First Term Marines Find Staying In Corps Competitive
Cpl. Shelby R. Shields
okinawa marine staff

MARINE CORPS BASES JAPAN — Many first term Marines are finding out the hard way how difficult it can now be to reenlist.
 
“The biggest problem among many first term Marines is making a decision and then acting upon it in a timely manner,” said Sgt. Thomas R. Regan, a career planner with Headquarters and Services Battalion, Marine Corps Bases Japan.

First term Marines with a Fiscal Year 2011 end of active service date have been able to submit for reenlistment since July 1 of this year. The annual cutoff for reenlistment submissions is Sept. 30 or once Military Occupational Specialty boat spaces close, whichever comes first, according to Regan.

Out of 117 MOS’s 30 are already closed out, no longer accepting reenlistment packages, with 20 more following in close suit.

“Historically 50 MOS’s have been identified as fast filling MOS’s (FFM) and are only afforded the opportunity to submit for reenlistment from July 1 – 31,” Regan said. “Any MOS’s during this submission time period could potentially become a FFM and would cause Marines considering their options to lose out on a boat space in their MOS.”

In 2008, Headquarters Marine Corps was mandated by congress to increase the Marine Corps and wanted to accomplish this task by 2012. The Corps did so well with its recruiting and retention efforts, that the goal of 202,000 Marines was reached early, resulting in now lower retention numbers compared to past years.
 
“Marines have been used to seeing their peers make the Marine Corps a career with ease,” Regan said. “On average, HQMC will retain only one out of four Marines this fiscal year.”
 
Since boat spaces are filling up so quickly, Marines who have not yet applied for reenlistment may find themselves having to change to a different MOS with available spaces or being forced to get out of the Corps all together.

“With the current economy and Marines networking with family and friends from back home, Marines are coming to realize it is beneficial for them to reenlist for four more years of service,” Regan added. “Those that don’t do their homework typically are too late in submitting and then come to realize they don’t have a job lined up once they get out.”

Some Marines are under the assumption if their MOS fills up they can simply make a lateral move into a different one.
 
“Marines that desire to reenlist in their MOS do not have the luxury of time compared to Marines who want to lateral move,” Regan said.

There are nine MOS’s that Marines can request to lateral move into at anytime of the year, but the other 108 are not available until Dec. 1. This allows Marines in those MOS’s first chance at being retained and saves the Marine Corps money on training new Marines for that MOS.

“Marines that make the decision to lateral move in December are, in a sense, gambling with the opportunity to stay Marine,” Regan said.

Career retention specialists across the Marine Corps are trying to stress the importance of Marines making reenlistment decisions as soon as possible and if they desire, secure their space.

“Bottom line, timely decisiveness is key,” Regan stressed. “Go in and talk with your Career Planner before it’s too late.”