MCT (Marine Combat Training)

[LoveOfCountry]

Does anyone know what MCT is like compared to boot camp, or can you send me a link to a previous posts regarding MCT?

I leave for MCT in 9 days and I'm just trying to get prepared. What is the training schedule like and will we still be treated like crap and counted down when making head calls and getting dressed?

[rufio14]

What company did you gradtuate from?

[LoveOfCountry]

1st BN, Alpha Co, PLT. 1000

[rufio14]

Mcrdpi?

[LoveOfCountry]

Yes.

[buick233]

MCT, lovingly referred to as "4th phase." It sucked because it was cold. And you get a lot less sleep. But the first nine days or so are in "garrison," meaning you sleep in a squadbay, eat at the chow hall, go to classes, etc. Lots of prac app after each class, learning how to handle each of the weapons, etc. When you first check in, you separate all of your gear into what you'll need for training, and what you can put in storage, like your civilian clothes, any electronics you brought with you, etc. Put as much as you can in here, because you'll be carrying everything else with you on the hikes.

Next is the ranges, you hike out there with all of your gear, and sleep in hangars. You're sleeping in your sleeping systems on the ground. It's cold as heck outside and that's where the porta****ters are. Each morning you hike out to whichever range, a few miles or more depending, and sit around waiting for the sun to come up. Then hike home and clean weapons. It's all MREs, and you get enough to have three a day. Chow is constant, so you eat whenever you have time.

After a week or so of ranges, you hike out to Camp Devil Dog. You spend about another week there learning more about patrolling, setting up security checkpoints, and MOUT training. Camp Devil Dog is a simulated combat environment, and at the end you have a two-day (I think) mock war scenario. It's pretty cool, more classes, prac app, then the mock-war.

Then the hike back to Camp Geiger (where you started) to waste time and wait for graduation. Chow hall, squadbays, getting your civilian stuff back, cleaning. Fun stuff. The entire time at MCT you're carrying your flak and kevlar, M16, and assault pack. Everywhere. Sappy plates go in I think at the ranges. Stuff gets heavy. But it's good training. Like I said before, the worst part was the cold. I imagine in the summer MCT might actually be kinda fun.

Semper Fi,
Cpl Lawrence

[LoveOfCountry]

Thanks for the good knowledge and info. Much appreciated. Are there still Drill Instructors around that screw with you, or is that crap over with?

[buick233]

No more Drill Instructors. Just Combat Instructors. It's pretty chill. They are cool, welcome lots of questions, and tell lots of stories. They might mess with you, but it's a lot different from a Drill Instructor messing with you. They'll give you a certain amount of time to have stuff done, and tell you what time everyone's gotta be on line to get accountability, but it's not like getting on line at POA or anything. It's a lot more laid back. No more super recruit mode, standing at attention and yelling all the time. But you're still a bunch of privates and PFCs, and your combat instructors are Sgts and SSgts. So you're all on the same team, but the rank hierarchy comes into play. Just like boot camp, MCT will eventually end and you'll be onto the next step in your journey. So enjoy it.

-Cpl Lawrence

[Fubar5812]

since your east coast you'll spend about 8-10 days at camp geiger drawing gear and checking in...eating at the chow hall and sweating in squad bays. After that you'll hike out to Camp Devildog and spend about 25 days in the field out there. you'll sleep in little "hooches" with rubber mattresses, i went in july so it was HOT AS HELL and you literally STUCK to these things. you'll eat nothing BUT MRE's 3x a day and sometimes you'll have 30 mins to eat and others you'll have 5. you'll do classroom instruction and field prac ap on everything from weapons and combat formations to how to prepare a fighting position and MOUT (military operations in urban terrain) with NVG's and SIM rounds( which hurt 100x worse than a paintball) you'll hump out to the ranges and spend 3 days there firing the m249 SAW, the M203 grenade launcher and the m240G medium machine gun, you'll do alot of hiking..you'll hate the females (sorry ladies but it's the truth, you guys fall out of those humps like its cool) then you'll go back to geiger for like a week then on to MOS school.

[BR34]

Wow, it's crazy how fast things change. I went to MCT almost 3 years ago and much of what has been said here is different than it was then.

[polizei]

That's pretty accurate...I hated MCT. My platoon/company seemed to get treated fairly worse than the others, but it's still not bad. It was probably better than I thought at the time because I was a fresh boot graduate and thought I deserved more respect, which is entirely wrong...

Oh, and stay away from the females, seriously. Nothing will get you in more trouble, and faster-than females. Also stay away from phones, electronics, cigs, snuff, etc. just don't do it. It's only 30 days, get over it.

And something I didn't really know about until the end of MCT, if your instructors let you, my god use the MRE heaters! It makes most of them better, but most of the time you won't have time to really eat. And the MRE market was HUGE when I was there. People would sell their skittles and crap for ~$10-20 a PACK! A few people in the company made over $200 just selling MRE snacks.

[firedog974]

Male Marines go through MCT with WM's now?

[fastback190]

its funny i guess i forgot alot, it's been since 1990 since i was mct, and hearing buick 233 brought alot of memories, all i remeber about mct was trianing was just like buick 233, said but very lax, and going to soil was just like boot camp all over agian, when i was in you went to mct, and then you went to your schools, infantry mos, went to soi.

[Vandrel]

Male Marines have been going through MCT with WM's, kinda. When I went through we had a small platoon of WM's going through with us, we didn't see them much but there were times in the field where we were around eachother.

All last week I was working over on Geiger to fix the simulators and update them, driving around I saw large platoons of both male and female Marines marching around by in the MCT area.


On a lesser note, have fun at Camp Geiger! It's been cold as balls here lately, if you are lucky it will warm up for you but if not you'll be hating life at Camp Devil Dog.

When I went through MCT in 2000 I caught a amonia and ended up having to get liquid drawn from around my lungs several months later. **** sucked

[buick233]

Hey, I'm a female. But I'm not about to argue with any of what's been said. A lot of females do fall out of the humps. Not ALL...I didn't. But most Marines who fall out are female (yes, males fall out too.)

Also, yes, stay away from the females. Females, stay away from the males. You're there to train, not to get laid. And the last thing you want is to make a bad name for yourself. People will hook up. Don't be the one. He/she is not worth getting dropped back in training, or worse. You're only together for a few weeks and then you're on your merry way anyway.

-Cpl Lawrence