The Backbone of the Corps

Near the end of September, I learned that my cutting score was high enough to pick up the non-commissioned officer rank of E-4, Corporal. What is a Corporal in the Marine Corps though? I will let the NCO Creed tell you that story....

Here's how the cutting scores are composited....Line No. Rating
1. Rifle Marksmanship Score = (Date of qual YYMMDD)
SCORE
2. PFT = (Date of test YYMMDD)
SCORE
3. Subtotal (line 1 + 2) = _____
4. GMP* Score (line 3 divided by 2) = Score
5. GMP* Score (from line 4) x 100 = _____
* General Military Proficiency (out of a 5.0 scale)
6. Average Duty Proficiency x 100 = _____
7. Average Conduct x 100 = _____
8. TIG (months) x 5 = _____
9. TIS (months) _____ x 2 = _____
(computed from AFADBD for USMC and Active Reserve;
and from PEBD for Drilling Reserve)
10. DI/Recruiter/MSG Bonus x l = _____
11. Self-Education Bonus: (a maximum of 100 points)
a. MCI/Extension School ______ x 15 = _____
b. College/CLEP/Vocational _ x 10 = _____
12. Command Recruiting Bonus _ x 20 = _____
(a maximum of 100 points may be earned)
13. Composite Score (sum of lines 5 through 12) = _____

THE WEATHER MUST BE TAKEN!

On 10 September, I started my first shift work, where I found out I couldn't do anything until I memorized all 63 ICAO's (station identifiers....example Philadelphia Int'l Airport is KPHL), so for the next 24 hrs I studied, studied, studied....

Currently I work on shift with Cpl Figueroa and LCpl Rinaldo and LCpl Bell is here until 1600 with Flight Planning, along with two Japanese observers. It is now 2147 (9:47 p.m. for those of you playing at home) and I have taken two weather observations. The 2nd one didn't transmit so Cpl Figueroa had to fix it for me.

On a side note, I feel like I'm talking far too much because I keep telling my life story on what I want to do when I get older and I just keep rambling.

The observation sheet is all jacked up now because the ob sheet was up from the 7th and we were adding our stuff from the 10th, but Rinaldo is certified and the duty forecaster so he's fixing it.

Funny story today too was we had a pilot call and request milk because his was spoiled. Bell thought this was a joke, so Rinaldo asked him if he wanted 2% or whole and his reply was "Dealer's Choice". Turns out, he really wanted milk! This is going to be the start of an interesting two years, I'll say.

For the sake of anyone important reading my blog, the details of 12 September can be accessed by asking me because I can't post my angry rant :)

Peace and Love,
Holly

A Day's Worth of Travel for Two Years of Fun

After a fun 21 days of leave, in which my boyfriend flew up from the schoolhouse to spend a week of with me, he and I both headed back down to Biloxi, MS where I would then fly out of to come to Japan. (On a side note, driving away from him that morning was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do.)

I was not fortunate enough to get on the Patriot Express (thanks for making life difficult Keesler), so I flew commerical from Gulfport to Houston, Houston to Tokyo-Narita, Tokyo Narita-Hiroshima, and then two of my SNCO's (staff non-commissioned officers) picked me up and drove me to base. I got ripped off on the cab ride from base to the Gulfport airport....myself and some airman had to pay $20 a piece of a $29 cab ride. My friend Jane from Australia bought me a Japanese dictionary so I spent a lot of my time just reading that between flights to keep myself occupied.

Lunch of the plane was ok, unlike everyone else I did not receive any salad dressing. I had to ask for a menu, unlike everyone else who had one in their seat pocket. I had to ask for a pair of earphones and then wait a very very long time to get them to show me where to plug them in. They did give us chopsticks and a fork for lunch, so I figured I would try my luck to get use to the culture. Lunch consisted of: salad with shrimp, beef/broccoli/read peppers and rice="Beef Yakiniku"). Then ended lunch by watching the movie "Battle for LA" and "Glee".

After a nap, it seemed like I still could not get anything to work on the plane because now my speakers stopped working and my tv had to be reset, but I learned that Haagen-Daaz Vanilla Ice Cream is AMAZING!

The rest of the trip went smoothly. At the airport I had to collect my things in Tokyo-Narita and have them put back on the plane for Hiroshima. I got to the base at night and was taken to the JRC (Junior Receiving Barracks) and then my SNCO's took me on a tour of base even though it was too dark to make out anything they were pointing out. Two girls from my boot camp platoon came over though to chit chat before I finally passed out.

Next: The start of shift work for a weather Marine....

Welcome to the "land of the rising sun"

On August 11th, 2011 after months of deciding that after college I was going to enlist in the United States Marine Corps, it became official-I signed myself over to Uncle Sam.

On June 21st, 2011 I shipped off to Parris Island, SC after having my ship date pushed back twice where I would go on to be the best Scribe Papa Co. has ever seen-4029!

Then I went to Marine Combat Training, but that sucked and that's all you need to know about that.

After MCT, I headed off by myself to Keesler Air Force base to become a *dun dun dun* weatherman! Ok, the real title of my MOS (military occupational speciality) is 6842-Meteorology and Oceanography Analyst Forecaster. Seven months later on June 15th I graduated the Air Force side of the school and then 2 months after that I graduated the Marine Corps side.

Around the first week of June I found out that I was getting my first choice of duty station (overseas) and off to Iwakuni, Japan I went. Now I work for the Headquarters/Headquarters Squadron Operations section as a weather forecaster.

Next: Iwakuni, Japan-The Beginning