YOUR BASIC TRAINING/BOOT CAMP EXPERIENCE
- Thread starter CH HAWKEYE
- Start date
Ok, since there's been a few requests and no fulfillment, I'll tell you what it's like for the Marines. Mind you, I speak for an East Coast experience, so anyone on the West coast, know that results may vary.
First things first, go watch Ears Open, Eyeballs Click. Great documentary, but it only depicts about half of what goes on. Then find the three-part documentary that's always on the Discovery Channel and the Military Channel "Making Marines." Much less accurate as the other documentary, but still has a lot of realistic experiences. Then search Drill Instructor Ambush on YouTube and watch all the results you can find. Again, realize that's only the half of it. I think you see where I'm going with this.
For the first few weeks, "Phase One" as it's known, life is hellish and absolutely horrible. You miss home. You have nicotine and alcohol withdrawals. You get treated like **** by your Drill Instructors and your peers. You hate life and your decision to do this crazy *** task of joining the Marines. This is the breaking down stage, and nothing could ever be worse than this.
By the start of Phase Two, you begin to see that teamwork is the only way off the island. Sure, you're still getting humiliated and destroyed by the Drill Instructors, but at least you finally realize that you're in this together and less tension between your peers exists.
Towards the beginning of the third and final phrase comes the Crucible, a 3-day real-time simulation of war ending in a ten mile hike and your final test. Once that's over, you gain a lot more respect from the DIs and life gets a lot better, mainly because you have earned it. In the past, the Crucible took place right before graduation and was symbolic of earning your right to the title of Marine. To some, it is still seen that way, and the accolades that follow, while still rough in those last two weeks, are greatly earned and appreciated.
For those unlucky ones who happen to get dropped from training for any reason, there's Special Training Company. Whether it's because you're broken, have a life-threatening illness like pneumonia, you get put into rehabilitation platoons, where life is much more relaxed but only because most of the people there hate life and have no clue if they'll leave the island with the title of Marine or not, let alone when they'll leave. I spent two weeks there, and mind you it was very much depressing. STC is also where you get sent for Physical Conditioning Platoon, where you can't meet PT requirements or are too fat to continue. Completely opposite as in it's much more hellish, but still has that depressing air of "Am I ever gonna get out of here?"
Don't take my word for any of this though. This was a year and a half ago, and for the past five years or so there have been some serious overhauls. The main complaint? It's getting too easy. USMC Boot camp has always been known for it's difficulty, but thanks to Mothers Of America everything's gotten softer for the most part. No more cursing, no more beatdowns for those who deserve it. Apparently now, they can't even use the trademark "knifehand" that Drill Instructors are known so well for. It's producing much more weak-minded Marines, and the only thing that kept me from falling under that category was having a father who was in for decades and reminded me of what the "Old Corps" is all about.
Nevertheless, it's still as memorable as it was in decades past, and it's one of those things you look back at and relish in every memory of it. You may hate it as you go through, but definitely not once you're gone.
First things first, go watch Ears Open, Eyeballs Click. Great documentary, but it only depicts about half of what goes on. Then find the three-part documentary that's always on the Discovery Channel and the Military Channel "Making Marines." Much less accurate as the other documentary, but still has a lot of realistic experiences. Then search Drill Instructor Ambush on YouTube and watch all the results you can find. Again, realize that's only the half of it. I think you see where I'm going with this.
For the first few weeks, "Phase One" as it's known, life is hellish and absolutely horrible. You miss home. You have nicotine and alcohol withdrawals. You get treated like **** by your Drill Instructors and your peers. You hate life and your decision to do this crazy *** task of joining the Marines. This is the breaking down stage, and nothing could ever be worse than this.
By the start of Phase Two, you begin to see that teamwork is the only way off the island. Sure, you're still getting humiliated and destroyed by the Drill Instructors, but at least you finally realize that you're in this together and less tension between your peers exists.
Towards the beginning of the third and final phrase comes the Crucible, a 3-day real-time simulation of war ending in a ten mile hike and your final test. Once that's over, you gain a lot more respect from the DIs and life gets a lot better, mainly because you have earned it. In the past, the Crucible took place right before graduation and was symbolic of earning your right to the title of Marine. To some, it is still seen that way, and the accolades that follow, while still rough in those last two weeks, are greatly earned and appreciated.
For those unlucky ones who happen to get dropped from training for any reason, there's Special Training Company. Whether it's because you're broken, have a life-threatening illness like pneumonia, you get put into rehabilitation platoons, where life is much more relaxed but only because most of the people there hate life and have no clue if they'll leave the island with the title of Marine or not, let alone when they'll leave. I spent two weeks there, and mind you it was very much depressing. STC is also where you get sent for Physical Conditioning Platoon, where you can't meet PT requirements or are too fat to continue. Completely opposite as in it's much more hellish, but still has that depressing air of "Am I ever gonna get out of here?"
Don't take my word for any of this though. This was a year and a half ago, and for the past five years or so there have been some serious overhauls. The main complaint? It's getting too easy. USMC Boot camp has always been known for it's difficulty, but thanks to Mothers Of America everything's gotten softer for the most part. No more cursing, no more beatdowns for those who deserve it. Apparently now, they can't even use the trademark "knifehand" that Drill Instructors are known so well for. It's producing much more weak-minded Marines, and the only thing that kept me from falling under that category was having a father who was in for decades and reminded me of what the "Old Corps" is all about.
Nevertheless, it's still as memorable as it was in decades past, and it's one of those things you look back at and relish in every memory of it. You may hate it as you go through, but definitely not once you're gone.
NAVY BOOT CAMP...
Navy boot camp...
It was definitely a slap of reality for a fresh out of high school young buck like I was! Definitely a change to everyday life but in the end it was just Navy Boot Camp, who the hell am I kidding LOL!
Navy boot camp...
It was definitely a slap of reality for a fresh out of high school young buck like I was! Definitely a change to everyday life but in the end it was just Navy Boot Camp, who the hell am I kidding LOL!
I think i was under more stress of thinking about going to boot camp than the actual experience.
Wasn't that hard since i stayed in shape before me enlisting but getting myself into the military mindset was hard
Wasn't that hard since i stayed in shape before me enlisting but getting myself into the military mindset was hard
I wouldnt ever worry about basic, or boot camp, there just mind games. Just do what your told, its after, once you get in to the real world where you get into the stuff you really need to worry about.
Heck I had a blast in basic, the only reason i didnt get honor grad was cuz they said i had rotc, and was ahead of everybody, lame. It was fun, but tech school i remember was way better. Camp Bullis was fun minus the cold nights. The newbies got past the easy stuff, the hard stuff is getting up everyday, or night and dragging ur a** into work. day in and day out, with out days off. then the deployments. always fun.
Air Force BMT was fun for me. I was an element leader. Oh god that was hell but then again it was fun at the same time. I got respect and I got to help others that were in need. I have so many stories and to many good times to go over. Some of the best stories were early morning PT were they would brief us with Safety Hazards and our Shadow TI would keep messing up lol.
Tech School was awesome, besides the fact of being put on LOCKDOWN most of the time. I went to Security Forces Academy. Yeah we always got into trouble. But its cool, I worked through it. I ended up graduating a Red Rope. Being a Red Rope was amazing.
Tech School was awesome, besides the fact of being put on LOCKDOWN most of the time. I went to Security Forces Academy. Yeah we always got into trouble. But its cool, I worked through it. I ended up graduating a Red Rope. Being a Red Rope was amazing.
I really dont remember too much from basic though, it was ten years ago now, damn i feel old. I was a red rope in tech school too and the guidon / element leader in basic. I remember in tech We had B-Bay Rangers, I was B-Bay Green Beret, lol. I remember watching some kid jump from the second story in the girls dorm to avoid being caught by the MTL, lol. fun times. and never a drop of warm, water ever. icy cold showers every day. sucked!. great times though.
lol I was a red rope in tech school and element leader in basic also. Tech school was fun as hell.
It was HELL on a island that you want to get off. But after you get off you wish you could ddo it again. The DI's (Drill Instructors) love to play games with the recruits. I remember one time I was in a towel and shower shoes (Flip Flops), we were standing on line about to take a shower. And a guy didnt have a towel and the DI told us to get him a towel and nobody moved. He said " fine you don't want to get him a towel get out of my house (barracks)". We ran down to the corner of the barracks with towels and shower shoes on. Then he said it wasn't fast enough so we ran to the tree line and back to the corner. By this time most of us lost are towels and shower shoes. And I forgot to tell you that there was a Female platoon out there as well.
One of my favorite things is Martial Art we got to do body hardening which we had to kick each other in the leg. And hitting each other in the stomach. I had to body hardening with a guy that stood 6'1" and 245 lbs. I was kicking him so hard that he how a big bruise that was black and blue and the guy limped for 2 weeks. That was one of my favorite then there was Rifle range which I quailfied Sharpshooter. The Gas chamber was fun and a lot of guys started to get scared. One guy got knocked out by my Senior DI it was awesome and funny as hell.
Then final you get to the Crucible which is hard and fun all at the sametime. The DI's sit down with you and talk to you like a person. But that was the best time I had. Then Family day comes and you get to see everyone for the first time in 13 weeks. The Eagle, Globe, and Anchor cemonety where you will tell yourself you won't cired, but you will cry like a big baby because you know then that you are a United State Marine. And you will run into a lot of Marines that are out, but once a Marine always a Marine.
But the one thing I can say is good luck and go to church that helps and write letters to your friends and family. Make sure your girlfriend will stay faithful. But the only thing I can also say is SEMPER FI.
Navy Boot Camp at Great Mistakes, IL . . . er, I mean Great Lakes, IL. J/K.
All in all, it was a really good experience, minus that whole 9/11 thing that happened while I was in my fourth week. That definitely made things a little more serious. Going from ThreatCon Alpha to Delta in minutes was a crazy thing to experience as an 18 year old polly wog (google it).
I had positional authority in my division from the get go, so life was relatively good for me as compared to some others. I was the "Starboard Watch," so I was writing watch bills from week one.
The gas chamber was probably my favorite experience in boot because I learned that day that tear gas has no effect on me. I got to observe some 90 other individuals blow snot and puke into their under shirts while I sat in the back of the room with a leaky gas mask wondering what the big deal was.
All in all, it was a really good experience, minus that whole 9/11 thing that happened while I was in my fourth week. That definitely made things a little more serious. Going from ThreatCon Alpha to Delta in minutes was a crazy thing to experience as an 18 year old polly wog (google it).
I had positional authority in my division from the get go, so life was relatively good for me as compared to some others. I was the "Starboard Watch," so I was writing watch bills from week one.
The gas chamber was probably my favorite experience in boot because I learned that day that tear gas has no effect on me. I got to observe some 90 other individuals blow snot and puke into their under shirts while I sat in the back of the room with a leaky gas mask wondering what the big deal was.
Ahh, boot...Aug of '04 stayed the night at the hotel in Houston, tx. me and about 10 others burned through a couple cartons of smokes to hold our nic fits (yeah right) arrived in Great Lakes, Il. middle of the night in the down pouring rain, fun, sat in limbo for about a day to join my division #945 co-ed in Ship #4 big ol slaughter box, kinda miss it now got tore down shortly after i left, wasnt to bad until we got PT'ed in barracks with only a couple windows open talkin about sweatin your a** off even for me comin from Tx. def. dont miss that..Grad on Halloween was in the Recruit Band (900 divs. were special div for drill colorguard and band) still remember Battle Stations up for 48 hrs. runnin all over the base to ea. task, tryin to shoot a air compressed 12 ga. with a gas mask sucks.. Had some great lookin women to look at about ne time of the day though can still remember a few to this day..
For ne1 joinin ea person has their own opionion and exp. so go in open minded and take it a day at a time..
For ne1 joinin ea person has their own opionion and exp. so go in open minded and take it a day at a time..
Yeah, I'm not going to lie, the gas chamber was by far one of my favorite experiences because I just spent the whole day laughing at everyone else as they covered themselves in their own snot.
One of my least favorite days in the Navy (non-boot camp) was getting sprayed with OC.
One of my least favorite days in the Navy (non-boot camp) was getting sprayed with OC.