What's best for me? Marine Corps or Army Rangers/SF?

First, let me get my intentions out. I've been accepted to the Citadel Military College, and I pass the requirements to take both the NROTC and AROTC scholarships there. I want to go into Intelligence primarily, or Force Recon for USMC / Rangers or SF for the Army. Those are my main places I want to get into for either branch. If I decide I want to retire, I decided that I wanted to get into the CIA, FBI, or Secret Service from my military experience.





Now with me, I've wanted to join the Marines since I was seven and first learned about the military. Every time I read something, I saw how the Marines were always the most superior fighting force of anyone in the battle field. They always defeated their enemies, and the Army could never keep up with their advances.

From what I've seen, each and every Marine has a deep compassion for his job, whereas there are apparently a lot of soldiers that enlisted in the Army for the money and bonuses (not my words, don't chew me out for that)

I've also been told that the average Marine is the equal of an Army Ranger - Navy Seal - Air Force Combat Controller, after they have been through the training to become Special Operations Capable.

Plus the fact that the Marines have much more regard and adherence to their traditions and much higher expectations than the other branches.

Also taking into account that the general pride of a Marine is the highest (I've seen that most soldiers look back and wonder if they could've been a Marine, but Marines never look back and wonder if they could've been a soldier). The uniforms are the best, hands down. From what I've seen and read, EVERY Marine is a warrior, and every one of them is a rifleman and killer first, then they have their other jobs assigned to them.



However, here are the 2 problems for my decision:



* The Marines train for mostly water-based missions, especially Force Recon.



I HIGHLY favor the missions of the Army Rangers and Special Forces, since most of the training and the missions consist of Airborne and Helicopter Air Assault missions. I pretty much hate water outside of recreation, especially if it's cold. I don't think I would be anywhere as near as effective as I would be in water-based missions as I would be in Airborne missions. I would definitely feel better if the vast majority of my training and missions were dedicated to Airborne/Ground missions rather than the water-borne missions the Marines perform.



* Acquiring the MOS



Apparently, from what I've been told by the recruiters, the Army lets you decide your job before you ';sign the dotted line.'; However, with the Marines, there would be no way to tell if I would get Intelligence/Force Recon when I would commit my life to their branch.



So here are my questions:

1.) Which branch would be better for me mission and training-wise?

2.) Which branch would be better to join for getting the MOS?

3.) For whichever branch I joined, which have better chances at getting accepted into the SF units? Would I have a better chance in getting into Force Recon competition-wise, or would I have better chances in the Army Rangers or Special Forces?



Thank you anyone and everyone that tries to help, it is much appreciated!What's best for me? Marine Corps or Army Rangers/SF?
You have a very biased and incorrect view of the Marines. Nothing wrong with that especially if you want to be a Marine. The idea that the average Marine is the equal to an Army Ranger is ridiculous. There is a reason that Marines go to Ranger School.



You are planning to join the service after you attend college through and ROTC program. You won't have an MOS you will have a branch. Should you choose Military Intelligence in the Army you will likely find it boring. But you can't go straight into SF, so you can do 3.5 years MI then apply to SF. That is a great route to go. There is nothing like that in the Marine Corps. If you are set on MI in the Marine Corps, there is no SF to go into and an MI officer assigned to a Force Recon unit does the same boring work as an MI officer assigned to the Pentagon.



Forget all your questions about acquiring the right MOS and who does and does not guarantee a job. As an officer in training in your last year at university you will pick your branch probably based on how you stack up against your peers. You'll get the same guarantee from an Army commission as you will from a Marine commission.



Reconsider all this based on the no MOS information. I think you'll find what you really want is to spend a few years as an infantry officer, first in a regular line unit, then in a Ranger unit and then apply to SF. Feel free to email me.



By the way, the Marines have lost a few fights. Doesn't take anything away from them. Sometimes it is about how you lose.What's best for me? Marine Corps or Army Rangers/SF?
you're very misinformed for someone who has been accepted and offered scholarships to The Citadel.
The Marines really is the cream of the crop. There is nothing that compares for a man to be a Marine. It's not easy to become one and it's not easy to even get through boot camp for most recruits. It sounds like you have your head on straight though and you are sure of what you want. For training, anything is easier than being any kind of Marine - but in the end - you will not feel as fulfilled as you will have if you pushed yourself hard enough to get through Marine training. If you are at the top in everything that you do and are prepared for everything before training, that is the way to go. You are not going to feel fulfilled in your career doing anything but being a Marine. In your heart - you know what you must do. You need the edge of learning to do something that you don't like - water based missions. Competition wise - you know anything that is with the Marines has the most competition but you're always going to feel second best inside if you don't go for it. If you don't - you'll always be telling people - I wanted to be a Marine......but........ - and that is going to feel pathetic for you because you just sound like a natural and with the passion for being one. But, things are never going to be what you expected and people are not going to tell you the truth quite often especially recruiters. You have to have the mental toughness to sort through that and still come out on top.