Good or Bad?

[AviatorDog]

What are peoples opinions of going to boot with a friend? I'm going in June with a high school friend of mine and we've been told by a few people it may be a bad idea going in together as we may get distracted and end up screwing ourselves over.

[Wyoming]

Not a Poolee, never Mep'd or Dep'd, that I know of, but here goes nothing.

I went in on the buddy system with a lifelong, even to this day, friend.

Let's see, we traveled to San Antone together, by bus. Sat together ~2 hours.

Spent the night in a hotel. Different rooms. (Remember, no internet or sheeit like that at the time.)

Flew to Californicate. Bus to MCRDSD. Bowed heads and no talking.

Off the bus and things went hazy for many hours.

In boot, we were in different quonset huts.

Maybe spoke to each other once or twice during boot. Maybe!!

After boot & ITR, flew home together. Hung out a few times.

I ended up at MCAF Tustin and he went to Great Lakes.

Did not see him again for 4 years.

Got drunker than a skunk when we EAS'd after 4.

Still communicate to this day.

[Pete0331]

What are peoples opinions of going to boot with a friend? I'm going in June with a high school friend of mine and we've been told by a few people it may be a bad idea going in together as we may get distracted and end up screwing ourselves over.

My buddy and I did the buddy program.
If you are more distracted with your friend then you are with learning you shouldn't be there.
It helped having a close friend there.

There is an added shame factor. What would happen if he makes it through and you don't?


Pete

[Echo_Four_Bravo]

It isn't like you get to sit and talk to anyone in boot camp. You're time is scripted from the time you get up until you hit the rack. In the few moments that you can talk to other people there isn't much to talk about other than what you're doing at that particular time. Go with your friend or don't, it won't matter that much in the end... unless you have the same MOS. In that case you'd probably go to school together, and maybe the fleet if you're lucky. If you don't have the same MOS plans it doesn't matter much at all.

[SGT7477]

What are peoples opinions of going to boot with a friend? I'm going in June with a high school friend of mine and we've been told by a few people it may be a bad idea going in together as we may get distracted and end up screwing ourselves over.

Worst case they could make you share the same bunk.:evilgrin:

[TJR1070]

My cousin and I joined the DEP together and were supposed to ship a couple of months apart, however our recruiter called us both one day and told us to get ready we were both shipping at the end of the month (three months early for me and six for my cousin). We didn't go on the buddy program but the recruiter told us if we got on the yellow footprints standing one in front of the other we would probably get into the same platoon. I think he was f'ing with us because after they filed us off we weren't anywhere near each other. We started the paperwork and the recruit next to me did something that made the D.I's pull him out of that seat and I never saw him again. They picked another recruit to sit in that seat and it happened to be my cousin.

We got picked up by our D.I's and never said a word to anyone about being related until the Senior Drill Instructors inspection. The inspecting SDI came into the squadbay, I sneezed and failed instantly for loss of military bearing. I was on the quarterdeck for what seemed an eternity while other recruits that failed would come dig for a while and then leave. Well myself and my cousin were the last two on the quarterdeck and he decides to motivate me by saying "come on cuz we can do this no problem". Well the Heavy Hat freaked and started yelling "Cousins, Couins good everytime one of you has to pay so does the other one. I wouldn't want to seperate family". So it was inevitable that we were on the quarterdeck daily.

Even though it was frustrating at first it was great to have family there. Since our names are close in the alphabet we were always within a couple of racks of each other. We would always get square away time at the same time and I would read his letters he would read mine. Even though we didn't get to talk to each other on a daily basis it was always good knowing he was there. we got seperated towards the end of boot camp since both of us got injured and we graduated two weeks apart. The night before my cousin graduated though he snuck through the barracks and got into my squadbay through the head where he had the firewatch wake me up. We had about an hour reunion and it was good to see him but envious to know he was graduating and I wasn't.
He was the best man at my wedding and to this day the best friend I have in the world!

[FullMetalFuture]

My cousin and I joined the DEP together and were supposed to ship a couple of months apart, however our recruiter called us both one day and told us to get ready we were both shipping at the end of the month (three months early for me and six for my cousin). We didn't go on the buddy program but the recruiter told us if we got on the yellow footprints standing one in front of the other we would probably get into the same platoon. I think he was f'ing with us because after they filed us off we weren't anywhere near each other. We started the paperwork and the recruit next to me did something that made the D.I's pull him out of that seat and I never saw him again. They picked another recruit to sit in that seat and it happened to be my cousin.

We got picked up by our D.I's and never said a word to anyone about being related until the Senior Drill Instructors inspection. The inspecting SDI came into the squadbay, I sneezed and failed instantly for loss of military bearing. I was on the quarterdeck for what seemed an eternity while other recruits that failed would come dig for a while and then leave. Well myself and my cousin were the last two on the quarterdeck and he decides to motivate me by saying "come on cuz we can do this no problem". Well the Heavy Hat freaked and started yelling "Cousins, Couins good everytime one of you has to pay so does the other one. I wouldn't want to seperate family". So it was inevitable that we were on the quarterdeck daily.

Even though it was frustrating at first it was great to have family there. Since our names are close in the alphabet we were always within a couple of racks of each other. We would always get square away time at the same time and I would read his letters he would read mine. Even though we didn't get to talk to each other on a daily basis it was always good knowing he was there. we got seperated towards the end of boot camp since both of us got injured and we graduated two weeks apart. The night before my cousin graduated though he snuck through the barracks and got into my squadbay through the head where he had the firewatch wake me up. We had about an hour reunion and it was good to see him but envious to know he was graduating and I wasn't.
He was the best man at my wedding and to this day the best friend I have in the world!


That is one hell of a story, Marine.

I hope by mid April next year that I will be on the depot.

[trancemasta]

Great story.How did you get injured?

[biesseb]

Going with a family member would be weird because bootcamp reveals all your weaknesses and vunerabilities. Also many things in bootcamp tend to **** you off alot and you end up saying or doing things that you normaly wouldn't do. I dont know maybe that's just me but I could of never went to bootcamp with a cousin, I was perfectly fine with complete strangers who became my family over time.

[Books]

Going with a family member would be weird because bootcamp reveals all your weaknesses and vunerabilities. Also many things in bootcamp tend to **** you off alot and you end up saying or doing things that you normaly wouldn't do. I dont know maybe that's just me but I could of never went to bootcamp with a cousin, I was perfectly fine with complete strangers who became my family over time.

I agree. I don't want anyone back home to know what I did in bootcamp unless I tell them. I want it to be a complete mystery.

[TJR1070]

Integrity comes in many forms and omission is not one of them. I was proud of everything I did in boot camp because I tried my hardest and never quit. Besides even if I had quit on a run or a hump or something I would only be letting myself down and not my cousin. One last thing, we all swear we are going to keep in touch with each other and new technology has helped make that more of a reality, but we all know how we drift apart over the years. I can go any day of the week to my cousin's house and hang with someone I went through boot camp with, someone who came and found my ship in the Philipines so we could hang out and drink our faces off together. Leaving my friends in the Marines was the hardest thing I ever had to do, but I'm glad I had one that was going home with me.

[Scottie0417]

I didn't go in with a buddy but I guess that might help out during the first few weeks when homesickness is an issue. I went in not knowing anyone and 13 weeks later I had made better friends than the ones I'd known back home for 13 years. Whether you have a buddy to go with or not, you'll make friends there that will help get you through.