The Marines are very particular about their differences from the Army. The Marines have Drill Instructors and recruits go to Boot Camp at Paris Island. At Paris Island the recruits will take part in 13 weeks of intense training that will put them through intense stress and fatigue forming them into Marines. The training can also take place at San Diego which will earn a boot camp graduate the title "Hollywood Marine" and a contract full of jokes and wonderful moments. Fresh out of Boot Camp, A Marine is referred to as a boot because that is how the Marine Corps see Privates and PFC's (Private First Class), Just a Fresh Pair of boots.
The Rank Structure in the Marines is actually kind of amusing when its broken down and how the ranks act. E1 & E2: Private and Private First Class, late teens, the boots that get bossed around. E3: Lance Corporals, late teens and early 20's, Lance Corporals are the Boots for the higher ups in the Marine Corps and Lance Corporals live to "slay" boots with tasks and PT. E4: Corporals, mature early 20's and late 20's, they're kind of like the older brothers and they get out of quite a bit but they also take on more responsibilities as well which if they're in the infantry, they can start leading fireteams. E5: Sergeants, "They are the backbone of the Marine Corps" (SSGT Fox), Early 30's, Sergeants are a parent in the Marine Corps. They give directions, instruct, and make sure everything on the field level gets done. E6: Staff Sergeants, early 30's and late 30's, they're pretty much the parents that have had multiple children. They oversee small groups and are essentially more experienced Sergeants. E7: Gunnery Sergeant, late 30's early 40's, theyre kind of like uncles, theyre either really cool or theyre really mean. E8 & E9: Master sergeant, First Sergeant, Master Gunnery Sergeant, Sergeant Major, And Sergeant Major of the Marine the Corps. The grandparents of the Marine Corps. They have more experience than can be imagined and they have others do things for them but they tend to argue about how it gets done. |
The Army is much different in its training but thats like saying a pickup truck and sedan arent built the same, thats the obvious part. The Army training is about 10 weeks at Fort Benning for a basic combat role. The specification is neccesary because in the Army you train for the MOS (Military Occupational Service) that you would want to go into. For example, the Infantry and Armor OSUT lasts from 14 to 16 weeks instead of the basic 10. The way training goes is different as well, The Drill Sergeants stay with their recruits after Basic training and move onto combat training with them. A Drill Sergeant is a both a corrective meausre and a mentor to his recruits versus the Marine Drill Instructors that are in a team of four with specific purposes for each one of them. Another example, you'll never hear Drill Instructor talk like normal if youre a Marine Recruit. An Army recruit will be able to actually have conversations with Drill Sergeants.
Army ranks are about the same as the Marines but they have a couple different titles. The ranks actions are about the same though, just without the Lance Corporals. E1: Private E2: Private 2nd Class E3: Private 1st Class E4: Specialist or Corporal E5: Sergeant E6: Staff Sergeant E7: Sergeant First Class (Platoon Sergeant) E8: Master Sergeant or First Sergeant E9: Sergeant Major, Command Sergeant Major, or Sergeant Major of the Army |