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View Full Version : The good the bad and the ugly of MCRDs



davblay
05-10-08, 02:29 AM
For generations we have bickered about which Depot is the hardest, Well here is a place to compare, As One person can not speak for the entire Platoon or Series, lets post what was better and what was worse about your personal training at each of the Boot Camps, Parris Island, or San Diego. List every thing that you think was better, and post what was worse than the other recruit depot, from your prospective, Take your time and write as many posts as you see fit if you remember something else, just make a new posts.

Remember that your prospective was that of a teenager going thru Boot Camp, not the Marine that you are now!

Semper Fi Marines ONLY

Dave

semperfi170
05-10-08, 06:14 AM
Worst part of MCDRSD - the jets interfering with being able to hear the Drill Instructors, then getting PT or Rifle PT for screwing a up a movement. Sand drill also to make life miserable. The sand is everywhere and deep, dry, and very fine.

jrhd97
05-10-08, 09:50 AM
Worst of MCRDPI- Sand Fleas, annoying little bstrds. Don't dare slap at one! The heat and hummidity, start sweating when you step through the hatch for morning chow.

jackson07
05-10-08, 09:51 AM
Mountains..hills... etc.. at MCRDSD

Coachgun
05-10-08, 10:29 PM
The jets were bad during drill and untill you got used to them sleep was almost impossible (MCRDSD)

Cpl Keller
05-10-08, 10:38 PM
I agree that the sand fleas at MCRDPI were one of the worst aspects.

For the marines who went to MCRDSD- did it ever rain there? Because when i went to PI, there wasn't such a thing as the "Crucible" yet, but i remember that during our "week in the woods" it rained at least 50% of the time. I remember having to sleep in a few inches of water a couple of nights.

Oh, and listening to the female recruits train, but knowing we wouldn't be seeing any women for a few months wasn't any fun either :D

Wyoming
05-10-08, 10:47 PM
Hmmm, a Winger here, but Boot was Boot.

MCRDSD. It did rain, and yeah, the airport is next door, BUT, I truly don't remember hearing it or it being a nuisance. This was in '65, and our quonset huts were real close to the runway.

No Crucible. No leave between Boot and ITR. No week in the woods.

Just boot, rifle range, finish boot, ITR, a bit of leave, to a Squadron at MCAF Santa Ana, to the RVN, and back to LTA.

ExPISCDI83
05-10-08, 11:45 PM
I am sorry. Maybe I missed something, but was that boy scout camp in California difficult?

I always wondered when I was a DI at the Marine Corps' premiere recruit training facility (Parris Island), why some DIs from "that other place on the left coast" came to see what we did and how we were doing it, asking questions, etc... but I never heard of any Parris Island Hats going there??? It always seemed curious to me. ;-)

davblay
05-10-08, 11:52 PM
I am sorry. Maybe I missed something,


Thank you for that insight Sgt, but it's a little off topic. I said "from a teenagers prospective going thru Boot Camp, not the Marine you are now"!

Dave

SlingerDun
05-11-08, 12:03 AM
I am sorry. Maybe I missed something, but was that boy scout camp in California difficult?Well sure it was for a boy. One of my DI's in a camp fire moment said: Privates' i went to Paris Island...and what were putting you ass holes through is more than what i had to tolerate. Well! he cringed in disgust as soon he said it, and of course us boys with our acute emotional radar sensed in him a tone of hushed immediate regret.

AAhhh but i think the toughest part was looking north towards the Balboa hills and seeing those lovely homes with palm trees swaying in the pleasant breeze and watching the DI's leave at night in their convertibles:marine:

jetdawgg
05-11-08, 06:22 AM
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/70/166537225_f4eeade61d.jpg
http://beaufortusa.com/images/sandflea.jpg

Quinbo
05-11-08, 06:55 AM
The one thing I absolutely hated was called squadbay west. We would move all the racks and footlockers against the west wall of the squadbay and create a minnie grinder so that we could drill indoors.

You wanna move slow fine put it all back. Now squadbay west. Platoon shouts "squadbay west aye aye sir" and the scramble begins. So you still want to move slow freeze. "freeze private freeze". If one of those racks or foot lockers touches the deck we can do this all night. You're standing there holding one end of the rack 6 inches off the deck feeling like you are going to die. Ok you want to let it touch the deck good. Put everything back. Everyone get your footlockers. Hold em out at arms length. With your footlocker port arms.... right shoulder arms. You hear all your junk falling to one end of the footlocker and think to yourself "it's gonna take forever to reorganize all that crap". Ok now squadbay west. We would then practice drill.
Nothing else in boot camp is such a vivid memory. Most was just a blur.

I recently watched an air force basic training video and the one thing that stood out to me was that the recruits walked every where almost a lazy walk at that. Fall in .... they walked to formation. Fall out ... they walked to the dorms. Oh I also noticed it was co-ed. They entirely lacked the speed and intensity of Marine boot camp.

Marine84
05-11-08, 07:43 AM
Worse part - Definitely the sandfleas, heat, humidity, thunderstorms when we were in the woods.

Best part.............no hills to run (THAT was a bonus!)

Old Marine
05-11-08, 08:56 AM
You cannot compare the two Recruit Depots unless you have attended Bot Camp at both. The both use the same SOP for Recruit Training.

jrhd97
05-11-08, 08:56 AM
Whats worse, humpen it out in hills or sand and mud. Did both and they both suck.

JMartinez
05-12-08, 03:25 PM
All my D.I.'s were recruits at P. I. South Carolina and they said it was the same basic training. They became D.I.'s at MCRDSD so enough said about that. The Bad was Mount Mother F__ker and the jets taking off everyday. I was stationed at Camp Pendleton from 1989-1991 and those Devil Dogs from P.I. just could not run up the Hills or Mountains (whatever you want to call them). Many of my fellow Sergeants became D.I.'s at MCRDPI and they all made it easily through D.I. School at (MCRDPI) the home of those world famous sand fleas. All my Instructors at NCO school in Okinawa were former D.I.'s from MCRDPI and they still could not break this Hollywood Devildog. Hey there Leathernecks do not take offense to my reply! We are all Marines whether from Hollywood or Sand Flea Heaven!

:flag: :iwo: :thumbup:

Semper Fi!

Zulu 36
05-12-08, 04:32 PM
I hated the jets at MCRDSD and I know the DIs did too (one of the "bennies" of being Scribe was sometimes getting to hear them ***** at one another). Of course we paid for screwing up drill commands due to jet noise.

In 1971 there was no such thing as "noise abatement" at civlian airports yet, so the engines were L-O-U-D, especially when on the PT field (one chain link fence away from the runway).

And I agree with the sand pits. I didn't think it was possible to bury M-14s that deep without shovels. :(

chicoluv USMC
05-12-08, 04:56 PM
I remember in E-Beach (Elliot) MCRDPI.Those damn low crawls .By the time I went home .The scabs were still embended on the elbows & Knees .And on top of that ,the sand fleas that traveled in the seabag .

MotivatorOfTheGuard
05-12-08, 04:58 PM
The worst part for me was watching the Airlines take off, and thinking to myself, those people on those planes have no idea how good they have it. Once i was caught looking at the planes, and my 3rd Hat said "You wan't a plane? I'll give you a plane!". I never found out what he meant by this, but it still worries me to this day what an airplane would have been. Other than that, i think the hardest part about Boot, no shet, is just having to wake up early every morning. That and paying for others mistakes.

jrhd97
05-12-08, 05:05 PM
At 1st Bn barraks in PI you could see across the swamp. Every now and then you could see some one out there fishing. That sucked.

outlaw3179
05-12-08, 05:49 PM
East Coast ...Isnt that where the girls train?

Sand Fleas . Wow.





I am sorry. Maybe I missed something, but was that boy scout camp in California difficult?

I always wondered when I was a DI at the Marine Corps' premiere recruit training facility (Parris Island), why some DIs from "that other place on the left coast" came to see what we did and how we were doing it, asking questions, etc... but I never heard of any Parris Island Hats going there??? It always seemed curious to me. ;-)

E5NAMKROW
05-12-08, 06:00 PM
The Heat/humidity And The Remote Feeling Of The Place. The Humps On The Ole Asphalt Airfield, The Sand Fleas. P.i. Was Not What I Would Have Referred To As A Fun Place. Of Course The Stories About Gators Prior To Boot Training Didnt Help.

chicoluv USMC
05-13-08, 11:40 AM
At 1st Bn barraks in PI you could see across the swamp. Every now and then you could see some one out there fishing. That sucked.
Oh wow ,I use to look out the SB window during Fire watch .Nice view when in the first phase ,top floor /3rd fl.In the night,you were able to see the jets departing from far out the swamp in 1st Bin .Plt 1072 .:usmc:

darkgreen0311
05-13-08, 01:33 PM
At MCRD San Diego we didn't have women to look at. You guys who went to P.I at least had Women Recruits to look at.










:marine: :flag: SEMPER FI 4 LIFE
YOURS IS NOT TO QUESTION WHY BUT TO DO OR DIE!!!

ZSKI
05-13-08, 02:01 PM
At 1st Bn barraks in PI you could see across the swamp. Every now and then you could see some one out there fishing. That sucked.
ah yes we had to worry about the ocasional gator that managed to find its way into the ladderwell

Another was the old abandoned runway that we always humped on it was a ****ing maze overthere i had no idea where we were, not to mention it was wide open no shade so when you humped from there to a-line durring the crucible the sun beating down on you was ****ty especially since we had no camel baks and wern't aloud to drink from canteens till we got there. Then the patrol back sucked too.

sscjoe
05-13-08, 02:02 PM
I went to P.I. and never saw any Woman Recruits, so WTF

jrhd97
05-13-08, 02:55 PM
I went to P.I. and never saw any Woman Recruits, so WTF
Sometimes you would catch a glimpse of somethign that resembled a woman, but weren't sure. They were a pretty nasty looking bunch :scared:

The ole air field. I was always lost out there too. Are the old tanks and stuff still out there?

MarineNCO
05-13-08, 02:57 PM
I think the worst thing is as was mentioned before. Sand Fleas, Humidity, Rain, and lots and lots of mud when I was there.

Not sure how the night hike went as MCRDSD but at PI we hiked thru the friggen woods. Lots of roots and more than one recruit was limping by the time we got done.

sscjoe
05-13-08, 03:01 PM
Don't forget the fire ants.

SlingerDun
05-13-08, 05:51 PM
Not sure how the night hike went as MCRDSD but at PI we hiked thru the friggen woods. Lots of roots and more than one recruit was limping by the time we got done.The "night hike" yeah there was a couple, about all i remember was endless up and down dirt paths laced throughout the desert ridges and arroyos graduating to a steady elevation and cold sweat after a few hours we done finished by 'topping' off Old Smokey after twilight, and finally a sip of water.:marine:

temarti
05-13-08, 06:11 PM
At 1st Bn barraks in PI you could see across the swamp
My head faced the window, so watching the cars go over the bridge at night sucked,

Sand fleas (gnats), yelling good morning sir to a ma'am, humping past the main road out without knowing it, rain during the field week, boots melting to the 1st Battalion parade deck, steam coming up from the road after the rain. Other than that it was the best thing since sliced bread.....

pffan021
05-13-08, 07:18 PM
Being in Thumping 3rd BN I didn't see anything but DI's. The sand fleas never really got to me but the fire ants were notorious during pt. The humidity was rediculous since I went during the middle of summer. Oh, good times.

ZSKI
05-14-08, 01:14 PM
When i went there they still had the tanks and an old chinook for the crucible. But the parade deck was hell 100 degrees drilling and you can see the heat waves. I remember that night hump i took a digger and ****ed my **** up. One recruit had his face sliced open by his front sight post when he fell.

Swampyankee
05-14-08, 02:21 PM
On the first day of the range more than half the plt. went unq. Being that the range was one of the DI competitions, our senior drill instructor wasn't too happy. It was either late August or early Sept. at PI, and hot. By the time we hit the parking lot pavement to "begin" with our pushups the ashphalt was nice and spongy. Many a boy shed tears as he left his handprints in the parking lot, just like the stars do in Hollywood on the boulevard. I had one up on most, my mother introduced me to pain long before I went through the gates.:bunny:

maverickmarine
05-14-08, 02:29 PM
I would say at MCRDSD it was the planes interrupting and having to "yell them out the sky". Also, when I was on mess duty in third phase as a vampire and got to look out up at the freeway and all the homes on the hills and thinking how strange it was that life was just going on out there. LOL. Then of course the mountains up at Camp Pendleton. The training is the same but certainly can't complain about the weather.

Sheila Hays
05-14-08, 02:50 PM
The worst thing at Parris Island was the cockroaches, huge mosquitos, and the sand fleas. I watched those sand fleas climb up the neck of the girl in front of me, I just figured they were climbing up my neck also. I went through a hurricane down there. We were on the second floor in sleeping bags, the water was just flowing up the street. Here I was, on an island, eating out of green cans of food, probably k rations from WW2. They were nasty, but we all ate anything we could get our hands on. We were in the old barracks made of wood. Semper Fi Sheila Hays

SkilletsUSMC
05-14-08, 03:31 PM
I only went to boot in SD so I cannot really speak to how much better or worse one is over the other.

Swampyankee
05-14-08, 08:09 PM
The original question may have been overlooked by myself, my post having nothing really to do with which MCRD was the better of the two. And I agree with those who said they only went to one so how can a comparison be made.
The closest I came to this comparison being made was before I signed the papers. My recruiter was anxious to get me in on the delayed enlistment program. To give me an incentive to do so he offered me two bennies, 1. the GI bill (this was in the fall of 76 and the old GI bill went bye bye in Jan of 77), and 2. a slot at San Diego. So, according to him, San Diego was preferred over Parris Island. Or maybe he was just yankin my chain.

8th&I Marine
05-14-08, 09:04 PM
What about those damn spiders? We were on our hump to the field from the range. One of them damn tarachalas fell on the dark green Marine in from of me. I swear he turned whiter than me. Needless to say There was alot of thrashing after that.


Cantrell:flag:

Quinbo
05-14-08, 10:35 PM
Took a tour of MCRDSD in 92 with the ole lady. She said I should know my way around this place as I had spent 3 months here. I didn't have a clue as I had spent all 3 months staring at at the back of the recruit in front of me head. I could point out which barracks I stayed in, the theatre, the messhall, and the confidence course. That was about it. It was a good tour and there is a museum there worth seeing.

prcuffs
05-14-08, 11:51 PM
I went to MCRDSD in 1984 and here is my list of the most memorable moments:
1. Climbing the neverending Mount M___FKer and hoping to God I did not fall on my ass, roll down hill and have to do it all over again.
2. Getting to the top of Mount M___Fker, looking down at Old Smokey and hoping I did not fall forward.
3. Running PFT in Black Flag Condition (over 100). Kinda made you feel sorry for the turkey at Thanksgiving since you were living the experience of being in the oven while running for your life!
4. The ever present sand pits and the wonderful sores they created when the canteen full of water rubbed against the elastic of the PT Shorts. They would heal only to pealed away the next day in to a raw spot during PT.
5. Looking at the people travel on I-5 on their way to party on the weekend to TJ or Downtown San Diego. Our DI said "I'll turn my back if anyone wants to make a break for the border" One did, only to be picked up by his Series Commander as he hitched hiked.

darkgreen0311
05-15-08, 06:26 PM
Also, don't forget the Mountain Lions and Coyotes that are in the hills of Pendelton during the week of field training.









:marine: :flag: SEMPER FI 4 LIFE
YOURS IS NOT TO QUESTION WHY BUT TO DO OR DIE!!!

chicoluv USMC
05-16-08, 12:47 PM
Also, don't forget the Mountain Lions and Coyotes that are in the hills of Pendelton during the week of field training.









:marine: :flag: SEMPER FI 4 LIFE
YOURS IS NOT TO QUESTION WHY BUT TO DO OR DIE!!!
Oh yea .you played alot of john wayne .

darkgreen0311
05-16-08, 01:02 PM
No one said s**t about playing John Wayne !!!!








:marine: :flag: SEMPER FI 4 LIFE
YOURS IS NOT TO QUESTION WHY BUT TO DO OR DIE!!!

AL49BGN
05-16-08, 01:11 PM
I CAN ONLY SPEAK ABOUT MY EXPERIENCE AT PARRIS ISLAND.THE WORST PART HAD TO BE THE HEAT,HUMUDITY AND SANDFLEAS.I REMEMBER SWEATING SO BAD.I MISSED OUT ON THE HILLS OF PENNDLETON TILL I HAD TO GO THERE FOR INFANTRY SCHOOL.I REMEMBER THE GUYS OUT AT THIRD BATTALION ON THE ISLAND HAVING IT WORST THEN US IN FIRST BATTALION AND SECOND BATTALION HAVING A COUNTRY CLUB,LOL.:flag:

MotherGoose
05-16-08, 01:45 PM
Sometimes you would catch a glimpse of somethign that resembled a woman, but weren't sure. They were a pretty nasty looking bunch :scared:



Hey! I resemble this remark!!:call:

jrhd97
05-16-08, 01:51 PM
Hey! I resemble this remark!!:call:
LOL, oops ;).

Finger
05-16-08, 03:57 PM
As a former DI, SDI and Series Guns, I think it horrific how you all tell such untruths about the best place you ever went in your life. It wasn't tought at all.
Tell the truth you all had fun with the DIs. Right?:banana: :yes:

;)

S/F
Finger

SlingerDun
05-16-08, 05:33 PM
Your right Finger, my prevalent memories fixate on the so-cal geography, sunshine and real estate. Not so much on events inside the wire.

--->Dave

yellowwing
05-16-08, 07:02 PM
As a former DI, SDI and Series Guns, I think it horrific how you all tell such untruths about the best place you ever went in your life. It wasn't tought at all.
Tell the truth you all had fun with the DIs. Right?:banana: :yes:

;)

S/F
Finger
Amen. I am truly grateful for the harsh training. I didn't really think it was fun at the time. The Range was very cool though.

Swampyankee
05-16-08, 07:41 PM
Finger,
I see by your profile that you were in PI during my time there. Did you know SSgt. M. S. Scott? He was my SDI, that would have been the first bat. Lt Col Richardson was bat. commander. I know you were third bat. but us recruits spoke in hushed whispers about the uncanny ability of all Di's to know all things about everybody. No my memory isn't that good, I'm looking at the bootcamp book they sold us.

First lesson I learned while in forming, DI's don't like to be called DI's by maggot pukes fresh off the bus.

Finger
05-16-08, 08:26 PM
I might have known him. I was over at I co 3rd Bn. Long time ago.

S/F
Finger

jrhd97
05-16-08, 08:33 PM
Amen. I am truly grateful for the harsh training. I didn't really think it was fun at the time. The Range was very cool though.

You are absolutely right. It was a defining moment in my life.

davblay
05-16-08, 08:38 PM
As a former DI, SDI and Series Guns, I think it horrific how you all tell such untruths about the best place you ever went in your life. It wasn't tought at all.
Tell the truth you all had fun with the DIs. Right?:banana: :yes:

;)

S/F
Finger

Spoken like a true Drill Instructor! But you're right, it was an experience I will never forget, but FUN????? Well lets just leave it at that!

bootlace15
05-16-08, 09:36 PM
PI, Sundays boring having to write home or just polish the shoes,boots brass etc. Then when everyone returned from services PT your azzzzz off.every friggen Sunday................Smokers draw one.......

bootlace15 out

gunnyhiles
05-16-08, 10:28 PM
I went through bootcamp at PI in 1955, and served a 2 year tour as a Drill Instructor at MCRDSD. The difference was night and day, here is an article on an incident that occured at MCRDPI: <br />
<br />
Six...

prcuffs
05-17-08, 01:36 PM
As a former DI, SDI and Series Guns, I think it horrific how you all tell such untruths about the best place you ever went in your life. It wasn't tought at all.
Tell the truth you all had fun with the DIs. Right?:banana: :yes:

;)

S/F
Finger

Finger, you are so right with your statement...DI's did make the experience something to definately not forget. I had a DI who had such a bad stuttering problem, that it became a significant part of me getting to know the pit a lot more in detail than some of the guys in my platoon. He also helped me develop a great 6 pack. I dont know why, but there is something about a guy who takes 5 minutes to complete a sentence while all the while he's yelling at you, that gets your attention!!!!

mcvet57103
05-18-08, 12:20 PM
Mount Motherf**ker, Mount OooRaah in the middle of a rain storm, Happy Valley at the rifle range, Comfidence course, Smoking Cigs with a bucket over your head, bends and motherf**kers till I get tired!!! Special boot camp pushups (three tiles between your hands and toes, "down" till your nose just touches the floor and hold till told "up"). Our SDI was sick for the last month of Boot and came back on the day we had Final Drill. He gave us the command "Open Ranks". Because we wern't used to his cadence half the platoon thought he said "extend ranks". You can imagine the confusion, and the aftermath. LOL funny looking back, but no so funny at the time.

CplKJSpevak
05-18-08, 12:28 PM
I saw excerpts from a DVD called "Ears open, eyeballs click" on youtube... WOW! I almost forgot how intense it was!

mcvet57103
05-18-08, 12:29 PM
Mount Motherf**ker, Mount OooRaah in the middle of a rain storm, Happy Valley at the rifle range, Comfidence course, Smoking Cigs with a bucket over your head, bends and motherf**kers till I get tired!!! Special boot camp pushups (three tiles between your hands and toes, "down" till your nose just touches the floor and hold till told "up"). Our SDI was sick for the last month of Boot and came back on the day we had Final Drill. He gave us the command "Open Ranks". Because we wern't used to his cadence half the platoon thought he said "extend ranks". You can imagine the confusion, and the aftermath. LOL funny looking back, but no so funny at the time.I never failed a PFT in 4 years, and was first class every time. LOL now I can't even do one pull up. Can bike 35 miles at a stretch, but can't run even one mile. Am I gettin old or what?;)

CplKJSpevak
05-18-08, 01:28 PM
mcvet....I can ride my bike about 400 miles a day! Throttle wrist get's soar though....:)

mcvet57103
05-18-08, 01:31 PM
mcvet....I can ride my bike about 400 miles a day! Throttle wrist get's soar though....:)My Mountain bike doesn't have a throttle, just 21 gears. :banana:

davblay
06-10-08, 02:50 AM
For generations we have bickered about which Depot is the hardest, Well here is a place to compare, As One person can not speak for the entire Platoon or Series, lets post what was better and what was worse about your personal training at each of the Boot Camps, Parris Island, or San Diego. List every thing that you think was better, and post what was worse than the other recruit depot, from your prospective, Take your time and write as many posts as you see fit if you remember something else, just make a new posts.

Remember that your prospective was that of a teenager going thru Boot Camp, not the Marine that you are now!

Semper Fi Marines ONLY

Dave


:marine:

Gary Hall
06-10-08, 05:38 AM
Trying to stay on topic, I was at both MCRD's, 1948 & 1952. It was easy for me, I wish I could do it again, I'd try to do it better. It took me 3 years to qualify Expert with the M-1, and I didn't then know I had astigmatism, however knew I was color blind.
I remember no differences in the two Depots.
My MCRD experiences were the most beneficial circumstances of my life. No other experience even comes close to them. My DI was SSGT Douglas D. Gardner, a survivor of Wake Island, whom I rate on a par with Chesty Puller, whom I also worked for. Somewhere on these Forums, I describe a personal experience with the Col, that had I been more competent, I could and should have initiated a recommendation perhaps leading to a 6th Navy Cross for him. (At that time, I didn't know he had any.).
In Boot Camp, I learned the necesssity of becoming a responsible person, that is one who considers others, ahead of self. In my view, that concept is the meaning of freedom.
I would change nothing of the Marine Training that I experienced. I trust there will be no changes or deviations from those I was taught. To prosper in Boot Camp, primarily you have to be determined & behave yourself.
Marines, the noise of MCRD San Diego was great, it was the noise of victory. I've since been places where there are no similar noises and victory in those places is unknown.
During one parade, a B-36 took off directly over us and it literally shook the ground and air as it passed over.
It was beautiful, thank you Lord & USMC. Gary Hall.

tripledog
06-13-08, 09:50 PM
From a smart ass teenager, sent there by the courts. Yea, I was a bad ass in my town, or so I thought.

Toughest? Arrived Nov 60, and yea I was the only friggin idiot to have joined the marines. Only idiot in receiving barracks, until Feb 61. Can you even imagine what those other REAL marines did, make me do, had me do, while I sat there thru thanksgiving and christmas and new years? No , you cant. Dont even try.

Then I get a dam DI, Sgt R. D. AMOS, who had arms bigger than a tree truck 30 years old. Strong? Four days in the woods, and no one would smell aas strong as that sob was.

Now you gotta think of this, I'm from the South, so guess who my gunny is? Yep, big black dude Msgt. Likes to hit me in the stomach with his swagger stick when I dont kiss his ass. (Frankly, after 20 or so hits, I learned to kiss his ass) Hard headed sob I was.

Now ole Amos, lines us up finally when we get enough other dummies to join to make a patoon. He lines us up by height. I was a big , huge, 5-5 , 130 lbs (when wet) and I'm last, right? First guy, H.L. Hunt from Houston, Texas. When Amos comes to each man, he is to give his name and where he is from.

Hunt speaks very loudly, "I'm Hunt, H.L., from Houston, Tx. " Jesus christ you would have thought the sky was falling from Amos.

He says " I was married to a wonderful woman for 5 years, UNTIL SHE RAN OFF WITH A GD MARINE FROM TEXAS.

Oh boy. Right there, Amos says, give me 100 *******. Finally , seemed like eternity, he gets to me, I say " ..................., I'm from Illinios ( I am from Dallas dudes) He moves on. You think he knows I am from texas too? You think I am dumb enough to think I fooled him? Yep. I was!

All the physical stuff didnt bother me at all, hills, sand fleas, marching, gun qualifying ( I was shooting when I was 2 ).

But , man them DIs just ate my lunch, course I didnt tell them or let them know.

I wouldnt go thru it again for 10 Million dollars, BUT I would not take 100 million for the experience. I just wish I could find that dam DI today and kiss his ass for changing my life. THANK YOU MARINE CORPS. Probally should thank the judge for his direction too, but hell no I aint that dumb yet.

mcvet57103
06-14-08, 09:57 AM
We Had 3 Drill instructors. Funny how I still, 34 years later, call them Drill Instructors and not D.I.s. To call them "D.I.s would get you unrelenting punishment. Sgt Anderson, Sgt Burnet, and S.D.I. :evilgrin:Sgt Acevedo. We were fortunate that after infantry training at San Onifre Acevedo got sick and was absent until 2 weeks from Graduation. He was mercilous. They had a sand pit at the Rifle Range he refered to as "Happy Valley" because once you were in it you were happy to get out. Acevedo had us do what he refered to as "thrashing". Thrashing involved going to the pit right after Breakfast, or lunch and doing bends and "motherf--kers" until you threw up in the hot sun. While you were doing the excercise others would be ordered to "make it rain and thunder" which was to throw hands full of sand and dirt into the air and say repeatedly "Boom!" like thunder. Between choking on the dust, being covered in muddy sweat and sick to the stomach with the smell of barf in the hot air I have never since experienced anything as bad. Just having him say "Shall we go to Happy Valley girls?' was enough to make you feel like God had forsaken your sorry a$$. I was a cock sure 17 year old deliquent from South Dakota who joined to escape reform school. The Marines gave me more cofidence and self worth than any state run reform school ever could. Semper Fi and OoooRaaah!!!!:flag:

prcuffs
06-14-08, 05:01 PM
Well another thing I can say about MCRDSD was that I REEEEAAALLLLY discovered religion there. I remember standing outside the Chapel on a Sunday getting ready to go in, when a damn fly landed on my neck. Well, I though I could handle it, until the damn thing started doing land navigation excersises and decided to explore a cave (my nostrils) for enemy personnel. Needless to say, I deployed my newly acquired Marine Corps Defensive Techniques and quickly, with flash speed proceeded to kill the intruder. No sooner did I execute my kill, when I felt the old familiar brim of a DI's Campaign Cover pressed against the back of my nugget. Then a voice from heaven said "you better make your peace with Jesus, because after the service your ass is mine" That day I found out prayers do get answered from time to time....I prayed the entire service, and never heard from the DI again....Whoooo.

SlingerDun
06-14-08, 07:16 PM
mcvet....I can ride my bike about 400 miles a day! Throttle wrist get's soar though....:)Lucky, the old 'Hardley Dangerous' scooters would quit ya about that time, saw a few on Hwy 140 bearing for Denio, Nevada. Cowhands pile out of the crewcab...need help? Yeah! got any bail wire and oil??? hehe

--->Dave

mcvet57103
06-14-08, 09:28 PM
Lucky, the old 'Hardley Dangerous' scooters would quit ya about that time, saw a few on Hwy 140 bearing for Denio, Nevada. Cowhands pile out of the crewcab...need help? Yeah! got any bail wire and oil??? hehe

--->DaveYou know why Harleys are like Labrador Retrievers?

They both spend most of their lives riding in the back of Pickups. :banana:

iamcloudlander
06-15-08, 02:05 AM
I hated the running to the tank park in the far corner of MCRDSD because it was by the chainlink fence seperating us from Navy bootcamp. We had to run five miles each day in full 782 gear and as we ran by the fence we did a eyes left so we could watch the sailors rowing their little boats around the lake wearing white tee shirts,white shorts,white socks and tennis shoes and oh yes their white dixie cups. This was in the summer of 65 and it was hot and mucky the drill instructors did it to drive us nuts. Everyman in my platoon got a 100 mile certificate when we graduated.
When we went to Edson Range it was relatively new and there were huge piles of manure around the barracks so our drill instructors thought we should learn the finer points of "manure mining" so we were allowed many hours of going over,around,through and under the manure piles with our rifles of course so at night we had to take our M-14's into the showers with us and give them a bath before we took ours .
Regardless of where we went to boot camp each of us faced our own private problems but they did turn us into the finest US MARINES!

markthorpe
06-17-08, 08:03 AM
As a former DI, SDI and Series Guns, I think it horrific how you all tell such untruths about the best place you ever went in your life. It wasn't tought at all.
Tell the truth you all had fun with the DIs. Right?:banana: :yes:

;)

S/F
Finger
sir yes sir may the private have a head call now