I loved bootcamp...how about you?

[Teufelhunden]

I came across this acticle on www.usmc.mil .....ah memories. :thumbsup

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200541513516/$file/04chokes09LO.jpg
San Diego recruits learn choking techniques (http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/93BDA03691D5562F85256FE40061B111?opendocument)

Love the new style cammies too.

[Pig Pen]

I think its funny they teach the Cartroid choke in Police Acedemy, but we can't "use" it.

[PonyKiller87]

Basic training kicked ass, wasnt half as hard as people make it out to be.

[GTSLOW]

Agreed!

When going thru it seemed difficult, but after looking back it was nothing!

I would do basic and ait over again in a heartbeat! It was a total BLAST!!

:thumbsup x100

[T-Bag]

So are they moving to the digital camo now? Or is that just for those recruits seeings as how they are on the website.

[fireguyrick]

I loved Boot Camp. Of course, I was lucky and did not spend much time on the quarter deck doing IT.

Rick

[USMARINE1108]

So are they moving to the digital camo now? Or is that just for those recruits seeings as how they are on the website.


We're all digital now. That's what the recruits have been issued for over a year now, and those of us that were not issued them can still wear the old style for a little while longer, I forgot the date. Pretty much everyone wears digital now though. I loved boot camp wish I could go back, it was AWESOME! But I'm sick like that. All the fun was in MCT (combat trainning) that you do after boot camp. That's where all the fun stuff went down.....................

[fireguyrick]

I do not know, SOI was fun and all, but looking back at it Boot Camp was funny.

I heard my DI's actually swear about 3 times. Most of the time they would make some word up that you have never heard before. Of course, I always loved moving the racks across the squad bay, and then lining up all the Foot Lockers for the DI's to walk on. You could ALWAYS TELL when the DI's needed to waste sometime, since we were ahead of a schedule. We did things over more often than normal.

Most embarresing thing that happened to me though was on a Family Day.

My squad bay was DIRECTLY across from the Chow Hall at MCRD SD, and on the lower level. My rack was on the side facing the Chow Hall and the street in front of it. Anyways, we just got back from PT, and had just finish a mass shower. We were changing into our normal attire, but the DI's decided to have some fun. We were putting our left sock on and off for a good 10 minutes. That in itself was not bad, but we were BUTT NAKED. There were family's walking by the Squad bay windows and staring. Some grandma was even taking PICTURES! All we could do was stand there LOL.

Rick

[USMARINE1108]

I do not know, SOI was fun and all, but looking back at it Boot Camp was funny.

I heard my DI's actually swear about 3 times. Most of the time they would make some word up that you have never heard before. Of course, I always loved moving the racks across the squad bay, and then lining up all the Foot Lockers for the DI's to walk on. You could ALWAYS TELL when the DI's needed to waste sometime, since we were ahead of a schedule. We did things over more often than normal.

Most embarresing thing that happened to me though was on a Family Day.

My squad bay was DIRECTLY across from the Chow Hall at MCRD SD, and on the lower level. My rack was on the side facing the Chow Hall and the street in front of it. Anyways, we just got back from PT, and had just finish a mass shower. We were changing into our normal attire, but the DI's decided to have some fun. We were putting our left sock on and off for a good 10 minutes. That in itself was not bad, but we were BUTT NAKED. There were family's walking by the Squad bay windows and staring. Some grandma was even taking PICTURES! All we could do was stand there LOL.

Rick

Yea, DI's are some of the funniest guys you'll ever meet. Ha, moving racks back and forth across the squad bay "set up the mini grinder!" That was great. I know what squad bay you're talking about, I was just one floor up. The hardest part of boot camp was keeping a strait face. My favorite was when we were playing "2 sheets and a blanket", where you make your rack, then tear it apart again about 30 times. Once, our DI's made us get our matress', and try to fit them in our cargo pockets. Funniest thing I've ever seen in my life.

[GTSLOW]

So are they moving to the digital camo now? Or is that just for those recruits seeings as how they are on the website.

The army is switching over to digital camo right now. They're starting by issuing it to the units going over to iraq and such first. SMA said by 2007 everyone will have it and it will be an issued item in basic!

[fireguyrick]

The army is switching over to digital camo right now. They're starting by issuing it to the units going over to iraq and such first. SMA said by 2007 everyone will have it and it will be an issued item in basic!

Copycats.

Rick

[y2kws6]

Basic was a lot of fun for me also, but I think the AF is way too easy on people. I don't think we are getting our new digitals as you call it. The AF ones were stupid anyway.

Dan

[T-Bag]

Personally I like the look of standard woodland camo over the digital woodland...however digital desert sand is :shades . We sell 5.11 clothes at my work, and they just released a lot of their stuff in digital desert sand camo.

[Teufelhunden]

I'm glad to see you all enjoyed as much as I. Who knew 11 weeks of "fun" would provide a lifetime's worth of stories. Some of the more memorable games for me were; electric chair, human squeegee, and drink water until you puke. LOL

I never went to MCT. That started shortly after I went through. What kind of fun did I miss out on?

Any Marines here go to "A" school at NAS Memphis?

[fireguyrick]

Two words that I do not hear anymore, but make me shutter "Hydration Formation"

Rick

[USMARINE1108]

Any Marines here go to "A" school at NAS Memphis?

Pensacola, and I'm headed back there in June for the 8 month Advanced Avionics Course. Another summer in Pensacola, or another 6 months on an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf or 6 months in the desert................twist my arm! And yea, all branches are going to digital cammies. (BDU's, whatever). The Marine Corps was the ones who develped the digitals, and everyone else is copying them. The only difference is that the Marines have EGA's hidden in the pattern. Also, I believe the Army is changing where their rank goes, some stuff like that. Also, the Navy's are going to be blue. Yea, if I ever got blown off of the 80 ft tall flight deck of a carrier, I'd want to blend in with the water too.............but whatever floats your boat! (no pun intended) And MCT was more field training, and the heavy wepons training. I guess since I went through it 4 years ago, they're only shooting the SAW and M-16, but I got to fire the .50cal, M203, SAW, 240 Gulf, but my favorite was the Mk 19. Fully automatic gernade launcher, I want my own! We got to play with some claymores and gernades too. Also, a lot more humps, infiltration courses, hand to hand, tactics, and urban warfare stuff. We pretty much just got to play Rambo with a big 3 day "war" at the end. It was a lot of fun.

[USMARINE1108]

Some of the more memorable games for me were; electric chair, human squeegee, and drink water until you puke. LOL

Don't forget "Mt. Suribachi" where you get all your gear dumped in the middle of the squad bay, and have 30 seconds to find all you crap. Wearing some other guy's jock strap was sooooooooo much fun. If you went to SD, "Chase the Airplane" when you were daydreaming and watching the airplanes take off. "You better catch it!". Or "Istland Hopping Campaign", where you went from pit to pit, until you've spent at least 20 minutes in every pit on the depo. And "sugar cookie", where you rolled in the sand untill you looked like a sugar cookie! And "ATT", when you're on a hump and you've got more than 40 inches between you and the guy in front of you. "ATT! Reach out and touch someone!" poor guys in the back trying to keep up with a 70lb pack on their back! great times. I thought about getting DI duty when I re-enlisted, but decided not to. It would be a lot of fun, but I'd miss my Marines and my MOS too much.

[GTSLOW]

Two words that I do not hear anymore, but make me shutter "Hydration Formation"

Rick

OMG ever night before lights out!!!! All 4 bays 2female 2male, everyone with a full canteen! And every day they'd check a different platoon for them being full. I remeber one guy lost BOTH his 1qts so he had to drink a full 2qt!!!

[SRT4ME]

Agreed!

When going thru it seemed difficult, but after looking back it was nothing!

I would do basic and ait over again in a heartbeat! It was a total BLAST!!

:thumbsup x100

Did mine at Ft. Benning, GA. I agree about it being pretty easy, it should be for anyone w/a smidgen of common sense and ANY athletic ability whatsoever.
It was all cake for me, until less than 3 weeks to go and I get a severe stress fracture in the middle of my right FEMUR of all places! The biggest freaking bone in the body! (And trust me, it hurt like holy hell, just marching on it was worse than the CS gas chamber :durr ) So I convinced the doc who was a CPT at the TMC/sick call to let me take my record PT test in 2 days w/my company and hopefully talk my Drill's into signing me off for the last road march and ****. I did my 2 mile run for my record PT test on 1,200 mg's of Ibuprofin :goof and spent the last 2 weeks and 4 more at home on crutches.


After I graduated, that is. :headbang :thumbsup
-Jason

[fireguyrick]

Had a guy in another platoon break his ankle on the cruicable. He finished the last 12 hours on that broken ankle. He pretty much passed out afterwards though. They asked why he did not tell anyone, his response was that he knew that if he did tell someone that he would be recycled.

Rick

[PonyKiller87]

I did my basic at Ft. Leonardwood. Got broncitis about half way through and the strongest thing the TMC would give me was cough syrup and a bag of cough drops. It was awesome doing the 2 mile and the road marches with about 2lbs of flem in my lungs. Still way better than getting recycled though.

[DFJ6000]

haha sounds sweet, all these storys or whatnot, im lookin to join soon, talked to a few recruiters. im undecided on what branch tho

[USMARINE1108]

haha sounds sweet, all these storys or whatnot, im lookin to join soon, talked to a few recruiters. im undecided on what branch tho

Marine Corps. Semper Fi.

[Teufelhunden]

haha sounds sweet, all these storys or whatnot, im lookin to join soon, talked to a few recruiters. im undecided on what branch tho

Did you take the ASVAB yet? Shop around and see what different services are offering. When are you looking to join?

Take a look here: http://www.military.com/Recruiting/Home/1,13387,,00.html

[fireguyrick]

I never thought twice about joining the Marines. Wanted to since I was 6.

Though, I worked with the Recruiting station on Capital Dr for 6 months, so I learned alot about the different services recruiting policies. I thought about going back into the Service and I checked out the Army and Air Force, in addition to the Corp.

I tell you what though, the thing you need to find out is what you are looking to get out of it. It is SO MUCH easier to decide what branch fits you best by figuring that out. Of course, how much physical activity and discpline you want also helps.

For me, if I were to go back into the military it would be back to the Corp. The ONLY other things I would consider is Airborne in the Army, or USAF PJs. But I am a hard charger LOL.

Rick

[USMARINE1108]

What is really comes down to when you're deciding what branch is what you want to do everyday. Do you want to be outside? Do you want to be sitting in air conditioning? Do you want to spend 6 months on a boat? Do you want to be in a branch where it's acceptable to call people by their first name? Do you want to deploy often, or never? Certain branches have many bases where you can be stationed, where others have very few. And there are different things to do in every branch, like infintry, administration jobs, truck mechanics, aircraft maintenance, water purification, the list goes on and on. While all benifits are the same for every branch, some give you more time to take college classes.

[Al]

...water purification...

Like "In the Army Now?" :goof

[USMARINE1108]

Like "In the Army Now?" :goof


yea, it's a real job. you've gotta have water to drink! :alcoholic

[GTSLOW]

haha sounds sweet, all these storys or whatnot, im lookin to join soon, talked to a few recruiters. im undecided on what branch tho

US ARMY my friend :thumbsup

[fireguyrick]

Man, I did a OPFOR with some army units, they were ATE UP. If I went Army it would be either the 82nd Airborne, Rangers, SF, or the Airborne unit in Italy (Is it he 173rd or something?).

No way you would EVER find me in the Navy, though I do have some respect for the SEALs of course, worked with a few. I just got really tired of always hearing from the normal squids that the SEALs were bad azz. I had to remind them of the operation in the Gulf where two oil rigs needed to be secured, the SEALs took one, Recon took the other. Recon took theres, then had to go help the SEALs contain a fire on theres (which the SEALs started LOL).

Either way The Army is still better than the Squids and 99.5% of the Chair Force.

I guess more or less going into the Marine Corp will generally be the BIGGEST difference from the Civilian world, while joining the Air Force is the least change.

Only thing I have seen is that the Army gives out TONS of money. I had a friend that went 11B in the Army and got a $10k dollar bonus and went in as a E-3. I went 0311 and got 13 weeks of R&R @ MCRD SD, 10 weeks of off time, then some time at SOI....oh yeah, I did graduate MCRD as a E-2....and I was making a WHOPPING $1100/mo IF THAT. Hey, but the food was not that bad.

Rick

[DFJ6000]

Im lookin to join prolly around end of summer, no i havnt taken then asvab, but when i went into the marines office i took some little 20 minute test, they said id prolly do pretty good. hmm what do i want to do, thats the problem i have with everything im too indecisive. i would like to be stationed somewhere warmer ill tell ya that much, and i was thinkin bout going for somethin that has to do with mechanics of some sort. its crazy and im undecided.

[fireguyrick]

Well, 29 Stumps...I mean 29 Palms is pretty "warm" lol.

You would be fine in any of the branches for some sort of mechanic work, more so in the Marines and Army.

The BIG Marine bases are in Oceanside, CA; Jacksonville, NC, and Okinawa, Japan.

The Army is spread all over.

Only thing I can tell you is that with the Marines you can expect to get deployed on a MEU at least once every 4 years....I got 2 in 4 years (lucky me). Basically you are on a ship for 6 months. It can be fun, but at the same time it can REALLY SUCK.

I know the Army has their crappy deployments too, I believe I have been told Korea (96s10 you can correct me if I am wrong) is a crappy deployment.

Rick

[GTSLOW]

Man, I did a OPFOR with some army units, they were ATE UP. If I went Army it would be either the 82nd Airborne, Rangers, SF, or the Airborne unit in Italy (Is it he 173rd or something?).

No way you would EVER find me in the Navy, though I do have some respect for the SEALs of course, worked with a few. I just got really tired of always hearing from the normal squids that the SEALs were bad azz. I had to remind them of the operation in the Gulf where two oil rigs needed to be secured, the SEALs took one, Recon took the other. Recon took theres, then had to go help the SEALs contain a fire on theres (which the SEALs started LOL).

Either way The Army is still better than the Squids and 99.5% of the Chair Force.

I guess more or less going into the Marine Corp will generally be the BIGGEST difference from the Civilian world, while joining the Air Force is the least change.

Only thing I have seen is that the Army gives out TONS of money. I had a friend that went 11B in the Army and got a $10k dollar bonus and went in as a E-3. I went 0311 and got 13 weeks of R&R @ MCRD SD, 10 weeks of off time, then some time at SOI....oh yeah, I did graduate MCRD as a E-2....and I was making a WHOPPING $1100/mo IF THAT. Hey, but the food was not that bad.

Rick

Ah you have 82nd Airborne, 101st Airassualt, 10th Mountain, so many to choose from :thumbsup

I think I'm gonna try to get 1st Cav as my next unit http://www.hood.army.mil/1stcavdiv/images/1cdinsig.gif

I just like their unit patch I guess? Althought a Tradoc post would be nice :D

[USMARINE1108]

Well, 29 Stumps...I mean 29 Palms is pretty "warm" lol.

The BIG Marine bases are in Oceanside, CA; Jacksonville, NC, and Okinawa, Japan.


Rick

You forgot Beaufort......................and you're 100% right about 29 Palms, that place sucks!

[Teufelhunden]

Rick, did you say what unit you were in? I saw the 0311 part...

Go easy on the Navy there...Andy may ban you. :goof I would have gone crazy if it wasn't for the Waves. The Marine Corps women I had the pleasure of serving with were mostly hags with a screw or two loose....the others were on the softball team if you know what I mean.

[USMARINE1108]

The Marine Corps women I had the pleasure of serving with were mostly hags with a screw or two loose....the others were on the softball team if you know what I mean.

It's funny how some things never change!

[fireguyrick]

Hah, Yeah, the women were horrid....with FEW exceptions.

I had a friend that joined the AF. His reasoning was because they had the hottest women, which they do. Of course, he got NO action from them. I went to visit him in Texas once, and I made it a BIG point to wear my Marine Corp uniform around. Easy pickins on the chicks with that thing on.

There were these 2 Molly's that had a bit going as to who could go through all the men in their unit faster. They were not half bad looking either, and kind of made me wish I was not in a Combat Unit.

Rick

Oh, I remember that this one WM got kicked out of the Corp for being a whore. She would go on shore leave from a MEU, and come back with TONS of money or stuff. SHe had to have every bone in her body broken by the ugly stick though.

[Pig Pen]

Everyone forgot about the Coast Guard! Formerly the law enforcement branch of the US Dept. of Trans for the water's. I'm still trying to find out if they are taking recruits for actual law enforcements jobs and not for the ice breaker's and navigation beacon units.

[fireguyrick]

The coasties are not a Military Branch, they are Homeland security. Heck, they were only Military under times of war, previous to this change.

Rick

[Pig Pen]

But isn't this considered a time of war? Either way, there's Coasties in Iraq. One of the officer's I know was in Iraq for over a year and knew a guy he went to high school with that was in the Coast Guard serving in Iraq.

[fireguyrick]

Not sure if this is considered one, and I am not sure if this still applies to with them being under the HS Dept.

Not knocking them at all, they do a HELL of alot. I guess I just never really considered them am military branch. Always looked at them like the Boarder Patrol or Cutoms.

Rick

[Teufelhunden]

They're worthy...for a while there the USCG was the only service that you could join and see some action right away.

[Pig Pen]

Back in High School when I was in the Sea Cadets, I spent a few summers at Coast Guard Station Vacation, the station at Pensicola Florida. I loved it, thats where I got my first scent of law enforcement. I got to go out on patrols of the bay in the boats with them and got to see some cool stuff. Was there for 2 hurricanes which kicked as.s.

Now that they are under the Homeland Security title though, I don't think they are a branch of the Navy in times of war, like they previously were.

But like I said awhile ago. I grew up in a Marine home, and wanted to be a Marine. Flat feet ruined that, and really my only two choices in a military job is either the Air Force or Coast Guard. I'd rather do something then nothing, so the Air Force is out.

[Pig Pen]

Not knocking them at all, they do a HELL of alot. I guess I just never really considered them am military branch. Always looked at them like the Boarder Patrol or Cutoms.

Rick

They pretty much are. Cops of the water.

[Teufelhunden]

Pigs can swim? :wooo :D :goof

(I know you dont like the "P" word...just messing) :)

[fireguyrick]

Swimming thing is funny, has a guy in Boot Camp that came over from the Navy. He got recycled because he could not pass the Swim qual. LOL.

Rick

3077 Lima Co. Oh, those were the days.

[Pig Pen]

Swim....Tread water yes. I damn near grew up in water!

[srt4eh]

i couldn't swim when i went to basic......they sure taught me quick. too bad they fractured both my legs and sent my ass home. :fire

[fireguyrick]

How did you fracture both your legs? I do know one guy fell from the top of the ropes and bust both of his up. Went to RSP, was there for a LONG time.

Which branch did you get seperated from?

Rick

[USMARINE1108]

So how many of you former Marines have Marine Corps tattoo's?

[fireguyrick]

I never got one. Thought about it, but now I do not have a place to put it. Only place I will put tattoos is on my Upper Arms (so you cannot see it with a short sleeve short). Those are already covered with Firefighting and EMS tattoos.

Rick

[Cryptic]

96' Division 940, Great Lakes, IL

hardest thing about boot camp I would say is the lack of sleep and dealing with the "mind games". Not that it was hard.. I just found it to be rather stupid, but I could see where it feathered out the weak.

[Cryptic]

Swimming thing is funny, has a guy in Boot Camp that came over from the Navy. He got recycled because he could not pass the Swim qual. LOL.



haha speaking of that... I had a guy in my division that was just out of some ROTC program and enlisted. He was supposed to be in some garaunteed SEALS program of some sort. the DC's made him an RPOC (or whatever the division leaders where called, I forget)

well come to the swim test... he cried like a b!tch when it came to the high dive. I couldnt believe some dude would think he could jump out a helo but cry trying to jump into a pool from 20ft.

It was funny watching the SEALS scream at him on the high dive board... they wont push you.. ya gotta do it on your own accord... well he didnt, and he went home in 2 weeks.
:punch: :loser

[fireguyrick]

LOL, I was way way to much of a hard charger. I also NEVER learned my lesson about volunteering. I wanted my DI's to know who I was. I was pretty squared away already though, so I did not have much of an issue. The only thing that I hated was waking up at 0dark30. Untill about 1000 I was always thinking, WTF am I doing here...I could be in bed. After that though, I was like this is fun as hell.

I think it is funny how all the branches are willing to let you go guarenteed SpecOps, except the Corp (Yes, I know that we have no true SpecOps). I knew guys that were guarenteed SEALs, Rangers, PJs, and most of them ended up doing something they hated because they dropped out.

A SSgt in my unit kept trying out for Recon, he passed everything FIVE times before they took him on. Afterwards when he asked why it took so long, they told him that they wanted to see if he would give up or not.

Rick

[Pig Pen]

What I don't understand by guarenty a position in a SPECOPs group? Face it, there's tons of people who may look physically tough, may be really smart, but they have no drive, no desire and are born phony's, liars, and quiters in life.

[Cryptic]

since were on the subject... for those that dont know where the Cryptic in CrypticGTX came from I was a Cryptologic Technician in the Navy... also known as a "spook"

:shades

[fireguyrick]

It is actually a great marketing thing by these branches. Look at it this way, they have critical MOS's that they need to fill. Why are they crtical? Usually because no one wants to do them. So they say, We will guarentee you a job as a SEAL, PJ, CCT, Ranger, of SF. Of course, what they usually do NOT tell you is that if you fail or drop out, they get to place you where ever they feel the need....the critical MOSs.

Anyone been to any specialty schools? I have been to just a *few*, I was able to go to just about any school I wanted. Not always when I wanted, but usually there were openings.

I will always remember Mountain Survival Training, and eating the Rabbit.....especially the FIRST thing I ate of it.

Rick

[Pig Pen]

Thats kind of funny, when I was applying at PD's, they pretty much interview you to NOT want to work for them, telling about all the bad and that there is no good in the job.

I don't really like that idea. I don't want some gooly to be promised something then when its time to sack up he turns to pudding with no back bone no desire no drive no discipline, and ultimately shows that the one thing that they don't lack is absolute resolve to strive, focus, and show heart to be apart of something desinged not to allow the mediocre to flurish.

[Cryptic]

Electronic Intelligence and
CTT-9170 CLASSIC WIZARD
I can say no more.

[Teufelhunden]

So how many of you former Marines have Marine Corps tattoo's?
I know guys that got a bunch of them. I never wanted one I guess...thought about getting a "meat tag" though, but never did. This was all before tats were in vogue.

The biggest thing I miss about the Corps is the AUTO HOBBY SHOP.:headbang


Electronic Intelligence and
CTT-9170 CLASSIC WIZARD
I can say no more.
CTT-9170 CLASSIC WIZARD Basic Operator
Operates the AN/FSQ-11, AN/FYK-16A(V), ACCE/IMP and communications subsystems. Applies computing techniques to the collection and manipulation of data. Performs quality control checks and issues corrections to system generated reports in support of the CLASSIC WIZARD program. Interacts with the Program Operations Coordination Group on reporting matters.

[srt4eh]

usmc......apparently i had stress fractures for a while and keep on going with them. i dunno - the doctors didn't really have an answer but they were quick to send me to MRP and then RSP :flipoff2: