Any tips for boot camp?

[HogInFlorida]

A couple months till I leave for MCRD Parris Island. Do any Hogvillians have tips for me to get through it with my sanity?

[JIMMY BOARFFETT]

Don't volunteer for anything.

[Ragnar Hogbrok]

What Jimmy said.

[warriorlion]

Don't take anything the DI's say personally-just scream the appropriate sir yes sir/no sir, and then giggle and laugh your rear off when they ain't around. 

Don't bring oranges back to the squad bay-they will smell them when you eat them and it won't be pretty!!

I say volunteer for the last fire watch or whatever they call it whenever you have to do it.  That way you get rack ready, get all ready yourself with no stress and you lose an hour of sleep but it ain't in the middle of the night.

Thanks for your service.  Semper FI

[Sueie]

1.  I do not know if they even still have KP's but it is not that bad of a duty.  You get to eat a lot for that one day after the rest are done.

2. Do not get a haircut before you leave for basic.  You are still going to pay the barber 10 dollars to cut your hair.  Might as well give him something to cut.

3.  After about the 3rd week.  Do not sleep on your stomach. 

4.  There will be one DI that everyone likes.  There will be one DI that everyone hates.  At the end of basic they will like the one they hated and hate the one they liked. Bet you $20 that happens. 

[NotStupid]

Don't be the jerk that gets caught with contraband and makes everybody else pay for it.  Nobody likes that guy.

[H&D]

Don't stand out,  Good or Bad.  The instructors like to make examples of the super stars and slugs. If the DI doesn't know your name at the end of Basic you win.  Be a super star later in your career, basic just isn't the place for that.

And like Notstupid said, don't be that guy.  We had one of those guys.  After he screwed us over for the third time, we had our night watch wake him up every hour on the hour for three days to let him know how many more hours of sleep he was going to get. 

[pigture perfect]

Don't be the jerk that gets caught with contraband and makes everybody else pay for it.  Nobody likes that guy.

Pretend you're 8 years old. Every normal 8 year old loves to get dirty and play with guns. I know that may sound corny, but it really works. Have fun with it, but don't let the DI know it's fun for you. You can keep your sanity better that way.

[Porquemada]

Things Not To Do
1. If one of the DI always mispronounces your name, correct them. They love it when you do that.
2. Always be the last one to get into formation.
3. Take short breaks while doing push-ups during PT.
4. Frequently raise your hand and ask why you are having to do something.
5. Brag about your shooting abilities back home.
These are five things I witnessed at bootcamp in the Army AND the Navy. The outcome was not pretty.

Things To Do
1. Before you leave for bootcamp, take a hour or so and take a dump. It may be your last for a while.
2. Whatever you do, stay awake during class time.
3. Get thick-skinned. You will get called things you've never heard before.
4. During your limited downtime, surround yourself with people who are doing what they're supposed to be doing. You'll have a couple of guys who like to "grab-ass" and test the system. Avoid these people.
5. Enjoy the experience. There's nothing else like it.

[bob slydell]

My experience was just to not stand out.  I remember by DS laying into me during mail call.  It was week 8 and he was handing out mail and he didn't recognize my name.  He asked who I was and I raised my hand and his next question was "have you been in this platoon the whole time turd?"  Yes DS.  Mission accomplished.  I was happy to trade that hour of being tormented for relative peace for 8 weeks (relative being the key word).

The abuse is never personal.  Just take it and move out.  Don't show up your DI's.

[pigture perfect]

Don't worry about Jodie. You'll find out who he is in time.

[hawgsav1]

Get in shape.  Primary thing that DI's hate is a fatbody.  They'll respect you if you're out of shape and you're trying, but they'll still ride you hard.  It'll make the adjustment to the lack of sleep and regimented lifestyle easier if your'e not dreading PT every morning. 

Also, along that same vein, bring some competitiveness to your beatings/PT.  Find someone of comparable physical ability, and always make it a competition to do better than that person (at least in your head.  No point in making it overt unless your'e into that sort of thing)

Don't let anything get in your head.  Stay motivated, but don't let anything get you down.  You will get yelled at and punished, even though you may not have done anything.  Don't let that break your motivation. 

Break it up into small periods.  When you start, that 12 weeks seems like a long time.  Just try to take it one day at a time. 

[Flying Razorback]

I would suggest getting in shape now.  Work out every day and try to work out twice a day at least 4 times a week.  If you can't get anything else done because of work/school then make sure to run every day.  Get your legs and lungs in shape now.  It'll still suck, but you won't die.

[RAZORROUGE]

Do not try too send brass home from the rifle range! That sounds simple but you won't believe how many people try...

[TeufelHog]

You don't have a hair on your arse unless you do the following . . .

Right in the middle of doing "mountain-climbers," stop, stand-up at attention and don't say a word.  When the Drill Instructor asks, "what's your major malfunction freak-show?"  Put on your "warface" and sound-off with a resounding rendition of, "Drill Instructor this recruit has reached the top of the mountain."

Let me know how that works out for you.

[ronmahony]

To start with, don't believe a thing your recruiter tells you. When I came home one time on leave, my brother had a navy recruiter at the house. He asked me who my recruiter was and I told him. "Oh yes, the silver tongued devil." I know him. He was a legend in Fort Smith back in the day. You have got some good advice on here, and not so good. I went to MCRD San Diego, and the main thing I can tell you is work on your poker face. I smiled once. Only once! Also got caught talking in the mess hall. I was the first in my platoon to get individual PT. But it turned out all right, I actually enjoyed boot camp. I don't know if they still go on the bridge for pugil stick fighting, but when you go out there, go out running and swinging. I don't know how many times I fought that day, but every one I fought would walk out to the middle, stand there and say "on guard." While they were doing that, I was knocking the dog out of them. Have fun with it, it's been 36 years since boot camp for me, and not a day goes by that I don't remember it, fondly. Guess I have forgot the bad stuff,lol.

[pigture perfect]

Wean yourself off of Soft drinks and alcohol. You won't get anything but kool-aid and water for the most part for the entirety of basic. I find it hard to drink Green kool-aid to this day.

[Harley_Hawg]

Try not to be noticed.

[countryhog]

all good advice. some more things
- keep your mouth shut (except when required to sound off by the Drill Instructor (not DI <dumb idiot>)
- keep your nose clean (no brown nosing)
- do not say "you" to the DI (do i look like a female sheep ....?)
- do not say I (unless you wanna be poked in the eye with the question "you mean this eye?)
- do not call your rifle a gun (you may end up holding your rifle and your gun while you are saying "this is my rifle, this is my gun. one is for fighting, the other's for fun" in front of the platoon.
- do not be the one that causes the rest of the platoon to suffer
- do not be the one who falls out during the daily runs
- STRESS to your family and friends to not send you pix, candy, gum, or other contraband (if you send me your bootcamp addie i'll send you some so you can understand why)
always remember that thousands have successfully undergone the transformation from civilian to Marine. you can too.
oorah!

[waynespur21]

Thx this has been fun to read. Im only going to the NG however. I wanna do my part and go back to school.

-dont kiss butt or be the hot shot

That seems to be what is being stressed the most.

[TLFHAWG]

Mouth Shut and Ears Open

[Ben Steiger]

Be the fastest and the loudest. Learn how to scream with everything you've got, and learn now.

[H&D]

Do the opposite of what Ben told you, blend in.  If you make it to the end of basic and the DI has to look at your name tag because he doesn't know your name.  Well then you did it perfect.  I tried to blend, got called out first day because of my dependent id in my wallet, it was all down hill from there.

[Ben Steiger]

Eh, it's a matter of priorities, HD. If you want to give it everything you have, and have the opportunity to be the guide, a squad leader, etc, you have to be the loudest and the fastest. I personally believe in giving it all you have. You can blend in, and hide, and that's fine, but if you want to be the best there, you have to give it your all. You'll get out of it what you put into it.

Irregardless, when you're playing games in the house, if you're done before 80% of everyone else, you won't highlight yourself as that clown who can't stack a locker, get dressed, etc, and that will help you blend in, as well.

[H&D]

Eh, it's a matter of priorities, HD. If you want to give it everything you have, and have the opportunity to be the guide, a squad leader, etc, you have to be the loudest and the fastest. I personally believe in giving it all you have. You can blend in, and hide, and that's fine, but if you want to be the best there, you have to give it your all. You'll get out of it what you put into it.

Irregardless, when you're playing games in the house, if you're done before 80% of everyone else, you won't highlight yourself as that clown who can't stack a locker, get dressed, etc, and that will help you blend in, as well.

The simple fact is, what you do in basic doesn't matter.  Once you get out to your active unit, you know who cares that you were anything in basic.......nobody. 

I was an element leader in basic, a red rope in tech school (air force guys will know what that is).  You know what it got me, headaches, less sleep and babysitting 100 idiots in tech school.  I'm not a slacker telling someone to blend in, I was the overachiever and I'm telling this kid, blend in. You will be better off for it.

[PEtrader]

Eh, it's a matter of priorities, HD. If you want to give it everything you have, and have the opportunity to be the guide, a squad leader, etc, you have to be the loudest and the fastest. I personally believe in giving it all you have. You can blend in, and hide, and that's fine, but if you want to be the best there, you have to give it your all. You'll get out of it what you put into it.

Irregardless, when you're playing games in the house, if you're done before 80% of everyone else, you won't highlight yourself as that clown who can't stack a locker, get dressed, etc, and that will help you blend in, as well.

I tried to be the fastest and strongest at OCS.  I got sent home with stress fractures.

Blend in man.  Try to be closer to the top, but blend in.

[Ragnar Hogbrok]

Just have fun.  Make it a game.  Always keep in mind that "the suck" will come to an end.  You just have to tarry through it.

A positive attitude is probably 80% of the equation.

[Flying Razorback]

Any update on when you go?

[Razorbacks#1]

Positive attitude goes along way. Stay positive. You are the next Defender of the Nation.

[USAF Hog]

Do not make eye contact when you are getting chewed. Stare at the forehead or chin, depending on how tall you are.

[Ben Steiger]

I tried to be the fastest and strongest at OCS.  I got sent home with stress fractures.

Blend in man.  Try to be closer to the top, but blend in.

I tried to be the fastest and the strongest at OCS, and I graduated towards the top just fine. Don't hold back on giving it your all because you fear a certain result. You might get more attention, it's true, but your drill instructors and fellow candidates/recruits will respect you far more for your non-stop effort and commitment. Be a source of strength for others to draw from. You'll see it in training... there's a few guys everyone else leans on, in a sense. Once you get there, you'll know what I mean. As I said, be strong, don't be weak.

[HogInFlorida]

Thanks for all the advice guys!! I leave in a couple weeks. September 10th.Which unfortunately measn I will miss most of the season. I'm gonna have to rely on my dad sending me articles detailing every game haha

[Atreyu]

Try to get one of the corner racks.

[HogScoutMaster]

I truly wish I would have enlisted out of school..I was looking into going into the Navy.  Then I met a girl.

[flynhog]

Eyes and ears open. Mouth closed tight. Its not a gun, its a weapon. move and act with confidence. nobody likes a know it all even though you will probably be on of the smartest guys in your platoon.  Get the  best pair of running shoes you can afford before you get there.  eat every  bite on  your plate.  It pays to be a winner so try to come in first every time you do something. help those who need your help.

Its pretty easy to tell who has been in the woods before.  I was amazed that there were guys from the city who had never seen a live rabbit before.  Sounds like b.s. but its the truth.  Its hard but its supposed to be.  Take it all in because before you know it you will be retired.  You will tell stories about for the rest of your life.  Semper Fi devil dog.

[H&D]

I truly wish I would have enlisted out of school..I was looking into going into the Navy.  Then I met a girl.

Excuses, excuses.  I met a girl two months before I left of the Air Force.  I knew she was the one.  So on a call home from basic I asked her if she wasn't doing anything better for the rest of her life we should get married.  We have been married twelve years.

[HogInFlorida]

Well fellas it seems I have had a premature introduction to the infamous green weenie. My ship date got pushed back to December. Apparently high school seniors and recently graduated kids in the DEP have priority over old timer college students like me. So this kid who failed his IST before boot camp missed his date because of it. He recently re-tested and passed so they gave him my date and bumped me back because he has priority. I was angry to say the least. Looks like for better or worse I'll get to see this football season play out haha. Good news is I am still contracted for enlisted aircrew which is what I wanted.

[Atreyu]

Well fellas it seems I have had a premature introduction to the infamous green weenie. My ship date got pushed back to December. Apparently high school seniors and recently graduated kids in the DEP have priority over old timer college students like me. So this kid who failed his IST before boot camp missed his date because of it. He recently re-tested and passed so they gave him my date and bumped me back because he has priority. I was angry to say the least. Looks like for better or worse I'll get to see this football season play out haha. Good news is I am still contracted for enlisted aircrew which is what I wanted.

Enlisted aircrew, huh? That's what I do for the navy. You will pt with the navy in Pensacola. Easy day.

[Flying Razorback]

Well fellas it seems I have had a premature introduction to the infamous green weenie. My ship date got pushed back to December. Apparently high school seniors and recently graduated kids in the DEP have priority over old timer college students like me. So this kid who failed his IST before boot camp missed his date because of it. He recently re-tested and passed so they gave him my date and bumped me back because he has priority. I was angry to say the least. Looks like for better or worse I'll get to see this football season play out haha. Good news is I am still contracted for enlisted aircrew which is what I wanted.

Gives you more time to keep working out and running every day.  It'll only make your life better.  You've got to run every day.

[HogInFlorida]

Enlisted aircrew, huh? That's what I do for the navy. You will pt with the navy in Pensacola. Easy day.

Yeah I'll be in Pensacola for a while. How do you like your job? I talked to a USMC crew chief on a CH53 and he loves every second of it. What airframe are you on?

[Atreyu]

Yeah I'll be in Pensacola for a while. How do you like your job? I talked to a USMC crew chief on a CH53 and he loves every second of it. What airframe are you on?

I'm on P-3 Charlies. The Marines get all the good jobs. I'm jealous. The only thing I'm not jealous of is that the Navy is MUCH more laid back. NACCS is the most fun I've had in my career thus far.

One tip I'll give you is that if you have a fear of drowning, get over it, fast.

[HogInFlorida]

I'm on P-3 Charlies. The Marines get all the good jobs. I'm jealous. The only thing I'm not jealous of is that the Navy is MUCH more laid back. NACCS is the most fun I've had in my career thus far.

One tip I'll give you is that if you have a fear of drowning, get over it, fast.

Yeah I've heard about the infamous helo dunker at NACCS 

I can't wait to get all this started. Now that I have the exact contract I wanted, I'm ready to get going. I hope I get put on 53s or Ospreys when it's all said and done. I'll gladly take whatever I get though.

[Atreyu]

The helo dunker is the fun part. I'm talking about jumping from 12 foot platforms into water and swimming the length of the pool underwater, in a flight suit and boots. It's not scary, but definitely not the most fun I've ever had.

Oh, and when you go into the low pressure chamber, don't try to be super marine and wait forever to put your oxygen on. The purpose of that evolution is to teach the signs of hypoxia, not try to last as long as possible. We had a marine in our class trying to be tough start jackhammering from lack of oxygen. Just a little advice.

Oh, and also, keep your boot camp running shoes for organized pt days. They like to run on the beach and get wet and sandy at NACCS.

[HogInFlorida]

The helo dunker is the fun part. I'm talking about jumping from 12 foot platforms into water and swimming the length of the pool underwater, in a flight suit and boots. It's not scary, but definitely not the most fun I've ever had.

Oh, and when you go into the low pressure chamber, don't try to be super marine and wait forever to put your oxygen on. The purpose of that evolution is to teach the signs of hypoxia, not try to last as long as possible. We had a marine in our class trying to be tough start jackhammering from lack of oxygen. Just a little advice.

Oh, and also, keep your boot camp running shoes for organized pt days. They like to run on the beach and get wet and sandy at NACCS.

stop getting me so excited for this. (no, don't stop)

[US Navy Razorback]

I truly wish I would have enlisted out of school..I was looking into going into the Navy.  Then I met a girl.

I did and I just retired from the Navy.  Best 20 years of my life, I would do it all over again if I had the chance.

[H&D]

I did and I just retired from the Navy.  Best 20 years of my life, I would do it all over again if I had the chance.

I met a girl three months before I left.  I just took her to Florida with me.  We have been married twelve years now. I signed in at the base, was told we were going through an ORE and I was going to be part of OPFOR.  I spent the next two weeks in the field only going home once.  And that was when I sliced my leg open on c-wire and lost a contact running from captures in woods in the middle of the night.  That was the only time I thought she was going to leave.  I guess getting woke up my your husband in ghost face camo, bleeding all over the place was almost too much to handle. 

[countryhog]

stop getting me so excited for this. (no, don't stop)

so, you haven't been to boot camp yet but you have a contract specifying your MOS? bwahahahaha! get ready for it, you haven't seen the green weenie yet. i was promised jet aircraft maintenance back in '68; didn't happen. they'll put you where they want you, where they need warm bodies. this is the marines, believe it. looking forward to calling you a marine. can't yet cause you ain't. just sayin

[H&D]

so, you haven't been to boot camp yet but you have a contract specifying your MOS? bwahahahaha! get ready for it, you haven't seen the green weenie yet. i was promised jet aircraft maintenance back in '68; didn't happen. they'll put you where they want you, where they need warm bodies. this is the marines, believe it. looking forward to calling you a marine. can't yet cause you ain't. just sayin

Things have changed.  The only people that get stuck in random jobs are the ones that score low and their only option is to go in "open general." 

[Chollo]

You are going to be tempted to count down the days till it's over but try and enjoy it, you meet the greatest people in the world in the military and also the most absurd.

[HogInFlorida]

so, you haven't been to boot camp yet but you have a contract specifying your MOS? bwahahahaha! get ready for it, you haven't seen the green weenie yet. i was promised jet aircraft maintenance back in '68; didn't happen. they'll put you where they want you, where they need warm bodies. this is the marines, believe it. looking forward to calling you a marine. can't yet cause you ain't. just sayin

From what I understand (not just what i've heard from my recruiter), the way they do contracts are different now. If you sign an open contract then that is when they put you where you want. I stayed the hell away form an open contract and told my recruiter i wouldn't ship unless i got one of the contracts i wanted. I didn't sign up for a specific MOS but a specific MOS field. The field encompasses all enlisted aircrew jobs in the marine corps. the only way i end up somewhere else other than aircrew is if i flunk out of one of the MOS schools. If i flunk out then they do with me as they please. But i've never flunked out of anything before and dont intend to start now.