What's After Boot™

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

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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, in addition to helping 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 he or she must return to his/her job after 10-day leave. For help with this, please join one of the Official MarineParents.com Facebook groups, where a volunteer will assist you. Click here to see our WAB Facebook groups. Alternatively, see below for acronyms and definitions that may help you make the determination on your own.

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

SOI: School of Infantry

There are three things to understand about SOI:

1. Every Marine a Rifleman:
   In the Marine Corps, every Marine is, first and foremost, 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 Infantry Training Battalion (ITB) and Marine Combat Training (MCT) at both locations. Your Marine will attend ONE training school, either ITB or MCT. Whether your Marine attends ITB or MCT depends on your Marine's MOS. The acronyms below will help you further understand which training at SOI your Marine will complete.

Reviewed by CH

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.

ITB BREAKDOWN:

Under the direction of Commandant Gen. David H. Berger in 2019, ITB was extended to provide additional time for practical application and repetitions. Further information and two more acronyms to know if your Marine is at ITB follow.

• IMC: Infantry Marine Course
  A 14-week instruction and training program for all Infantry Marines; the Infantry MOS number is 03xx.
• IWC: Infantry Weapons Course
  Some Infantry Marines will attend an additional four weeks of training and instruction after graduation from IMC.

MOS: Military Occupational Specialty

Your Marine has a 4-digit MOS number that corresponds with the title of his/her Military Occupational Specialty. Typically, your Marine will have 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.

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 whose MOS is something other than 03xx will attend additional schooling for their chosen MOS. MOS schools are located at military installations (Marine Corps, Army, and/or Navy) around the United States.