Defensive Carry banner

USMC Days

4K views 73 replies 12 participants last post by  DonnyDon 
#1 ·
This is a continuation of a thread begun by a very concerned mom asking for advice about her son, who is contemplating joining the Marine Corps either as an enlisted man or as an officer. So as not to interfere with that and keep going off topic, I am starting this thread so buckeyelcpl and others can have another place to talk to me about the New Corps as opposed to that of 1963-1967 when I was in :)
 
#2 ·
Well, I'm in, although have stuff comin up here shortly that will make me unable to see or post it.

Garands in AIT huh? We had A4's, now boot camp weapons and gear were old school, like flak jackets, helmets, and 782 gear Vietnam vets would probably know about.
 
#3 · (Edited by Moderator)
Yep, the 782 gear. By the way, I just PMd Bumper about me starting this thread because although it is Military, it is not about current military events etc and i wanted to be a hundred percent sure it is okay to do this memories thing under this particular thread. See what I mean? It is military but not current military etc

What years were you in again, buckeyelcpl?

I just noticed that the subtitle of Law Enforcement and Military includes Afghanistan and Iraq and now I am more unsure than before about the propriety of having this USMC Days on here as it is not current events. I PMd Bumper about it but could a moderator tell me if this is okay or help me delete this if it is not deemed appropriate as it does not discuss current conflicts in those two countries? Thanks.
 
#4 ·
If its not ok it'll just get moved to off topic, at least thats what usually seems to happen, one of the mods will take care of it.

July 2007-July 2011 at least DCB
 
#5 ·
I just asked them to, or maybe to off topic part of it.....want to keep on the right side of the rules----Marine training....You are still active duty, I didn't know that. Do they still call reenlisment Shipping Over?
 
#6 ·
Yup, still AD, not quite even a year in yet, no "pumps" for me yet either, although both of those things will be happening before too long.

No, its usually just called re-upping, or re-enlisting, we do enough "shipping over" during our 4 years, especially as grunts, that wouldn't really make too much sense.

However a lot of guys to re-enlist while overseas, that makes the bonus tax-free, can get a nice little account set up with bonuses these days.
 
#7 ·
Spend any time at lovely Camp Lejeune yet? Besides the AIT part of it? And what year did they begin the Crucible and was it as tough as it looks?
 
#8 ·
Nope, my PDS for my first enlistment is in Hawaii, so the only time in Lejune was during ops of SOI.

I believe the Crucible was started in the 90' when Gen. Krulak was Commandant, but don't quote me on that. Yeah, it was not a fun three days, but there were tougher 3 day training ops in both SOI and the fleet, just not as used to being filthy and hungry back then.

Nothing like finishing an 8 mile hump at sunrise to stand at the base of a statue of Iwo and get the Eagle Globe and Anchor for the first time though, proudest moment of my life so far.
 
#9 ·
I know you have seen Full Metal Jacket. When I was in it was precisely like that, except there were three DIs not one.
It was just like going to Fort Leavenworth, we were scared to death the entire time. I cannot describe how scary it was.
All my buddies, we keep in touch nearly every day for years and years now, and we discuss the Newer Corps sometimes and I have found one thing that I don't know the explanation for.
I have found that Marines since we were in, are as squared away, as dedicated, as on the ball as we were, or thought we were, and yet the fear at Parris Island is not the same as when we were there.
We used to think that the fear was absolutely necessary and there were even generals at the time that said "Fear, then discipline, then pride" and we and they all believed that abject fear was absolutely necessary for Marines to experience in order to be effective upon graduation from boot camp.
But we looked at new Marines over the years and said hey these guys have their s..... TOGETHER BIG TIME. We would be proud to be alongside these guys in combat anyday. These guys are as good or better than we were.
If fear does not play the part we all thought it did, then what does nowadays? What is it at or about PI and SD that causes the same good Marines to be turned out on the parade deck for Graduation Day? We have no idea. We just know it is there, big time :) I have wondered about this for years.
 
#10 ·
O, there is still plenty of fear, especially during first phase, lots of fear and pain and sweat and a little blood usually.

Aside from fear a big part of it is pride, and tradition. The Marines attract a certain breed, they are there to be the best. As far as tradition, can't let everyone else who has ever earned that title down, you have to do everything possible to keep up the reputation. People all over the world know Marines, and fear and respect them and look up to them, can't fail to carry on that tradition.
 
#11 ·
So it is there from the beginning. We had it but did not recognize it because we were so scared it was unbelievable. I am not ashamed to say that they really and truly made it like a prison camp. So we did not think like that. We did what they said immediately or got hurt, or got hurt anyway half the time. Nothing serious but most got at least a couple of whacks, just to be fair about it :)
The bad apples got absolutely pounded. They changed real quick.
So I guess we felt the same way as you but with what was going on, it was tough to even think. My first night there, when we hit the rack, I could not remember what it was like to have been a civilian.
So we as a group are mighty impressed with the New Corps.
 
#12 ·
The physical abuse is now verboten, not supposed to happen at all. Although there is still plenty of pain to go around, I once got my butt kicked by a couple of plastic cards for about an hour. They get the nastiness out of you pretty quick, didn't sleep for like the first 36 hours, and I showed up at night. My military ID picture was taken during those 36 hours, people that see it say I didn't look very happy.

Second night was July 4th, we did not get to watch the fireworks show.

DI duty is probably one of the toughest in the Corps, not for me I don't think. A lot of PLT's now have 4 DI's, and you are a Marine for a week before graduation, trying to get you not to say sir to every Lance you meet in the fleet I suppose.
 
#17 ·
My military ID picture was taken during those 36 hours, people that see it say I didn't look very happy.
+1. It is the worst picture of the four ID cards that I carry.

Second night was July 4th, we did not get to watch the fireworks show.
I was a month in and did get to see the fireworks. I do remember getting extra firewatch for something I did during the show. That show was a hellofa break.

DI duty is probably one of the toughest in the Corps, not for me I don't think. A lot of PLT's now have 4 DI's, and you are a Marine for a week before graduation, trying to get you not to say sir to every Lance you meet in the fleet I suppose.
We weren't Marines until the day before we went home and I'm a 2005er. My buddy that was there as the same time as you told me about Marine Week. I didn't have that problem of calling LCpls 'sir.' Of course, I was a reservist.
 
#13 ·
It sounds odd to say it but I think that nowadays new Marines are more sure that they want to go into the Corps. That may sound strange to you but in my day a lot of people went in but not with the same dedication necessarily. It varied. Now, it seems that everyone wants to be there. I think that people who join the Marine Corps are much more focused on the fact that they REALLY want to join. If this makes any sense.
 
#14 ·
That physical abuse was forbidden then too. But they cleverly had us close the venetian blinds before the games began. So even then it was a court-martial offense but went on without restraint of any kind.
 
#15 ·
Well currently not many judges give people a choice to join the military or jail (At least I've heard that used to happen). Everyone joining now knows that they are joining a warfighting branch during a time of war. You don't seem to get the ones looking for college money or looking primarily for a way to learn a skill, they join to be a Marine and learn that skill while serving their country.

Like I've said, the Marines seem to draw a certain breed, there will always be turds who join for the wrong reasons and don't complete their tour or don't do it well, but they are by far the exception.

One of my friends once told me the Marines was the "best time of his life he would never wish upon anyone else" so far I think that sums it up pretty well.
 
#16 ·
I never personally knew of any Marines who joined or went to jail, but people were not as positive of what they wanted, generally. Not as focused. Like the son on the other thread, he knows what he wants. We did not do that, think about it for a couple of years ahead of time etc and plan it out. We seemed to just know we were going into the military because we wanted to, so we went into the best branch.
I knew for sure that I was going in for four years. The recruiters said oh you could do two or three, not four necessarily but I insisted on four and so I said well what is the best branch? And that was that.
A friend of mine who was stationed with me in Puerto Rico told me that he went to join the Navy one day and the recruiter was out to lunch, so he walked across the hallway and joined the Marine Corps!!!!!! This is the type of thing I mean, not planned out as much as today. We still bust his b.....s about this constantly.
 
#18 ·
2aMomma: You are welcome here too!!! We created this thread so we would not interfere with the one you started, but all this info might come in handy for you and your son, too, but some of it is ancient history too :) We kept going off topic from what you were asking, so buckeyeLCPL said we were straying off topic and so I created this thread.......
I am really in the dark about how it is nowadays as I not talked to an active duty Marine for years and years.
I am learning a lot here tonight.
 
#19 ·
Sorry, had to go stand by in the rain for formation for about 4 hours.

Agave, mine is by far the worst as well, my best is probably my CHL, the guy at the sheriffs office said he wouldn't take the picture unless I smiled.

The only holiday we had was labor day, I think we got like 4 extra hours off in the mornin like a Sunday, and then, we celebrated labor day.

I think we were one of the first cycles to go back to getting Eagle Globe and Anchors right after the crucible, that warriors breakfast was actually pretty good, and we got to talk to the DI's like humans.

A sir would occasionally come out to a SOI instructor, but that was because someone was gettin chewed and went back into recruit mode, aside from that it wasn't really a problem.

2aMomma, there could potentially be some more good ammo for you in here, you are of course welcome Ma'am.
 
#20 ·
I'm get my first hashmark next month and I just extended my 5 year contract for a 3rd pump. Wish I would get new Marines that actually want to be Marines. I've got a LCpl who is inches away from a BCD, another who I have to witness her NJP for underage drinking...she got caught the day after I warned her about doing it in the parking lot on base...had one get kicked out medically for being bipolar, but he was really just a dirtbag. Out of the last 6 boots I've gotten, only one has been worth much, but he's also on BCP.

I think the hazing rules are getting too strict. I can't hardly yell at my guys anymore without getting burned. Everything has to be handled "administratively", and for some people, that just doesn't work. I miss the days of "quadcon NJPs", "four pointing", and other non administrative ways of making the stubborn ones comply. I turned out alright...but it's harder to mold people now.
 
#21 ·
When I did boot in '04, we got our EGA the Thurs before graduation Fri. We still had "Marine week", where we didn't call the DIs "sir", started saying "I" instead of "this recruit"...etc, but we weren't Marines. At the top of the crucible they called us "men", but not Marines.
 
#22 ·
I agree with you on the hazing thing there airwinger, and I'm a "boot" (not allowed to say that word anymore, I don't find it offensive, its tradition). People don't need to get pummeled for the fun of it, but even verbal corrections are getting to the point they can't be effective.

There will always be turds, but some don't need to be, just a push in the right direction.

Wow, I can't imagine having a COED workplace in the Marines, everytime I hear someone talk about it its like, Oh yeah, some people have that. Nothing wrong with it, but in the grunt world it doesn't happen.
 
#23 ·
There is everything wrong with it.

My FM was unable to torque a bolt to 110 in lbs...that's hardly anything at all. Unable to perform maintenance = worthless.

Not to mention she's boned about half our unit already. I hate FMs with a passion. Coed sucks.
 
#24 ·
Yeah, I understand where you are coming from, but we probably should leave it at that, keep the forum family friendly at all. We wad a "sister company" in boot camp with the same graduation date that did like all the major evolutions like at the same time as use and stuff, it made for some funny times.

I'm headin to Cali for pretty much the next month, lots of fun in the desert. Apparently it is rather warm there currently.

Who in this thread is Hollywood, and who shudders whenever the hear "sand fleas"? I'm a sand flea hater myself.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top