Back From MCT now at MOS

[DavidJBlythe]

MCT - 22 days of "fun" at Camp Geiger.

You will in-process for a few days, take a drug test, be issued you gear and yes...another M-16.
For me MCT was fun, but depressing at the same time. The goal is really to make you a combat ready Marine, and they do a great job of teaching you what to do and not to do in combat.
Things I want you to know:
1. You will be treated as a Marine. BUT if you act like a recruit, your combat instructors will treat you as such.
2. Contrary to you MCT Brief at Parris Island, you CAN bring your cell phone with you to MCT. Do not talk on it and DO hand it over when they ask for any electronics. Understand that you will go straight to your MOS school following MCT, so anything you want to have from day one at MOS school you need to bring to MCT.
3. Do not talk on your cell phone at MCT. Do NOT take it with you into the field. You will be searched completely several times and they will find it. I promise. If you do use your phone, you will be caught and NJP'ed. I saw four or five of my platoon-mates get sent all the way back to TD1 because they talked on their phone the day before graduation.
4. If you smoke or dip, leave the stuff in your bag that remains in the rear. They will find your stuff and NJP you AND send you back in training.
5. DO NOT TAKE unnecessary gear into the field. You will be carrying a HEAVY pack and any extra gear just makes it worse.
6. Study for the three tests you will take. The second is the hardest as it contains questions about weapon characteristics. You must know 6-7 weapon systems inside and out. If your test average falls below an 80 you fail and go straight to TD1...do not pass go, do not collect $200.

MCT is one of those places that some marines get caught in a kind of limbo. Some medical case Marines have been there for 6 months! Keep yourself well, and talk to a corpsman if you need to! This isn't bootcamp! They will help and it will save you from getting recycled.

I hope this bit of information helps. If you guys have any questions about MCT please let me know.

Currently I am stationed at Corry Station Naval Base, Pensacola, FL. What a beautiful place! Luckily I get every weekend off and its basically a 8-5 job. Plus I get a POV for the first time. OOO-RAh!

Boot camp and MCT are tough but once you get through them, life gets better. You infantry guys have it hard for a bit longer, but you will get to your unit and then deploy quickly. In fact most of the SOI (school of infantry) guys I talked to at Geiger had orders to go to Iraq weeks before graduation. Get some!

Semper Fi.
David Blythe

[Brooklyn]

Congrats!!!

But man is it going to suck when the hurricanes start coming through.

[Shadowman777]

MCT - 22 days of "fun" at Camp Geiger.

Semper Fi.
David Blythe

OK - where were you? I was 1st BTN - PI. Pick your spot. I was on the left, rear, 2nd deck! My son was on the right side, third deck front.
http://**************/Fam-Lee777/MyMarine/PI0044.jpg

[fraser]

good luck in your time in the Marine Corps

[DavidJBlythe]

That picture is of Bravo and Delta companies 1st Battalion. I was in the other building which houses Charlie and Alpha Company. I was Third Deck Follow.

[teddyn]

What kind of jobs do you do during the day at your base? It's those more mundane everyday parts of military life that I'm most clueless about :S

[Shadowman777]

That picture is of Bravo and Delta companies 1st Battalion. I was in the other building which houses Charlie and Alpha Company. I was Third Deck Follow.

Same building just the time you were in. In '79 a series commanded an entire deck - 4 squad bays. I was "B Co" but was 2nd deck, left, swamp side. My son was also "B Co" but was third deck, right, street side. The company letters are plaques which are changed. Anyone in 1st BTN, ate it in the same building! LOL!!

[Echo_Four_Bravo]

Teddy, what you do on a daily basis depends wholly on what your MOS is. An admin clerk's daily life is far different than that of a tanker.

[outlaw3179]

Hey Blythe Congratulations on becoming a Marine ! Thats outstanding that your are passing on information to your former poolees. Keep it up Marine , Take care.

[jconne]

congrats and good luck, i was a 2651 at corry back in 90 loved it, only thing i really remember about the place was one of the guys decided to get a tat at the place right outside the gate, bigggg mistake the next morning when he woke up all of the ink had came off, again good luck

[kovanfleet]

good stuff thanks for the info

[chaitram]

Hey I wanted to know if there was a difference in whether MCT marines or SOi marines deploy faster. Or is it the luck of the draw? Im knd of new at this so bare with me. thanks

[WannabeAT]

Thanks for the info David. I've always wondered about MCT, but didn't have any specific questions. Thanks for the heads-up on the cell phone thing too. Appreciate it.

[kovanfleet]

http://www.lejeune.usmc.mil/soi/videos/WindowsMedia/SOI320x240.wmv (http://www.lejeune.usmc.mil/soi/videos/WindowsMedia/SOI320x240.wmv)

i saw this in a diffrent forum and thought it was kinda cool. Its a video about SOI.

[Echo_Four_Bravo]

Chaitram, read the rules for posting. We don't appreciate it when you fail to follow the simple ones, like always using a capital M in the word Marine.

And Infantry Marines go to SOI, non-infantry go to MCT. That is all that can be said about it. You could complete SOI and go to a unit working up to deploy, or one that just got back. And, you could go to MCT and then MOS school and deploy right away, or never deploy at all. You'll hear it many times, it all depends on the "needs of the Corps"