Boot Camp RUMORS!

[davblay]

Say Marines, did you ever notice that every time a new batch of Marines Graduate, there are new rumors? Like, "the next Recruites will have it easier than I did, they are shortening Boot Camp, they are building a new, easier, confidence course", etc?

When I went thru in 1969, San Diego, we were told that we were the last platoon that would use the confidence course as they were building a new one that would be much easier! They are still using most of the old one, as far as I know today!

Please post "THE CHANGES" you heard about when you graduated, will ya? Just to prove a point.

Thanks and Semper Fi! :usmc:

[SkilletsUSMC]

Now days the big rumor is that there is no more crucible, or no reaper (west coast) and that stress cards were issued to the company that came after them...

Total BS and yet most Marines seem to buy in.

[yellowwing]

Drill Instructors have got to be the most creative human beings in the world. No matter what Congress and Mothers of America come up with they still get the job done. 60-80 high school pukes must be reforged into the hardest Warriors ever to walk the earth. **** The 300, Sparta ain't got nothing on us!

[semperfi170]

Rumor control is always wide open and operating well! The horror stories of mis-treatment (most ar sheer exagerations) and changes to various aspects always are passed out as the gospel. It amazing to me how the grapevine knows things before the DIs, the commanders, and even those that set policy.

A good example of exageration: one of my recruits was caught writing a letter to Mom when he was supposed to be listening and taking notes. In the letter (this was during 1st phase) he was telling how he was in the desert doing training limited to 1 canteen of water a day, 1 provided meal, and having to eat bugs, plants, and animals they could catch to survive. Also, that they were only given a bayonet to use. What bulls***!! He was eventually dropped to CCP and then discharged.:evilgrin:

[gwladgarwr]

Some rumors:

1) getting rid of the Crucible (March 2001 -never happened)
2) moving the emblem ceremony to Family Day (it came true)
3) we weren't getting deployed after 9/11 because there were enough Marines forward-deployed (we know how this one turned out)
4) my heavy was food service by MOS (true)
5) my heavy had no neck (true; he was not a leatherneck - he was a leather-fireplug)
6) Mr. Rogers, an old-time Marine sharpshooter, was coming to visit Parris Island (never in the service and never came to visit since he was already dead).
7) our DIs were going to give us recruits some beer the night before graduation (never happened, but not because it would be against regs but because they're too stingy).:banana:

Sgt gw

[RLeon]

Some rumors:

6) Mr. Rogers, an old-time Marine sharpshooter, was coming to visit Parris Island (never in the service and never came to visit since he was already dead).
Sgt gw
LOL I heard that one in the Fleet. That the reason why Mr. Rogers wore those long sleeve sweaters was to hide all the tatoos of skulls and stuff he got as a Marine Scout Sniper.

[davblay]

Some rumors:


6) Mr. Rogers, an old-time Marine sharpshooter, was coming to visit Parris Island (never in the service and never came to visit since he was already dead).

This is from Google:

Unless all the biographical information available about him is wrong, Fred McFeely Rogers (http://urbanlegends.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/R/htmlR/rogersfred/rogersfred.htm) never served in the military in any capacity, let alone as a Marine sniper (or Navy Seal, as another version of this apocryphal story claims). Some cynical folks may be loathe to believe that the gentle, soft-spoken host of "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" was exactly what he seemed, but he was.

Fred Rogers won our hearts, true enough; but the rest of the story is hogwash. After graduating from Rollins College in Florida with a degree in music in 1951, he immediately embarked on a broadcasting career -- a career that continued uninterrupted for nearly 50 years, even while he studied for a Bachelor of Divinity degree, eventually becoming an ordained minister in 1962. Far from hiding a secret past as a trained killer, Fred Rogers was an exemplary individual who devoted his entire adult life to educating and bettering the lives of children, and as such he deserves to be remembered.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

[davblay]

When I went thru in 1969, San Diego, we were told that we were the last platoon that would use the confidence course as they were building a new one that would be much easier! They are still using most of the old one, as far as I know today!

We were even told that the next Recruit Series would be training 12 weeks instead of the 8 that we trained! Go figure!

[killerinstinct]

i think my favorite by far and maybe not really a bootcamp thing but the smart cards have tracking chips so if you go UA you need to leave your ID or they'll track you down and really gettin goff subject, what about all those horror stories you hear at safety stand downs or indoc's i heard a story by the corpsman when i checked into my a school and he said a Marine got drunk and went home with a girl and she was on some drug but he couldn't get it up and the girls shoved a pencil in there.

I cringed and every guy was grabbing his crotch and i then asked my buddy sure hope it wasnt a kindergarden pencil..

[echo3oscar1833]

I heard about the stress card thing from some new PFC's that got to the fleet, but I never checked to see if it was true. I heard if you use one the DI's got to leave you alone if you use it, but afterwards your ass was grass if you did, I heard there was a three card limit lol.


I also heard they did away with the "Crucible", my theory is they just renamed it. The "Crucible" has technically been going on since the early days of Boot Camp, they just call it different things, and sometimes it dosnt even have a name it just happens.


Also I you always here about how some recruit died in every cycle, or how another recruit always did something heroic in boot like carrying a dude miles because he hurt himself. I find this to be funny because the guys who claim this didnt even get a award lol.


Plus the old wifes tale of "My Boot was harder than your Boot" especially when the service time apart of those arguing is only like a year.


And my all time favorite, The recruit goes home and tell his parents, and friends, how boot was the hardest thing on earth, and his DI's used to beat him every night, and one time his DI's took him out to the tree line and he beat up his DI. And also tells everyone he is a Expert Judo, Ninja, Twakwondo, Master in the art of fighting and dont mess with me cause I'll kill anyone, even a Navy Seal, because we teach them how to fight lol


These are ones I have heard, and yes when I was a Boot on leave from basic I used the Master Ninja thing, and trust me it didn't work out to well. But thats another story for another day lol
:nerd:

[marinegreen]

We were even told that the next Recruit Series would be training 12 weeks instead of the 8 that we trained! Go figure!


We were in processing 2 weeks and then Daddy's 1, 2, 3, and 4 :evilgrin: came to take us to our new home for 12 glorious weeks of MC Bootcamp. 1st thought to come to mind was : what in the fuq did I get myself into,:scared: lol , but Oooooooohhhhh to have them days back !

:yes: MG

[jetdoc]

Can't find the rumor thread, but there was a post about Dress Blues being issued at Bootcamp...

I have seen the Doc. "Ears open, eyeballs click" several times. Just noticed when the recruits were being fitted for their dress uniforms all of them were being fitted with Dress Blue trousers. They didn't show if they got the whole Dress Blue uniform, however they all got the blue trousers.

[maverickmarine]

Yeah, it seems to go in cycles whether they are issued or not. We all got them issued at for graduation. We were told we were the last to get them. But then a few years later some boots came to our unit that had been issued them as well.

[jetdoc]

Hey Devil Dog, thanks.

[sparkie]

Wish I had a "stress Card" when I got married. One good for the last 36 years.

[dejavu]

Davblay,

Part of that rumor was true. I went through San Diego from June to August in 1969. I never had to run an obstacle course because of construction on the course. Never had the pleasure.

[davblay]

You were starting when i was half finished. But we ate some of the same dirt, I assure you brother, Semper Fi.

[jpal3451]

actually when I was getting ready to leave in march, we were told that the crucible was going to get longer and tougher and that runs were going to be in boots and utes by our DI in the next cycle.....idk if either happened.

[gutinstinct]

I heard about the stress card thing from some new PFC's that got to the fleet, but I never checked to see if it was true. I heard if you use one the DI's got to leave you alone if you use it, but afterwards your ass was grass if you did, I heard there was a three card limit lol.


I also heard they did away with the "Crucible", my theory is they just renamed it. The "Crucible" has technically been going on since the early days of Boot Camp, they just call it different things, and sometimes it dosnt even have a name it just happens.


Also I you always here about how some recruit died in every cycle, or how another recruit always did something heroic in boot like carrying a dude miles because he hurt himself. I find this to be funny because the guys who claim this didnt even get a award lol.


Plus the old wifes tale of "My Boot was harder than your Boot" especially when the service time apart of those arguing is only like a year.


And my all time favorite, The recruit goes home and tell his parents, and friends, how boot was the hardest thing on earth, and his DI's used to beat him every night, and one time his DI's took him out to the tree line and he beat up his DI. And also tells everyone he is a Expert Judo, Ninja, Twakwondo, Master in the art of fighting and dont mess with me cause I'll kill anyone, even a Navy Seal, because we teach them how to fight lol


These are ones I have heard, and yes when I was a Boot on leave from basic I used the Master Ninja thing, and trust me it didn't work out to well. But thats another story for another day lol
:nerd:Once again I am lost. :( What are stress cards ?

[jrhd97]

I remember being told at P.I that Don Knotts was the most feared D.I there. He really served in the Army in WWII.

We even heard about stress cards. B.S

Always heard about all the evil things done to 3bn since they were out in the woods, away from prying eyes.

[LeonardLawrence]

We had a rumor at SOI one day that the Commandant was coming for a formation and the Corps was downsizing. Any Marine that wanted out, was out with an honorable discharge and seperation money.

Turned out to be a company formation to take away our liberty for the weekend...and march to chow.:beer:

[LeonardLawrence]

LOL I heard that one in the Fleet. That the reason why Mr. Rogers wore those long sleeve sweaters was to hide all the tatoos of skulls and stuff he got as a Marine Scout Sniper.

I read that Mr. Rogers Mother actually made most of his sweaters :scared:

He may have not done service but I am sure Lady Fairchild and Mr. McFeely helped take Okinawa.
http://static.flickr.com/44/127129111_8b46efc6b8_m.jpg

[Gunny C]

A few of the rumors that you can confirm include that some idiot DI beat kids with tent poles and made them chug copious amounts of water before diving headling into trash cans....

I've confirmed that this has been claimed (unfortunately) . All I got to say is that guilty or not, this idiot has set the Corps back 20 years in the eyes of our hard working recruiters....