The good the bad and the ugly of MCRDs

[davblay]

For generations we have bickered about which Depot is the hardest, Well here is a place to compare, As One person can not speak for the entire Platoon or Series, lets post what was better and what was worse about your personal training at each of the Boot Camps, Parris Island, or San Diego. List every thing that you think was better, and post what was worse than the other recruit depot, from your prospective, Take your time and write as many posts as you see fit if you remember something else, just make a new posts.

Remember that your prospective was that of a teenager going thru Boot Camp, not the Marine that you are now!

Semper Fi Marines ONLY

Dave

[semperfi170]

Worst part of MCDRSD - the jets interfering with being able to hear the Drill Instructors, then getting PT or Rifle PT for screwing a up a movement. Sand drill also to make life miserable. The sand is everywhere and deep, dry, and very fine.

[jrhd97]

Worst of MCRDPI- Sand Fleas, annoying little bstrds. Don't dare slap at one! The heat and hummidity, start sweating when you step through the hatch for morning chow.

[jackson07]

Mountains..hills... etc.. at MCRDSD

[Coachgun]

The jets were bad during drill and untill you got used to them sleep was almost impossible (MCRDSD)

[Cpl Keller]

I agree that the sand fleas at MCRDPI were one of the worst aspects.

For the marines who went to MCRDSD- did it ever rain there? Because when i went to PI, there wasn't such a thing as the "Crucible" yet, but i remember that during our "week in the woods" it rained at least 50% of the time. I remember having to sleep in a few inches of water a couple of nights.

Oh, and listening to the female recruits train, but knowing we wouldn't be seeing any women for a few months wasn't any fun either

[Wyoming]

Hmmm, a Winger here, but Boot was Boot.

MCRDSD. It did rain, and yeah, the airport is next door, BUT, I truly don't remember hearing it or it being a nuisance. This was in '65, and our quonset huts were real close to the runway.

No Crucible. No leave between Boot and ITR. No week in the woods.

Just boot, rifle range, finish boot, ITR, a bit of leave, to a Squadron at MCAF Santa Ana, to the RVN, and back to LTA.

[ExPISCDI83]

I am sorry. Maybe I missed something, but was that boy scout camp in California difficult?

I always wondered when I was a DI at the Marine Corps' premiere recruit training facility (Parris Island), why some DIs from "that other place on the left coast" came to see what we did and how we were doing it, asking questions, etc... but I never heard of any Parris Island Hats going there??? It always seemed curious to me. ;-)

[davblay]

I am sorry. Maybe I missed something,

Thank you for that insight Sgt, but it's a little off topic. I said "from a teenagers prospective going thru Boot Camp, not the Marine you are now"!

Dave

[SlingerDun]

I am sorry. Maybe I missed something, but was that boy scout camp in California difficult?

Well sure it was for a boy. One of my DI's in a camp fire moment said: Privates' i went to Paris Island...and what were putting you ass holes through is more than what i had to tolerate. Well! he cringed in disgust as soon he said it, and of course us boys with our acute emotional radar sensed in him a tone of hushed immediate regret.

AAhhh but i think the toughest part was looking north towards the Balboa hills and seeing those lovely homes with palm trees swaying in the pleasant breeze and watching the DI's leave at night in their convertibles

[jetdawgg]

[Quinbo]

The one thing I absolutely hated was called squadbay west. We would move all the racks and footlockers against the west wall of the squadbay and create a minnie grinder so that we could drill indoors.

You wanna move slow fine put it all back. Now squadbay west. Platoon shouts "squadbay west aye aye sir" and the scramble begins. So you still want to move slow freeze. "freeze private freeze". If one of those racks or foot lockers touches the deck we can do this all night. You're standing there holding one end of the rack 6 inches off the deck feeling like you are going to die. Ok you want to let it touch the deck good. Put everything back. Everyone get your footlockers. Hold em out at arms length. With your footlocker port arms.... right shoulder arms. You hear all your junk falling to one end of the footlocker and think to yourself "it's gonna take forever to reorganize all that crap". Ok now squadbay west. We would then practice drill.
Nothing else in boot camp is such a vivid memory. Most was just a blur.

I recently watched an air force basic training video and the one thing that stood out to me was that the recruits walked every where almost a lazy walk at that. Fall in .... they walked to formation. Fall out ... they walked to the dorms. Oh I also noticed it was co-ed. They entirely lacked the speed and intensity of Marine boot camp.

[Marine84]

Worse part - Definitely the sandfleas, heat, humidity, thunderstorms when we were in the woods.

Best part.............no hills to run (THAT was a bonus!)

[Old Marine]

You cannot compare the two Recruit Depots unless you have attended Bot Camp at both. The both use the same SOP for Recruit Training.

[jrhd97]

Whats worse, humpen it out in hills or sand and mud. Did both and they both suck.