Recon Wannabes... what to expect...

[DevilDogsSon269]

So I have a friend on FB who is close friends with one of the Marines who was on Surviving the Cut(he is now a Recon Marine). His mother got me in touch with him and we have been talking. This is a view from the eyes of some one who graduated BRC a couple months ago. Here is his views and what to expect:

*note- I have edited this in an effort to keep his identity on the DL as this is posted on the web where everyone can see and I am sure he doesnt want to receive a ****ton of pointless mail from people not even affiliated with the Marines.

"Hey man, how are you? idk if you know me or know who i am but my name is ***** ***** and i graduated from brc about 2 months ago. i just want to tell you good luck. it will be like nothing you've ever attempted. if you make it through brc you will think boot camp was a joke lol. the biggest piece of advice i can give you is do not give up. it is going to suck sooooo bad and so many people will quit. don't do it. almost all of your buddies are going to want to quit and they are going to try to bring you down with them. OK so i will give you a little bit of a time line for you first stages of the marine corps. boot camp for 3 months then out to California for itb(soi) for another 3 months then MART( marines awaiting recon training) and that can last anywhere from a week to a couple months. this is where most of the junior marines are going to quit, about 75% or more will quit. mart is hell on earth, you will get treated like absolute crap, stand around and look at a wall for hours, work out till you can't move and then go thrash in a pool for a couple hours. the instructors during this phase of training have 2 goals: 1) make you quit. 2) get you ready for brc. the pool during this phase of training is going to be the hardest thing you have ever done. once again do not quit. they( the instructors) will help you in the pool as long as you show that you want help and don't want to quit. the advice i have for the pool is just stay calm and breathe.
your next phase of training will be brc(basic reconnaissance course) this will be another 3 months. and it is really not that tough. you get treated better in brc than you do in mart. just follow the rules and once again don't quit. going back to mart, it is going to be intense and you are going to get treated just like a recruit again, but you will get lots of liberty. you should get evening libo everyday and weekend libo too. once again do not quit sorry for saying it so many times but i can't someone has such a great opportunity and through it a away because they get out of there comfort level. one of the reasons you do not want to quit is because you will become a regular grunt( 0311 infantry) and they have it rough. they get treated like crap their entire career. Recon is the best job to have in the entire marine corps. it is the most laid back job where you get to do some of the coolest training. i mean i just finished airborne school with the army in fort benning georgia. airborne school is jumping out of airplanes with a static line parachute. it was so cool. ok well i think that is enough for now. i realize that you are not yet a marine and don't understand a lot of the terminology and you probably wont until you get to that point in time. but if you have any questions feel free to ask i will be more than welcome to answer them."

Good Luck poolees! I myself have not gotten my contract secured but, when I do I will see you after Boot Camp for MART!

[Tony Fleri]

Good Luck poolees! I myself have not gotten my contract secured but, when I do I will see you after Boot Camp for MART!

yup good luck to you too buddy...see you out there someday

[Zumbii]

Thanks for posting this man.
Good on ya

[DevilDogsSon269]

No problem. I thought it would be helpful. What you mean by good on ya? kinda lost on the phrase, maybe overlooking its meaning.

[Zumbii]

Likeeeee
good job.

good on you for posting

[DevilDogsSon269]

Ah, Why thank you. I thought thats what was meant but i didnt want to assume.

[Zumbii]

we should all post question in this thread for you to ask that Marine.
My question for him, Did you have a Recon contract or did you volunteer at SOI? If you had a contract; how many of the Marines did not, and volunteered at SOI?

[Tony Fleri]

we should all post question in this thread for you to ask that Marine.
My question for him, Did you have a Recon contract or did you volunteer at SOI? If you had a contract; how many of the Marines did not, and volunteered at SOI?

that sounds like a great idea

[DevilDogsSon269]

I know for sure he was a volunteer at SOI. Ill ask him the second question about population. Shoot. Dont go over board and only ask serious questions. Im not gonna look like a MOtard, nor am I gonna barade him with rediculousness, or harrass the hell out of him. So keep the questions trimmed!

[Zumbii]

Haha, well that is pretty much my only concern. Recon contracts are real slim pickings so more than likely most of us will go in with infantry slots.

[DevilDogsSon269]

its true. Ie heard that UZ contracts are limited 2-4 per state or month or some crap like that.

[bdalesvandy]

How likley am I to get a shot at the Recon Indoc after SOI if I'm not able to get the UZ, and have to sign for 03? I meet all the prerequisites, and live on the East Coast...

[DevilDogsSon269]

He said its best to get a UZ contract. Unless you live on west coast the evaluation and selections at SOI happen more since thats where BRC and MART take place. If you get in, you have equal chance as anyone else when you get to MART. Pass MART(indoc) and you get in BRC.

[bdalesvandy]

My biggest fear at this point is that I pass Bootcamp and SOI, and then never get the opportunity to try out. I've heard many don't even get the chance to try out. I don't want to have to wait months or years if I could try now...

[Tony Fleri]

My biggest fear at this point is that I pass Bootcamp and SOI, and then never get the opportunity to try out. I've heard many don't even get the chance to try out. I don't want to have to wait months or years if I could try now...

Contract is your only garauntee for recon otherwise when you go to SOI you may or you may not get a chance. I here they always take volunteers so they kno who wants in in the future but dont always take from that class because they may not be more seats in BRC or MART. I just recently talked to an infantry marine that just got back from afghanistan and said that your allowed to take the screening every 3 months or 90 days but if your unit is training for a deployment (which usually they are) you may not have a chance. this marine didnt get a chance in his first enlistment. Now the cases change for every individual. Some may go straight from SOI, some may go back EVERY 90 days till they pass but it really depends on your unit you get stationed with.