So You Want to Be an MSG: Getting Dropped and Making a Comeback

Gunnery Sergeant Nic Poon went to MSG school as a detachment commander in 2020 and got dropped at the board — told by the program director he needed more time to mature. He returned to the fleet for four and a half years, deployed twice, and came back to graduate at the top of his class. Now he runs the Marine Security Guard recruiting, advertising, and screening team.In this episode, Nic tells the story of that drop and the long road to earning his spot, and lays out what it takes to get on the program. He explains how MSG school works as a nine-week job interview with the State Department, what board week is and why Marines get dropped, and how the screening process actually evaluates an applicant — medical history, criminal record, finances, mental health, and dependents. He breaks down how detachment commanders get their post assignments, what the job is really like when you arrive at an embassy, and how the relationship between a detachment commander and the regional security officer can make or break a tour.He also covers the questions fleet Marines ask most: which MOSs qualify, what disqualifies an applicant, whether spouses can work and where kids go to school, the difference between watchstanders, detachment commanders, and the Marine Security Augmentation Unit, and how enlisting straight into the program works. Nic closes with how MSG duty pays off for a Marine's career — including a possible change that would finally give watchstanders special duty assignment credit.