For some of the civilians reading this, the average going rate to lat move into the 0861 field was $81,000 back in 20. And all it takes is a simple set of orders to be with ANGLICO. Quite frankly, I have seen the ANGLICO Marines as well, and they talk a big game of being in shape and this “special” force, but most of them are just as in shape as your average Marine, and are just as rusty with basic fire support knowledge as your average guy. Oddly enough, every single lat mover that I have met, excel their STANDARD requirements of being a Marine. Even some of the Instructors at the basic level fire support schools were grossly over weight and out of shape. As in, more than one non-latmover 0861, from Private to GySgt, failed PFT’s. To add to that, none of them had done anything outside of the 0861 community, gone to any other Marine Corps schools other than MASOC and NGF school, and most of them, sad to say, were out of shape.

When I latmoved I was stunned to find that my “equivalent” 0861 Sergeants had gone and done a combat tour, but usually as provisional infantry standing guard duty, or having been on an IA Billet somewhere. In other words, they are usually a well rounded Marine. Most of them have other special skills being an Instructor or Instructor Trainer in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program, Marine Corps water survival, combat marksmanship program, or have gone and actually done a B Billet outside of their original MOS. Most of them that I have met have multiple combat tours, multiple purple hearts, various combat awards, etc etc. I know plenty of them, ranging from bulk fuel specialists to the most hardened grunt. On a different note, a lat-mover to the 0861 field is an NCO who has more than 4 or 5 years worth of experience leading Marines. Take TACP school (that’s a school for controlling air for those of you who don’t know) not a single Lat-Mover has failed that school so far, but I can count on more than one hand on how many non-lat movers have failed out of that school, or for that matter, even passed the prep course. In every single one of those schools and courses, a lat-mover ended up graduating honor grad, while a lot of non-lat mover NCO’s, and SNCO’s, barely passed. Within months of receiving my 0861 MOS, I had already gone and passed advanced fire support schools. I know other lat movers who have done more talk-ons with aircraft and dropped more bombs than non-lat movers in ANGLICO, including Three-Eleven. I could make a very good guess that I have probably dropped more ordnance down range than any other person back in my artillery unit in the last few years. I am a lat-mover 0861 having completed two combat tours into Afghanistan.

Marine mos 0861