Which is more risky to join the Marines or the Army?

Question

Which is more risky to join the Marines or the Army?

Answer 1

It depends on the situation, not the MOS - don't be misled about other people's answers about 'determining what MOS you have'.  A POG (Personnel-Other-than-Grunt) are just as liable in risk as grunts, regardless of Army or Marines.  If you are representing the United States in a uniformed service, you'll be targeted by anti-Americans.

When MOS involving risk comes to play, that will be determined whether if you are parachutist, combatant diver, or security guard aboard an Embassy at a Tier-level 1 'hot spot'.  Those qualifications will entitle you to 'hazard pay', especially if serving in a conflicted area, such as Afghanistan or Iraq.

For example: every Marine is foremost a 'rifleman'.  That means if his/her primary MOS is a cook, admin, mail delivery, motor transport, etc. are trained to specifically as an infantryman.  Because of that, if they were to be delivering water or supplies to a company of Marines but get ambushed along the way, the adversaries are going to have a h**l of a fight!  Unfortunately, POGs in the Army are more susceptible to defeat and capture due to the lack of infantry training as a rifle platoon.

However, the risk is the same, regardless if you are winning or losing a battle.  Danger is received at both ends!

Answer 2

That depends on where you are at, your leaders and leadership, and then what job you are doing at the time...

I joined to be on tanks, and in Desert Storm, I was on an Abram. I had a friend that was a 19K also, but he was stuck driving a HMMWV around with no protection...

Answer 3

It really just depends on the MOS. If you choose infantry, artillery, tank, EOD, MP, army special forces, or recon. those can be risky. but there are plenty of jobs that are not risky in both branches.

Answer 4

That depends on where you get stationed. A soldier in Iraq will have a higher risk of injury than a Marine staying stateside at Camp Lejeune. But, a Marine in Afghanistan will have a higher risk of injury than a soldier in Korea.