Frank’s Complicated Education
I had a mystery question related to the below statements and the fact that a Lieutenant is a commissioned officer that needs a bachelor’s degree.
Go ahead. Go ahead. I had to teach you how to hold a gun. Do you remember? Eighteen, and you'd never held a piece before. [x]
When Castle was just eighteen, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps where he had eventually met and was then placed under the command of Major Ray Schoonover. [x]
It feels kinda weird—what would a Major on active duty be doing instructing newbie recruits at a boot camp? Aren’t there, like, drill sergeants or other special people for that?
And also, we all seem to agree that Frank is a lot smarter than people usually expect, but what exactly has gone into that Scout Sniper specialisation he’s so rightfully proud of?
So I, a non-American, fell into a research hole, and Frank’s academic / career path looks smth ridiculous like this.
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STEP ONE - GETTING BACHELOR’S DEGREE AND APPARENTLY MEETING SCHOONOVER SOMEWHERE IN THE PROCESS
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With a birthday in November [x], I’m assuming Frank finished highschool aged 17 [x]. After that, Frank may have enlisted straight away, because Schoonover remembers teaching an 18-year-old Frank to shoot, so that could be the 13-week recruit training program upon his initial enlisting. [1]. Btw, from there you graduate with these sort of dress uniforms (the red ‘blood stripes’, white belts):
However, a Lieutenant is a commissioned officer, and, in order to qualify for commission, Frank would still need a bachelor’s degree.
If Frank is enlisted already, he could obtain it a bit later through a MECEP program, but, in order to get on the path to commission faster, he could have gone to college + PLC course [2] right after the highschool, meaning he might have met Schoonover in the summer training course after his college freshman year (meaning Schoonover was an instructor at PLC?):
Or Frank could have gone to college + NROTC Marine Option [3] (meaning Schoonover was an instructor at NROTC or OCS?):
In addition to regular NROTC program requirements, NROTC (Marine Option) midshipmen must pass a 6-week OCS course known as "Bulldog" during summer between junior and senior year. "Bulldog" is modeled after the PLC Seniors Course.
In case of NROTC, I think it might have been the College Program route, as it doesn’t seem very likely that the trouble-maker Frank qualified for a scholarship lol [4]:
Also, with NROTC, you can apparently skip the officer school and, upon finishing college + the NROTC requirements, you get the 2nd Lt rank automatically. [5A][5B]
Theoretically, an Officer Candidates Course (OCC) would also work to get him into OCS, but that course is for college seniors and graduates, placing Frank’s first brush with Schoonover at ages 20-21. Although, it would offer Frank a different alternative to the 10-week Officer School later [also 4], letting Frank have his college summers free of PLC:
OCC is a 10-week commissioning program in Quantico, VA for college seniors and graduates interested in earning the title as a United States Marine Officer. Upon completion, newly commissioned Marine Officers will begin active duty at The Basic School (TBS) as Second Lieutenants.
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STEP TWO - OFFICER CANDIDATES SCHOOL and LIEUTENANT RANK
With a college degree (aged 20-21), Frank finally qualifies for the OCS, which is based in Quantico and takes 10 weeks of full-time commitment [6]. If he went the NROTC or OCC route, this step can be skipped.
Considering the qualification, he must have pulled his shit together by then.
Officer Candidates must pass a series of tests before being admitted into the Officer Candidate School. An Officer Selection Officer (OSO), usually a Captain, meets with a prospective Officer Candidate. Upon completing a satisfactory interview, the OSO then makes the decision to move the prospective candidate onto the next step. The prospective candidate then must complete a short essay about why they want to be a Marine Officer, provide identification, pass a background check, provide five letters of recommendation, and complete a physical medical exam. [7]
Theoretically, Frank would qualify for the officer school already upon finishing PLC or NROTC or OCC during college, but college and officer school are not compatible in terms of time and effort required.
Either way, Frankie won’t become a scout sniper without that college degree:
Officer candidates who complete OCS (and have obtained their college degrees) are then commissioned as Second Lieutenants and sent to The Basic School (TBS) at Quantico for six months of further training with other newly commissioned Marine officers from all other commissioning programs. [7]
Now look at this beautiful man:
That’s a Second Lieutenant blue-white dress uniform, which is authorized for wearing in summer [8], with marksmanship annual qualification badges Rifle Expert (looks like it’s earned for the 2nd year in a row) and Pistol Expert [9], meaning he’s the bestest shot with these weapons (Marksman --> Sharpshooter --> Expert).
I can’t make out what’s pinned above the ribbons, but it’s something with wings, like this or this? The comics wiki says Frank Castle has received helicopter training, and can fly a plane too, but MCU version of the wiki doesn’t mention that.
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STEP THREE - THE BASIC SCHOOL & SPECIALISATION
All newbie Marine Corps officers, fresh from OCS or NROTC, are further trained in The Basic School (which is also in Virginia).
After a Basic Officer Course (BOC) that lasts 28 weeks, Frank would have chosen his primary specialisation [10]. Because Scout Sniper military occupational specialty (MOS) falls under the Infantry category, after graduating BOC, he’d need to stay on that same Basic School campus and continue with an Infantry Officer Course (IOC) for another 15 weeks.
Also, Scout Sniper is a secondary MOS, which means that first Frank should have specialised in something else. Wikipedia in one instance says the prerequisite for Scout Sniper is becoming a Ground Intelligence Officer or some other kind of Infrantry MOS [11]. In another article [12], the prerequisite is either one of these primary MOS: 0311 Rifleman, 0321 Reconnaissance Marine, 0331 Machine Gunner, 0341 Mortarman, 0352 Antitank Missile Gunner, or 0369 Infantry Unit Leader.
I don’t understand how the rank requirements go together. How would a 2ndLt , after graduating from the Officer Candidates School, get a primary MOS that seems to be capped at a Sergeant rank or at Master Gunnery Sergeant? Unless PMOS can be assigned during earlier training? Or Frank took some time between highschool and college, or between college and OCS to get any of these primary specialties while in some lower-level marine boot camp? Or there is no upper rank limit? [gods I’m not gonna think about it, this is getting ridiculously long as is]
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ANYWAY, he needed some on-field experience, an active contract, and a recommendation from his battalion with future plans to appoint him to a scout-sniper platoon, in order to get his ass sent to the Scout Sniper Course in Quantico. There are quotas and budget. See the list of requirements here.
The Scout Sniper Basic Course used to be 10 weeks before 2009 when Frank would have attended [13].
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SINCE THEN, Frank Castle had earned the rank of 1st Lieutenant, was serving with US Marine Corps Force Recon, and 2 years before the events of DD s2 was awarded the Navy Cross [14].
The above sequence of training/education would explain how he’s wearing a 2nd Lt uniform at his wedding at... 21-22 years old (?), but doesn’t really explain this:
1) when would an 18yo Frank manage to get all the necessary hands-on field training with Schoonover? Because if he simply went to the boot camp and took his time moving through the enlisted and non-commissioned officer ranks without the college degree shortcut to 2nd Lt, then he can’t have been that young-looking in that wedding waltz flashback OR he can’t have worn that uniform OR he just remembers the whole thing wrong.
2) considering he DID need a bachelor’s degree to get that Lt rank, what did Frank study? Even if he went the route of a purely military themed college like this one, there’s still the choice of subjects.
3) Isn’t there some expectation of a certain speed of moving up the ranks? Why did Frank get only 1 levelup in ~14 years? He was reportedly excellent, trusted and respected in his job, his CO (officially) liked him well enough. Could be that, Navy Cross aside, the illegality and secrecy of the Cerberus project fucked up Frank’s military record even more than he realised, due to there not being sufficient amount and/or quality of performance info submitted for a promotion?
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TBC in Part II, just for the hell of it!
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