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View Full Version : Day in the life of an infantry Marine?



Rockabilly
11-18-06, 11:08 PM
Whats their daily schedule compose of?

Barret
11-19-06, 12:18 AM
So you kiddies wanna be Marine Infantry. Some have said Marine Infantry are the finest in the world. Hell I was even told that by a S/F Colonel who was a crusty bastage.

So do you have what it takes?

Any idiot can elist for infantry but not everyone can be one. So listen up. And those women who want to be infantry you listen as well because this is a small sample of what we do.


My only disclaimer is this is from the late 80s and mid 90s. So some gear may have changed but an infantrymans lot has never changed.

In Garrison:

0530 wake up call in the Barracks or Squadbay

0530-0600 Morning Clean Up of your room and the barracks. Tighen your racks, sweep and mop the floor of the room and the entire barracks.

0545-0600 Fall Out for PT

PT can be Company, Platoon or Squad. Mostly it is Company.

They start with the side straddle hop or jumping jacks to you civilians. Then you do any number of other exercises. Most units do 15 repetitions. You will do AT LEAST 15 and it can go up to 50 repetitions.

Then the formation run begins. It is at least 3 miles. Depending on who is leading it and their style it could be fast, it could be moderate but it is NEVER slow.

It can be over any manner of terrain, you can run on the street, the beach and always up a hill if one is around. <I do not mean a small mount, I mean a HILL!>

The hill will normaly be the peak of PT and then it is a jaunt back to the company area. Although evil Commanders have been known to double the run up the hill once, twice and even thrice.

Back at the company area expect some cool down stretches, maybe push ups and then get the word from the CO about the run,

"It was a good run...." is a good thing but it also means the CO is going to push it harder and faster next time.

"It was a bad run...people had trouble...ya need ta reach down." life will soon suck for you as the runs will become longer and harder. Those who fell back will be on remedial PT running at night and on weekends and maybe at lunch in addition to regular PT until the 1st Sgt says otherwise. Life really sucks for you!

0730-0900 PT ENDS <Yes they go that long>

After the dismissal of PT formation you are on cool down time. Shower, clean up, reclean the barracks from the mess you made from showeing and tracking in grass and mudd from PT. Get dressed in your uniform.

1000 Classes or MCI time or just waiting around for the word of what is going to happen.

A few may be put on a working party for Regiment, Battallion or the Company Office where you may be a runner, phone watch, racking dirt, cleaning HQ or even supply helping move or sort or clean.

Classes will be normaly given within the platoon by the squad and fire team leaders. They can be on weapons, ambushes, patrols, navigation, call for fire.

1100/1130 Chow formation
The company forms up to get the word. They are then breifed on what is going on, what will be happened and what to do after chow as well as a status report of what has been accomplished. Then dismissed for chow.

Durring chow you hit the mess hall, the snack shake, the roach coach and a few even sleep or hit the PX or run personal errands that need to be done durring the day.

1300 Noon Formation

Administrative formation to make sure everyone is back from where they have disapeared to durring chow. Any new word is passed.

Weapons are drawn and then they are cleanned.
There may be a few more classes or gun drills/formation immediate action drills

1530 Weapons are turned in and you wait for the word. Maybe a class or study landnav, gunnery, or other things until formation.

1600 Fall out to the company area waiting for formation.

1615/1630 Company Formation:

The CO will address you say "It was a good day we got alot accomplished, we still have alot more to do ......"

1st Sgt will address you with anything he has to say.

Gunnery Sgt

Then you will be dismissed

Then the Platoon Commander and then the Platoon Sgt. Then you are dismissed.

Of course then the Squad Leader may have his thing.

Then you head off for evening chow. Often this is the only time of day that you will go to the Chow Hall.

Evening is spent getting ready for the next day, doing laundry, hitting the base snack shake for soda/beer video games etc, maybe a trip to the base theater, or even going out in town if a freind has a car or you have a car. Other options include reading and listening to music and maybe TV in the company rec room or a buddys room who has a TV and VCR.

Then the night ends and the day is repeated.

The activities are pretty standard. Occasionaly there will be a official class demo from say engineers, maybe a lecture from the Chaplain or SgtMajor asking for money for Navy Releif or something like that. The order of the activities can rotate as well.

Normaly you are expected to fall out 15 minutes prior to the official time of the formation.

And Thursday is a field day. That is where you clean EVERYTHING!!! I mean you clean even the light fixtures Q-Tip clean, remove the plate to electrical outlets Q-tip them everything. And if one person fails the whole company or platoon depending on the CO starts ALL over. I have had field days last until 0400.


So this is what a basic routine day is like
Now you know

Jess

***Taken from a post at *************, Marine Corps Discussions, Wannabe Forum.

Barret
11-19-06, 01:53 PM
That was weird, it didn't let me type the link to the website. sorry. Its at military. com.

SamJohnston
11-19-06, 07:38 PM
So you live in a squad bay in infantry training right?

Barret
11-19-06, 07:55 PM
Me? no, no, sorry. I should have posted something before the page that starts with "So ya wanna be....". I copy and pasted that post from an infantry Marine that put that on the Marine Wannabe forum at Military. com.

Rockabilly
11-19-06, 08:47 PM
Thats an awesome reply. And ill get too sleep in(lol, i wake up at 4am most days) and wrestling is probably the same PT. Thank you alot

Soon2BeVIP
11-19-06, 08:57 PM
Thats an awesome reply. And ill get too sleep in(lol, i wake up at 4am most days) and wrestling is probably the same PT. Thank you alot
Did you just compare Marine Infantry PT to wrestling PT

Rockabilly
11-19-06, 09:35 PM
Did you just compare Marine Infantry PT to wrestling PT

have you ever wrestled?

we start with a 5 mile run halfway through theres a mountain we run up, then a couple super sets of flutter kicks pushups wind sprints and bear crawls then we live wrestle(Which is a harrowing ordeal) for about 2 hours then we start doin crab walks , bear crawls, wind sprints and other misc. conditioning drills and thats a regualr practice when we hit regions it seems like all hell has broken loose

I loose 10-15 lbs of water weight per practice(3 hours)

I realize that it was a broad generalization but I believe that wrestling can be the least bit comparable to that of a marine infantry unit

Rockabilly
11-19-06, 10:28 PM
Also granted I recieve the 03xx MOS can I volunteer for Iraq whilst in SOI?

Christiansen
11-19-06, 10:40 PM
Dude, your wrestling PT sounds like a poolee session. I think you're in for a b*tch slap via reality check.

Soon2BeVIP
11-19-06, 10:53 PM
Dude, your wrestling PT sounds like a poolee session. I think you're in for a b*tch slap via reality check.
Well I wasn't gonna say it that straight forward, but yes I think there will be a big reality check. No doubt it's hard...really hard. I'm just saying there is no way it'll compare to USMC INFANTRY PT. How could it?

Rockabilly
11-19-06, 10:54 PM
Dude, your wrestling PT sounds like a poolee session. I think you're in for a b*tch slap via reality check.

I dont know I have visited some poolee sessions and at the most it was a 3 mile run some pushups/pullups and some history lessons

but hey its a good start and it does get you in shape and builds a load of endurance

Rockabilly
11-19-06, 11:24 PM
I just read up on it and im sorry for making an @ss of myself, but its a good start

Christiansen
11-19-06, 11:25 PM
I donno bro. As far as poolee sessions, I just know even the army recruiters have been known to stand around and gawk at times as those "all star" athletes start to blow chunks. "1.. 2.. 3.. 4.. this-is-what you asked-for!" :)

JoeSzynal
11-20-06, 12:20 AM
Also granted I recieve the 03xx MOS can I volunteer for Iraq whilst in SOI?

No. Even after SOI, it's important to spend as much time training with your unit for months before going to Iraq. I had five months and my NCOs were still concerned it was not enough time. Your NCOs are gonna want to figure out your strengths and weaknesses so they know where to put you. They're also gonna want to teach you how they operate. Without this fleet time in the rear you'd just be a liability, not an asset in Iraq.

Echo_Four_Bravo
11-20-06, 01:20 PM
I don't know about all the poolees saying that wrestling practice can't rival Marine Corps PT. The hardest workouts of my life have been wrestling workouts. It is a different type of PT, but it makes you work, no doubt about that.

That said, just because you can hang in the wrestling room doesn't mean you'll be able to just breeze through the PT you'll run into in the Marine Corps.