The following is an expert opinion by a Military Tanker: “Being a Marine Corps tanker is the way to go. Can’t go into a lot of detail about how Army Tankers and Marine Tankers are different, just that the entire culture of the Army is so much different than the Marines. Either way you’ll go to Ft. Knox, Kentucky. I found it to be a drab and miserable place. I give all due respect to the Army. Anyone who risks their lives in a combat field deserves respect. But, I could never have served in an Army unit. There just isn’t that same Spirit.”
“Army tankers go to boot camp at Knox. You watch how they train and it was laughable. They’d be sitting around drinking beer on a saturday night talking about how hard boot camp is and how the Drill Sgt. was mean because he made them do 25 push ups. If I would have went to Army boot instead of the Marines I may have failed. Not because it is harder but because there just didn’t seem to be that motivating.”
“Tanks are a great MOS. I loved it. I consider it the absolute best job in the Corps. I signed up for three years 1984-1987. As much as I loved it I did not want to do it for 20 years. It seemed too hard to keep at it for so long. I had my fill, I loved it. Then it was time to move on. If you want a great adventure, a way to be a part of a front line combat force without some of the more extreme hardships of the infantry, I definitely recommend Marine Corps Tanks. Only join though if you can stand the very real possibility of getting sent into combat, killing and possibly dying.”
“The army has some outstanding tankers. I would like to think our tanking skills are about equal, we are better off the tank and more disciplined as a hole just from what I saw. Yes, the army has new stuff and they will let you sign up for tanks where the Marine Corps will not. I like the armies’ new crap but I don’t think I could ever join the army. Tanking’ is challenging but very rewarding.”
“All of the combat MOS’s have to deal with the same stuff though. When it is cold, you are cold. When it is very cold you are very cold. When it rains, you are wet. Being wet and cold can last for days. Wet, cold and deprived of sleep. Same when it’s hot or when it’s very hot. You get dirtier out in the field than you would believe. All of this stuff is awesome, I just said okay this stuff is great, but 20 years?”
“The daily schedule of a tanker isn’t bad at all. The maintenance is no problem. PT is about what you would expect. It’s just that darn winter I spent at Camp Fuji in 86. Mother Nature had no mercy on the mountain and the mountain had no mercy on us. We started off most days shoveling the snow off of our tanks before we worked on them all day. If we were out in the field for three days that meant that we were cold for three days.”
“Like I said, I wouldn’t trade that experience for the world. I don’t have to sleep in the snow or the rain anymore. I was also never in combat but if you ever do go to Iraq or Iran or North Korea or some place and get into tank battles and stuff then you’ll see that what I thought was a tiny bit hard is like a girl scout picnic. I’d say go for being a tanker. You will love most of it like I did. Then if you love it, stick with it for as long as you can. I don’t think that you will want to make that career decision though until you have finished most of your first enlistment.”
“Being a tanker or armored crewman in the army or marine corp. is a challenge in its own. Going through your army or tank training is challenging in its own right. No one means to judge, but it happens when you have so much pride or better words pride in your branch of service. We all strive in one thing to be a tanker. The goal of every tanker is ride into combat on your m1a1.”
“Marine tanker or army tanker we all are tankers. The army guys around us were in the final stages of their OSUT training. We didn’t have many if any at all recruits around us. And the only real difference between marine and army tankers are the pride in the Corps and the Army Units. The maintained is the same. The long hard hours are the same.”