I know the Army has an actual MOS and a contract if you want to be in their band. Is this the same for the Marine Corp? Are you guaranteed this MOS before you sign the enlistment papers? In the Corp, what percentage of the time are you actually performing in some manner and what percentage are you in a typical combat arena? (Iraq, Afghanistan, etc)
Thank you.

Yes, the USMC has an MOS for band--

http://usmilitary.about.com/od/enlistedjo2/a/55.htm

Yes, you can get the MOS guaranteed...though you have to sign the enlistment papers to get it....see, that's how the guarantee works...it has to be in writing.

http://www.marines.com/page/usmc.jsp?pageId=/page/Detai...d&flashRedirect=true

And, no, band members typically do not see combat zones.