” in “O1E/O2E/O3E” requires more than four years Enlisted service.

12

The current MSO (Military Service Obligation) is eight years.

Those would be members of the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service.

Another uniformed option which, like the USPHS, does not have Enlisted personnel, is the Commissioned Officer Corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

13

One of my students c. 1996 was one of those, although he was Army.