It's a big world out there, and surprizingly :) many speak very little english, regardless of branch or unit, a second language is always a commodity commanders love, even if in a country there is no one near that speaks english,m there may be some one who speaks french, spanish or polish a second language can quickly become a force multiplier

There is nothing bad that can come from knowing a second language. For the amount of time and effort required in learning a language, make sure it's one in which you like the people, culture, etc. It may be in the government's best interest you learn Pashtun, but it may be in your best interest to know Spanish or Chinese. Not as important but may be beneficial to pick a language in which you can blend in as a native speaker.

Did ya'll hear about the 2 border patrol agents that were arrested and convicted for shooting a drug runner that pulled a gun on them (the drug runer had been convicted multiple times for pushing drugs into the states) Anyway, an attorney went in to mexico, found this drug dealer and then gave him amnesty so he would testify against the border patrol agents.  I think the sentence was 10-20 in prison.  All they did was do their job.  What is happening...

Well don't let Mexico stop you from learning Spanish. Southern part of South America such as Uruguay and Argentina resemble more Europe than other parts of Latin America. Beautiful vibrant cities, gorgeous women, great architecture, breathtaking mountains.......Spain itself is one of the world's greatest nightlife parties: Barcelona and Ibiza to name a few.

 

I'm not fluent in Spanish but it has helped in my study of Portuguese. I love traveling in Brazil , it's like a world in itself and English is rarely spoken.

Yeah I live in a border town, so I have been in a bunch of spanish classes, cant speak it yet but getting there.  High school spanish didnt help a bit, but in college its much more of an applied class.  Never really liked it much, I am very opinionated about the border, I dont like mexico much, really dont like illegals either, I do however understand where they're coming from, if my country didnt care about me, or much less give me a chance I would find a way to get a better life for my fam.  I guess I cant really be mad at them.  

Yeah, I agree with your views. That garbage with the 2 border patrol agents is absolutely ridiculous, but they will probably recieve a Presidential pardon.

As far as speaking a different language, Spanish is an excellent language to learn, especially with your goals. By the time you join the USMC, and finish the FR pipeline, MARSOC will be functioning in SOCOM...which means that with your language skills, you will be a hot commodity because of the fact that Columbia is at war with FARC. MARSOC will be an extremely active unit in South America, because of their SR specialty...and the US is gonna want to help the government of Columbia defeat terrorists as much as possible. I can promise you though that it will be a very tough AOR, because of all of the dense jungle, and the rules of engagement will be extremely strict.

If you join the Marine Corps, in the next 5yrs its going to be mandatory.  Its being headed by CAOCL(The Center For Advanced Operational Culture Learning ).  All Sgts E-5 and above are going to be assigned one of 24 micro-regions in the world to be their Career Region. 

 

They will be assigned these regions in Sgt's course for enlisted and TBS for Officers.  Whatever region they are assigned they have to learn the language, the difference in cultural dialects, all the major terrain features and ethnic make-up, and the political history of that region.

 

Every Marine Corps Base is building CAOCL computer lab/learning centers.  There will be a mandatory amount of hrs to complete each yr that will be reflected on promotion.  It will be a combination of hrs at the lab and distance learning at home thru the net.

 

Over a career a Marine will have enough hrs to complete a BA or MBA in international affairs depending on how far they progress.

 

Just to add to this, the 21st century warrior, is going to be smarter, better educated and for the most part better informed than ever before. The USMC is breaking ground with this concept which might well spread service wide before long

That's a great idea...and could really help with winning hearts and minds, etc.

Its application is going to be for the whole Corps Sgt and up within the next 5 yrs.  The curriculum is already formed.  Whats taking time is the new infrastructure the Marine Corps is going to, fusing many new elements with promotion.  Stepping up the pressure of acquiring rank.

 

Right now its just Yearly Rifle Qual, Semi-annual PFT, MCIs, and Pro/Con reports that form your composite score.  From what I know now of whats coming for promotion its going to be those 5 plus, CAOCL courses, Martial Arts belt system, and more influence from your command.

 

Another requirement coming when DO hits is all squad leaders must be E5 Sgts w/5yrs.  Right now many squads are led by Cpls. The Corps is trying to age itself to be more reflective of the other services age wise the avg age in the MC is 22.5 compare w/the nearest service the Army is 25.6.  But thats all structure and retention. 

 

The Corps purposefully retains only 33% of 1st termers, other services are closer to 50%, thats going to change.  We also have an Up or Out policy, the Brits call it one of the Dumbest policies they've seen.  We're working with the RMC to adopt a policy closer to theirs.

I think the idea of adding more elements required to obtain promotions is awesome, because the young driven guys will step up to the plate. It'll add some competition, which will greatly benefit the Corps as a whole.
 

Wow, a Cpl. leading a squad into combat? That's a pretty big time responsibility for a guy who is most likely in his early 20's, how do those guys perform when compared to your typical Sgt? I know alot of Marines who are under 20, so I can see how the age is younger than the other branches.

 

The Corps working with the RMC can lead to nothing but great things, regardless of if it is over policy, tactics, strategy, etc. Those guys are awesome and the Corps could probably learn a thing or two from those guys (and vice versa).