Ask Me Help Desk - Am I too old for the Marines?

Hello everyone:
I always wanted to join the Marines. At 18 I wanted to enlist but I broke my leg and that was it. I am 25 now. Since that time most of my family wanted me to stay out of the military and I did. I had many jobs but I did't like any of them I always wanted something interesting and meaningfull so I applied for a firefighter but the wait is way too long.
Again I am thinking about Marines. I made up my mind and nothing is going to stop me from being a Marine. The recruiter told me that my age is no problem but I wonder if it really isn't? I wonder if I can handle the basic training. Just for the record I am 6'2", 200 pounds in average shape overall and my leg is 100% ok. Are "older" guys more open to tough treatment by the Drill Instructors and other Marines?
Maybe my questions sound stupid but I am just curious. Just wondering if I can keep up with all those 18 year olds. I am just very anxious and kind of in disbelief that I will be a Marine and I want to prepare for the experience that awaits me. Any answers would be most welcome.

Three years ago they raised enlistment age to 42 but I am not sure if that covers all military.
I know it covers Army, Army Reserves, National Guard and Air Force.
I would join a gym for a month or so and see if I could even keep up with exercising at all before
Attempting to join but that is my out of shape self.

You are definitely not too old. I was in the Navy, and in basic training I was 19 and was finding it hard to keep up with the older people. :p

From what I noticed, it also seemed as if the older people handled the tough treatment better as well. They always kept their cool and did not fly off the handle, where some of the 18 year olds tried to act big and talk back.

Get with your recruiter and find out what the physical requirements are, and start working on them. I don't know about the marines, but in the navy you had the option to go in at a higher rank if you took a written and physical test before you shipped out. You may want to look into that as well.

Good luck! :)

When I went to the Depot I was 21. Not to brag but I won the most physically fit award given out at the end of 13 weeks for perfect 300 pft's all through boot. Your not too old. Just know that you'll be taking orders from marines a lot younger than yourself. That was the hardest part for me, but give them the respect they deserve. They've been there done that and when you're a senior marine it'll be your turn. What m.o.s have you decided on?

Thanks for the responses. I feel better and actually more confident. I have no problems taking orders from a Marine that is younger than me. If he is more qualified and is higher rank that means he is more experienced and earned his title.
I did not choose my MOS yeat but I am seriously thinking into going for Nuclear, Biological, Chemical(NBC) which I think is very interesting.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarcinM

Thanks for the responses. I feel better and actually more confident. I have no problems taking orders from a Marine that is younger than me. If he is more qualified and is higher rank that means he is more experienced and earned his title.
I did not choose my MOS yeat but I am seriously thinking into going for Nuclear, Biological, Chemical(NBC) which I think is very interesting.

There's a lot of choices, that's for sure. Make sure you choose wisely! You'll be doing it for 3 + years after all your training is completed! Basic sucks real bad, I look back and laugh now at all the Shi* we had to do, but it was far from funny at the time. Claiming the title was and still is the best day of my life. You can either stand in the back field or step up to the plate. If you step up to the plate don't strike-out. All eye's are on you through your training and expectations will be higher for you especially if your in the guide position, but you'll pick up Pfc if you dare to stand out above the rest,maybe your real real good shoot higher for honor man and you could get Lcpl right out of basic. Any questions send me a message I don't mind giving you advice.

First and to sound sort of rude, it sounds like you don't often commit and get talked out of what you want. Being a Marine is a life style choice, it is not a job it is a way of life.
Next sorry but if you want to be a fire fighter, how about moving, there are fire departments all over the US, If that is what you prefer to do, do what you have to do.

As for as being too old, age is all in your mind, if you are physcally fit. How many push ups can you do, how many miles a day do you run, 5 or more? I say this, because I know when my son was in special forces training, I used to run with him, and the 3 to 5 mile runs were just the warm up to what they were doing that day.