Recon Marines Enter=====>>>

[CplAllen]

I, like most other humans, have always been intrigued by the "special forces" sector of the military. To all of the Recon Marines, what was it like to be a part of such an elite group? How was the training? Is, was it worth it? Do you have any interesting things to share with us who are interested? How was the PT?

[AAV Crewchief]

Oh, here we go again......

[CplAllen]

Oh, here we go again......

What? Has this been done already? What's wrong with getting some info from these guys?

[usmc3521]

take the recon indoc and you will get a small taste. couple of my buddies are Recon, one is now a DI currently at PI. Tough training, mentally and physically.

[HOWARDROARK3043]

Marsoc

[sparkie]

Where's my broomstick?

[CplAllen]

I actually took the Recon indoc in Rota, Spain while on the 24th MEU. Let's just say... I didn't make it.

[CplAllen]

You know, if I was in Recon I wouldn't be surfing the web right now. I'm sure they are a little busy these days.

[rheinmark187]

I, like most other humans, have always been intrigued by the "special forces" sector of the military. To all of the Recon Marines, what was it like to be a part of such an elite group? How was the training? Is, was it worth it? Do you have any interesting things to share with us who are interested? How was the PT?


I'm not a Recon Marine nor was I even Infantry, but I did spend a few months with HQ (I'm guessing most of them were not 0321's) and Alpha company 3rd Recon Battalion back in 2003 while attending a school they ran.

I don't feel like writing an essay but some of my observations were that they were very laid back like surfers, but kind of intense competitors and very good at teaching. A lot of the formal and hip pocket training I received in the Marine Corps escapes me now, but I can recall a lot of what I was taught by their instructors.

Something interesting I noticed was when they would see someone giving up or failing miserably they'd either look away or get disgusted like a vampire turning from a cross. I'm guessing that's partially from the determined people they draw and from the fact that many of them are simply good at everything they put their hand to and can't really understand failure in other people. Some of them were real pricks and I remember one guy that I tossed into a pool when he finally crossed the line one time too many. But most of them were very nice and didn't mind answering the most ridiculous questions.

The Corpsmen (I don't know if any were SARCs) were even more impressive.

What they told me and all the other non-0321's was, "What separates us from all the wannabes is that we had the balls to try."

So if you're interested, GO GIVE IT A SHOT. You only have 1 life to live.

[rheinmark187]

I actually took the Recon indoc in Rota, Spain while on the 24th MEU. Let's just say... I didn't make it.

Try again. There have been many a SEAL and Force Recon Marine who've had to go through selection 2 or even 3 times.

[MIKECHRY]

I Know They're The Best On The Battlefield But I Ran Into A Bunch Of Recon Boys At Nwc China Lake And We Played Them In A Pickup Game Of Tackle Football. A Group Of Airwingers Beat Their Asses !!!!! Vmat-102

[coffeejoejava]

What Rheinmark187 says is about as close to truth as you can get. Once you have proved yourself in the Company, life is good. To the person, we have an utter disdain and disgust for those who quit. We are taught from day one it is "MISSION FIRST" EVERYTHING ELSE IS SECOND. Lots of classes taught by the LCPL to the GYSGT. Class, field, class, field, lots and lots of field time.

Last job I thought I would have when I came into the Corps and the only job I ever wanted once I got there.

[AAV Crewchief]

Recon Indoc=RIP platoon=PAIN AND SUFFERING

I was a member of 3rd Force Recon Co in Mobile, Al back in the day. Doesn't matter what rank you are, you will pay your dues.

[Bruce59]

Ok, here we go, back in the day, and I mean back in the day in 1960
I was in 3rd Recon A co. Did I have to apply NO, did I have to take a test
No, did my mos change No. Oh well, that was then, and this is now everything changes.

[Lynn2]

I to was in 3rdRecon Alpha company for 13 months. All of that time spent in VN.

Like Bruce it was a different time when I was in the BN. My "indoc" was a few days of running, repelling, small boat stuff on China Beach, and some radio work. There was no incountry Recon school at that time.

About a week after I arrived I was on a Team.

What I liked the most was the freedom I had to do darn near anything I wanted. Maybe the Marines did not find it this way but being a Doc I did.

I could do the min and the Marines would have been happy. Doing the min on a Recon Team is not like doing the min in real life.

But if I wanted to do more the sky was the limit. At least after I proved myself a little. When they asked for hand raisers for "stuff" if I wanted I could raise my hand (I was young and stupid at the time) and never once was I told that, that sort of thing was best left to Marines.

So if I wanted to do a 2 man recon into an occupied VC village acting as a base camp or transit station at 2 am I could have.

If I wanted to be on point Team, at times I could have.

If I wanted to carry the M-79 I could have.

If I wanted...etc etc etc. Truly there were no limits except for my own lack of interest.

Some Recon Docs actually served as Patrol leaders. That was way above my ability.

I loved being treated like an adult. And for the most part I was and we were.

But I will tell you one thing that I really got off on. And its a small stupid thing but the kind of thing that sticks with you.

It was walking out on what was to have been a 4 night patrol (rainy season and the choppers did not come for the return trip back home) It was close to the 6th day as we trugged in looking like beggers and tramps. Maybe 9 of us.

And as we got back to civilization we passed a road patrol of Marines who just stopped dead in their tracks and stared as we passed. Not a word was spoken.

But a good 2 min after we passed I looked back and those Marines still stood there watching us. I felt like a friggin rock star.

I liked doing interesting things with good people. And in Recon I found just that.

[CplAllen]

Great story Lynn2. Those were probably some great times.

[montana]

had a few that went threw recon training...but when the got to nam the were dispursed threwout our company....all that training and they were just grunts like the rest of us...
and we werent just grunts..we were Marines...

we looked that way after two months in the que son mountans during the monsoons...very little supply or medavac....felt like sh1t..had mold growing on our cammies...un shaved ,durty, ragged....they put us in tents way away frome everyone eles.and just left us alone for 4 or 5 days....let us get plumb sht faced...then when we was all sick and hung over they came and asked...asked... us to clean up and look like marines....we did

[FistFu68]

:evilgrin: Never met a Force Recon either in the 'Nam or Back in the World that did not consider Himself a Grunt...I know I was one of Five that were with India Co. 3/26 My Co.was,My Plt.Commander was and us other 3 Peons were.I loved walking Point too just get away from the Cluster Fuc.Semper~Fidelis~"Long Live Force" OOHRAH :beer: :flag:

[montana]

at least at point you knew what was going on....sometimes me and the second man took care of it befor anyone else got there...then have ta splane what all the shootin was about...point was good..rathole was bad....wouldnt touch a woman for 6 months after i got home...so leary of dark holes

[Lynn2]

Great story Lynn2. Those were probably some great times.

One dark night I said to a now dead Marine buddy that if I ever looked back on these times with anything but dread I would shoot myself.

But the fact is that like child birth and kidney stones that pain passes.

I hated it. But would not have changed a thing.

And when I was given an honorable chance to leave the Team and take the biggest skate job in the BN, after 10 months or so in the field, I took a pass. A love-hate relationship for sure.

I never want to ever forget how much I hated that stuff and how miserable it was. That is the only way to keep the memories honest.

Then it was eat the apple. Today its Semper Fi.

But then today I am a fat soft (ok not all that fat) REMF. And one who can no longer remember what that pain and misery actually felt like.

Doc

[Lynn2]

And look I do not think for a moment we thought we were better than other grunts. We had nothing but professional repsect for the infantry guys. And, except when we were doing some kind of DA, we realized we were nothing but support for the infantry.

We did think that going out "there" in 4-10-15 man Teams was pretty special though.

Even we we did not make contact being out "there" with only 3 Team mates that was still pretty darn stressful.

I can still work up a cold sweat today if I put my mind to it just thinking about getting ready to go back out.

[Apache]

All solid answers.
Definately a stressful period.
Reward was still brething at the end of mission.

[Bruce59]

3rd Recon was a Div. Recon and in 60 & 61 we still did some cool things.
Like working with the 8 men boats and going off submarines in the middle of the night three miles out. paddling in till we were 1mile out from the
beach and then sending scout swimmers in and sitting there waiting for
the signal to come in. Then doing the mission and getting back in the boats and going out three miles and sitting there and waiting for the sub to resurface in the middle of the night. All & all it was really cool stuff.

[Lynn2]

I will tell you I am in nothing but awe of the Marines and Docs that are in the Recon Community today. I have read far to much about the selection process and the pipeline to be otherwise.

But I wonder if there will ever be a high point for recon work as there was between 1965 and the early 1970's?

I would venture to say that no war before VN was as dependent on small teams. And maybe no war will be after.

Partially its the jungle fighting then. And while we may see troops back in the jungles in a big way I wonder if the technology (drones etc) will not have taken some of the Team action away.

A few years back I got put in touch with a 2nd Recon Operator who was in Iraq. He went on and on about how his guys were envious of the type of work we were able to do back in the day. That exchange got me to thinking.

Not as well trained not as highly vetted we still may have been involved in the high water mark for our type of work.

There were one hell of a lot of small teams (Army, Navy, and Marines) out in the field 24/7/365 during VN.

[rheinmark187]

I will tell you I am in nothing but awe of the Marines and Docs that are in the Recon Community today. I have read far to much about the selection process and the pipeline to be otherwise.

But I wonder if there will ever be a high point for recon work as there was between 1965 and the early 1970's?

I would venture to say that no war before VN was as dependent on small teams. And maybe no war will be after.

Partially its the jungle fighting then. And while we may see troops back in the jungles in a big way I wonder if the technology (drones etc) will not have taken some of the Team action away.

A few years back I got put in touch with a 2nd Recon Operator who was in Iraq. He went on and on about how his guys were envious of the type of work we were able to do back in the day. That exchange got me to thinking.

Not as well trained not as highly vetted we still may have been involved in the high water mark for our type of work.

There were one hell of a lot of small teams (Army, Navy, and Marines) out in the field 24/7/365 during VN.


Many of the articles I've read have indicated the same thing. I know they have done a lot of mounted patrols and route recon (as much as LAR units) for us in Iraq. One of the problems faced for dismounted patrols is that there is less cover and patrolling in an urban environment means you are constantly exposed. I'll guess it completely changes everything.

There's still a lot of special reconnaissance that goes on, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Recon community evolves away from the VN era. Drones make a huge difference for us, but consider that many countries and organizations are working on their own drones. This will make traditional recon teams even more vulnerable in time.

I wouldn't be surprised if we see Recon folks learning to work with drones and other information gathering even more, developing intel and acting on it even more. I know that there's a book coming out about Marine Detachment 1 and the Intel section is described the author as 'perhaps the most surprising element' by the author.

[brecon65]

I was in Bravo Company, 3rd Recon Bn. We were detached from the rest of the Battalion and stationed at Kaneohe Air Station, Hawaii. The rest of the battalion was on Okinowa.

A group of instructors came from Coronado to conduct a 6 week course in amphibious recon. One of them was a "Gunny" named Aiken, who was the kind of Marine we all wished we could be, the kind of person you would find in the dictionary under "Marine".

We swam a mile every morning before chow, did PT afterwords, spent countless hours swimming through surf, paddling rubber boats through surf, followed by daytime and nightime orienteering classes through rough terrain.

Along with the other members of the 3 line platoons, we were joined by three members of the army: a 2nd Lt. and two NCO's. After the first week, the two NCO's washed out-the PT and swimming were too much for them. The 2nd Louie was a good man and stayed with us all the way to the finish of the school. I wish I could remember his name.

I am as proud of the certificate of completion of that 6 week course as I am of my B.A. They hang side-by-side on my wall.