View Full Version : Rappelling out of a helicopter....
edwinrivera1990
05-12-11, 05:23 PM
I'm going in as a 03xx and I hope to get 0311 but I guess I'll find out what the Core needs. But my question is, as an infantry do you get to rappel out of helos as infantry or is that something only Special Forces like Recon do? For infantry do they just basically land on ground and you run out of the helo?
Not that it would effect my decision but I'm just curious to know. Please dont respond if you're going to tell me that I should be first worrying about getting the EGA because that's what this forum is about, asking questions and I'm just curious. Thank you Marines.
Old Marine
05-12-11, 05:37 PM
Right off the bat, I must tell you that when you are mentioning the Marine Corps, the spelling of Corps is NOT core.
Secondly, since I was never in the 03 field, I suspect an 03 will stop by and give you an answer on your question.
edwinrivera1990
05-12-11, 05:40 PM
Right off the bat, I must tell you that when you are mentioning the Marine Corps, the spelling of Corps is NOT core.
Secondly, since I was never in the 03 field, I suspect an 03 will stop by and give you an answer on your question.
HA I feel stupid, I knew that but my mind was saying Core so I typed it sorry.
Zulu 36
05-12-11, 06:46 PM
A lot of people learn how to rappel and fast rope out of helos, not just grunts. I learned how to rappel out of a helo when I was an MP. Had a chance, took it. I already knew how to rappel from Mountain Warfare School, but going out of helos is a little different in some technical aspects. Rappelling out of helos with a full rucksack is really a thrill.
Fast roping wasn't invented yet while I was in the Corps. Never had a chance in the Air Guard to learn it, otherwise I would have.
In fact, I think they put recruits through helo rappelling and fast roping in boot camp now from tower simulators. That you will have to find out from a newer Marine.
http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy144/bulkyker/fastrope-1.jpg
michagnu
05-12-11, 08:06 PM
As an 03 you'll probably do something of the sort. Fast roping is more common but I did rappelling and helocasting as well. It depends on any number of factors what training you might receive.
Warning: If you do rappel out of a helicopter make sure you pay very close attention to the instructions your given unless you have the desire to bottom bounce the helicopter.
Warning: If you do rappel out of a helicopter make sure you pay very close attention to the instructions your given unless you have the desire to bottom bounce the helicopter.
BTDT :yes:
edwinrivera1990
05-13-11, 10:32 AM
http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy144/bulkyker/fastrope-1.jpg
I'm very excited and really hope I get to do this! I just wish I didnt have to wait until August to go to Bootcamp!
Zulu 36
05-13-11, 12:22 PM
I'm very excited and really hope I get to do this! I just wish I didnt have to wait until August to go to Bootcamp!
Don't expect to do any of this out of a real helo in boot camp. The rappelling done there is very basic, confidence building stuff, all off wooden towers.
All of my kids have rappelled and only one did it in the military. My son was 11-years old when he did it. It's no biggie. #1 is to have confidence in your equipment and #2 confidence in your instruction. No rappel master is going to intentionally give you bad gear and bad instruction. It makes for unsatisfactory fitness reports.
Maybe you can get lucky and go to Mountain Warfare School and learn some real cool mountaineering rope work. We did a 240-foot rappel off one cliff face there. No helo rappel or fast rope will be that high.
bigirongunner
05-19-11, 10:17 AM
The most likely place I think you will get to do fast roping or rappelling as a grunt is on a MEU. we picked up sticks of 12-15 grunts and sent them through our hell hole (big hole in the center of the planes floor). did it on land and on a ship, only seen the MARSOC guys rappell out the back of ours and thats slow. We had a few get stuck and had to gently adjust the roper to go through the hole
The most likely place I think you will get to do fast roping or rappelling as a grunt is on a MEU. we picked up sticks of 12-15 grunts and sent them through our hell hole (big hole in the center of the planes floor). did it on land and on a ship, only seen the MARSOC guys rappell out the back of ours and thats slow. We had a few get stuck and had to gently adjust the roper to go through the hole
The last MEU I was on, we'd fastrope through the hell hole and off the tail ramp of a CH-46 (two ropes) - unloaded the bird much faster. We did a lot of fastrope training before deployment, would fastrope out of the tail of a 46 parked over the port-side elevator while underway on almost a weekly basis, and fastrope onto other ships in the MEU while underway as well - day, night, and in weather. It's a whole different game to fastrope onto a ship at night in anything but calm seas.
edwinrivera1990
05-20-11, 11:43 AM
The last MEU I was on, we'd fastrope through the hell hole and off the tail ramp of a CH-46 (two ropes) - unloaded the bird much faster. We did a lot of fastrope training before deployment, would fastrope out of the tail of a 46 parked over the port-side elevator while underway on almost a weekly basis, and fastrope onto other ships in the MEU while underway as well - day, night, and in weather. It's a whole different game to fastrope onto a ship at night in anything but calm seas.
What is a typical day on a MEU? I have tried searching this forum but it wont let me search meu. Is there a lot of cleaning toilets and decks or is that something the young navy guys do? I'm going infantry so I would like to volunteer or sign up for an MEU, maybe not right away but maybe after a year of being in service
What is a typical day on a MEU? I have tried searching this forum but it wont let me search meu. Is there a lot of cleaning toilets and decks or is that something the young navy guys do? I'm going infantry so I would like to volunteer or sign up for an MEU, maybe not right away but maybe after a year of being in service
Don't volunteer for a MEU or you'll end up in the Headquarters Element - just aim for assignment to an infantry battalion after SOI. The Battalions rotate through MEU assignments.
What you do on a MEU float depends a lot on your leadership - but as much as possible you should be doing some form of training. As far as cleaning the ship - generally Marines will clean Marine spaces, Sailors will clean Navy spaces. There will, of course, be working party assignments, mess duty, and all the usual crap - life for an embarked Marine is just miserable enough to make him good and mean when he finally gets ashore.
I'll let someone more current chime in for life aboard ship nowadays, althought I doubt that it has changed much.
KnifeHands
05-20-11, 10:31 PM
I served with the 11th and the 13th MEU and I can speak only from my own experiences. In an infantry battalion, you will have 3 rifle companies, a weapons company and a headquarters and service company. Each of the rifle companies had a specialty: a boat raid company, helo raid company and amtrak company. For example, I was in a boat company. We all went to Coronado for the Amphibious Raid Course. Every Marine had to learn the basics of the CRRC (Combat Rubber Reconassaince Craft). We had to learn how to exit the Navy ship, navigate to the beach, enter the beach, cache the boat, conduct the raid, exit the beach thru the surf zone and navigate back to the ship. Each platoon had a seperate mission. HQ Marines were the coxswains (boat drivers), 1st plt were the scout swimmers, 2nd plt were the assault climbers/mountain leaders, and 3rd platoon was the CQB/security element. The helo company was set up in a similar fashion, but they had a different mission than us. They conducted rappelling out of helos, SPIE rigging, LZ infil/exfil procedures and helo raid tactics. If that is what you want to do, then you need to ask to go to the helo company when you get to your battalion. Every battalion that is going on a MEU has to do a MEU-SOC qualification. Meaning that SOTG )Special Operations Training Group) will evaluate your company on different mission essential tasks and qualify your unit to become Special Operations Capable.