Medical Platoon in Boot Camp

[Jarhead2be]

I'm leaving for MCRDPI this coming Monday and I was told that since I have a hernia that I will be put on a medical platoon when I arrive. I'm just wondering what it is you do on this platoon and how long it might take me to recover and get through Boot Camp?. Thank You.

[jinelson]

Charles I have never been in MRP but I have met some recruits that have been. I actualy met them at MCRDSD graduations and they were allowed to attend the family day and graduations of their platoons. I could tell that they were really bummed out watching their fellow recruits become Marines. It was however a motivation for them to get better and finish the process so they could join them. I tried to find some good information for you on the web and came across a Marine Moms site that visits MRP and PCP every Christmas Day and Easter at MCRD San Diego. Im posting the link below for you it has many photos that will at least give you a feel for what its like. I wish you good luck and a speedy recovery so that you can achieve your goal to become one of the few.

Jim

http://uneeknet.com/brian/photos/mcrd_xmas/2005/index.html

[Echo_Four_Bravo]

Why would you go to boot camp knowing you're going to the MRP? Why would they allow you to do so? Doesn't make any sense at all.

From someone that spent time in MRP, trust me- STAY AWAY IF YOU CAN! There is nothing worse than sitting there being a recruit, but not making any progress towards earning the Title. You do very little all day. The small amount of PT or rehab you have to do will not take up much time, a trip to sick call comes as needed, and the rest of the time you are sitting doing nothing of any real use.

Heal now, go to boot camp when you are able to begin training.

[Jarhead2be]

Thank you both for the information, the answer to your question about why I would go knowing that I was going on the medical platoon is that I was advised by my recruiter and the doc that it would be much easier to get it taken care of there and get the feel of things than to get surgery here and pay a good amount of money and have to wait another 60 days and then get cleared through the doc again, which involves more paperwork, I was willing to do that but I followed the advice of my recruiter ( who is a very good and straight forward and never has gave me bad advice or try to talk me into things) and the doc who I feel is probably alot more experienced than me.

[jebollenbach]

Why would you go to boot camp knowing you're going to the MRP? Why would they allow you to do so? Doesn't make any sense at all.

From someone that spent time in MRP, trust me- STAY AWAY IF YOU CAN! There is nothing worse than sitting there being a recruit, but not making any progress towards earning the Title. You do very little all day. The small amount of PT or rehab you have to do will not take up much time, a trip to sick call comes as needed, and the rest of the time you are sitting doing nothing of any real use.

Heal now, go to boot camp when you are able to begin training.

I agree, as a former DI I don't understand why you would want to go to boot camp knowing you were not going to train. Your recruiter is only thinking of himself and getting his numbers. You will most likely heal faster at home. Think this over and get another ship date. I promise PI is not going anywhere.

[SgtHMH]

Why would you go to Boot Camp, get on the Yellow Foot Prints. Get a hair cut and your sea bag full of gear. Then get walked or driven over to medical for surg or what ever. Are they going to fix you there at MCRD or you already had surg for it ? You should have surg first for it then get healed then go to Boot Camp. Or you are getting some sort of Military Medical treatment thing set up for you ? I never heard of a civilian getting off the bus at the Depot and going to Medical right away. Hair cut and then sick bay, sound off ?

Sgt. Hoss

[STA0311]

Yeah...lets sit around and watch everyone else become a Marine. F That, nothing like having to go to bed when told, marched around like a 2 year old, and yelled at all day for nothing when you could sleep in and heal properly! Paperwork may take an extra 60 days...but the Corps and MCRDPI will still be there!

[GySgtRet]

recruits but not for the ones that are really going through recruit training. I agree this should not happen they should be they should be healthy before going to MCRD. We were not permitted to send anybody from Baffalo New York with anything like this. This is a waste of time and could be linked to why some of the recruits have died mesteriously.

[Marine84]

Your Recruiter is trying to hit a number with you.............I'm with all the other Marines in this bunch - why would you WANT to go to MCRD and go straight into a medical platoon? The time you spend in it DOES NOT count towards graduation or anything else that matters in the scheme of things.

[Old Marine]

You haven't even hit the yellow footprints yet and you are talking about becoming a "Sick Bay Commando". Stay at home, get fixed then get a ship date.

[outlaw3179]

All of these Marines are 100% correct. Stay at home and heal up. Get better and then when your 100% then go.

[Jarhead2be]

I agree with all of you, the thing is that fininacally (I kno its spelled wrong I dont know how to spell it.) I cant pay for the surgery then sit around till I heal. But thats the last thing that I want to do is sit around and watch my fellow recruits graduate before me. I've been waiting for this for so long I just want to get there and earn my title of United States Marine!. Thank you all for the advice, and if you have any suggestions of what I should tell my recruiter if I decide to get it taken care of here, since my ship date is within the next 2 weeks it would be helpful. Thanks again

[USMCVet1992]

Just as almost every other Marine here has said, go get yourself fixed up. A hernia operation is no big deal. I worked as a Security Contractor in New Orleans after Katrina, and had to go home to Utah to get a hernia repaired. The surgery lasted a little over an hour, and recovery was about three days. I would give it about six months minimum before going to boot camp. You need to give it all time to heal. I was back in action after three days, but i wasnt doing 300 situps per day and 10 million pushups every day. Give it time, the Marine Corps isnt going anywhere.
:usmc:

[killerinstinct]

Yea i agree with vet. The best would to be wait until you are fully healed. Worst scenario is you might not heal and have another problem and they medically discharge you for being in boot camp...

[Echo_Four_Bravo]

Telling your recruiter is simple. Print this thread, show it to him, and then tell him I said to kiss your @$$. I find it highly irresponsible for the recruiter and the MEPS doctor to allow a person to enter the military that is not physically able to become a Marine. That is the entire reason there is a physical to enter and that some people are turned away during that process.

[Camper51]

I think everyone has missed the point here.

Jarhead2be has stated he can NOT afford the operation financially, nor can he afford to be out of work during the recovery time.

In his case it makes sense to let the Corps do it for him so that he can both get the operation, and serve in the Corps.

Jarhead2be needs to do what is best for him, and spending time in a medical platoon may be his only ticket to the Corps since he cannot afford to fix himself first...

I don't know if it's legal or ethical for the Corps to let him head off but if MEPS and his recruiter send him with their blessing then they may know something we don't...

[Echo_Four_Bravo]

I don't know if it's legal or ethical for the Corps to let him head off but if MEPS and his recruiter send him with their blessing then they may know something we don't...

There is nothing they could know that would make this OK. It is an affront to the system and a misuse of taxpayer dollars to have a preexisting injury corrected on the Marine Corps' dime. I understand the situation, I just don't like it. And I can't fathom going to MRP on purpose. It isn't a good place to be. There is no way I could be convinced that it wouldn't be a better decision to go get a civilian job, pay for the surgery, wait to recover, and then enlist.

[Camper51]

There is nothing they could know that would make this OK. It is an affront to the system and a misuse of taxpayer dollars to have a preexisting injury corrected on the Marine Corps' dime. I understand the situation, I just don't like it. And I can't fathom going to MRP on purpose. It isn't a good place to be. There is no way I could be convinced that it wouldn't be a better decision to go get a civilian job, pay for the surgery, wait to recover, and then enlist.


So you also would agree that the Corps should NOT allow anyone in who needs dental work, etc??? Seems to me that a minor hernia operation and dental or major dental work might be pretty similar in cost to the taxpayer's dime!!! You cannot possibly say one is ok and the other is not, not when the basic premise is NOT to spend taxpayer money to fix up a problem.

The Corps does dental work all the time on new recruits. Why say one thing is ok and the other is not when the premise of denial is the same exact thing???

PS: I had a lot of dental work done in boot camp and beyond because my family was too f*ckin poor to afford it before I went in...

[Dave Coup]

Concur wiyh all the advice to stay home. I was at a graduation a while back and had the misfortune to si near a bunch of recruits from a medical platoon who had to sit and listen to a Drill Instructor stand there and harass them in front of a bunch of civilians. I think he was just showing off for the civvies but why go thru that for no good reason. Aside from getting the medical care I can't think of a good reason to sit around and get demoralized and f#$5d with.

__________
"I may be to old to fight in Iraq, but I can still build fence in Texas"
Semper Fidelis

Dave

[Echo_Four_Bravo]

No Camper, I wouldn't say that it is the same, and I feel totally OK saying that they aren't the same. If you have dental problems, you can train to become a Marine. Having a head full of messed up teeth will not keep you from running, climbing a rope, or performing drill movements. A hernia will. Therefore, they are not really related to one another.

[Camper51]

No Camper, I wouldn't say that it is the same, and I feel totally OK saying that they aren't the same. If you have dental problems, you can train to become a Marine. Having a head full of messed up teeth will not keep you from running, climbing a rope, or performing drill movements. A hernia will. Therefore, they are not really related to one another.

You avoid the obvious. YOU specifically said you don't want taxpayer dollars spent on fixing peoples medical problems, now you say it's ok because they can train. Make up your mind you can't logically have it both ways because it is still paying taxpayer money to fix pre existing problems. Kind of like saying it's ok to steal a pencil from work but not from K-mart. Stealing is stealing, how can one be any different than the other?

Can you really train properly and learn if your mouth is in great pain? I think not because you are more concerned with the pain than learning what the instructor is trying to teach you...

[STA0311]

I agree with E4B...its apples to oranges. I had a Hernia when I was out at Stone Bay and it sucked, I had surgery at LeJeune and was out boogie boarding within a month. However with Class 2 or 3 teeth I could still pass a PFT with a high score...maybe not so much with a hernia.

[Camper51]

Dayum I love playin the DA...

[STA0311]

But hey...who am I to judge this kids motives. If he wants to go to MCRD and sit in the Broke D*ck Platoon and waste time then that is all good. I just hope his surgery goes well and doesnt end up creating more problems.

[Echo_Four_Bravo]

Camper, I just don't consider teeth to be a medical problem. I've had my share of dental issues, and it never kept me from doing what needed to be done. I have had some medical issues that put me on the sidelines for some time.

I guess I look at it like this. When I went to MEPS, they checked to see if I had a hernia. They didn't check to see if I had a cavity or a tooth ache. If he were to arrive at MCRD and then it was discovered that he had a hernia, then it should be fixed just like it would be for any other member of the military. But, to have him going in knowing that there is a problem is skirting the system. That is one of the reasons you take a physical, so they know that the people signing up are healthy and able to train. In this case, the person doesn't fit into that group.

You know, I would wager that we could find a way to raise the money for his surgery, so he wouldn't have to pay for it out of pocket, he could get well, and then go on to enlist and become a Marine. The way I see it, that would be the proper thing for us to do as Marines, and it would keep from using the system in an improper way.

[Marine84]

Hopefully when this kid gets to MEPS and gets prodded (for lack of a better word), they turn him around. It could all turn out to bite YOU in the butt with an early termination for breach of contract on your part. He'll just get his hand slapped.

I feel for you being in the situation that you're in but there are several ways that you can take care of this as a civilian and then tackle Marine Corps bootcamp. Once you get through bootcamp, you can set your check up to where they'll automatically send money to the hospital for payment every payday. No problem.

[SgtHMH]

The Recruiter is a NCO, as a NCO your first main job is to take care of your troops. What is taking place here ? I think as Marine NCOs and Veteran Marines we could help this Poolee out. Before he goes to Boot Camp, help him out some how in getting this surg done. As we all know the big green weenie will play games. With all the members on this site, this is a issue that needs to be brought up in the lime light. How do you Pop a Flare ? What do you think Marines ? Sound Off !!!

Sgt. Hoss

[Echo_Four_Bravo]

I would gladly send a check for $50 or $100 to a fund set up to help this young Marine-in-waiting get things taken care of before e ships to MCRD. I'm not going to be the one to set up such a fund just because of the demands for being able to show exactly how much money came in, where it went, etc. However, if someone here has the time to do it, I'll be the first to help.

[Old Marine]

I had a recruit in one of my platoons back during Nam when you could not drop any pvts and the doctor called me and said that this kid has a wired jaw. The question was did I want to keep him or send him home. Home sounded like the best option and away he went. Seems he had been in a fight and had his jaw broken. Could only imagine him in a pugil stick fight.

[Echo_Four_Bravo]

I have to tip my hat to the guy for trying with a broken jaw. In a time when a lot of people were doing anything they could to avoid going in the military, he was trying to get in.

[Jarhead2be]

First of all I want to thank everyone for thier replies and secondly I dont want to be the one to cause arguments or heated discussions between Marines, I appreciate the suggestion of donating the money for the surgery, but wouldn't be able to accept it because I dont want people to shell out thier hard earned money on me, I'm going to call tomorrow and ask about setting up a payment plan with the hospital about the surgery because I didnt know that was possible as Marine84 pointed out. I would ignore the hernia and go on through boot camp if I was allowed, I worked with it for a while and it didn't even bother me till they told me I had one. I just want to be a Marine, it has been a dream of mine since I was 16, I just didn't step up to the plate till now because of personal issues. I will sit around and get yelled at or demoralized or whatever it takes as long as I know that I'm on that path to becoming a Marine. I'm just wanting to get out of my town and away from all the negativity that could hinder me from doing that. The only thing is that my ship out date is the 27th not even four days away and I dont want to anger anyone and ruin chances by all of sudden deciding to get the surgery here. Any suggestions?. Thank you once again. Happy Thanksgiving!

[Echo_Four_Bravo]

Don't worry about us arguing. It is what Marines do.

If you're going to go, you're going to go and there isn't a thing any of us can do about it. If you do, try to stay motivated while you're in MRP. It can be hard because there are people there waiting to heal enough to go home. Those people can have a real negative impact on you while you're there. Study your knowledge, you'll be able to take the practical exams while you're there and that is a plus. Look for ways to make your time there as productive as possible. It is hard, but you can pick some things up. Talk to recruits that are further along in training and learn from their experiences. Help those that arrive in MRP after you've been there a week or two. Just stay away from the people with bad attitudes.

[jinelson]

Charles at this point just let it roll and let the chips fall where they fall. You have heart and a strong motivated desire, thats what it takes. Pay close attention to the wise words of Echo Four Bravo and put them into action. Stay moto and beat the negativity and you will survive and earn your eagle, globe and anchor. I wish the best of luck to you. Check in with us when you return, Im sure that you will have an inspirational and motivating story for us.

Jim

[Dave Coup]

Good luck young man. E4B gave good advice. Follow that advice and I think you'll do well.

Dave

[CH46PCCDI]

I can't help but jump in on this topic! My thoughts on the topic and some of the replies:

1. It is highly likely that your recruiter is breaking multiple regulations by advising you to essentially lie about your medical condition. If they do not catch it before you leave MEPS, I would be surprised if the MEPS staff did not ask you about your physical health. If you lie and say you are OK, you could possibly leave yourself open to punitive action later. Likely? Probably not, but do you really want to start out your career like that?

2. If you, or anyone else, thinks that you are going to get through boot camp without making the hernia worse.......think again. The exertion you have to use is great on a daily (hourly? hourly!) basis. And when you are finally put in MRP, the worst thing happens......

3. ....you become one of the DI's most hated things: a "pick up private". I think DIs hate them is mostly because they add more work. :P Of course, the stigma of being in PCP or MRP is strong, which in many cases is not deserved. Anyway, I was a "pick up private" that was picked up after RFTD and the first words out of the DI's mouth, before my bags even hit the floor, were: "Bend, b|tch!". Lol, sorry about the swear, it's a must for emphasis! The short of it is DON'T GET DROPPED TO MRP!! PLEEEAASSE! lol

4. I have always thought that people that truly (not joking) thought of MRP recruits as Broke D|cks....or thought anything less of us that went to MRP....were pretty ignorant of what the experience was like. Yes, there are hypochondriacs and skaters there. But my story is more prevalent I think: broke my foot running up and down and up and down Mt. Mother; walked, ran, and got bent on a broken foot for a week until my SDI MADE ME go to sick call (screw getting dropped!); was experimented on by DIs who wanted to figure out best way to get around medical restrictions to bend us; had to endure watching my original platoon graduate w/o me; was put thru much more physical and mental torment as a pick up private than the average recruit. Damn, we actually kick ass! :marine:

Whew! Yeah, maybe this post was "put to bed", but it was pretty interesting!

[Echo_Four_Bravo]

I was a pick-up as well. I didn't make it to the squad bay, they sent me to the pit between MRP and the squad bay the company lived in.