What is the best way to achieve at Marine Corps boot camp?

Benjamin Alleman — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 14:54:38 -0500

I just wanna hear from people who have gone through it. I don't want to be one of those people at boot who think they know everything. I just wanna succeed so I can get it done with. Best advice you could give? (No, I don't ship out soon, I just want to get ready for when I finally get the chance to)

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 28 at 2020 3:04 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 15:04:55 -0500

Learn to live in chaos man. Best advice I can give you, granted I went in 2010. Then soak up everything they tell you. It’s boot camp. The Drill Instructors will definitely make sure you are learning

Response by SSG David McPherson made Feb 28 at 2020 3:16 PM

SSG David McPherson — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 15:16:23 -0500

Follow instructions to the T

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 28 at 2020 3:27 PM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 15:27:42 -0500

Benjamin Alleman Be in shape to begin with. Once you are on the yellow footsteps, be very observant and listen closely to everything that is said by the Drill instructors. Be squared away at all times and do not quit. Be prepared for the mental aspects of Boot Camp.

Response by Cpl Jeff N. made Feb 28 at 2020 4:05 PM

Cpl Jeff N. — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 16:05:53 -0500

Don't quit or try to quit. Most likely, you will want to quit. It will be a shocker to your system to have people in your face non stop, to have them in control of you 24/7. It will be very uncomfortable.

They will try to rattle you and at many times they will. You will be punished for things you did not do and others will be punished for things you did. That is part of the game. You may get bounced off the ground a time or two, embrace the suck. They will not do anything to you the enemy would not do to you 10 times over.

Listen, follow instruction quickly and to the best of your ability. A half assed effort will cost you dearly. Try to blend into the platoon. If you stand out too much you may not like the outcome.

Try to learn a few things if you can before you go. I taught my son how to field strip the M16 and put it back together in normal time. Since your rifle will be your best friend, knowing about it is a good thing. If you can learn some basic drill that will help you too. You can even get the green book of knowledge (the one they use in boot camp) and read it/learn it, you will be tested on history, customs and courtesies (and many other things). Might as well learn some now in the comfort of your own home.

Never, ever, under any circumstance call a drill instructor "you" and never refer to your self as "I. You are the recruit or the private depending on your drill instructors preference. You will learn to speak in the third person.

Make sure you are in decent shape. By that I mean that you can do at least 3 dead hang pull ups, that is the bear minimum to avoid failing the PFT (I would target at least 10), 75+ sit ups in 2 minutes and run 3 miles in less than 24 minutes. If you cannot do these things you run the risk of going to pork chop platoon which will extend your stay on Parris Island by the number of weeks you are in PCP. You will then join a different platoon, not your original. That is not a good thing to have happen.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 28 at 2020 4:12 PM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 16:12:02 -0500

Speed volume and intensity! Sound off, move fast, and respond with intensity in everything u do. Hydrate!

Response by Cpl Gerald Tucker made Feb 28 at 2020 5:11 PM

Cpl Gerald Tucker — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 17:11:25 -0500

Does the Corps still serve “Duck?”

Response by Cpl Mark A. Morris made Feb 28 at 2020 5:53 PM

Cpl Mark A. Morris — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 17:53:25 -0500

I read things have changed. If it is true individauls have yellow stress cards, Boot camp should be a walk in the park for my sister.
Yea. I'm being serious as ***k.
Skip Boot camp and enlist stright into special operations. Read up on it. It is my understanding their PFT #'s are for hard chargers. Check out Army Ranger, SEAL (they have some boat crews that can light up a Battalion).
If you are a food blister, good luck making 285 or better on the PFT I am thinking about. Get in the gym.

Response by Sgt Mark Doty made Feb 28 at 2020 9:12 PM

Sgt Mark Doty — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 21:12:09 -0500

Listen. Learn. Respond with motivation. And if, only if, you really are understanding what is needed, (required), to do more than just graduate, and if you are quick minded and can recognize it would be reasonable in a specific circumstance: Do. Act. Be. My response is somewhat nebulous, but one really does sometimes need to, "improvise, adapt and overcome."

Response by SPC William Carter made Feb 29 at 2020 5:27 AM

SPC William Carter — Sat, 29 Feb 2020 05:27:37 -0500

Always give 110% and don’t try to get away with anything because, trust me, they see everything you do. Don’t look at the females. Always tell the truth. Do what they tell you to do. Remember, it’s a mind game. You can do it!

Response by Maj Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 29 at 2020 6:12 PM

Maj Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 29 Feb 2020 18:12:09 -0500

I don’t think it’s a good idea to try to be a hero. Lots of “future Dan Dalys” and “future Sergeant-Majors of the Marine Corps” wind up doing a lot of unnecessary time on the quarterdeck, or getting laughed at by their peers for trying too hard.

Fact: every recruit in the platoon is going to get proficiency and conduct marks of 4.2/4.2 (dead average) except for the guide and squad leaders (more like 4.4 or 4.5) and the platoon shitbird(s) with 4.0 (or less). So that means if you run a 1st class or 3rd class, or shoot expert or marksman, you’re extremely likely to come out with dead-average ranking, and an E-1 grade (or whatever you contracted with).

They are simply not expecting you all to become leaders. You are being programmed to be obedient robots. There will be time for leadership training later. Right now, when you are given an order, you are expected to demonstrate instant, willing obedience to orders. That’s all.

Probably 10-20% of any given platoon are made up of “invisible recruits.” That is, they don’t do anything particularly good or bad, but exactly what they’re told and don’t typically make trouble. In a place like boot camp, *this is okay.* You want to be at least in the middle of the pack, if not a little ahead. Follow instructions. Move fast. Keep your emotions in check. Don’t be different.

Obviously, you want to go in as prepared as possible. If you smoke—stop. Lots of tobacco users have a really rough time dealing with 90 days cold turkey—not to mention the cardiovascular deficit from smoking. If you can’t run a 1st class PFT and/or CFT—work harder. There are going to be recruits who are dying on a half-mile formation run—don’t be one of them. Can you climb a rope? If not—learn. You don’t want to be one of the recruits who spend the whole first phase struggling to get to the top at the end of the obstacle course. Even if it’s only in athletic shoes (not the boots that you’ll be wearing in training), it’s all technique. Can you swim? This isn’t Navy SEAL training, but there are plenty of recruits who struggle with passing the super-basic water survival minimums. Can you shoot a rifle? If you can’t, don’t worry, the Marine Corps will teach you everything you need to shoot expert, if you just LISTEN, LEARN, and PRACTICE. Already have rifle experience? Good for you. Be prepared to change your style to whatever they tell you. Your recruiter will give you some material to study. STUDY IT. If you go in being able to RECITE your 11 General Orders, the enlisted rank structure, etc, etc, you’ll be in a great place. (Because EVERYONE is going to have to recite things in unison, perfectly—be one of the first to be able to, not the last.)

This is what it was like getting off the bus 25 years ago. And it was still that way 10 years ago. And it’s that way today: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_2Rjl2jjHXY

And then you go directly into a shake-down to look for contraband: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YnKPpNArrdg

And then it’s directly to a haircut: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sCY8hoEmwew

There is literally nothing you will do that has not been done by a million young motivators like you. Just be prepared for it to suck, try to be done with everything first, and keep up with the pack. You’ll be fine. It’ll still suck, but you’ll be fine.

MCRD Recieving

September 12, 2011. New recruits who will soon form Company C arrive aboard MCRD San Diego for 12 weeks of Marine Corps Recruit Training. Charlie Company wil...