View Full Version : San Diego instead of Parris Island
kungfu_rider
01-30-05, 04:33 PM
I'm in Richmond, Virginia and I plan to enlist and be shipped off to boot camp (if God willing, and if everything goes according to plan) right after this Spring semester ends, which would be June 2005. I'm located 2 states above the Parris Island MCRD, so by default I'm going to be shipped there.
I was wondering, though... Would it be possible for me to request to be shipped to the San Diego MCRD instead? I've been reading a lot of books and memoirs about the experiences at MCRDs. One of my concern is the presence of female recruits at Parris Island. I know it's my problem... I've basically been raised by women pretty much all my life and seek the initial boot camp as an escape from them (no offense to the ladies--but a guy needs to be identified with males, just as a girl needs to identify herself with females).
I read in one of the books that one of the author's fellow recruits got smoked by the female DI right in front of her (the female DI's) platoon who happened to be marching by. Yeah, I know that the women recruits are just as much disciplined as the male recruits. But I would definately feel awkward & humiliated to be eaten in front of the girls (even knowing that they're to look straight ahead and pay no attention to such "trivial" thing).
So would it be possible to be shipped off the San Diego instead of PI? Or are there absolutely no exceptions? Any feedback would be appreciate it.
After reading and learning more about the Marine Corps, I've learned that it's definately HARDER to get into than most people expects it. And it's this very reason that now I want to be part of it even more!
kungfu_rider... You have dedication hidden inside of you I can see that. Just find the confidence. That recruit probably deserved to get yelled at by the female DI if that did happen. He probably whistled or some such. Too your question. No. Unless one of your parents trained at MCRD Sandiego. That is not possible to my knowledge. I tryd to go to Paris Island instead of MCRD SD but I could not. Its all good, Ill Hang out on the beach in my hula shirt and sun glasses (catch the sarcasm). And its not so hard to get your foot in the door meps and DEP is easy... Its the earning the right to call ourselfs Marines that will be hard at Boot Camp.
Pel
kungfu_rider
01-30-05, 04:59 PM
Based on what you said from your experience, I would guess there's no way for me to be shipped to SD instead of PI. I'll still ask the recruiter though (as soon as my car is fixed and that I can get to school, work, and around places). But if Parris Island turned out to be the only way to earn the title of Marine, then Parris Island it is.
HardJedi
01-30-05, 05:03 PM
Look, if the shame of being chewed out in front of a woman is gonna get to you, you are gonna be in ALOT of trouble. Trust me, that would be he LEAST of your worries. ( them WM DI's are MEAN though) LOL
jinelson
01-30-05, 05:04 PM
Good answer Pel and I'll add dont sweat the small stuff worry about the basics. You will not be very close them at all unless it might happen on the drill field. I am just guessing I was a Hollywood Marine but other than the swamp and airport thing I dont think there's a difference. And Pel dont forget the sun screen. Good luck to both of you in your quest to earn the title.
kungfu_rider
01-30-05, 05:11 PM
Thanks to all of you all for the feedback! I feel a little bit relieved now. As for the women DIs, I know that they'll be just as mean as any other DIs. Subjectively, they'll probably going to be meaner than the male DIs.
HardJedi
01-30-05, 05:15 PM
they are. Meaner that is.
They have more to prove. There the ones everyone used to look down on, now we look up at them while they spit at our faces while they yell at us. I always loved that recruitment poster that says we didnt promiss a rose garden and has a pic of a Female DI... anyone remember the exact words?
greensideout
01-30-05, 06:45 PM
kungfu_rider, if you really want to go to MCRD San Diego just fix the car, drive to San Diego, walk into a Marine recruiting office and join!
Grab hold of your life and call the shots---well, till you hit the yellow footprints. ;)
Give me a break... Poolee Pel, you obviously need to get into the Marine Corps before you offer up any advice in this department. Have you ever met a female Marine. Or Female Drill Instructor?
As far as your concerns kungfu_rider, you hardly ever see a female on the island, and when and if you do get the chance you will be so damn happy, trust me. I was lucky enough to be sent out to 4th BN for chow hall duty. I had to be trained by two female recruites. It was one of my better days at bootcamp, When I hit the rack that night..well, I slept good.
Anyway, if you can fuction around women you have some serious problems son. Get a grip, if you want to be a Marine then face your fears head on. Besides the last time I checked girls still don't have cooties. (???) But that was just the ones I came across.
Sergeant, Ive met Many Female Marines, Knew some before and after they went to Recruit Training. Had the pleasure of having one scream her head of at me at a Battle Creek "Poolee Bootcamp". Was it the real thing? No. But I tell you she liked to yell. And for me not having gone to boot camp I would say that my Information is pretty damn close to perfect and runs along the same lines as yours. Forgive me for not having acurate information on "sleeping good" after seeing a Female Recruite at Recruit Training. Care if I quote you on it in the future for those horny pooles? And when raised by women as kungfu_rider says, they do have cooties, I do know alittle something about that. Sir.
Pel
Originally posted by Sgtj
I try to pull my rank on my wife when it comes to cleaning the heads... She doesn't buy into it. I'm not sure why, I am bigger then her, I have at least 7 inches and 80 lbs... She should be scared...Right? Oh well, speaking of which I think she yelling for me to fall in for inspection... Wish me luck!
And we wonder why kungfu_rider worries about women?
yanacek
01-30-05, 08:17 PM
kungfu_rider
To answer your question about going to Boot Camp at Parris Island or San Diego, it is rather simple. If your enlistment takes place within the 1st, 4th, or 6th Marine Corps Districts, you go to Parris Island. If you enlist in the 8th, 9th, or 12th Marine Corps Districts you go to San Diego. Being that you will be enlisting in Richmond, VA, you will go to to Boot Camp at Parris Island.
As far as exceptions, there is only one. If your father was a Marine and went through Boot Camp at San Diego, you may request to be sent to San Diego. The same rule applies for those enlisting West of the Mississippi, whose father went to Boot Camp at Parris Island. These requests are routinely granted. The reference to request this is the current edition of Marine Corps Order P1100.72.
TRLewis
01-30-05, 09:08 PM
This thread is pathetic. Grow up dude.
Ok here goes kungfu_rider... First help I can offer you right off the bat is.............STOP refering to the DRILL INSTRUCTORS as the DI's............You may as well parctice this while your still home...!!!
Because theirs nothing that will pi** one of them off quicker. Then to have a recruit ( Maggot ) call them a DI..... You may not like my tone.....or even care for what i'm trying to say......But anyone who has been there,I'm sure will back me on that.
Another thing..........do you have family who went to PI......?
The Marine Corps is full of History and tradition, They will make an exception if you had for example.....a dad, a grandfather, a uncle, a brother, etc,etc, who went thru either MCRD's. And you'd like to make it a family tradition. As far as I know, this is the only exception to the rule. If someone else know others, perhaps they will fill all of us in.
Keep in mind the information I'm giving may or may not be out dated. I got out of the Corps. over 35 years ago. Now with that all said............When I was @ PI we had no contact with anyone that was female...........NONE. We knew where they were only because our Drill Instructors kept telling us...........YOU AIN'T getting any of that.......!! No seriously.........we had nothing to do with the females..........But times may have changed.. Besides male female, does it really matter who's chewing your A**...?
It can't be any more embarrasing then to have a Drill Instructor tell you to grab your crotch with one hand and your rifle with the other. and run around the parade deck...........and you have to yel this is my rifle and this is my gun.......this ones for shooting and this ones for fun...!!! Now picture yourself doing that on a weekend when theirs a whole lot of visitors on the island.....Would it really matter.............if it was a male or female Drill Instructor........who told you to do it...?. And never-ever refer to your rifle as being your gun..!!!......Semper-Fi
TOP............yanacek I didn't read your post prior to posting mine. Looks like we gave close to the same response........I wouldn't have if I bothered to read all of them before posting mine. Perhaps I was wrong when I told the young man.......Grandfathers and uncles etc, etc, were included...Semper-Fi
yellowwing
02-01-05, 04:39 AM
As an airwinger, I've worked for a female Staff Sergeant and a female Major. Both demanded an earned the respect as US Marines.
And on the rare occasion when I did not do my job 100%, they DID NOT sugar coat what they thought of my mistake! :(
Even if you go Grunt, you may be facing a female Battallion Armorer or female Sgt supervising you on mess duty. They are Marines, and you better darn well do your job to their satisfaction!
If your're just getting jittery, forget about it and go run 3 miles!
THATFEMALE
02-10-05, 02:43 AM
As a WM I can honestly say that your female counterparts won't be paying any attention to you. When I went to bootcamp back in 2003 I saw male DI's do the same thing to females recruits. Of course my DI's didn't stand for that. If you're doing what you're supouse to be doing than you have nothing to worry about. Be discplined. You won't be able to see female recruits long enough, so I guarntee you you'll be able to identify with your males. Every time we came around the males one of us had to face the bulkhead. As for proving themselves, my female DI's didn't have nothing to prove.
I think kungfu rider just wants to get some California sunshine.
Cheezballz
02-18-05, 06:54 PM
Hey Kung Fu if u'r mos is in the 03 field or if u go to division u won't have to worry bout them. I kinda 'had' the same problem. lol. but i went to San Diego. No 'offense' to WMz
B A Hall
02-18-05, 07:20 PM
Are you a man or a mouse?I hardly ever saw a female period.When you get the opertunity it is like love at first sight.We were on a run & our SR DI gave us eyes right,it just didn't last long enough.If you want to be a Marine why are you so worried about a woman you will fighting insurgents and some might be women.Have you heard to many scary tells about the island?Most are true but you have to earn MARINE.If you make it Semper Fi
I went to San Diego, and from what I heard, Parris Island sucks even more than San Diego....non-stop rain, inclement weather, humidity, sand fleas...
Female recruits will be the least of your concerns
ringoffire
02-24-05, 10:11 AM
We haven't been to Cali, but we were at Parris Island. SuNmAN is right about the weather and sand fleas. The sand fleas are worse than the weather, In my opinion.
sm@@thrider
02-24-05, 10:59 AM
It depends on the time of year you go through boot camp, don't make asumptions unless you have been there or know ppl that have the knowledge and are on here to tell you about it, not word of mouth then paste it on here. If you think for anytime that you will have alot to worry about while you are @ boot camp then you better get it out of your system now cause you will have your brains racked from the studying and worries of your DI @ your heals or noes. If you get caught with the opposite sex, your done.
sm@@thrider
02-24-05, 01:52 PM
http://www.mcrdpi.usmc.mil/index.htm
try this site..
If your worried about getting your butt chewed out by a female, your definately going to have trouble having your butt chewed out period. Boot Camp is one big butt chew, so you had better get an attitude adjustment. Even though its' a butt chew, the day you graduate and hear the same butt chewers call you Marine, well there are just no words to describe the feeling.
As far as Dago or P.I., as a P.I. graduate 1968 Plt. 2026 it is the only place to attend. It was becoming more Hollywood like though, 1st, 3rd Bn.'s had brick barracks, while my beloved 2nd Bn still had the condemed wood barracks from WWI and in the Jack Webb movie "The DI". Shake, rattle and roll fire traps.
The only advice I can give you is if it moves salute it, if it doesn't paint it Marine Corps green!
Good Luck and Semper Fi!
Earl Zainer
Earl Zainer........Sir 1st Bn in 1968 did not have brick barns. in 1971 when I was there only 3rd Bn had brick barns.........This I know for sure...........1st Bn. sat right close to the main parade deck.
We used to drill @ the main deck all the time........I was in 3rd Bn...........and remember marching past the 1st Bns'......white,wood, rat infested,fire traps..
Perhaps someone else has books from that era 1968-1971 that can prove one of us is mistaken......If I am.......i'll surely owe you an apology....And Sir you'll get one...!!! Semper-Fi:banana:
calikodiak09
02-28-05, 06:16 PM
i have a question. my sister's in the marines and we are from san diego. if her son wanted to be a marine can he request to go to p.i. or will he have to go to san diego?
Originally posted by calikodiak09
i have a question. my sister's in the marines and we are from san diego. if her son wanted to be a marine can he request to go to p.i. or will he have to go to san diego?
Thats a good question......... I honestly wish I had a good answer for you........Perhaps a recruiter near you can find out the answer.
Semper-Fi
God bless the Corps
ugly_angel362
03-01-05, 08:10 PM
kung fu-
just be happy that you get the chance to try to become a marine. either place you go you will get the same training. who cares if you get yelled at by a female drill instructor. a marine is a marine period. male or female. you do the same training. if your worried about it hurting you pride, get over it. unless you get in their way or do something totally wrong you probably won't see a female long enough for it to even register with you. you will be too busy training.
greensideout
03-01-05, 09:22 PM
I really didn't want to go here but here I am.
"---who cares if you get yelled at by a female Drill Instructor---".
A male child relates to his daddy differently then to his mama.
A boy relates to his dad differently then to his mom.
A man relates to his father differently then to his mother.
A man relates to men differently then to women.
And a male recruit would sure as he11 relate to a male Drill Instructor differently then to a female Drill Instructor!
When training for combat, it's the male authority that should be doing the job!
It has nothing to do with attitude. It's the way that men are made!
GySgtRet
03-01-05, 09:32 PM
Just go to PI and get yourself disciplined MAGGOT...!!!!
kungfu_rider...
Young man............keep an open mind while reading this post.
If I were you....and I know i'm not...but if I were...!!!
I'd be doing a whole lot of soul searching right about now.
Because normally their should be about 101 more pressing questions/issues going thru your mind, prior to enlisting.
Like the old saying goes...........if you feel you might have a problem with ???............for example........then you will have a problem with ???.
This is a rhetorical question to you.......... Do you honestly feel you have what it takes to be a United States Marine...?????
Like I said........it matters not..to anyone here on the forum what the answer to that question is.........What does matter is.......Exactly whats going on inside of you.
Like the Gunny who posted right b4 me........Theirs a part of me that wants to be hard-corps with this..........And call you a Maggot.
But lets be real............at this point you're not even a maggot.
Your still a civilian............What I feel should be #1 on your list of priorities is....To figure out,.......If your feelings are going to be hurt when " ANYONE " calls you out. In private or in front of a platoon. Am I really cut out to wear the title of US Marine???????
Remember...........The Drill Instructors jobs are to get you war ready.... The enemy won't care if he/she hurts your feelings or even kills you while he/she hurts your feelings.
Sir...........if you want to join us so you can maybe save lives..?.......First do a soul search...........because if you do not have what it takes...........you might just be saving lives......by not joining....This is about as honest as I can be........Semper-Fi
God bless the Corps
MelloYello
03-04-05, 11:37 PM
lol wow this is sad. We had a poolee dinner where we had female DI and male DI yelling at us. I took them both serious and the guy was a fast talker but the lady was louder.
I mean really I think your one of those don't ask don't tell kind of dudes. Just don't want a female to let the males know your a little funny.
semperfiman
03-05-05, 01:57 AM
either one your still a marine
CHOPPER7199
03-26-05, 12:42 PM
Oh, heck, P.I. the stories, the tales, the movies. What a place, with so much history. Had the pleasure of going thru basic there back in 58. Kilo company 2nd batt. Nice old wooden buildings with floors that were scrubbed probably a few millions times before I got there. Down the road was 3rd. bat. in there quancit huts, those nice curved buildings that to-day you find them as storage buildings. Across the parade field was 1st bat. next to the swamp, remember pulling mess duty there. Oh, those were the days.
CrazyBrave83
03-26-05, 01:43 PM
It's cool to hear how much it's changed, when I was there it was a sea of brick and concrete...or should I say swamp?
Tom Hansen
03-26-05, 06:15 PM
It really makes no difference where you go, some think PI is tuffer. Tuff is what you make it, hell I had some in my own family laying odds I would not make it....Boot Camp is Boot Camp enyoy it while it lasts as it will go by fast.....
David Jameson
08-17-06, 03:14 PM
The terms smoked and eaten had slang meanings in the 60's and early 70's so when I first read this I started to get all misty eyed thinking about the humliation this poor man might have to go threw to earn his title MARINE.
I think you will do just fine at P.I (even with all that damn YELLING) I learn somthing new every day .GOD LUCK
Static_Sky25
08-17-06, 04:20 PM
It can't be any more embarrasing then to have a Drill Instructor tell you to grab your crotch with one hand and your rifle with the other. and run around the parade deck...........and you have to yel this is my rifle and this is my gun.......this ones for shooting and this ones for fun...!!! Now picture yourself doing that on a weekend when theirs a whole lot of visitors on the island.....Would it really matter.............if it was a male or female Drill Instructor........who told you to do it...?. And never-ever refer to your rifle as being your gun..!!!......Semper-Fi
I'm going to make the assumption that you still refer to a fiream as either a Rifle or Handgun lol:thumbup:
Static_Sky25
08-17-06, 04:23 PM
lol wow this is sad. We had a poolee dinner where we had female DI and male DI yelling at us. I took them both serious and the guy was a fast talker but the lady was louder.
I mean really I think your one of those don't ask don't tell kind of dudes. Just don't want a female to let the males know your a little funny.
He's your peer... whether or not you find his concern reprehesable.. he may be covering YOUR 6 oneday... keep that in mind poolee
Echo_Four_Bravo
08-17-06, 04:52 PM
The M9 is a pistol, not a handgun. (I hate that term, a 12 gauge can be a handgun if you want it to be.)
The M-16 is a rifle.
Despite what many have been taught to believe, there are "guns" out there.
Static_Sky25
08-17-06, 06:14 PM
The M9 is a pistol, not a handgun. (I hate that term, a 12 gauge can be a handgun if you want it to be.)
The M-16 is a rifle.
Despite what many have been taught to believe, there are "guns" out there.
never got far enough to do any Pistol work.. but thanks for clearing up my mistake :)
His_angel
08-17-06, 07:47 PM
And a Woman Marine is the CO in SD now. No doubt there will be other women there. Whether it is issuing uniforms, working at the exchange, in the chow hall or what have you. Your chances may be less of seeing a Woman Marine in SD vs. PI. But there is no guarantee.
Angel