What can you take to boot camp?

[thedrifter]

What can you take to boot camp?

By TOM DAVIS
Tribune Managing Editor
Sunday, May 13, 2007

A typical 18-year-old is more likely to be caught leaving the house each day without their pants on than to exit without his/her cell phone, MP3 and/or iPod or CDs. However, once enlisted into the U.S. Marine Corps and you report to boot camp, you might as well leave that stuff at home because you won't be needing it.

"Once you get off of that bus (at the USMC Recruit Depot in San Diego), all of your personal stuff goes into a box and into storage," USMC Sgt. Jason Gallentine explained. "You won't see it again for 13 weeks."

On Saturday, over 300 of the 453 Marine recruits ventured to Grissom Air Reserve Base for a day of training and motivation and they were told what to do - as well as what not to do.

What not to do included lectures on activities that will follow them to the Marine Corps, such as partying on graduation night, getting into trouble with the law, and experimenting with drugs.

"We don't need any surprises once you report to (boot) camp," one sergeant explained. "If there is a legal problem that comes up, that's when mommy and daddy get a phone call telling them that you are on your way home."

The recruits learned not to bring anything personal other than some stationery and a pen to write home with. They were also instructed to be clean-cut, no piercings, no long hair, no facial hair, etc.


The sergeant also emphasized - rather forcefully - not to cause any problems in the hotel that the recruits stay in the night before reporting to boot camp.

During the day of training on Saturday, the recruits got their first taste, literally, of a typical meal for Marines. The infamous MREs (Meals Ready to Eat).

The recruits were given a breakfast MRE, which consisted of scrambled eggs with a salsa sauce to mix in, making an omelette (sort of), a hash brown, some bacon, cracker with cheese spread, a Pop-Tart, a scone with jam, and a small lemonade packet.

If that sounds like a lot for one meal - well, it is. A typical MRE includes between 2,000 and 3,000 calories.

But won't that make the Marines fat, eating that many calories for one meal?

Hardly.

The Marines are so physically active, that they burn off all of the calories that they ingest, with every calorie serving a purpose, and nothing going to waste.

"You'll use every one of the calories that is in one of those (MREs)," Staff Sgt. Cory Carter, who oversees the Kokomo Recruiting Sub-Station explained. "The soldiers won't have to (use the bathroom) more than once every three days because they are not eating wasted food."

Each Marine is given two MREs per day, unless they are in heavy combat, which includes some Marines eating up to four per day, or over 10,000 calories per day.

But are they any good?

"Mine was awesome," Wabash High School senior Michelle Mayo said. "But I am not a picky eater."

The Marines are even up with the times, as they offer a variety of different packages to select from, including even offering a vegetarian MRE.

Ellie

[PatriotGirl422]

"You'll use every one of the calories that is in one of those (MREs)," Staff Sgt. Cory Carter, who oversees the Kokomo Recruiting Sub-Station explained. "The soldiers won't have to (use the bathroom) more than once every three days because they are not eating wasted food."

Hmmm I wonder why that SSgt. is refering to Marines/recruits as "soldiers".


Anyway, good article.

[CantWaitToSign]

Hmmm I wonder why that SSgt. is refering to Marines/recruits as "soldiers".


Anyway, good article.

I think he's talking about the soldiers as in the people out there who already earned the title and fighting for our country...not the Poolees

[ElDiablo]

But that makes them Marines, not soldiers. You join the Army to be a soldier, Marines are Marines nothing else.

[Echo_Four_Bravo]

Marines are soldiers of the sea. From time to time you come across someone that used soldier as a generic term. When it is a Sgt and you are a PFC or LCPL you don't correct him.

[Pvt Knumb Knutz]

But that makes them Marines, not soldiers. You join the Army to be a soldier, Marines are Marines nothing else.

You are 100% correct. I have never heard of any Marine referring to other Marines as Soldiers. The term was sometimes applied to Marines in Europe during WW I, however, I have never heard or read of it being used since. If you take it to it's illogical conclusion,one may as well refer to Marines as Sailors. Marines have always refered to Personnel,Army,Male(s),One Each, as Doggies! I'm thinking a 214 check is in order here. It's bad enough that there are those who strive to make us a copy of the Army with their Sir,Yes Sir jibberish. (For over a hundred years there was only one of three ways to respond to an order; Yes Sir,No Sir,Aye Aye Sir (Ma'am where applicable). But that is a whole other discussion for another time.) If I were in the Security field, a slip such as that would be a red flag! It leaps out at you because historically, Marines Hate to be called soldier! I know I did. I remember when I was home on boot leave, I was in the local establishment when this old timer refered to me as "Soldier"; I informed him in all of my seventeen year old rightious indignation that, "I was a Marine and not a Soldier". So you are One Hundred Percent correct, Marines are many things, including Maggots (in Boot Camp), Jar heads, Gyrenes, Leathernecks (rarely used ),Gomers, Mud Marines etc. Never Soldiers!

[Pvt Knumb Knutz]

In the recruiting field the various services share locations and this may be one of those situations. This took place at Grissom Air Reserve Base which I do not think is a Marine Corps installation. I do not know as I have never heard of it. Was this Staff Sgt. Cory Carter indentified as a Marine? If he was Air Force or an Army Sgt., He would naturally refer to trainees as "soldiers"; it could also just be a simple faux pas by S/Sgt. Corey or the writer,one Tom Davis.

[ElDiablo]

Thank you Pvt Knumb Knutz. I didn't mean any disrespect to anyone. I was raised on the fact that Marines are Marines, nothing else. My dad's a Marine, and when he reads or hears someone calling a Marine a soldier, he gets pretty worked up. That's just the way I was raised, sorry if I was incorrect.

[Master Sephiroth]

Uh with all due respect, didn't drillinstructor make a topic for this?

[ElDiablo]

Did he? Where is it.

[Master Sephiroth]

http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=25168

[Echo_Four_Bravo]

Uh with all due respect, didn't drillinstructor make a topic for this?

Thedrifter runs this place. If she wanted another topic about the subject, we'll have another topic about it. But, this was a story that she was sharing with you, not advice from someone on the drill field.

[Master Sephiroth]

My mistake.

[Master Sephiroth]

and apologies

[Pvt Knumb Knutz]

Thank you Pvt Knumb Knutz. I didn't mean any disrespect to anyone. I was raised on the fact that Marines are Marines, nothing else. My dad's a Marine, and when he reads or hears someone calling a Marine a soldier, he gets pretty worked up. That's just the way I was raised, sorry if I was incorrect.

ElDiablo, No offense taken. I did not intend to suggest any type of anger as I was simply giving my take, my two cents as it were on the calling of Marines, Soldiers. I am a little past getting angry about things like that as I am now 65 years old and there are just too many more important things for me to concern myself with at this point in time. Besides I fought those battles as a young man...it's up to the young studs now. I do however, get quite worked up over the slow dismantling of our Corps by the powers that be at the Pentagon. Ever since the 1930's there has been a call to disband the Marine Corps as it was, "redundant". That is what prompted, I believe, it was then Sec/Nav Forrestal, to say, "That Flag Raising (On Iwo Jima) Will Guarantee A Marine Corps for the Next Fifty Years". Even after WW II, there were calls by people such as Jimmy "Do Little", who said,"the Marines are a thing whose time has come and gone...there will not be another Island Hopping war in the future and if the need should arise, the Army is fully capable of fulfilling that job"and "The Marine Corps is a luxury that is a redundancy that no longer justifies the cost". (Then came a thing called Korea and a place called Inchon). This from a guy who accepted the Congressional Medal of Honor for doing a job that was shared by a bunch of other guys who did not get Medals Of Honor! Some of whom did not come back! Anyway, please do not think I was offended, I used the Smileys out of humor not anger. (Just between you and me, if someone is offended over a story about recruits, I think that they have bigger worries than what name to use for a group of strangers. Who really cares?) P.S. Thanks for taking the time to respond, I didn't expect it. Bill