Fresh outta boot

[Cuelocks]

To all the Poolees out there or even if you are just considering the Marine Corps, I am fresh out of recruit training. Feel free to ask me any and every question you want to about basic and I'll try to answer them to the best of my ability. I know I had a ton of questions about basic before I went in so I know there are Poolees out there that want to know anything and everything. Ask away...until next time, Semper Fi!!

PFC Andersen

[firstsgtmike]

You kids have a golden opportunity. Don't blow it. If you're too embarrassed to post it, send Cuelocks a PM and I am sure she will respond.

She's family now!

[22DevilPup87]

I don't have any questions at the moment, but I'll think some up because this is too wonderful an opportunity to pass up.

Congrats, Marine!

[CAS3]

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NEWEST SISTER!
We are all so proud of you.
Welcome home
SEMPER FIDELIS!
Colleen

[Super Dave]

Semper Fi and welcome!!

[jenrmurray]

PFC Cuelocks,

What kind of 'games' did your DIs like to play with you? :)

Who was the guide/company honorman and why do you think they were chosen- what qualities do you think the DIs saw in them over others?

In your opinion, what was THE hardest thing to overcome?

Thank you for offering to answer all of our questions! You Female Marines are a rare commodity! :)

[jenrmurray]

PFC Cuelocks,

I can't believe I didn't say it the first time... Congratulations! :)

[Cuelocks]

Jen Murray,
Thanks...soon you'll be there to and I can say the same to you. What kind of games did the DIs play...haha...um they had a lot of them tucked up their sleeve. Man lets see, they would make us sit down and stand up about 50 times, they would make us run in and out of the hatch, then they would make us run in and out of the hatch with all our gear from the squadbay. If they didn't think that we were setting our heals down when we marched and we had a few extra minutes they would make us turn around. When we were on the rifle range one of our DIs got mad at us because she thought we weren't sounding off so we "stepped it out" (walking really really fast) back and forth from the 500 yd. line to the pits a few times...when you are about to get pitted they'll have you take your cammie blouse off and run into the pit and then run out of the pit and put your blouse on and then take it off and run into the pit and then run out of the pit and put your blouse on...etc, you get the idea. Once I ran by my DI and screamed "good afternoon ma'am" and she made me get back about 15 times and run back and forth and greet everyone and their mother as loud as I could until she found another recruit to pick on. They like to make recruits "get back" (do it again and again). OHhh a big one in the squadbay is 2 sheets and a blanket (ripping racks) and then they'll give you 60 seconds to put it all together and of course you can't do it so you rip racks again. They love to make you distroy the squadbay and clean it up really fast...our squadbay was distroyed all the time and especially right before you have squareaway time so you spend your one hour of precious personal time on fixing up the squadbay. Dumping footlockers, dang there are so many "games" these are only a few. Honestly, a lot of the times I didn't care when we played these games because I knew it was a mind thing more than anything else. Some recruits used to really let it get to them and they'd get sooo frustrated and thats what the DIs want to see. They want to see you get mad...and get mad at each other. Sometimes they would just pick a random recruit that they didn't like and they would make her stand at the front of the squadbay and count the platoon down while she just stood there and did nothing. Thats to make you want to hate that recruit...and to tear you apart as a team, but you have to overcome that and become stronger together. Lets see, about the honor grad...I personally didn't think that the honor grad. for my platoon deserved it at all. In fact the whole platoon didn't think she deserved it, she sucked! The honor grad. is supposed to be a good leader, someone that the platoon listens to and respects, they are good at PT, generally unselfish, they have good initiave...a very well rounded recruit that stands out amoung the others. The hardest thing about bootcamp is the day in day out mental stress, its unrelenting and for my platoon it never let up. Some people say that the DIs get a little better after the rifle range, but for my platoon it didn't get better. I personally don't like sounding off all the freakin' time. Ugh it gets so tiring to have to scream all the time...you can't just sit there and clean your rifle or wait to go into the chow hall, you have to sound knowledge or say "Aye Ma'am" about 50 million times. But you just make it through because your goal is to become a Marine. Its easy to not think about the ultimate goal and to just think to yourself that you've had enough of all the b*llsh*t...but you push on and you tell yourself that your not going to quit and that you want that title. And thats what its about...its also about not letting your fear of certain things paralize...its about getting over the fear and doing things that you never ever thought you could do and thats when it all becomes worth it. The harder you work for something the more worth it it becomes. It literally required blood, sweat and tears on my part...but bootcamp is over with and I'm now a United States Marine for the rest of my life...not too many people can say that they've done something like that. Bootcamp is scary at first but you settle in and it becomes a routine. You learn your DIs and what makes them mad and what buttons not to push with certain DIs. Just remember that with each day that passes...your that much closer...and it feels like it goes so slow but it really does fly by. I haven't stopped smiling since graduation day and everyone notices that there is something different about me. They will all see the difference in you too. Its the greatest feeling in the whole world and I'd re-live graduation day about 50 times! I hope I've helped you out some. As you can tell I love to talk about my experience and the Marine Corps...feel free to post more questions. I leave on Monday for MCT so hurry and think of more questions :banana:

Until next time...Semper Fi to all my fellow Marines!!
PFC Andersen :marine:

[firstsgtmike]

"Its easy to not think about the ultimate goal and to just think to yourself that you've had enough of all the b*llsh*t...but you push on and you tell yourself that your not going to quit and that you want that title. And thats what its about...its also about not letting your fear of certain things paralize...its about getting over the fear and doing things that you never ever thought you could do and thats when it all becomes worth it."

It's great to hear that nothing has changed in the 45 years since I stood in the yellow footprints.

Many Marines home on boot leave stress the physical challenge. The physical part is really small potatoes, and does NOT define a Marine. The physical can be duplicated at a good gym and with a physical trainer. In time, the physical gains deteriorate, and there are no lifelong effects.

Ah, but the mental, the mind games, the effects of which MAKE a Marine, and hence the motto "Once a Marine, Always a Marine" stay with you for the rest of your life.

They are the strength you draw on, long after the stamina, speed, and muscle development are gone.

That's why you can identify a Marine, fifty years later, forty pounds overweight, who is huffing and puffing to make it up a flight of stairs. You can tell the moment he hears the little voice in his head, shouting in his ear; "Suck it in, Marine, and MOVE OUT!"

Some don't see it at first. They believe they survived and won the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor in spite of the BS mind games.

NO! It was BECAUSE of the mind games. Without the mind games, you could NEVER be "born again" as a Marine.

Cuelocks talks about dumping footlockers. At MCRDSD we lived in quanset huts which looked like giant sized tin cans cut in half lengthwise and bolted down over a cement slab.

Every recruit had a galvanized bucket we sat on at lectures and used to wash our clothes. "Fun time" was when we moved all of the foot lockers and steel bunkbeds outside. 78 of us would fill our buckets with sand and dump in on the deck (floor), then we would each dump a bucket of water on it. On hands and knees, with a 2 inch by 5 inch scrub brush we would push the mess from the front door (hatch) and out the rear..

After we lugged the footlockers and bunks back inside, the DI would hold his inspection. If even one grain of sand was discovered, it was time to do it over again.

Ah, those were the days my friends.

Cuelocks, did you have the pleasure of scrubbing fifty gallon garbage cans (G.I. cans) with toothbrushes?

[jenrmurray]

PFC Andersen,

Thank you for answering my questions so thoroughly! I just printed out what you wrote... good stuff!

I have a friend who left for boot camp in May. The guide for her platoon was in the slowest ability squad for running the whole time. Of course, you can be a slow runner and a good leader, I just thought that was interesting. The honorman in my husband's platoon stole chow the whole time without getting caught (my husband found this out on graduation day).

How many people from your platoon dropped out? What was the most common reason? Did you ever have to go to sick call? Does it make the DIs mad when you go? I hope I don't ever need to go. Also.. a more personal question... did most females still have their 'time of the month' while on the Island? I am hoping to avoid it. If you are on birth control pills, will they let you keep taking them? If so, I was planning on getting some strong pills and trying to skip it for three months. What do you think? Lastly, how much weight did you lose while in boot camp? :)

thank you again!

[jenrmurray]

First Sergeant Mike,

Are you talking about the quanset huts up at SOI? I've been in those... SO HOT in there! I can't imagine you guys doing all that- they look like they'd be hard to keep clean. Now they store gear in them and I think some Marines being disciplined might sleep in them (I may be wrong, though... I saw a sign in front of them that said Marine rehab/discipline unit, but the unit could have been farther behind the quanset huts)...

I'm always in awe when I hear stories from 'back in the day.' You guys were hard core (Corps)! :)

[prmama]

CONGRATS PFC ANDERSON
LITTLE SISTER... GLAD THAT YOU MADE IT AND I'M SO PROUD OF YA.

HEATHER

[ugly_angel362]

who were your drill instructors

[CPLRapoza]

Cuelocks,
First off Congradulations, Marine.

But one gripe I have, is that I have no problem sharing the wealth of knowledge, but don't break down bootcamp for these wannabes. They'll find out soon enough, Devildog. Give them some motivation and tell them how to make it through the easiest way, but don't let out the "secrets" of bootcamp. They must experience them on their own. Just like that joke I read on hear a while ago, about the guy whose car broke down, and spent the night at a Marine base. All night he heard this noise and couldn't find out where it was coming from, but all the Marines told him was that they couldn't tell him because he wasn't a Marine. You've experienced it ,there for you already know. Let them get the full experience, and that goes for everyone of you, new Marines, the "boots". If they haven't had the privlige of experienceing it yet, There is no need to spoil the end of the movie for them, even if they ask.

[Cuelocks]

ugly angel...if I ran into you in real life I'd tell you who my DIs were. CPL Rapoza, I can see your point of view although do you really think that a few paragraphs can explain 13 weeks? Some Devildogs told me (I thought it was a lot of info.) stuff about basic but after going through it I was freakin' clueless before I went in. JenMurray...there must have been 12 recruits or so that didn't end up graduating with us that were there from the beginning. We did pick up recruits along the way and drop them along the way too so it must have been like maybe 18 people or so. We graduated 49. I don't think there was a common reason...it was more like a variety. We had a few that tried to kill themselves, some had stress fractures, some didn't pass the PFT, some didn't qual. on the rifle range, one girl ended up with a page 11 and got kicked out, those were the major ones I can think of off the top of my head. I did have to go to sick call, but only 2 times. Some recruits practically lived at sick call and it gets really annoying to see the same people on light duty all the time. The DIs might make fun of you and give you a hard time about going but who cares they can't deny you sick call. I'm the type of person who doesn't go to the doc for everything little thing but I did end up getting an infection in my knee and I knew there was something seriously wrong with me so I went. If you know theres truly something wrong with your bod then don't be stupid and go to sick call. About the "time of month" thing...I didn't get it the whole time I was there and same went for most of the females in my platoon. Its mainly because of stress and the physical aspect. It was awesome to not have to deal with it! You can continue with birth control. All the females will have to get an exam in the beginning of bootcamp and thats when you can request it...pretty much any form of BC that you want they can provide it for you. Some people went off of BC while they were there and others started it...I personally don't like putting chemicals and hormones in my bod like that so I just avoid that type of stuff all together. Plus its nice to not have to remember to take meds all the time. Its really up to you though. I only lost about 11 lbs during bootcamp but I'm the skinniest I've ever been. I put on a lot of muscle weight while I was there. Some people lost like 30 lbs. and others gained weight. We ate soooo much food...but its mainly healthy stuff. I thought the food (for the most part) was pretty tasty. Although we were really hungry so probably anything tasted good. If you feel like you want to loose more weight you can eat diet trays while you are there. Its pretty motivating when you weigh in every week and you keep loosing the pounds. Aight...thats all for now. Semper Fi!

[jenrmurray]

good stuff. Thank you! :)