Was Boot Camp Easy?

[USMC2571]

I know my answer, but what prompted this thread was that I heard, in the last couple of days, two younger Marines talking about how EASY boot camp was at Parris Island.
And my two reactions were:

Wow.

and

The Corps sure has changed.

Can it be that there are actually individuals whose impression of boot camp is that it was "easy"?
How widespread is this belief? Nothing surprises me in the year 2010.

But, the question is, do you think it was easy or difficult or somewhere in the middle?

[USMC2571]

I forgot to add, MINUS the Crucible, which by all accounts is a tough part of boot camp. But besides the Crucible.

[SlingerDun]

Directly after joining Leatherneck.com was the first i ever heard boot camp called physically easy or not too bad, but it wasn't a majority. Mentally tough still seems to be agreed upon. Some say physical training progressively hardens up after boot camp, maybe so?

I experienced the entire camp as quite difficult in 79' and knew how to work a full day before joining.

[tgwkreu7]

i went through boot camp at P I in 1948 and that is when they could pound the schitt out of you for the least mistake you made or make and i seen many that had the pounding
joe kreuz

[Ceckert85]

I just went through in December of 2009, and my personal opinion was that it was not easy as people say. new marines like to say it was easy and it ma have been to them, but they were probably skating the whole way. Those are usually the most undisciplined ones

[Mongoose]

When I went through bootcamp , there was no way for anyone to skate through it. And you damn sure wasnt undisciplined. Ive never heard anyone from that era say bootcamp was easy. S/F 67-68

[micarr57]

not easy when i went thru but looking back on it did have a pretty good time,
in a sick and twisted kind of way

[Mongoose]

Joe, I heard that they didnt whoop one Marines in bootcamp in the 40s. I ve heard two say they never heard of it back then. Please clairify your statement. S/F

[Old Marine]

When I was in Boot Camp, each and every day was the most exciting day of my life. Learned something new every day and knew better than to forget what I had learned that particular day.

[Ceckert85]

I was in hotel Co. and they did not fuk around. they but a beat down on u if u fuked up

[JWG]

It was surely mentally difficult and physically in the sense we (at least we did in 3rd Batallion, Mike Company MCRD Parris Island) did a lot all day on very little food intake. We were afforded chow, the time varied, he he. Went in 180 and HEALTHY and in shape, left 165. Gained it all back on 10 day leave. PT was not that hard to me, but it was physically draining in many other aspects and mentally tough. In my experience, during SOI and MOS school the PT has gotten much better and more frequent.

So to sum it up, for me.. Boot camp was much more challenging in the mental toughness and what I would call close to malnutrition (at least in my experience) and afterwards it was much less mentally stressful, but the physical (PT, etc) became much better.

As for all the "it was easy" crap, if that is so for others, I feel bad for them and their poor experience or lack of personal effort and/or integrity. But our platoon went through some hell so I can only speak for myself.

Semper Fi.

[leprechaun9544]

Having gone through bootcamp at MCRDSD in 1962, as I recall it was both mentally and physically challenging. Back then, as many of you can attest, I am sure, the DI's did NOT have to be "nice", as they apparently have to be now. Now, I am NOT saying that bootcamp is easy these days, just that we were handled in a completely different way back then. We did not have the Crucible then, and from what I have seen, I think I am glad of that. However, I do think (from my limited knowledge) that the Crucible is a very good tool for building confidence and teamwork in todays recruits. All things change and evolve, but it is still The Corps, and for that I am glad, and very proud to be part of the brotherhood that we all know and love...USMC !!

[249gunner]

Yeah it was easy.....easy in comparison to SOI.
A 25k hike with 90+ pounds on your back, a SAW + A bag, will make anything prior look easy.
The crucible was a short taste of the grunt life. It was the first time I spent a cold night with a completly drenched uniform. Once I got to SOI, every night in the field seemed to be like that. You ate everything of your plate when dinner came around. Every meal was a feast.

mandatory showers every evening after a sweaty day on the range?
warm chow served like clock work? a clean rack at night?

Its amazing how fast you grunts forgot the field life...

[bballbrad22]

I wouldn't call it "easy," but when we PT'd, it wasn't very hard. Our workouts at the recruiting station are more challenging. But you are tired all day every day, so it's still a challenge to do every day tasks being in that state of constant tiredness. Mentally it's tough, but once you become accustomed to that lifestyle, it becomes easier and the time flies by.

[BigPhil]

I thought it was as hard as they could make it seeing that I was in a Plt of reservs that didn't want to be their in the first place. But it was a wake up call were every day you knlw were you were going and what you would do. This was in last of June61 at PI