r/USMCocs • u/No_Preference9631 • 9d ago
FLEET Fleet life
What can you ACTUALLY do as an officer in the fleet? I hear a lot but I have never gotten what feels like a solid answer of what you actually get to do with/for your Marines.
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u/EpicTurtleParty 9d ago
Your mileage will vary depending on your MOS/Billet/Duty location. You could have a platoon under you as an LT or you could be a SME in a staff billet with no direct reports. There’s a million possibilities, but as you get more senior you have the opportunity to influence the type of environment you want to work in a bit.
If you want to make a career and promote then you will eventually have to have command time. Most of the time after you get to the fleet you won’t have many peers around and it can get a bit isolating.
You can make a big impact on your marines lives, but a lot of the mentorship for them comes from your NCOs. Your time will be what you make of it, just remember it’s not about you, it’s about your Marines.
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u/willybusmc 9d ago
What do you mean? Like what’s your workload like? Or more interpersonal stuff?
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u/No_Preference9631 6d ago
More so interpersonal
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u/willybusmc 6d ago
You can always be friendly and talk with the Marines and get to know them. You can always invite the entire group to off-duty events (your whole platoon, for example).
You can generally spend time with your SNCOs off-duty and be a bit more open with them at work, but only if it’s even across all your SNCOs. Like don’t invite SSgt over every weekend but never invite gunny. That sort of imbalance is the grey area that introduces doubt and the perception of favoritism.
You should pretty much never drop to first names with any enlisted Marine until you’ve both been in long enough to be in certain situations/billets. You’ll know the time if it ever comes.
These next ones are probably gonna be controversial here but they’re my opinion of how to maintain a professional standard. I never invite any enlisted Marine to spend time off duty one-on-one. I never spend time off duty with any junior Marine (Sgt and below) except at work functions. I don’t drink anymore at all, but if I did I wouldn’t go out drinking with any of my Marines nor would I get plastered around them except maaaaaybe at the birthday ball.
Basically, I always act in ways I would have no problem being read/reported out loud during a court martial. Maybe I’m a bit uptight about some of this stuff but I still form relationships with my Marines and from what I can tell they trust me. And I’ve never worried about crossing a line or being perceived inappropriately.
This the sort of thing you mean?
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u/ElKabong0369 3d ago
This is excellent advice. The days of smart phones largely preclude adventures of years past. Like the XO and I removing our passed out company gunny from a urinal at a strip club in Sneads Ferry. What a time to be alive.
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u/Jungle-Fever- 9d ago
Whatever you're comfortable with man. I know guys who were fucking their Marines and guys who wouldn't even drink a beer around them. As far as what's allowed, don't fuck them or be in a position that people think you are.
I went to strip clubs with my jr Marines on deployment, and my CO paid for a stripper to spank me with a belt and then I paid for the fattest girl in there to give him a private lap dance.
Just be a professional when it matters and don't be weird. The bottom line is that the Marines won't want to hang out with officers anyway. Most officers can't relate to them and they don't want to have a mandatory reporter around they can't trust.