How did Marine Corps Boot Camp change you?

I gained ten pounds and lost four wisdom teeth. Oh, and I realized that I was a pretty darn good shot with iron sights before we switch to optics. Haha

Marine Corps boot camp taught me to be organized, responsible, dedicated, alert, punctual ,honest, respectful and most of all patriotic

I didn't think the physical part was all that hard, but the daily mental grind without a break takes a bit of a toll. I was at PI in July/Aug/Sept and I learned the real meaning of the word hot and humid. You adjust. I learned I can adjust to most things life throws my way. I was pushed past some things if I was civilian I would have quit, but you don't quit because your buddy doesn't quit, and a DI never quits on a recruit. Even the lazy most uncoordinated recruit is pushed to passing. I saw a guy do his final PFT with a shin splint so bad he could barely walk let alone run 3 miles, but the DI ran every inch of that 3 miles right next to him. He didn't harass him, he encouraged him, he cussed at him, but he finished thst run. By himself who knows.

In just a few more weeks it will have been 47 years since I graduated from Boot Camp (MCRD, Plt 1086). There is hardly a day that goes by that I don't think about what it means to be a Marine. When I'm in a race (I've been a life-long runner), and it starts hurting towards the end, I'll tell myself "Suck it up Marine, you've done harder things". When I'm coaching the HS XC team, I'm always conscious of my bearing and attitude. Serving on local community boards--or wherever I am in public--I consider my appearance and demeanor.

The fact that I am a Marine permeates everything I do. And it all started June 28, 1970, when I casually got off the bus and stood on those yellow footprints.

How did it not chang you

30 yrs later, I still have an acute awareness of what's going on around me. I hear (pay attention to) all things going on.

After boot camp it made me want to kill kill kill☠️

Wow, ANOTHER Rallypoint article with Marines jerking each other off over Basic Training.... can we get an article for once that isn’t some idiot asking how to put his medals on his dress uniform, or Marines telling Basic Training war stories for fuck sake?!!

Well I was there for only a matter of days, in fact T-day 7 was my last day of attachment. I learned about the importance of combined effort to the extremes, simply because it is hard to find.

An unrealistic view of how the world actually works.