left for boot camp today

[micarr57]

left for boot camp today got to san diego about 2230 after a short ride got to MCRD couldn't get off the bus fast enough got the quickest haircut of my life by 0100 had everything needed to get started with training. tomorrow morning is going to be interesting. 0500 lights on people yelling throwing ****cans and apparently i was not moving fast enough in trouble allready it was then that i thought what the fuk am i doing here. o yea this happened 35 years ago today and still remember as if it happened yesterday hopeing i don't wake up and the last 35 years has been a dream and i'm really just in training day 3 SEMPER FI

[irpat54]

even though it hs been since 1973 I still remember my D.I.'s like it was yesterday and the ****cans flying down the Ils. and wondering what I had gotten myself into. as well

[Vandrel]

lol I was a little confused by this topic at first, I was thinking... how the hell are you posting this from boot camp... do they allow cell phones and texting now? lol

[jshields19]

hey it had me off a little too!!!

[micarr57]

sorry guys can't remember clearly what happened last week but my cranial hard drive is full but you don't deleat the good stuff. amazing how fresh it is in my mind

[Marine84]

Amen! I remember my first day like it was yesterday too.

[Carpshooter]

I had been drafted , there was the usual beer party with fast cars and loose women to help one on their way into the life of an Army fighting man in the war to stop the Commies !

I got up as did my brother over a year earlier ,he was in Nam , fighting them little short underfed midgets that were waiting for their chance at a orient style of "Wizzard of Oz " to be in !I had to get my mom and dad to take me to do my part as many in my family in past wars had did ,all were drafted and Army proud , mostly WW1 uncles ,some had fought their relatives in France !

I had great plans as that little war (Vietnam ) was dying down ( what did I know back then ) and I could be in the brothels of German women by X-mas if all goes to my plan as a career in the mighty U S Army living the good life of a soldier !

We just got to town as the Draft-lady and her inductee load of youg men were leaving ,I got out of my '64 Impala coupe and waved good by to mom & dad as that car was already leaving .I was late ,but ended up at the inductee hall in Omaha to become a fighting soldier taking on the Commies .

We each had an interview that was about if we were a a homo,our religion ,etc . all that good stuff .As it was going to be my turn ,the guy before me was threatening this E-5 sgt. ,didn't know why ,but I sat down to talk .Well at the end of this conversation I was informed that I was now going to be a member of the Marine Corps and how lucky I am ( wasn't thinking at the time that that would mean no German ladies for me ) and like the type of guy I am I just wanted to get along with this .

The 110 of us ,108 soldiers and two Marines were sworn in together .We got all that usual stuff some charities gave every draftee ( most was taken from me at MCRD )and it was in a plastic bag for everyone of us ,as we carried it around .

Well ,I and the other lucky guy were seperated from the others and ended up at the airport on our way to San Diego . I never knew where that was ,never got to call home and inform ma & pa that their second son is not following family tradition and they may not regonize me in my new clothes on my return !

The two of us inductees were talking over why ,he thought it was because we were so tuff looking ,he was about 6 foot , 190lbs. while I was 6 -2 at 150 lbs . at the most fully loaded .

We got on the plane with two enlisted recruits ,one was way overweight and claimed at the time that his recruiter informed him that the Corps had a fitness plan for his type (known as the fat farm )_.

Flew from Omaha to L. A. , then got on a plane with alot of sailors and Marines headed for San Diego. There I met a classmate from high school ,who I graduated with ,he was a Lance / corporal and had been in 7 months and told me it would be rough and to put up with it as it gets better after boot .That was putting it mildly ,it was " HELL" run by the satan worshippers !

I got to San Diego and was playing follow the leader and the naval guys were leading as this farmboy was looking at all the sites of a airport .Well at the end of this carnival was a small short midget ,who I thought may be a cowboy Marine with a smokey the bear hat on , jumping up and down yelling obstinacies at someone who must of been behind me . I turned to inform whoever and guess what , this little muskin was yelling these words that he must of learned in a tavern at me ! I don't know who this guy thought he was , but I went along with him cause I didn't want to cause a fuss .

Into a small semi-trailor we went ,what a way to welcome new recruits into the Corps .I figure that since I am a Drafted Marine that the nice folks in the Marines would cut me some slack as I was adding to their numbers and everything would be just fine !Well in that trailer there was someone crying ,I figured that he was an enlistee who wasn't informed about that idiot guy at the airport or this fun ride in the dark in this trailer ,lucky us .

Then we were unloaded at them there famous yellow footprints.I couldn't figure who was so dumb to paint such a thing as this , as is there painters in the Corps to paint a pretty picture of things or what ? I was slow getting over there along with my other draftee from Omaha and guess what ,they left without us .There was four of us standing there as they had enough for a PLATOON ,MAYBE THEY'LL JUST SEND US HOME . We got told to stand on them footprints and a few hours later we left in another newly formed platoon ,so much for going home , as we had a home now !

I went through all that stuff ,haircut ,taking my charity goodies away from me ,putting my clothes in a box to mail home ,issue one ultility uniform , etc.

Then we had this big pow-wow ,where this gunnery sergeant was telling about what he must of loved to do and that was bragg,inform ,rant on and on about the Marines Corps endlessly.There must of been 4 platoons ( the whole series) there and suddenly these two sergeants headed up infront of the talking gunny with a recruit between them , who they claimed was informing everyone that he was not going to be carrying a rifle .

The gunny asked him why he wasn't going to carry a rifle ?

He claimed that it was against his religous beliefs.

Gunny asked him what he would bet that he wasn't going to be carrying a rifle ?

He replied that he would bet his life !

The gunny really exploded and said that that would be just what it will take then , and then asked him " How in the HELL did you ever get into the Marine Corps ?"

He replied " I got drafted !"

This was the first recruit that I seen get hit so hard he was flat on the deck , the sergeants picked him up and hauled him away as that gunny told them to get his sorry ass out of his class .

This was when I thought that since that gunny handled any problems around here that I wasn't going to mention that guy at the airport ,that terrible ride in that trailer or even being drafted !

How did your first day in boot camp go ? :scared:

I remember it like it was yesterday plus alot of other things !

PS I got to see this recruit ,who never wanted to carry a rifle in chow hall ,he had a large table all to himself , his own set of leg irons ( my first time ever seeing that ) ,all the time he needed to eat and two chasers to watch over him about a weak later after that first night .

,

[eazyrider]

Well when we left from MEPS I figured that somebody with authority would take us out there to San Diego. But all they did was pick one guy and give him the paper work and they put us on a plane. We got to San Diego and couldn't figure out where to go. Some how we got to the USO and waited and talked for a while then all of a sudden some guy with a Smokey came in and said "If your going to Boot Camp get the **** on the bus". So we did. That was April 8,2002, my birthday. We drove for a while, it was late when we got to MCRD. Then the doors came open and my whole world expoded. I remember the yellow footprints and D.I's yelling about desertion and something else.
Then I got my head shaved and was pushed into a squad bay. There was so much yelling I couldn't figure out what the hell was going on. I remember laying in the rack that night going, what the hell did I do. I wanted to go home. But I didn't. They told us to take our sweaters and put them on the end of the rack. I did and I had firewatch my first night. When I woke up my sweater was gone. I had no idea what had happened to it. So, and I am a little ashamed to admit this, I stole another recruits sweater. Hey, I was scared about what would happen to me if I didn't have it. The next morning when we were shoved out of the rack I looked over at that recruit vainly looking for his sweater and felt bad but I wasn't about to admit it. He found his/mine in the far end of the squad bay. I have no idea how or why it got back there but it all worked out.
I can still remember it well. I hated boot camp but I am glad that I went through it.

[hrscowboy]

dang you guys had it really hard. when we got to MCRD we got our sunglasses and had a bar-b-q and drank a few beers.

[Danny C Smith]

July 21st 1986.
All freaking hell broke loose and the
world came to an end!:evilgrin:

When I was 6 years old my Parents took me to
the Dallas state Fair as it was called at the time.
We got to see what I know now was the
Marine Corps Silent Drill Team.:flag:
I remember telling my Mother. "I want to do that".
I remember her laughing and telling me "those are
Marines Danny, the meanest men in the world"
"You don't want to be mean, you want to be a good boy".
I remember THAT perfectly. The first time I saw Marines.
That is branded on my brain like the Eagle Globe and Anchor
tattoed on my left shoulder.
So are the names and faces of my Tormentors.
SDI. Ssgt. Gaither, DI. Sgt. Cruz, Di. Sgt. Eldrege, Di. Sgt. Seyeres.
Notice how the word tormentor contains the word "Mentor".
The rest is, as they say history.

[echo3oscar1833]

Remember it plain as day still, July 9, 2001 got off the plane. Hung around the USO all afternoon. Smoking cig's, finally the bus, and DI showed up told us all to get on the bus. If we had any tobacco products to throw them away. I did just that, got on the bus, we had to put our heads down. The DI didn't want us to know the way from the Airport to the Depot, in case some one went UA. Finally got on the Depot, got on the yellow foot prints, all the yelling, head shaving the works. First night in the rack I'm laying there thinking SOB this sucks, I want a smoke. After that night I just sucked it up, and went through the days. The rest is history. :D:D

[Rocky C]

lol I was a little confused by this topic at first, I was thinking... how the hell are you posting this from boot camp... do they allow cell phones and texting now? lol

I was thinking the Same Thing at first thinking it was a 5 year old Thread or something brought back to Life :D.

Today is My Day. I'll never forget it. June 19th, 1977. 4 Days after High School Graduation!!!:usmc::thumbup:

[SGT7477]

18 June 1974, Never Forget, Semper Fidelis.

[Carpshooter]

dang you guys had it really hard. when we got to MCRD we got our sunglasses and had a bar-b-q and drank a few beers.

It was platoon 1066 that left poor drafted me and that other inductee from Omaha plus two others behind at them ugly yellow footprints cause they were in a hurry for some bar-b-que and cold barley pop !:p

Yeh ,make the drunks of the series the honor platoon cause they always left so many beer cans lying around everywhere ! :D

I figure that that ( honor platoon ) title was won in a DIs card game all this time anyway !:scared:

" Keep sticking up for those cowboy Marines ( DIs and anyone else who wore a smokey the bear hat " ) !

Wasn't being in the Corps fun back in them good old days ?

God & Chesty know that I miss the pain of it all !

PS . Were your sunglasses photo-ray or 3D, Hrscowboy ?

[hrscowboy]

they where photo-ray and if i remember right 1067 was always cryin For there momma's..

[Carpshooter]

they where photo-ray and if i remember right 1067 was always cryin For there momma's..

At least we liked women ! :p

Ours were 3D glasses with blinders so we couldn't see all that drunken sailor party stuff that 1066 was doing all the time as we march in step by their sorry ass excuses for future Marines ! :cool:

Doesn't it get any better than this ? :scared:

[hrscowboy]

Sorry what ?? you FNGs couldnt even drill.. and if i remember right your drill instructor sexton got his arse whooped at the pugle fights.. and he was recon and oh yeah how about all your buddys that went awol and there was a bunch and you know it. and crying to your mommys cause the DI was just a little too tough on you all. at least we took our beatens and kept them to our selves. 3/4s of Platoon 1067 was weekend warriors because you all couldnt bring yourselfs to do the right thing and serve full time..

[Carpshooter]

Slow down Hrscowboy , my drains can only take so much of that BS ,good thing I got an extra large one by my computer . ;)

Well, take a time out like you and your platoon always did back in MCRD ,San Diego ( in other words go to the frig and grab a cold one ), as I got to get some sleep , as I got to get my beauty sleep ,cause I get up at sunrise unlike platoon 1066 who only got up for when that ice cream and liquor truck came around ! :D

Have a good night Tom ! :flag:

PS. were you and me in the same ITR battalion or not as I got that photo , wonder where you are in it ?

[Garyius]

I went in in 1987. We got driven out to the airport in a big van, a bunch of guys and girls going to the different services.

I had signed up about 6 months earlier so my time at MEPS at been really short that day. I was from Michigan but they let me go to San Diego, because my dad's good friend at the plant had been a Marine and when he got drafted he went to San Diego. At least back then the Corps was good about things like that.

I flew in through Denver and got to San Diego really late. I don't think I saw any drill instructors at the airport. I sat around with the Marine driver for the bus for a while until some more guys rolled in. The driver didn't have much to say, but he did tell us something about just doing what we were told and it would go by fast (it didn't).

The DI who met us at the red roofed building got on, yelled some stuff, and then told us NOT to run to the footprints but to walk quickly off the bus.

The rest of the time is a blur because--I think--of lack of sleep. I have a clear memory of the haircut and the initial gear issue. I have very blurry memories of doing lots of paperwork and marching around out of step. I also recall the 'moment of truth' where people starting confessing to things that had done wrong--and all I could think was "how dumb are you guys?".

After that whole next day they let us sleep in the red roofed barracks wing. I woke up and had my wits back and remember thinking at least the barracks would be nice. The DIs there were strict but seemed okay, more instructors than bad guys, so it was going to be more adult than I had thought. Both of those thoughts were proven wrong a few days later.

[Carpshooter]

Cause my platoon series brother is no doubt still sleeping ,cause he learned that in boot camp while with the Bar-b -quing & drinking 1066 ,lucky him ! :p

Have a nice day Tom ! :D

[sparkie]

June, 1969,,all the above except for that Diego crap. I did P.I. Hell,,,coulda been today. Don.t remember. Just remember it was a week after graduation, and I had a hangover.

[3522]

Micarr, I was a week behind you in 1st Bn., 1073 to be exact. 25Jun1975 seems like forever ago, and yesterday at the same time.