Deciding between the Marines or Army?

I am currently trying to decide on which branch of military I should join. I have very few military people in my family, more like none at all at this point, and so I am pretty much on my own on this one. I've been doing research on the history of both branches and just trying to get a grasp of it all. One question I do have is if my understanding of what each branch does these days. From my very basic understanding the Marines tend to work and weed out the towns/cities and move along while the Army tends to hold a position for periods of time. I am 20 years old, struggling with college and looking for some discipline, adventure, courage and also perhaps clear a new path and set an example for my younger brother, nephews and niece. I am leaning more towards the Marines right now because every Marine and Marine Vet I've talked to have always said the same thing..."It sucks/sucked. It is/was hell. But I have no regret. Answers from experienced Marines or Soldiers are greatly appreciated.

Deciding between the Marines or Army?
Originally the Marines were the shock troops and the Army came in afterwards and held/solidified the position, however in the current operational environment this has pretty much gone out the window. There are still differences of course, but as far as what they actually do the Marines and the Army are very similar. I should preface the following by stating that I'm in the Army, and some bias may exist.



The Marines definitely put forward the "every marine is an infantrymen first, %26lt;insert specialty here%26gt; second" attitude. They generally field heavy infantry units and have a hardcore mentality. They also have some of the worst living conditions, both in combat environments and outside of them--Marine bases are often significantly worse quality then the other branches of the service. However Marines do have a higher level of discipline in most cases, and a marine infantry unit is a devastating thing on the battlefield. A negative for the marines is that they have far fewer MOS' (Military Occupational Specialties--or jobs) then the Army does.



The Army has slightly better living conditions, and although it has a rigid set of discipline standards isn't quite as black and white as the marines. They have a far greater range of available jobs, many of which can translate over to civilian jobs later. The Army is much larger as well, and has more bases and as such more places for you to go geographically speaking--although it's widely agreed that the Air Force is the place to be for living conditions.



The main difference right now between the Army and the Marines comes in the form of deployments. The Marines generally speaking are sent to the Anbar Province in Iraq, which lately has become quite a bit more peaceful. The Army has the lions share of Afghanistan, and the rest of Iraq. Marine tours are generally 6-7 months long, and Army tours are 12-15 months long. Marines generally have 6-7 months off in between tours, the Army has 11-12.



Whatever you choose, be very clear that within 1 year of your completion of training you will be in a Combat Zone. You will likely go multiple times during a 4 year tour. Figure out what type of job you'd like to do and what you'd like to get out of the military and then choose a branch. The people who are most successful in both their military and post military careers are the ones who made the military work for them as hard as they work for the military.
Reply:If you really want to go for discipline and adventure I would recommend the Marines. Go to your local recruiters and talk to them. Just watch out for the "bonus money" some branches try to tell you about because in most cases it doesn't exist.
Reply:Your correct in what you state above..Both branches are good at what they do..



Marines are Marines till the day they die..There is more pride and more honor in the USMC ..The USMC is smaller..Its around 200,000 while the Army is about 600,000..



So if everyone could be Marines we wouldnt be Marines..
Reply:My dad's a Marine!





Anyway the Marines are the 1st to fight and the last to leave, so if your willing to take the punishment of the Marines go ahead. They have the toughest bootcamp...
Reply:I am enlisted in the Army National Guard and ship for basic this week. One thing about the Army is that you enlist with your job set in stone, I understand it's less guaranteed in the USMC. I also received a $20k bonus (only being a Guard member mind you). I believe there are more opportunities in the Army also, if you want Airborne/Air Assault/Ranger/Pathfinder/Special Forces, have you taken an ASVAB yet? I'd say go talk to recruiters of each branch and listen to what they have to say about jobs. Don't jump into anything before you research it, especially something that's a potentially life or death decision such as this.