Scribe?

[ImpatientPoolee]

Hello Marines.

Well I believe I've covered everything I feel like I need to know for Recruit Training. Just a few more questons.

1) What are some of the "traits" DI's will look for in a scribe? Does it come down to your handwriting, age, or simply volunteering?

2) Do scribes "typically" receive the meritoriuos promotion out of bootcamp?

...and this is off topic but- does knowing your General Orders help? I hear DI's will look at you with a little more "optimism" if you know them. I have every General Order memorized.

Thanks gentleman, you've been more than helpful to everyone here. God knows you don't have to be.

:evilgrin:

[Marine3451]

Negative the scribe does not get a meritoris promotion. It usually given to the person with the neatest handwriting and you get to send your free time writing stuff that your DI's dont want to.If your the company honor grad you might get promoted but thats not even a given. Why shoot for scribe when you should want to be guide.

[ImpatientPoolee]

Well we had a scribe come back from bootcamp with the promotion, he said it was BECAUSE he was a scribe, Sir. I was just curious because I have excellent handwriting, my cursive looks feminine.

I know Sir, I want to be a guide but to be honest I'm not sure I can handle that stress- I'm going to try no doubt- but it seems like a heavy burden. Besides I took 22 college credits and should already get the promotion. I'll gladly take a leadership position I just don't know about striving to be a guide.

[DrZ]

Hello Marines.

Well I believe I've covered everything I feel like I need to know for Recruit Training. Just a few more questons.

1) What are some of the "traits" DI's will look for in a scribe? Does it come down to your handwriting, age, or simply volunteering?

2) Do scribes "typically" receive the meritoriuos promotion out of bootcamp?

...and this is off topic but- does knowing your General Orders help? I hear DI's will look at you with a little more "optimism" if you know them. I have every General Order memorized.

Thanks gentleman, you've been more than helpful to everyone here. God knows you don't have to be.

:evilgrin:

Don't spend you time wondering if you will get this position or that position. Spend your time planning and DOING your best in everything you do. Scribes are selected and FIRED at the whim of the DI.

Promotions out of boot are for the best of the best. Want to get PFC out of boot then work your arse off and be the best there is.

Know everything you can know. General orders, ranks...everything.

Volunteer for nothing. You will save yourself quite a few headaches!

[ImpatientPoolee]

Yes Sir!

[Cash2053]

I was a scribe and I got promoted. It was't just for being scribe. You have to do well in all areas. You will have much less free time, and most of your platoon will hate you because they think you are screwing them on firewatch. It has its advantages though, I never cleaned during morning cleanup. While other recruits were cleaning, I was doing scribe duties.

[Tennessee Top]

This is a little off topic and I apologize for hijacking your post.

Just a funny note about the different "jobs" we had back when I went to bootcamp in 1972.

There was a "private zippo" whose job was to carry a cigarette lighter in his pocket. Whenever the smoking lamp was lit, he would light up the DI's cigarettes for them.

"Private ratt-a-tatt-tatt" would run around the formation whenever the DI's called him out and he would shoot down imaginary kamikazi airplanes (don't think he ever missed a single one).

"Private ugly" was the ugliest recruit in the platoon. Whenever platoons got together and there was some down time, the DI's would call their respective uglies out and debate which one had the ugliest. One DI would brag to the other about how ugly his Private Ugly was (try keeping a straight face when that was going on). The uglies got to be proud that their DI's bragged about them to DI's from other platoons/series. Have to admit, my platoon's ugly was a real looker (if you've ever seen the movie "Deliverance", think about the kid sitting on a rope bridge strumming his banjo...woa).

Whenever the platoon fell out in formation on the street, "Private ****ter's" job was to run into the head and flush every commode and urinal. He missed a commode one day so you can imagine what he carried out in his hands...NEVER missed one again.

The "House Mouse" was the smallest recruit in the platoon and his job was to keep the DI's duty hut clean. Whenever the platoon was field-daying the squadbay, the House Mouse would be doing the same in the duty hut.

At MCRD San Diego, there are a lot of sea gulls flying around. Whenever we went to the messhall, the "fat bodies" were outside running around and "shooing the sea gulls away" so they wouldn't land on "God's country". At any given time, there would be a half-dozen fat recruits running around the messhall waving their arms, jumping up-and-down, and yelling at birds. For all their efforts, there would still be sea gulls walking around.

We did have a platoon scribe who basically just wrote everything down for the DI.

The recruit with the highest education level was "professor". The oldest was "grandpa".

As far as graduating PFC; I remember the honor grad did along with the guide, high shooter, and the ones gauranteed PFC in their contract (I did not).

Now...tell me bootcamp can't be fun. You have to hand it to the imaginations of the DI's.

[1stRad2671]

I was the scribe because I had the highest GT score in the PLT. Scribbles had the 2nd highest GT.

I was not promoted.

[Zulu 36]

I was made scribe because the original scribe (a college grad) was fired for being an "educated idiot." They decided a reasonably intelligent high school grad couldn't do any worse, so I was hired.

Kept the job all the way after that and made meritorious PFC. However, had one of the squad leaders not been a contract PFC, I wouldn't have been promoted. They only promoted 10% max (not counting contracts) in 1971.

Like Cash2053 said, as scribe you still have to keep up your knowledge, uniforms, rifle, and equipment, etc. It helps to make friends who will pitch in and square away your stuff for you if necessary. Plus, when the DIs get bored, no one is on their kill list, and you're in the duty hut, guess who they mess with? What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

That said, I actually learned a lot from hanging around the duty hut that the average recruit doesn't.

[ImpatientPoolee]

ImpatientPoolee, I like your attitude, a lot. So many folks come on here and say, SO, what can you do for ME, marines (lower case m), so your outlook is refreshing.
General Orders---I don't know of anyone who had them memorized prior to boot camp but yes, that will come in mighty handy.
If you don't make PFC out of boot, you will make it soon enough.
We had a scribe and a house mouse, too, and the guide just happened to be the most squared away individual, but sounds to me like you will do just fine in boot camp, with the outlook you have right now. I really mean that. Good luck to you.
Look in Ask A Marine at the questions asked and how they are asked and what happens with some when the questions are not answered to their satisfaction.
So this is a breath of fresh air from what we've seen lately, as recently as last night.

Thank you Sir! My chest swelled a little after reading that, I thank you for the encouraging words. All I want right now is A) to be a Marine and B) to be the BEST damn Marine I can be. I'm not going to settle with mediocrity, I want to excel.

I appreciate everyone's comments and insight, it really helped. I appreciate the post about the different "jobs" in boot camp. Haha, it made me laugh. Private Ugly???! rofl. Great stuff...

Thanks gentleman. :D

[ImpatientPoolee]

Yes Sir I did read it, a while back ago at least...I'm a little hazy as to what it got into detail about- but I'll go refresh my memory.

I'm going to remember that Sir, and take it to heart. I don't want to be a ****head Marine, I don't want to be the stereotype, I want to be ****-hot! I want those core values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment to be something I live by. I simply, can't wait for this.

Thanks Sir, it's nice to have Marines bringing the poolees up and not down, which tends to happen a lot on this internet forum.

God Bless.

[1stRad2671]

I was made scribe because the original scribe (a college grad) was fired for being an "educated idiot." They decided a reasonably intelligent high school grad couldn't do any worse, so I was hired.

That's why my SDI used GT scores to make his choice. He didn't want educated idiots. :D


Plus, when the DIs get bored, no one is on their kill list, and you're in the duty hut, guess who they mess with? What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.



Knowing what job I was going into they had respect for me. They never messed with me, other than at some point about half way through while cleaning rifles one day some recruit was asking about if there was anyone that hadn't been quarterdecked. Well I pretty much got called out. I wasn't up there for long, far from a thrashing. Just getting it out of the way sort of thing. Both my DI and I were smiling about it. :)