Question # 11

Question: How long do you go to training for 0651 Data Specialist?

Answer: Training for an 0651 during the time that I went lasted about three months. I was in Twentynine Palms for about six months because I had to wait for class to start. It starts with Network Fundamentals, then CCNA Modules 1-3 (4 is optional if you excel), and ends with Microsoft Server and Exchange.

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Question #9

Question: 
Thanks for the Q/A section!- Were you able to get your CCNA certification at MOS? if not do you have a chance now in the field to get it?


Answer: 
No problem...I'm surprised how many questions I get! You will have the opportunity to get your CCNA Cert. in MOS school if you excel in the first three modules. There are four Modules to CCNA and after going through all 4 you have the opportunity to take the certification test. When I was at the school house the class for Module 4 ran during Microsoft Server and Exchange. So you were basically taking two very accelerated classes at the same time which makes it very difficult. If you do not get it in the school house that is fine, you will have the opporunity to take additional classes through the CTC (Communications Training Center) and recieve your certification through them. You will take these courses either on base or at another base close by. Since I have been in the fleet I have since recieve by Network+ Cert (Recieved A+ Cert. in MOS School) and am now working on my SWAN-D Cert (USMC Satellite System) and am slated for a Security+ course later this year. I'm hoping to take CCNA Module 4 and recieve that Cert as well but my plate is pretty full right now.

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Question # 5

Question:  Are Marines allowed to be in a relationship with other Marines while in MOS school in Twentynine palms CA?

Answer:  Yes, as far I know there is nothing prohibiting the dating of another Marine while in MOS school, provided that it does not violate the guidlines set forth by the Marine Corps fraternization policy.

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Question # 1

Question:

Can you use your phone during 0651 mos training? Do you get libo and can you leave base? What are the barracks like and how long is the school? 

Answer: 

Yes you can have a phone during MOS School...you just can't bring it to the school house. Once classes start you usually get released around 1600-1700 every day and the rest of the day is yours to do w/e with. The weekends are yours as well and you can go where you want as long as you let your chain of command know and depending on your instructor you may have to submit it in writing. You can't bring your own vehicle so if you plan on going far off base I'd recommend a bus, a taxi once you get where you're going, and some friends to help split the cost of everything. The barracks are not to bad, expect to have 3-4 roommates though. Once class starts school last about 3 mo, although you may wait in a MAT (Marines Awaiting Training) platoon for a few months before class starts.

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Class 26.5

Class 26.5 has been my family for the past few months. I remember very distinctly when it was finally time for class to start. I had grown accustomed to the routine that I had already fallen in and like anything new that may come into a person’s life, I felt a little apprehensive. Since that time I am thankful for the class that I am in and for the instructors that have been put in charge of us. We have been through a lot as a class. Some hard times, and some really good times. Either way we each pushed each other to continue pressing on.

Physically I am doing well and am seeing progress, although I have a long way to go. The pictures are from a five mile run that we did along the ridge line of some of the hills/mountains that surround our base. The terrain and the sand really make it hard. Believe me when I say I surely wasn’t leading the pack.

Academically I am doing well too. Since my last posting I have become fully A+ Certified. It is an entry level certification that shows the Marine Corps and the Civilian world I am skilled in computer repair and troubleshooting. We have also finished the CCNA courses which introduce us to networking fundamentals and the beginnings of understanding and setting up a network. It was split into 4 parts called Modules, with the 4^th module being voluntary if you qualified based on your class average. Each module was at most 11 chapters long. It was very tough to study like I knew I should because it is just so time consuming. Nevertheless, I was able to do fairly well in it.

I am still number one in my class, but I say that in humbleness knowing that at anytime I could become prideful and arrogant and lose my spot. I still need to study hard to keep that intact and if my instructors see fit, they may reward me with a meritorious promotion to Lance Corporal.

Currently we are studying Microsoft Server and after that we will be studying Microsoft Exchange. Once again we will be graduating October 1^st, 2009 and after that it will be off to my first duty station. I hope and pray that I get stationed at Camp Pendleton, but I suppose wherever I go I can make the best of it.

I have learned a lot while being here in Twenty-nine Palms. Both inside and outside of the classroom. Things in the Marine Corps can be really tough. Physically, mentally, and emotionally we are challenged. I suppose it would be the same for anybody who is living. Life is tough! So many decisions, so many choices. Thank God for the Light that lights our path! Though life is tough I am so thankful for it. August 26, 2009 will begin my 25^th year of life. If only it didn’t have to begin in the middle of the desert!! Then again, some of God’s greatest leaders were shaped and formed on the backside of a desert where the only place worth looking, was up! May I continue to look up.

School Has Started!

Upon arriving in Twenty-nine Palms, CA I was placed in SRC or Student Receiving Center for about a week. After that I was put in BMAT or Bravo Marines Awaiting Training. For about three or four weeks, I forget. My last week there I was assigned to work with MCTOG, Marine Corps Tactics and Operations Group. There I helped fix the computer communications system used by Officers and High Enlisted Marines for there training and simulation exercises. It was a lot of fun and gave me a glimpse of what life in the fleet will be like. Long hours and lots of computers!

After MCTOG I started classes for 0651, Information Systems Specialist. We are using the Cisco Curriculum for all of our studies. We finished "IT Essentials" a 16 Chapter book in a week and two days! It was a lot in a little amount of time. I was able to finish that course at the top of my class. Me and three others in our class of twenty-eight will be able to take the A+ Certification test as a result of our high scores. We are currently studying for CCNA and are on Module 1. CCNA deals with networks and how they work. There is a lot of conceptual ideas that need to be grasped in order to understand how a network works, and lots of Acronyms that need to be memorized. This is new territory for me but we are taking it a chapter a day or a chapter every two days which makes it a little easier.

I have also been promoted from Private to Private First Class. July 4th, 2009 was my six month anniversary of being in the Marine Corps. So far up to this point I have enjoyed it. There have been moments when things were really tough but when its all said and done you realize that we are a lot more capable then we think we are. My goal right now is to excel in my classes and finish first. To do this will not be easy as there are a lot of smart people in my class. Even then I'd rather have this goal then be one of the many in my class who are content with simply getting by. If I can achieve this goal and am found to be in good standing with my Instructors, I may receive a Meritorious Promotion to Lance Corporal. My second goal is to be able to receive as many certifications as I can while I'm here.

As stated earlier, I'll have a chance to get my A+ certification soon. I think we will have the chance to get our CCNA certification and our Microsoft Exchange certification as well. To simply pass a course Cisco requires a 70% or higher. The Marine Corps requires 85% or higher to try and receive a certification. This goal seems more attainable but is still going to require a lot of work.

Graduation is set for October 1st, 2009 and after that I will receive orders for my first duty station. I have requested to remain on the West Coast but as with any request the needs of the Marine Corps comes first.

The days are long here and almost every hour is filled. If I don't write much know I'm studying! To all who read...Semper Fi

Twentynine Palms, CA

Now I have left Camp Pendleton and have arrived in beautiful Twentynine Palms, California, home of…Sand!! I am literally in the middle of a desert! The lows are around seventy and highs so far in the high nineties to low hundreds. From what I hear it’s only going to get hotter!

I’ll be here for a few months at the Marine Corps Communications and Electronics School (MCCES). I will be studying to be a Systems Information Specialist (MOS 0651/0656), and from what I was told earlier today from our Sergeant Major is the toughest course at the school currently. I have overcome many obstacles in the past and with help from on high I can overcome this one too! I have yet to learn when classes will actually start and depending on when they do start will determine how long I am in Twentynine Palms.

I am looking forward to school and am excited about everything I will be learning. We will have lots of PT or Physical Training every morning and will also be doing a lot of MCMAP (Marine Corps Martial Arts Program). Before I leave here I hope to advance to a gray belt!

My Address here is:

Cuestas, Joseph

Loc. #609 MCCES

Twentynine Palms, CA 92278

Feel free to write or email...I have more time now, so I'll be glad to respond!