About Marine Officers
Becoming an officer in the United States Marines is a high honor within the U.S. military. Being in the Marine Corps is challenging physically and mentally and they are more selective with their recruits than the Army and Navy in most cases. Therefore, Marine officers are the cream of the crop. The process of becoming an officer isn't easy, but any marine can reach this goal with planning, study, leadership behavior and experience.
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Education
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To become a commissioned officer in the Marines, you must attend officer candidate school unless you are a midshipmen from the Naval Academy. Depending on the type of schooling and training you've had previously, your program will last 6 to 12 weeks, during which you'll be screened and trained. Following officer candidate school, newly commissioned officers go to The Basic School (TBS) to learn more about leadership in the Marines. You can also be a non-commissioned officer (NCO) based on experience.
History
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Historically, most officers in the Marines came from the Naval Academy. However, following World War II, the Marines grew and needed their own system for finding candidates. They created an educational program from what was once their School of Application and based the program at their Quantico base in Virginia, which was built in 1917.
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Types
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There are two types of Marine officers. When most people say "officers" in terms of the Marines, they mean commissioned officers who have been trained in officer candidate school. There are also non-commissioned officers, which come from the ranks of the enlisted men and women. These are Marines who don't have officer education, but who have experience and can serve as role models for new Marines as they ensure that the commands of commissioned officers are followed. Non-commissioned officers can eventually become warranted officer. These officers are specialists in their field and hand-picked from the ranks to be given special training. Warranted officers must have a minimum of 8 years of experience and be an expert in their specific field.
Ranks
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The Marines are set up with a strict hierarchy structure. The top officer is the Commandant of the Marines and he is a part of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Commissioned officers are next highest in terms of ranking. There are multiple levels of commissioned officers, which are (from highest to lowest) as follows: General, Lieutenant General, Major General, Brigadier General, Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel, Major, Captain, First Lieutenant and Second Lieutenant. Warrant officers come next in the ranks, with the highest level being Chief Warrant Officer-5. Following that rank, the military has Chief Warrant Officers-4, -3 and -2, followed by simple Warrant Officers. Among all of the warrant officer ranks, you'll find Marine Gunners and it varies with each person as to where they fall in the ranks. Last in the officer ranks are the the non-commissioned officers. They are, from highest to lowest, as follows: Sergeant Major and Master Gunnery Sergeant (same rank), First Sergeant and Master Sergeant (same rank), Gunnery Sergeant, Staff Sergeant, Sergeant and Corporal. The non-commissioned officers also have a single unique position, called the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps. This person is the highest-ranked enlisted member of the Marines, or the highest-ranked non-commissioned officer.
Benefits
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There are many benefits to becoming an officer in the Marines. If you are an enlisted Marine, you'll eventually become a non-commissioned officer through experience, which is a promotion that comes with a pay raise and more respect. As a commissioned officer, you'll start with that higher pay rate right away. Officers also get better benefits with more vacation days. As an officer, you'll also rank higher when it comes to fringe benefits, like getting a bigger house on base for your family and as an officer, you'll help make decisions that can affect the entire military.
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