0341 vs 1833
Mortarman (USMC) vs Assault Amphibious Vehicle / Amphibious Combat Vehicle Crewmember (USMC)
Two MOS codes that share nothing except a fierce, eternal argument about who's more "Marine." Spoiler: neither will concede.
In the recruiter's version: the 0341 would operate one of the most powerful indirect fire weapons in the marine corps infantry arsenal, and the 1833 would be trained in water operations, vehicle gunnery. In the version where people actually serve: the close fire support mission is real and when it works — when your rounds are on target and the radio crackles with "good effect" — it is deeply satisfying. And for the 1833: the AAV has been slated for replacement by the ACV (Amphibious Combat Vehicle) program, which means you may spend your contract transitioning between platforms. The recruiter's version had better production value. This version has better accuracy. This is the comparison the career counselor was supposed to give you. We're not mad. Just disappointed.
After the Uniform
The part the recruiter skips: what each job actually translates to once you're a civilian — and what it pays.
Salary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. A guide, not a guarantee.
Recruiter vs. Reality
The pitch versus what people who actually did the job report back.
“Operate one of the most powerful indirect fire weapons in the Marine Corps infantry arsenal. Mortarmen provide close fire support for Marines in contact, working directly with forward observers to deliver precision fires when ground units need it most.”
You signed up to drop rounds on the enemy and what you will actually spend most of your time doing is baseplate math and ammunition resupply and carrying a weapon system that comes apart into pieces that each weigh more than your will to live. The M252 81mm mortar system plus a basic combat load of rounds is the kind of weight that makes chiropractors genuinely excited to meet you at your EAS appointment. Mortar platoons in the Marine Corps are perpetually underutilized and perpetually over-employed in the motor pool. The close fire support mission is real and when it works — when your rounds are on target and the radio crackles with "good effect" — it is deeply satisfying. Getting there requires mastering mathematics, communication procedures, and crew drills to a standard that leaves no margin for error. The accuracy requirement isn't academic. Grunts are standing fifty meters from where those rounds need to land.
“Crew the AAV-7A1 Assault Amphibious Vehicle, the Marine Corps' primary means of ship-to-shore amphibious assault. You'll be trained in water operations, vehicle gunnery, and the unique tactical requirements of amphibious warfare that makes the Marine Corps the only force capable of forced entry from the sea.”
The AAV-7 is a vehicle designed in the late 1960s and continuously fielded since 1972, which means you are operating a machine that was rolling off the assembly line when your parents were possibly not yet born. It is an aluminum-hulled, diesel-powered amphibious personnel carrier that carries Marines from ship to shore through surf that was not designed by anyone who cared about your comfort. It does not go fast in water. It does not go fast on land. It is, in the words of every AAV Marine who has ever loved one, "reliable." The maintenance requirements are substantial and the availability of legacy parts is an ongoing administrative challenge. The AAV has been slated for replacement by the ACV (Amphibious Combat Vehicle) program, which means you may spend your contract transitioning between platforms. The amphibious mission itself — that moment when the ramp drops and Marines hit the beach — is the most historically loaded event in the Marine Corps' identity. You are part of that lineage.
The Real Life
Same dimensions, side by side. 0341 on the left, 1833 on the right.
Fire missions, gun drills, FDC (Fire Direction Center) operations, and standard infantry training. Mortarmen split between the gun line (physical, hands-on) and FDC (technical, math-heavy). Garrison life includes extensive maintenance, ranges, and PT. Field exercises are frequent and involve rapid emplacement and displacement of mortar positions.
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SOI followed by the Mortarman Course at Camp Pendleton or Camp Lejeune. Training covers the M224 60mm and M252 81mm mortar systems, fire direction procedures, ballistic calculations, and safety protocols. The FDC component involves real math — if you're good with numbers, you'll thrive here.
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Very high. Carrying mortar tubes, baseplates, and rounds adds significant weight to the standard infantry load. The M224 60mm baseplate alone is 14 lbs; the M252 81mm system is carried across the squad. You hump everything the infantry carries plus a mortar system.
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Mortarmen occupy the sweet spot between infantry grunts and artillerymen. The recruiter probably lumped this in with "infantry" and moved on. The reality: the 0341 is more technical than a standard rifleman MOS. You learn ballistics, fire direction computers, and indirect fire theory. The FDC Marines are essentially doing applied math under pressure. The physical demands are real — mortar components are heavy and you carry them everywhere. The civilian translation is limited for the gun line side, but FDC experience can be positioned as technical analysis work. Like all infantry MOSs, promotion is slow and garrison life is repetitive. But when a fire mission comes in and your rounds are on target, there's nothing quite like it.
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