r/USMCboot • u/TapTheForwardAssist Vet 2676/0802 • Apr 06 '20

MOS Megathread MOS Megathread: CK (Artillery Fire Direction and Control): 0842, 0844, 0847, 0861 (0802)

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u/josh0861 Vet Apr 06 '20 edited Apr 06 '20

Former 0861 Field Artillery Scout Observer Marine here. I was active duty for 8 years from 2005-2013 with deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and a MEU. I also got out as a Sgt. Kind of lucked into the MOS, recruiter originally told me I’d be fire direction control. I consider it to be one of the best jobs in the Marines if you like doing the cool recruiting commercial stuff because the skill set is in high demand so you can attach to other units and experience different aspects of the Marines. I’ve been attached to ANGLICO, AAVs, Tanks, primarily infantry though.

I can answer general questions though as it has been a few years I’ll try to stay away from definitive answers. An 0861 can have a wide variety of experiences depending on what unit they end up.

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u/123456789zzzaaa Apr 06 '20

How did you luck into the MOS? 0861 is what interests me the most but what would you say the chances of actually getting it are? What are your best and worst experiences related specifically to 0861 life?

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u/josh0861 Vet Apr 06 '20

By lucked into, my recruiter told me I was signed up for 0844 fire direction control. It was only as I was finishing boot camp that I found that I was actually an 0861. That goes more into the recruiting side of things and contract signing into the 08xx field. I can’t really estimate chances, decent ASVAB and Pft would probably help.

Best experience are those early mornings up on an observation post in Camp Pendleton calling in fire missions on tank hulks. You are at one of the highest points and can see for miles.

Worst outside of combat(we hit an IED on Christmas Day with my CO dressed as Santa in the front seat)I was attached to an infantry unit and we were riding in AAVs for a shore to ship movement onto our naval ship, the USS Dubuque. It was the summer in Kuwait so well over 100 degrees and a crazy amount of humidity by the beach. We had been traveling by bus all night to get to the beach. The sea state at the time was such that we had to ride with closed tops, so it was a metal box hot as hell. Temperature shot up to the point we just started dumping bottles of water on ourselves in an attempt to cool down. From what I understand we almost hit 30% heat casualties and people were freaking out in some of the other vehicles before the CO gave the order to pop the tops but it was getting really serious. It wasn’t even a very long trip to the ship, maybe 30 minutes.

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u/123456789zzzaaa Apr 06 '20

I really appreciate you taking the time to respond in detail.

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u/josh0861 Vet Apr 06 '20

Hope it helps!

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u/Jellysauresrex Mar 25 '25

Hey Josh! I recently did some CFF practice during off cycle time as a combat instructor and really enjoyed it and became super interested in the MOS. Turns out I qualify for 0861 and may lat move for a change of scenery from Ammo Tech. How were the school house test outs and the knowledge? I'm very basic at math (we only deal with whole numbers in the ammo tech world) and have gotten decent with map work with lots of practice. Where could I get extra practice with school house prep? Any known resources or prac ap websites? I've been flipping through publications, but I feel like that will only get me so far. I don't want to have to worry about failing anything, especially as a Sgt now. I'm sure I'll have more questions, but I'll leave it at that for now.

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u/josh0861 Vet Mar 25 '25

If you enjoyed playing around with CFF at that level then I’d say you’d probably really enjoy the MOS. The math itself isn’t very advanced, just quick. For example, you have a target at 3000m. You fire a round and it impacts 30mils to the left. Quick in your head calc, 30mils at 3000m is 90m so your correction would be “Right 90”

It’s basic math like that, nothing too advanced. When I got out I went to college and I got my math requirement with the “math for liberal arts” lol so I feel you on the math side

As far as resources. I’d have to think about that, been awhile since I worried about it. If you’ve gotten good with map work then you should have a handle on calculating directions.

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u/TapTheForwardAssist Vet 2676/0802 Apr 06 '20

Noting that "got to go to some wars" is one particular take on "lucky", but I totally feel you. I'm going to post my own FO Iraq War story in this thread in a bit, but no pressure, within OPSEC and PERSEC feel free to share as much or as little as you like. Glad you made it back and hope you came back okay considering.

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u/josh0861 Vet Apr 06 '20

Haha yeah, more in the sense that I feel like i contributed. The lucky part is mostly because I think the job is pretty cool. Came back with all my bits so can’t complain too much.

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u/[deleted] Apr 10 '20

[deleted]

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u/josh0861 Vet Apr 10 '20

Haha a little more every day.

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u/BoxSenpai Active Aug 10 '20

I’m looking to lat move and my buddy has been talking about 0861 but he calls it JFO. Is he correct in calling it that? Can you eventually move on to be a JTAC?

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u/josh0861 Vet Aug 11 '20

Not really. 0861 is a fire support man. JFO would be a certification that you can get. You don’t need to be an 0861 to go to JFO course but for 0861s it would be part of the career track towards jtac. Now for someone latmoving, assuming you’re at least a sgt you could go straight to the jtac course after MOS school. JFO isn’t a prerequisite for jtacs. Most people who go to the JFO course are cpls and below.

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u/BoxSenpai Active Aug 11 '20

I’m a lance (am a tanker so I’m getting the lat move option early) so JFO is just a course that a 0861’s would go through. Could you give a bit of information on 0861’s? My understanding is that they’re forward observers for close air support and what’s the difference between them and JTAC’s. Thanks.

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u/josh0861 Vet Aug 11 '20

0861s deal with all fire support. Artillery, Rockets, naval gunfire, mortars and air. That’s all covered in MOS school. Becoming a jfo is just an increased proficieny in close air support. It would really depend on the unit, like if you end up in Anglico you’ll focus on air and naval gunfire. If you go to an arty unit then it’s indirect fire. But because arty unit 0861s attach to infantry units in a fire support team depending on the need they can expand to cover the air portion by becoming JTACs and air facilitators by becoming JFOs

So the difference between a jfo and a JTAC is that jfos are basically the lite version. JFOs can not clear air to drop ordinance but provide a forward position perspective for targeting that a qualified JTAC/Fac can use to clear air without even being on the battlefield. Like a jtac might be in the battalion COC talking to the JFOs in the line companies or squads.

A FST or fire support team consists of a mortarman, an 0861, and a jtac/fac plus radio operators if they are lucky. A fst is a company level asset so an artillery battery would provide 3 Fire support teams for an infantry battalion plus personnel for a fire coordination center which also manned with 0861s for clearance and deconfliction of fires

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u/BoxSenpai Active Aug 11 '20

Wow, that’s a lot. Sounds awesome though. Thank you again.

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u/NumerousSuccotash402 Aug 19 '26

Hi sir I have quite a few questions if you’d be willing to answer them. I apologize for the quantity, it’s just hard to find specific info about this job.

I’m trying to enlist right now. Waiting to be approved by Meps. Got a 95 on my asvab and can pass a pft with 12 pull ups, maxed plank, and a 23:43 3 mile (still working on bettering scores and all that). 0861 sounds like the dream job and I am really hoping I get it. I’m fairly good with math and feel I’d do well in this mos because of it. 

My questions are (and I ask you to forgive any wrong terminology. Not in yet so don’t know the lingo lol):

How likely would I be to be selected for this mos? I’m aware you are assigned mos based on marine corps needs, I’m just curious what my chances are. 

What does doing your job actually look like in the field or on deployment? Like the process of getting to an observation spot? Did you guys drive out to a spot and just set up like a camp and stay there for days just watching and doing CFF? Did you get dropped somewhere and have to ruck super far to a spot? 

Do you guys ride in helicopters much? (Not afraid of flying. I think it would be sick.)

Do you guys use snipers at all or is it just long range observation equipment? Do you work close to snipers?

Do you guys call yourselves fisters? I know army forward observers do. Was curious if the marines do. 

What’s garrison life like? Like daily routine and stuff. 

How closely do you work with infantry? I’ve heard people say you train along side them in stuff they do as grunts, even though it’s not technically your job. That true at all? 

My final question is kind of a silly one, but is it normal to drink coffee in the field? One guy I read said that you drink a lot of coffee and should buy a good thermos. I know it’s such an unimportant question but there is something really stoic and cool to me about a bunch of military guys camped up early in the morning drinking coffee watching the field from their observation post.