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SlingerDun
07-30-07, 12:03 AM
One of our guys was sent there when he failed to qualify at Edson range. After about 1 week he qualified and rejoined our platoon with the wind knocked out of his sails. He'd been spooked to the point he wouldn't talk about anything even when allowed and i never saw him after bootcamp. Anybody know the goings on in "UNQ" Platoon?

--->Dave

davblay
07-30-07, 09:52 AM
I guess I have finally become OLD Corps, I never heard of that "UNQUAL PLT". In my day if you unqual'd you were dropped two weeks to start the whole Rifle Range thing all over again. You were in another platoon and never returned. It happened to a buddy of mine while I was there in MCRDSD, in 1969.

I do know that there were a few things we always dreaded failing, the PFT- you were sent to PCP, loss of motivation- you were sent to Motivation Platoon, Rifle Range Unqual- you were set back two weeks. When these recruits returned to training it was always in another platoon (unless it was "ONE DAY MOTIVATION). Along with being re-assigned they had the stigma of being "F***ING PICK UPS" for the duration of training, by everyone. Of course if you got sick and stayed in the hospital, you went to another platoon as well when you were able, the same stigma applied to them as no one knew which was which. It's just nothing that we had time to talk about and the DIs never saw fit to explain why they were Pick Ups.

Like I said, times have changed since my day, but I am sure that some of the younger Marines can correct/update my post for you. I truly hope I have helped you in some small way.

SlingerDun
07-30-07, 04:00 PM
Thanks for that, I had forgotten about the PCP and motivation platoons hhhmmm I do remember standing on the bleachers inside the swim tank at Diego and hearing shouts mixed with construction sounds. I looked out the window to a fenced off yard where CCU slaves with sledge hammers were literally having a go at making gravel from boulders, while a few had layed down their hammers for a thrashing.

Come to think of it the logistics of 'UNQ" platoon corresponded with the rest of the series being on mess and maintenance duty so the non-qualifiers really weren't missing out on any important training perhaps thats why he was returned to us, and when he came back he was marginally qualified as marksmen and had nothing to say. I guess some people no matter how intense the training just cant hold and squeeze.

--->Dave

Zulu 36
07-30-07, 05:01 PM
In 1971 it was done like with SlingerDun's time. Mess and Maintenance followed the range and the Unqs went to shoot again for the week. If you qualified that week, you went back to your platoon, if you didn't, you were dropped for another two week session.

The night of qualification day, the unqualifieds had a massive ass kicking session with the Kill Hat. He made them do bends and thrusts for a while to get them breathing hard, then he put them in the sweat locker with a bucket of ammonia while he scrounged up a right and left hand shooting glove.

After about a half hour in the locker, the Hat started pulling them out one at a time, shouting shooting related questions at them, then punching them in the gut or chest as they were answering. "LOUDER, you non-shooting piece of sh*t, LOUDER!!!"

Man, was I ever glad I shot sharpshooter that day.

ggyoung
07-30-07, 05:28 PM
In my platoon 336 1964 we didnot have 1 unk. A pvt by the name of Scott brook the Camp Mathues(sp) range high score. We also had the highest number of "expert" that had gone through Camp Mathues. We got to ride back in trucks. Brigadear General Huchmouth ( I hope I spelled his name right)was there to great us. He was later to become the highst rank killed in Vietnam.