If you are in the military or follow big events in the military news you should know about the big bonus Marines are getting now for en-enlisting for another term in the Marine Corps. A friggin huge check for $10,000 for signing up again. I signed up, but I won’t be receiving the $8,750 (after taxes). Why? Because it is the Marine Corps and they love to screw you.

So after I re-enlisted a message comes out to the entire Marine Corps that people who re-enlisted within in certain time frame are awarded a $10,000 bonus. I fell into this time frame. For those of you who didn’t know or don’t know. I am a United States Marine and I have been in for 4 years and I just recently signed for another 3 years and I will be staying here on the island of Okinawa. And this is the first of many to come, “getting fucked” in my new enlistment.

The order reads that if you re-enlisted from October 2006 to September 2007, you rate the bonus. But here is where they get you. The re-enlistment has to be for 4 years, and it can only be 3 years if you already have 20 years in. So those, like me, who enlisted for only 3 years of active duty, get NOTHING. I can’t help but feel ripped. Someone who did it for an extra year gets $10,000 but 3 years affords you nothing. Then, on top of this feeling, I have to deal with the fact that people who have been in for 25+ (up to 27) who enlist for another three; they also get the $10,000. And after 25 years, you ain’t really doing much but walking around and trying to socialize to get a nice civilian job set-up for when you retire. After that many years, the only work you really do is getting dressed and preaching about how it was when you were just 4 years in the Corps.

Here is another part. If I wanted to, I should be able to change my enlistment from 3 to 4 and get the bonus, but they aren’t letting Marines do that. Yet. According to some scuttlebutt, they are going to let Marines change their enlistment from 3 to 4 so they can rate the bonus. “It is in the works” they tell me, but I’m thinking I won’t see that deal go out anytime soon. After all, I am still waiting for my Commanding Officer to say it OK for me to marry a Japanese girl. Yes, they can say NO to YOUR marriage, and if you try to go around they system, they deny you everything that a married Marine is entitled to, including medical, dental, base housing or basic housing allowance and your pay won’t get changed to match a married Marine’s pay which is about $1,000 extra for having a spouse.

The Commandant of the Marine Corps was here on base, but I had barracks duty so I couldn’t leave my post to go ask him a question. My question to him would be:

“Sir, Marines who re-enlist for 4 years get $10,000. So using simple math, Marines who re-enlist for 3 years should get $7,500; but there isn’t bonus for 3 year re-uppers. What is the difference between a Marine who enlisted for 3 years, not knowing a bonus was coming out, and a Marine who enlist for 4 years FOR the bonus?”

Best believe this my friends, I’m in for another 3 years but I will NOT work harder then a Marine who is in for 4 years and got a nice $10,000 for that extra year. If another message comes out for us 3 year re-uppers, I’ll eat those words but until then….Eat the apple and FUCK the Corps core.