Marines or Paras?

[rsn1984]

I've applied for the Marines an have never really thought about the paras until recently. Can anyone give me some insight into their training etc. please. Cheers

[Chappy]

Go for whichever will be more happy with you gracing them with your presence.

[Tab]

rsn 1984, well if you don't know now in which you want serve you might as well toss a coin for it, then you can blame lady luck if it does not work out.

[Boz]

The RAF Regiment is another option. The same standard of training as the booties and II Sqn is Para trained. (PPS is slightly harder than P-Coy though )

[Tab]

Have you done P Company Boz??????

[Alfa]

The RAF Regiment is another option. The same standard of training as the booties and II Sqn is Para trained. (PPS is slightly harder than P-Coy though )

Does the RAF Regiment even have any combat experience?

I doubt they are anywhere near the same standards as either the Marines or Paras, after all how good do you have to be to guard an airfield

As for advice on which unit to join:

There's not that much difference between the paras & marines they do pretty much the same job just in a slightly different way so it's all down to which unit appeals to you the most. Take a good look at both then decided which you'd be more suited to.

I'm going for the paras cause I can identify with them much more so than the marines. I came to my decision by reading a few (actually a lot!) books on them both. To start off I read quite a few on the marines and they have done a lot of good things over the past 300 odd(!) years. However after I read my first book on the paras I totally forgot about the marines. I found the history of the paras to be incredibly exciting. The paras just seemed to have a spirit that was unbeatable no matter how bad the situation was, basically a never say die attitude, and I decided straight away that this was the the regiment for me.

Also the good thing about the paras is you wont get stuck on a ship for god knows how many months! That is unless some Argies get ideas above their station again

[toffee]

what planet are you living on boz, since when is RAF training the same as Royal Marines training me thinks you are a bit wrong there

[james_m]

The RAF Regiment is another option. The same standard of training as the booties and II Sqn is Para trained. (PPS is slightly harder than P-Coy though )

Maybe he is one of those recruiters who seem to be everywhere at the moment or maybe is just having a laugh!

Cheers
James_m

[Leigh Dowell]

I agree with some of the statements here ie follow your heart and go with the one that will make you happy. I was a bootneck for 10 years I would disagree with a couple of things written. The main thing that I would say is that although both organizations are extremely highly trained assault forces they differ fundamentally in the way they are run, as I understood it when I was in if you join 1 Para that's your Btn for most of your career, once you leave Lympstone as with the Paras you go where bods are needed most but after 2 years you could be off again remember there are 3 fighting units, Fleet Protection Group, Cdo Logistics Regt, RM Poole, CTC, Diego Garcia, HMS Warrior and proper floating ships to go on so I imagine if you want stability the Paras seem the better choice.
Not all the drafts above would be on most peoples lists of things to do but with men moving around all the time experience is spread far and wide, alot of the lads who went ashore on the first morning of the invasion of Iraq weren't there on the second tour, it is a double edged sword but it works for the best part.
As for getting stuck on ship for months, it could happen if you drafted to a ship, these are for specific trades, or you are on exercise/Ops or with FPGRM as they provide boarding parties for the RN (Gucci kit mungus) but as they are based in Scotland being onboard is not so bad .
The corps is also self sufficient ie all the clerks, drivers, vehicle mechanics, armourers, chefs, PTIs, boat drivers, assault engineers, signallers, air defence etc are all bootnecks so there are alot of trades to go to when your finished playing soldiers.
Plus bootnecks are all better looking and hoofing in bed
Which ever way you go good luck there doesn't seem to be enough lads with the cojones to step up to the plate these days, but if you join the corps can I claim the recruiting bounty?

[Boxingmad]

You could always join the Marines first for 18 months or so then transfer from the Navy to the Army and into the Paras, or vice versa. I believe it can be done. Could be wrong, though.

[adj125]

Join the Royal Engineers and you could do p coy(9 sqn) and then do the AACC(59)

[Alfa]

Plus bootnecks are all better looking and hoofing in bed

Is this a new recruiting tool the marines are using? I had heard the rumours about you guys but never really believed them till now

I think I'll just stick to the paras

[Leigh Dowell]

If you want your wings remember that at the very least 1 in 10 bootnecks are para trained (although you have to be in role to get para pay)yet Royal stormed the beaches in S.Iraq and it's almost 50 years since the last operational jump.
Join the navy see the world , join the marines and clean it! Ah! the good old days

[beardo]

If you want your wings remember that at the very least 1 in 10 bootnecks are para trained (although you have to be in role to get para pay)yet Royal stormed the beaches in S.Iraq and it's almost 50 years since the last operational jump.
Join the navy see the world , join the marines and clean it! Ah! the good old days

and that was arnhem wasnt it? and we all remember what happened there

[Leigh Dowell]

Suez 1956 my friend and we won, last operational drop and first ever amphibious heliborne assault carried out by Royal then the Yanks pulled the plug