What's After Boot™

from MarineParents.com: A Place to Connect & Share™

Welcome to WAB, or "What's After Boot™" where we answer the question "what happens after boot camp graduation?"

WAB is an online support service from MarineParents.com. We provide information plus a Place to Connect & Share® for parents, spouses, friends and family members of newly-graduated Marines. This service will help answer some of the questions you may have about what to expect after boot camp graduation as well as connect you with Official MarineParents.com Facebook Groups and online communities.

It can be confusing to understand where your Marine is headed after graduation from boot camp and returning to his/her job after 10-day leave. For help with this, please join one of the Official MarineParents.com Groups where a volunteer will assist you (see Connect & Share® links on the left). Alternatively, see below for acronyms and definitions that may help you make the determination on your own. Peruse the links on the left for self-guided learning. Either way, we're here to get you pointed in the right direction.

To get started learning on your own, here are some basic facts you'll need to know:

MOS: Military Occupational Specialty

Your Marine has a 4-digit MOS number that corresponds with a title of his/her Military Occupational Specialty. Typically your Marine selected an MOS during the enlistment process. The first two digits of the MOS are the Occ (Occupational career code), plus two additional numbers which define the specialty.

SOI: School of Infantry

There are three things to understand about SOI:

1. Every Marine a Rifleman:
   In the Marine Corps, every Marine is a rifleman and every Marine will attend the School of Infantry after graduation from boot camp.
2. SOI has two locations:
   There are two locations for SOI: SOI-East and SOI-West. The location your Marine attends will depend on which location your Marine graduated from boot camp. See acronyms below to determine at which location your Marine will train.
3. Each location has two schools:
   SOI-East and SOI-West include training for ITB and MCT at both locations. Your Marine will attend ONE training, either ITB or MCT. Whether your Marine attends ITB or MCT depends on your Marine's MOS. The acronyms below define ITB and MCT to further understand which training at SOI your Marine will complete.

ACRONYMS:

• SOI - West:
  Located at Camp Pendleton, California. SOI West is for Marines who graduated boot camp at MCRD San Diego
• SOI - East:
  Located at Camp Geiger, North Carolina. SOI East is for Marines who graduated boot camp at MCRD Parris Island.
• ITB:
  Infantry Training Battalion: For all Infantry Marines; the Infantry MOS number is 03xx.
• MCT:
  Marine Combat Training: For all other MOS Marines. See above for the defintion of MOS.

AFTER GRADUATION FROM SOI - Infantry Marines

After graduation from SOI, Infantry Marines will be assigned to their PDS, or Permanent Duty Station. The PDS will be one of several locations. The location will NOT be related to where your Marine attended ITB. Neither you nor your Marine will know which PDS will be assigned until your Marine receives official orders. To learn more about Permanent Duty Stations, visit MarineParents.com.

AFTER GRADUATION FROM SOI - All Other Marines

Marines other than MOS 03xx will attend additional schooling for their chosen MOS (Military Occupational Specialty). MOS schools are located at military installations (Marine Corps, Army and/or Navy) around the United States. To learn more about MOS Schools, visit the MarineParents.com website www.WhatsAfterBoot.com