"Almost done," he says exhausted after finishing a very cold 4 mile, 18 degree MHG run. If you don't know what MHG means, it stands for Marine Headquarters Group, but that's a fleet thing and a topic for, wait for it, next week's edition of how much more can i write and get away with. This week, however, is all about the schoolhouse, specifically my time in good ole 29 Palms, California at MCCES or Marine Corps Communications Electronics School. Let's get into it. No, that's not what she said.
My schoolhouse experience lasted for nine glorious months, and by glorious I mean filled with easy-ass tests and a load of P.T bullshit. But, keeping with tradition, we'll go week by week. Ha! You wish, this would last for-fucking-ever! Instead, we'll go section by section. Don't worry, there's only three, Student Reception Center or S.R.C, Basic Electronics Course or B.E.C and 2847 course or, to put it the long way, Telephone, Printer, Personal Computer Repair Course. Hold on to your hats peeps, 'cause we skatin' through this!
So, S.R.C is literally an intro into what you go through throughout your time in the schoolhouse. It goes over how long you should be here, what you do, what you shouldn't do, and pretty much common sense stuff.
During your time in B.E.C, it consists of a lot of tests about basic electronics systems and how electricity flows through different pieces of electronic devices. It can be quite tough if you don't know what your doing. It's one of the hardest M.O.Ss to complete. If you don't know what M.O.S means, it means Military Occupational Specialty. Once you complete this, you move on to your follow-on school. In my case, it was my 2847 school.
During this phase, you'll learn everything from how to replace a motherboard in a laptop to how to set up a WI.P.P.L or a Wireless Point To Point Link. Most failures occur during this stage. 2847 school is one of the harder schools to conquer. But if you do conquer this stage, you'll move on to the fun part of the Marine Corps, fleet life.
The fleet is set for those who move on past their respective MOS schools. Next week, you'll learn just what fleet life is like. It's fun, trust me. Some of it is complete bullshit, but some of it is is some of the most fun you'll ever have in your life. Stay tuned, Semper Fi and skate on warriors!
