View Full Version : How mutch time is alotted for mail call?
kenny256544
02-13-07, 07:06 PM
Just wondering... Everyone wants me to send them a letter, but i doubt i will have that mutch time. Also how do i go about bringing their addresses with me. I've been told not to bring anything.
You can take a small notepad with addresses in it. You could also jot down all addresses on a sheet of paper and have your mom mail it too you after she recieves your first letter. The only real down time that you could write a letter is Sundays, but you can always go take a prolonged head call after lights out and write as many letters as you want. There are mailboxes near the chow hall that you can deposit letters in after chow. The trick is write letters after lights out then stick them in the cargo pocket of your trousers before you hit the rack, then remind yourself to drop them in the mailbox at chow time.
A warning: If you are in the head writing letters when you should be sleeping and fall asleep in class the next day there WILL be hell to pay. Mail is good but it aint a cell phone and your pimary concern at boot camp is accomplishing the mission of earning the right to wear the Eagle Globe and Anchor.
kenny256544
02-13-07, 09:06 PM
Aye aye sir ill keep that in mind. Thanks.:D
Allen870922
02-13-07, 09:29 PM
Well, you get your hour of square away time. I usually tried to write one then but it always took me a day or 2 to actually finish a letter if I used my square away time. As the Marine said, use the late/early hour head calls and Sunday mornings to write the letters. Don't write your letters during firewatch, class, or anytime other than what was already said. But remember also that you only get 8 hours of sleep, 7 hours if you have firewatch(6 if you manage to **** off a DI enough). You're gonna be tired all the time. So you kinda gotta decide on if writing a letter is worth losing some precious rack time.
*edit*
Also, mail call is just the part where you get the letters. Square away/"Free" time is the only time that you are allowed to read or write letters.
Things sure have changed. In my time ... from 2100 to 2200 you had to accomplish the 3 S's then set up your bunk for evening inspection. There was brass to polish... boots to shine ... and a foot locker to make sure was ship shape.
Echo_Four_Bravo
02-13-07, 11:31 PM
Well, they don't polish those boots they wear now, and I assume they have the riggers belts in Boot Camp as well. So, that is two fewer things to do. Of course, we didn't get free time for quite some time. In fact, it started for us after the rifle range.
kenny256544
02-13-07, 11:32 PM
i just hope they dont kill me for being too tall... its gotta make them mad a little
LoCapitano
02-13-07, 11:52 PM
How tall are you, I had a cat in my Plt that was 6'5''
Oh and in Boot camp you wear the web belts, but you have the anodized ones, so you never have to shine it...
Jfloirendo
02-14-07, 11:05 AM
Yea you can write letters after lights if you want to but in my platoon if you got caught there would be hell to pay. It took about 2 nights of square-away time for me to write a decent letter but sometimes I was able to write 2 letters. And thats true dont ever write a letter on firewatch, class you can get away with it as long as you arent completely absorbed in it, but its true you begin to cherish sleeping especially since most likely you'll be awoken by your drill instructors like 10 minutes before lights to start moving around. And if your Drill Instructors run it correctly you should just have to give your letters to the scribe or put them in the scribe box and the scribe will take them to the mail box before morning chow.
I Would Attempt To Write After Lights Out But When Our Di For The Night Would Check Our Rifles To See If They Were Secured Or Not, Theyd Randomnly Slide Their Hands Uner Your Pillow To See If You Were Hiding Something. I Always Took Advantage Of Lights Out, I Slept. Some Females Would Stay Up For An Hour Or Two And Write. Square Away Time On Sunday, A Four Hour Block, And Thats When I Took The Time To Write. The One Hour Block Each Day Is Usually Taken Up By Squaring Away Your Squadbday Because Your Di For The Night Decided To Trash Your House. But, If Its Not, And Once Your Done Getting Your Mail , Which Was Usually Whipped Into The Air, Youll Get Your Square Away Time. Honestly, People Wrote Me, I Never Had Time To Write Them. I Used My Time Wisely! Oh And We Never Got To Take Our Mail To The Box Ourselves. We Had A Mail Recruit. We Gave Our Mail To Them At Night And They Took It On Our Way To Chow In The Morning.
Allen870922
02-14-07, 06:23 PM
most likely you'll be awoken by your drill instructors like 10 minutes before lights to start moving around.
Or the 10 minutes before lights when the Drill Instructor is messing with the Firewatch.
Letters should be the last thing on your mind, honestly. Do you think Marines in combat get much time for letters?
SkilletsUSMC
02-14-07, 07:06 PM
Things sure have changed. In my time ... from 2100 to 2200 you had to accomplish the 3 S's then set up your bunk for evening inspection. There was brass to polish... boots to shine ... and a foot locker to make sure was ship shape.
Thats the ame thing as "square away" time. 99% of the time you are busy re=marking your gear, or some other time consuming task. You dont really have time to do anything except get squared away.
Well, they don't polish those boots they wear now, and I assume they have the riggers belts in Boot Camp as well. So, that is two fewer things to do. Of course, we didn't get free time for quite some time. In fact, it started for us after the rifle range.
Negative the riggers belt is given after the crucible, I just made sure my gear was always squared away. Plus the new riggers belts arn't brass. I never really had to polish it just run a rag over it for a minute. And I rolled sleaves in my rack. With good upkeep i technically had 5 minutes to write a letter. So i would start one and finish it like a week later
cplbrooks
02-14-07, 10:38 PM
You get an hour a night and a few hours on Sundays. Write as many letters as you can because the more you write, the more you get back. Letters = Motivation in boot camp. You can bring a small address book with you to boot camp.
Honestly Its better to Do some extra PT when every night after phase one. We went to rifle range and the SDI kept us from getting ****ed up while we where shooting. We could still individually for leaving the saftey on. Get ya ready for the PFT.
kenny256544
02-15-07, 12:28 PM
I'm 6'6 lol... with grey hair too. I hear they will LOVE that.
Thank for all the feedback btw.
Zulu 36
02-15-07, 12:50 PM
I'm 6'6 lol... with grey hair too. I hear they will LOVE that.
Thank for all the feedback btw.
The 6'6" they'll see. The grey hair won't be as visible . . . :D
They'll probably tease you and say you should have gone into Navy submarines as a periscope, or something like that.