View Full Version : Drilling in the fleet?
119Wrestler
01-12-09, 10:02 PM
Quick question, once you're done with boot camp, do you still drill as much as you did in boot camp?
CBRN5711Tech
01-12-09, 10:07 PM
If by drill as much as you did in boot camp, you mean stand in formation every once in a while than yes you do.
Haffner
01-12-09, 11:04 PM
Every once in a while? Lucky dog - my version of every once in a while means every few hours, haha.
On a serious note, you are more than likely not going to practice and actively participate in drill in the fleet nearly as much as you did in bootcamp. There will come numerous events that you may spend a week or two practicing up for, such as a retirement ceremony, change of command, color guard, etc etc. Aside from this and PME schools (Cpl's Course / Sgt's Course / etc) drill will be minimal and probably consist of form for pt and uniform inspections.
I have learned something new today. My my how the Corps has changed.
Close order drill is designed to teach Marines to go from left right left to combat formations on command. The disipline learned in drill is extended to immediate response to commands on the battle field. Used to be PT 0530 to 0630, SSS and back in formation by 0700. Gunny says right face forward march and marches the company to morning chow.
biesseb
01-13-09, 12:17 PM
I have learned something new today. My my how the Corps has changed.
Close order drill is designed to teach Marines to go from left right left to combat formations on command. The disipline learned in drill is extended to immediate response to commands on the battle field. Used to be PT 0530 to 0630, SSS and back in formation by 0700. Gunny says right face forward march and marches the company to morning chow.
This may sound retarded but it's funny how true that statement is. Anytime I'm walking one direction and a staff nco calls me I almost always do an immediate "to the rear" change of direction. Same holds true for if I go right or left, sometimes if I'm in a hurry I find myself pivoting on my foot. It's ingrained in us.:evilgrin:
Enigmatic
01-13-09, 05:29 PM
Quick question, once you're done with boot camp, do you still drill as much as you did in boot camp?
Ultimatley it depends on your unit. When I was with an H&S unit in Oki, we were pretty much OFP. When I was with 3rd FAST, we marched everywhere we went, stood formation like three times a day, and whenever there was free time some of the SNCO's would take us NCO's and teach us how to march the troops and such.
Seyborg
01-13-09, 07:18 PM
I've been in the FMF for about 4 months now and I'll give what I know I suppose.
In 3/6, we always hold formations for the morning accountability, for being let off. We also always have one for leave/liberty stuff.
One of the Bn. Gunnys just got off the drill field, and he LOVES to march us. Hell I like it , kinda. He has some SOUUUL cadence. But anyhoo, it's pretty rare. When we got dropped to our companies, they put us in formation and made us march around competing againts other companies. Lazy Lima cough. cough.
Anyhoo.
So...Nope. Simple RIGHT FACE! Foward..MARCH. ROUND STEP. . . MARCH. then you truck on over. Or they just tell you to meet them somewhere.
Sure more disc. would be nice, as drill does that. ALOT of Marines would fail epicly at it. Even NCOs and SNCOs. It's been a long time for them since boot. :marine:
Just get used to running cadences. OR gasmasks...if you're grunt. I've never seen PoGs run with them. Those admin guys are haus though.
0231Marine
01-13-09, 08:58 PM
Kid, we ever drill on trips to Iwo Jima!
http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/39/l_34a5bf8399d84a61bca532115876bfca.jpg (http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=539407&albumID=3311651&imageID=53069896#a=3311651&i=53069898)
(A buddy of mine marching his platoon up to Mount Suribachi which is seen in the background):iwo:
119Wrestler
01-13-09, 09:31 PM
thats motto right there.
echo3oscar1833
01-13-09, 09:49 PM
Ultimatley it depends on your unit. When I was with an H&S unit in Oki, we were pretty much OFP. When I was with 3rd FAST, we marched everywhere we went, stood formation like three times a day, and whenever there was free time some of the SNCO's would take us NCO's and teach us how to march the troops and such.
Your totally right there brother it, ultimately depends on the unit. In 2nd Tracks, we usually drove everywhere to work, chow, etc. But that was only because we were located at Courthouse Bay, in Lejuene. Trust me when I say its a pretty outcast spot on Lejuene. But we would stand formation everytime something important had to passed along, pt, and for morning, and end of day. As far as just drilling for the heck of it, can't really say we ever did alot of that. Those that were at Corporals Course, or Sergeants Course usually would come back each day and gather up all of the boots and march them around for practice.:D
echo3oscar1833
01-13-09, 09:50 PM
You know what the say a Boot Marine is the best Drilling Marine. They still have all that stuff fresh in there head from Boot Camp.:D
echo3oscar1833
01-13-09, 09:51 PM
Kid, we ever drill on trips to Iwo Jima!
http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/39/l_34a5bf8399d84a61bca532115876bfca.jpg (http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=539407&albumID=3311651&imageID=53069896#a=3311651&i=53069898)
(A buddy of mine marching his platoon up to Mount Suribachi which is seen in the background):iwo:
I would give my left nu$ to be doing that right now. Thats motivating. SF
I've been in the FMF for about 4 months now and I'll give what I know I suppose.
In 3/6, we always hold formations for the morning accountability, for being let off. We also always have one for leave/liberty stuff.
One of the Bn. Gunnys just got off the drill field, and he LOVES to march us. Hell I like it , kinda. He has some SOUUUL cadence. But anyhoo, it's pretty rare. When we got dropped to our companies, they put us in formation and made us march around competing againts other companies. Lazy Lima cough. cough.
Anyhoo.
So...Nope. Simple RIGHT FACE! Foward..MARCH. ROUND STEP. . . MARCH. then you truck on over. Or they just tell you to meet them somewhere.
Sure more disc. would be nice, as drill does that. ALOT of Marines would fail epicly at it. Even NCOs and SNCOs. It's been a long time for them since boot. :marine:
Just get used to running cadences. OR gasmasks...if you're grunt. I've never seen PoGs run with them. Those admin guys are haus though.
watch it son, I know where you live.
So...Nope. Simple RIGHT FACE! Foward..MARCH. ROUND STEP. . . MARCH. then you truck on over. Or they just tell you to meet them somewhere.
Sure more disc. would be nice, as drill does that. ALOT of Marines would fail epicly at it. Even NCOs and SNCOs.
what's a round step????
and how is it that you know NCOS and SNCOS would fail epicly when you don't even know cadence or drill???
seriously... you mouth needs a filter on it.
I had the "wonderful" honor of being volun-told to be in change-of-command ceremony's so many times, and we drilled every single time :)
Plus Cpl's Course, we actually got to be the one leading. I cut myself like 3 times on my ears with my sword, lol.
The only time we drilled was when the CG inspection was coming up....
When I went through NCO school we were instructed to turn the windshield wipers on .. on the way home. Call cadence and march them wipers. Left right low right left right low right lefty right a left.
Because the chow hall basis their budget on the number of bodies they feed every swinging dick was marched to chow. Didn't matter one bit if you wanted to eat at burger king or skip chow all together you were marched there and signed the meal roster. Company gunny has the whole company in formation ... left right ... low right.
GSEMarine94
03-03-09, 03:24 PM
As mentioned before depends on your unit, being in the airwing the only time I ever marched was during a change of command (SgtMaj) and for a retirement (CO). We had formation twice a day, morning and after chow, plus morning PT on Mon,Wed, and Fri. But I was also a brownbagger so the guys in the barracks may have had additional formations.
Alisium
03-03-09, 03:26 PM
what's a round step????
I always thought it was "route step". And it's just setting your Marines on automatic and basically "walk" in formation.
It was pretty popular in 1/4 and cadence was for the ultra moto types. Most NCO's didn't like drilling. I did though, mostly because I like to hear my own voice. LOL
On the other hand, standing in formation is another story. We had formations all day long for one stupid reason or another. Afternoon formations were the worst. Sometimes we'd go in and out of standing because we had to wait for the officer meetings or sight count and that stupid "Chane one, change two' bs. We could easily wait for the "word" (which was always almost just "dismissed") for an hour or more. Rarely were we off before 1730.
Once we were standing in formation and the company Gunny came out, saw us, told us to stand by and went to the gym. 40 mins later he came back and dismissed without passing any word.
Zulu 36
03-03-09, 05:48 PM
The only unit I was in that drilled regularly was MPCo, 1stMarDiv. We took the troops who were not on FAP to the Base PMO (about 25 Marines) out about once or twice a week for an hour, usually under arms. Then we used it as an excuse to clean weapons afterward too.
A friend of mine (in another unit) had been in the Canadian Army and he came over one day and was teaching us British-style drill. The First Sergeant was not amused. :scared:
SGT7477
03-03-09, 07:01 PM
Quick question, once you're done with boot camp, do you still drill as much as you did in boot camp?
We never did stop,0811, OOHRAH.:flag:
I always thought it was "route step". And it's just setting your Marines on automatic and basically "walk" in formation.
It was pretty popular in 1/4 and cadence was for the ultra moto types. Most NCO's didn't like drilling. I did though, mostly because I like to hear my own voice. LOL
On the other hand, standing in formation is another story. We had formations all day long for one stupid reason or another. Afternoon formations were the worst. Sometimes we'd go in and out of standing because we had to wait for the officer meetings or sight count and that stupid "Chane one, change two' bs. We could easily wait for the "word" (which was always almost just "dismissed") for an hour or more. Rarely were we off before 1730.
Once we were standing in formation and the company Gunny came out, saw us, told us to stand by and went to the gym. 40 mins later he came back and dismissed without passing any word.
I really hope you weren't telling ME it's route step... I've called that a few times so I know this... it's our old salt Seyborg who thinks it's round step... so I'd like to know what a ROUND step is since he's done it so many times...
Pete0331
03-04-09, 01:55 AM
I always thought it was "route step". And it's just setting your Marines on automatic and basically "walk" in formation.
It was pretty popular in 1/4 and cadence was for the ultra moto types. Most NCO's didn't like drilling. I did though, mostly because I like to hear my own voice. LOL
On the other hand, standing in formation is another story. We had formations all day long for one stupid reason or another. Afternoon formations were the worst. Sometimes we'd go in and out of standing because we had to wait for the officer meetings or sight count and that stupid "Chane one, change two' bs. We could easily wait for the "word" (which was always almost just "dismissed") for an hour or more. Rarely were we off before 1730.
Once we were standing in formation and the company Gunny came out, saw us, told us to stand by and went to the gym. 40 mins later he came back and dismissed without passing any word.
1/4 was pretty much the same as you described it when I left in 2006.
In the fleet it was at least 4 formations a day.
Honestly after Boot Camp practicing marching is a waste of time.
It spawns bad habits.
All the purposes of drill are outdated and are no longer applicable to 21st century warfare and modern training.
Move troops from one location to another in an orderly fashion. Teach troops instant response to command. I'm pretty sure we still use fire and maneuver which is just another iteration of COD. As far as I'm concerned drill still has a purpose in the 21st century.
Alisium
03-04-09, 02:44 AM
I really hope you weren't telling ME it's route step... I've called that a few times so I know this... it's our old salt Seyborg who thinks it's round step... so I'd like to know what a ROUND step is since he's done it so many times...
I wasn't telling anyone anything. I thought there was some confusion so I tried to help.
I didn't notice your attempt at sarcasm. I'll work harder at paying attention next time.
Alisium
03-04-09, 02:45 AM
1/4 was pretty much the same as you described it when I left in 2006.
In the fleet it was at least 4 formations a day.
Honestly after Boot Camp practicing marching is a waste of time.
It spawns bad habits.
All the purposes of drill are outdated and are no longer applicable to 21st century warfare and modern training.
No crap, you were Charlie company.
So was I. First platoon.