Matt. Marine Corps and Metallica.

Matt graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management on the 19th... 

so what is our plan?

We are currently working on getting Matt a commission with the United States Marine Corps. This means Matt does NOT want to do Construction Management, but instead wants to be an OFFICER in the USMC. This is pretty much AWESOME! We are both excited about this next chapter. 

Lets clear up a few points:

• To be an officer one MUST have a Bachelor degree, with a good GPA. This is a serious undertaking and can give our family lots and lots of positive experiences. 
• ALSO, Matt will NOT be deployed all the time. He wants to be a non-combat arms officer; meaning he will work with logistics, legal, human resources, communications, supply, etc. He just has to deiced what he wants to do. 
  
• WHEN/IF he is deployed he will be gone 3 to 6 months. Not bad! (My friend has been an officer with the Marines since 2004, and has not been deployed yet.)
  
• AND Matt could retire when he is 40, isn't that great?! (One must have 20 years in, and his time with the National Guard will count.)
  
• Every person we talked to who only stayed with the Military for 8 to 15 and did not retire with the Military, says they really wish they would have. So we are taking their advice and learning from their mistakes!  

Training:

• Matt will first go through 10 weeks of hard physical/mental training, called Officer Candidate School (OCS)--this is in Virginia 
  
• When he graduates from OCS he will be an Officer in the United States Marine Corps, and be commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant  
  
• Then a 6 month long school - entitled, "The Basic School". This will teach Matt how to be an outstanding Infantry Officer... even though this is not what he wants to do. In the USMC ALL officers must learn how to be an infantry officer before they go on to other training. This is why Marines are the best. 
  
• When The Basic School (aka "The Big Suck") is finished he will go on to his job, or MOS, training. This could be 2 to 6 months long, depending on what he wants to do--this is more than likely in North Carolina. 
  
• After this he is stationed with a Fleet Unit, as a platoon leader, and life begins. Another great thing is that they will station us near great Medical Facilities as long as Eli needs them.  They always try to accommodate their peoples needs.  As the pamphlet says, they require the best and in return give back the best. 

Hopefully this will start in May. I will stay here in Rexburg, and when he graduates from OCS me and the boys will join Matt in Virginia for the Basic School.  And, lets be honest, Matt will look dang good in a Marine Corps uniform! 

We are now working on getting Matt into shape. Less pasta and goodies for us. More fruit, white meat, and whole wheat. This is what he must do to get ready for the Physical Fitness Test (PFT). His PT goals (not absolute Marine Corps standards) before leaving is:

• 3 mile run in 22 minutes
  
• 15 pull ups
  
• 90 crunches in 2 minutes 
  

This is why one never sees a fat Marine. Matt's chest, arms, abdominal, and butt are already looking pretty nice. Cannot wait to see the end result! 

So what are we waiting for? The Idaho Army National Guard. Matt needs to be "conditionally released" from the Guard before the Marine Corps can take him. The conditional release is currently in the Guard's hands, and we are just waiting on them. They could say "No!" But we have been told that is not very likely... all of Matt's commanders are very supportive of this decision. We should hear the Guard's decision within the month.

Wondering what is the difference between an Officer and an Enlisted person is? 

• Matt is currently enlisted.  Actually he is a "non-commissioned officer," being a Sergeant. Rank in the Army for enlisted includes all the Privates and Sergeants. They go to Boot Camp (Basic Training) and learn all the "grunt" skills. Enlisted people do not need any higher education and can join when they are 17 years of age. Enlisted persons have small scale responsibilities... Their responsibilities are very important, but they do not deal with the "bigger picture." Instead, they are more like the "managers" of local businesses.  
  
• An Officer, now days, must have a Bachelor Degree. Rank goes: 2nd Lieutenant, 1st Lieutenant, Captain, Major, Lt. Colonel, Colonel, and then the Generals. To become an Officer one can go through ROTC programs during college, or Officer Candidate School after completing his/her education. Persons who are officers are in charge of the bigger picture. They are the "regional directors" and "CEOs" of the military. 
  

now... Metallica!

Matt is Metallica's number 1 fan, no doubt. He owns every album that they have come out with, knows every song, can play the drum beat and every guitar part, and can sing all the harmonies and lead vocals. This being said... 

Matt went to a Metallica concert, for the first time ever, Monday night! Now Matt has been to at least 50, maybe even close to 100, concerts in his life. So this was a big deal for him. A mission buddy came up from SLC, drove to Rexburg on Sunday night, then left Monday with Matt to Boise for the concert. (Mike, you are a saint! Matt loves you so much.) Mike, said mission companion, got these tickets for a great deal and the seats were perfect! Sold out crowd. 

Matt is still on cloud nine. He says they are amazing live!