DEP Questions

[YutYut]

What, if any, advice from this thread have you followed? Where are you on pull-ups and crunches?

[PooleeCarson]

I've Been going to PT for a few months now, waiting to ship out in December, after a while your body gets use to the pain and what not and the exercises get easier when that happens do more reps and go running and do push ups, pull ups and sit ups on your own to get your body into better shape while you still have the time.

[Scottie0417]

LeDave, if you aren't able to gain weight before boot camp...you'll gain it there. I always tried to gain weight throughout high school, ate like a horse but could never gain a pound. I got put on double rations at boot, ended up gaining almost 20 pounds of muscle. Just focus on getting in decent physical shape...boot camp is 90% mental so don't feel like you have to become a PT stud to survive there

[LeDave]

lol thanks you guys, i've been going to PT every week, never skipped once. And I've improved a lot. We ran 2 miles at PT a few times and I didn't fall out. I also gained almost 9 lbs already by eating a lot and drinking a lot of that GNC Mass XXX weight gaining protein.

I never thought I would improve this fast in this small amount of time. I'm shipping out to MCRD San Diego in January 5th, but I told my recruiter I want to ship out in December instead so we'll see. I chose my MOS already too, it's somewhere around 0600 which is communications.

[ecom]

I never thought I would improve this fast in this small amount of time. I'm shipping out to MCRD San Diego in January 5th, but I told my recruiter I want to ship out in December instead so we'll see. I chose my MOS already too, it's somewhere around 0600 which is communications.

Do you know any more specifics of your MOS? Do you know if you're going to 29 Palms or not? If you go to boot camp in January, you might end up in 29 Palms in May which is more or less just in time for the hot season.

In 29, you would be with MCCES B Co which seemed to have the most restrictions of anyone at MCCES. At 2200 Sunday through Thursday, everyone had to be in their rooms, and the DNCO would come around and ensure that. At 2200, my orders were just to ensure that the Marines were in or around the barracks.

[LeDave]

Well I don't know anymore about my job, except I want to be a field radio operator 0621, and I want to work with a infantry unit.

I'm not leaving in January 5th anymore, I talked to my recruiter and I'm getting moved down to December 5th, so I'm going to boot camp in 30 days. My friend was going in December 5th, that's why. So I went to December 5th so I can go to boot camp with him in the buddy program.

[ecom]

Well I don't know anymore about my job, except I want to be a field radio operator 0621, and I want to work with a infantry unit.

I'm not leaving in January 5th anymore, I talked to my recruiter and I'm getting moved down to December 5th, so I'm going to boot camp in 30 days. My friend was going in December 5th, that's why. So I went to December 5th so I can go to boot camp with him in the buddy program.

Ah ok, so you will be with MCCES B Co. You'll probably be there mid-April to maybe June. It starts getting into the triple digit temps around May. The B Co schools are typically short compared to the other schools there. I'm guessing the course is about 1 month long but you may spend some time with MAT if you don't get put in class right when you get there.

Other Marines tend to call B Co Boot Camp Bravo because of the restrictions that the students have and the way the students are treated in comparison. Sometimes it seemed like B Co Marines were treated like little kids in comparison. That's not to say dumb stuff didn't happen in other companies, but I guess it was more visible with B Co.

Don't bring much with you when you go to MOS school and don't buy big stuff like TV while you're there. You'll be there maybe 1 or 2 months and I'm pretty sure you don't get TMO so you if you can't put it in your seabag or back pack, or can't wear it, or put it on a plane otherwise, do without it for a month or two. I used to see a some B Co Marines trying to sell off TVs and other stuff on the day they were leaving. You can bring a laptop if you want, but keep it locked up. Supposedly Marines don't steal from other Marines, but trust me, it happens. I don't know if B Co provides Internet access or not but you could buy cable or DSL access. Cable was much better than DSL but you have better access to the DSL provider.

You may see A and C Co Marines with large things like TVs, Xbox, Playstation, etc, but they could be there for 6 months or more so they get TMO to move their belongings when they leave.

[LeDave]

lol thanks ecom, i'll keep that in mind. but i'm a bit more worried about boot camp at the moment... especially CWS and the Reaper

[ecom]

lol thanks ecom, i'll keep that in mind. but i'm a bit more worried about boot camp at the moment... especially CWS and the Reaper

haha...yeah I'm getting a bit ahead. I spent way too much time in 29 Palms unfortunately. I think it's made me a bit crazy.

Do you have trouble swimming? I didn't learn to swim until right before boot camp. CWS4 is the lowest level and simplest test. You jump from I think a 10 ft tower and then swim to the side, tread for about 4 minutes, and swim a short distance. The most difficult part for me was the treading portion. I buttoned up my sleeves tightly and the blouse all the way up. I took one hand held the blouse near the collar and blew into it. The effect was that a big air bubble formed right behind my shoulders and that pretty much kept me afloat (air will stay inside as long as the blouse is wet). You need the blouse somewhat tight around your neck to keep the air from escaping. This was one of the methods that was demonstrated.

The reaper wasn't that difficult. It was a long uphill climb; don't let the DIs catch you stopping though. I think after all the marches you should be ready for the reaper when the time comes. It's a bit psychological too because there are parts where it looks like it levels off and you think you're at the top but then you see the next uphill section and think....crap.

[LeDave]

lol thanks man, i have trouble treading water and staying afloat. i can swim and all but if i stop swimming, i'm afraid i might sink.

when i try pushing myself or forcing myself under the water, i float up as fast as torpedo flying up and it's hard trying to go down because the force is really strong. but when my head is above the water, i sink a bit. so i'm kind of scared.

[ecom]

It's important to keep working on getting your endurance up, it will help a lot during boot camp. I can't tell you how far I could run before boot camp because I never ran more than 3 miles and I only did that a few times to make sure I could do it. I was in DEP for some 6 months.

Prior to boot camp and DEP, I was biking some 15 miles weekdays for commuting and lifting 3 or 4 times weekly so that had a lot to do with it.

[ecom]

lol thanks man, i have trouble treading water and staying afloat. i can swim and all but if i stop swimming, i'm afraid i might sink.

when i try pushing myself or forcing myself under the water, i float up as fast as torpedo flying up and it's hard trying to go down because the force is really strong. but when my head is above the water, i sink a bit. so i'm kind of scared.

I think that's more or less everyone. People don't naturally sink, that's why mobsters give people cement shoes and such.

For the swim test, you can only use breast stroke, side stroke, or back stroke (the easiest one for me). You will do this in cammies without boots so practice one and get good at it.

To do the back stroke, get in the water POA face up. Bend your knees and bring your hands up to your arm pits. Then spread your legs and kick them straight while your arms spread out to the side while still in the water (basically spread eagle position). Then go back to POA.

When you do the treading, you will wear cammies without boots. You can do the kick you do some kick to push you up a bit out of the water but you can't do that for 4 minutes. The method I described above is probably the easiest way to stay afloat for 4 minutes because as long as you have that bubble on your back, you really just wait there until the time is up. The air does escape slowly so you'll have to blow some air in periodically.

[LeDave]

that's good that you are allowed to do the backstroke, because i float when i just lay on my back. and i can just easily rest and breath that way.