My boot camp experience... (Very Long, but everything you need to know!)

[Yami Chasi]

This is great Achped, this is something that all the poolees and hopefuls on here should read. The parts with you and the females are both shocking and hilarious, I'm glad I'm going to SD so I won't have that problem, 'cause quite honestly, my backside would be grass.

[Gunner614]

Extremely informative Achped, thanks for taking the time to type all this out.
And just a side note, it's eerie how much you look like my cousin who is also a Corporal, but out of MCRDSD.

[Marine84]

Damn Gunner! You went digging didn't you? Achped is in a place with very little women, a very hard ............., and Eve on his mind right about now.

[Gunner614]

Roflmao

[lagrand]

Good read!

Quick question. In all of the 13 weeks at Parris Island, did you ever seen your Drill Instructors laugh/smile? And with that, besides during the Crucible and after you got your EGA, did you ever see the "human side" of your Drill Instructors?

[introspect]

Thanks for bumping this whoever... It was an awesome read :}

[Marine84]

Quick question. In all of the 13 weeks at Parris Island, did you ever seen your Drill Instructors laugh/smile?

Every once in a while, you might see it but, they will usually turn away from you, get their bearing back and turn around and give you hell. I'm sure they laugh their a$$e$ off in that DI Hut though. Sometimes they'll crack a joke themselves and raise hell at you because you laughed.

And with that, besides during the Crucible and after you got your EGA, did you ever see the "human side" of your Drill Instructors?

No, because they are not human! You'll see it every day in them but, you won't know it until afterwards. If you're wondering whether you'll become best drinking buddies with them and find out about family history - NO! There's no time for that. They only have 13 weeks to teach you how to be a Marine.

[ForeverChanged]

We had Drill Instructor Ssgt. Perry....he was our kill hat for about 9 weeks (2nd decks kill hat broke his leg so they got Perry, and we got a brand new DI fresh out of school), but let me tell you....he would laugh and smile, only because he knew it was "MY TIME TO KILL SOME NASTIES" if you get the drift. Funniest Drill Instructor in the world. We would be getting murdered by the 3rd hat field daying and Ssgt. Perry would start a beach party, and I got to send out the invitations. I had to invite recruits standing over them and screaming "A BOMBS GOIN' OFF IN THIS ***** GET OUTSIDE"....They are gonna play those little games with you but by the end of first phase the, you don't care about the quarterdeck or the pit.

I was one of those recruits that was LOVED by the heavy and hated by our SDI, 3rd hat, and kill hat. The heavy loved me because I WASN'T a drill waiver. Also remember this, the Heavy hats usually don't hold grudges, you screw up they murder you and move on, the other DI's...well they never forget, trust me.

From day 1 until Graduation morning, my day started like this:

"LIGHTS LIGHTS LIGHTS EVERYONE ONLINE PARKER GET YOUR ASS ON THE QUARTERDECK! I usually did a pushup everytime a recruit counted off online, like this "1 Down up SPIRIT DISCIPLINE, 2 Down up SPIRIT DISCIPLINE, until SIR GOOD MORNING SIR THE COUNT ON DECK IS 64 UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS RECRUITS!!" Then as they got dressed and hygeined I got murdered, and that was the easy part of my day..everytime a recruit was getting slayed and murded I was there by his side. I even wore a sign around my neck for awhile that read "Quarterdeck me". Even on grad morning I was standing proud, in my Alphas, in the sand pit getting teased.

In all seriousness, SCREAM. Every Drill Instructor from every platoon from every company demands 3 things and only 3 things, SPEED VOLUME AND INTENSITY, give it to them 24 hours a day and you will do fine, the rest is just a mind game. I was beligerent (spelling?) and paid for it...dearly, don't be like me and you'll be fine.

Also start duck walking, scuzzing the deck didn't bother me so I spent most of all field days on the quarterdeck, which to me is 100% better than "SCUZZ AYE SIR"

[Enigmatic]

We had Drill Instructor Ssgt. Perry....he was our kill hat for about 9 weeks (2nd decks kill hat broke his leg so they got Perry, and we got a brand new DI fresh out of school), but let me tell you....he would laugh and smile, only because he knew it was "MY TIME TO KILL SOME NASTIES" if you get the drift. Funniest Drill Instructor in the world. We would be getting murdered by the 3rd hat field daying and Ssgt. Perry would start a beach party, and I got to send out the invitations. I had to invite recruits standing over them and screaming "A BOMBS GOIN' OFF IN THIS ***** GET OUTSIDE"....They are gonna play those little games with you but by the end of first phase the, you don't care about the quarterdeck or the pit.

I was one of those recruits that was LOVED by the heavy and hated by our SDI, 3rd hat, and kill hat. The heavy loved me because I WASN'T a drill waiver. Also remember this, the Heavy hats usually don't hold grudges, you screw up they murder you and move on, the other DI's...well they never forget, trust me.

From day 1 until Graduation morning, my day started like this:

"LIGHTS LIGHTS LIGHTS EVERYONE ONLINE PARKER GET YOUR ASS ON THE QUARTERDECK! I usually did a pushup everytime a recruit counted off online, like this "1 Down up SPIRIT DISCIPLINE, 2 Down up SPIRIT DISCIPLINE, until SIR GOOD MORNING SIR THE COUNT ON DECK IS 64 UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS RECRUITS!!" Then as they got dressed and hygeined I got murdered, and that was the easy part of my day..everytime a recruit was getting slayed and murded I was there by his side. I even wore a sign around my neck for awhile that read "Quarterdeck me". Even on grad morning I was standing proud, in my Alphas, in the sand pit getting teased.

In all seriousness, SCREAM. Every Drill Instructor from every platoon from every company demands 3 things and only 3 things, SPEED VOLUME AND INTENSITY, give it to them 24 hours a day and you will do fine, the rest is just a mind game. I was beligerent (spelling?) and paid for it...dearly, don't be like me and you'll be fine.

Also start duck walking, scuzzing the deck didn't bother me so I spent most of all field days on the quarterdeck, which to me is 100% better than "SCUZZ AYE SIR"

Dude this is also awesome info but...you gotta do something about that handle.....oh, and congratulations, Marine.

[ForeverChanged]

Its being taken care of, and thanks. There is no better feeling in the world than shaking your Drill Instructors hand at the Eagle Globe and Anchor ceremony

[Fender104]

How were you belligerent futurepoolie?

[Books]

Thank you so much for this, Corporal. Didn't catch it the first time around, but thanks to whoever bumped this one up.

[ForeverChanged]

It has to do alot with recruits being intimidated by the Drill Instructors, and for some reason, I think that I just wasn't "scared". I also liked to look around, laugh, talk basically be nasty, and a majority of the time they murdered me for what someone else did. There's always that "one" in every platoon that they make an example out of, I was worse than that "one". I got on the quarterdeck....just to be put on the quarterdeck. For instance when your kicking knowledge while doing weapons maintenance, if you dont scream you hold your rifle in the air and scrub it. Well someone would drop there rifle to rest there arm and I would go to the quarterdeck for it etc. Also I think they just got bored sometimes, because out of no where id be hearing my name screamed and in a dead sprint to the sand pit.

edit: And the fact that I was the "biggest" (ie fatbody) in the platoon played a MAJOR role id assume.

[Olivieri]

Just as I was getting apprehensive about going, I read this. I'm feeling about 95% better and 100% more motivated! Thank you so much!

[Achped]

Wow talk about kickin it old school.