MEU - day in the life....

[edwinrivera1990]

I know what the purpose of an MEU is, but my question is what is a typical day on a MEU for infantry?

Is there a lot of down time since your on a boat with no where to go 24/7, so that means a lot of cleaning? Are you put together with the navy men/women or are the Marines in a seperate area? How's the chow? How often do you hit land? Do you get "liberty"? Is there more PT involved to pass the time? How much training is done? Do you get to go up close to an F/A 18 Super Hornet :) (sorry it's been a dream to be a naviator but never going to happen so I'd be satisfied getting to see them in person).

Is an MEU something one should volunteer for right after SOI or wait a couple of years?

[Lisa 23]

Try running a search on the site........and google is your friend!

[edwinrivera1990]

I did try running a search on this forum, but whenever I search meu or MEU it comes up with nothing even though I know I've seen threads containing the word meu but it still comes up blank. I'm pretty sure googles is not going to have the exact answers I'm looking for, coming from a infantrys perspective. So anyone who's been on one lately please feel free to chime in.

[Causby]

I was on the 26th MEU SOC in '94. We were on the USS Harlan County. There were no females on our ship. Life is different on ship. Alot of it depends on what kind of ship you are on. Our ship was small so not alot of ammenities. Chow was ok, but long ass lines. If your on any kind of duty you can go at midnight for midrats. All of us grunts and the amtrackers were in seperate berthing areas from the Navy. Our bunks were stacked and had about an inch thick matt. We were stacked 5 high. We had one picnic style table with a t.v. and VCR. We had to clean our berthing area everyday and wait for the Captain of ship to come and inspect.(he never came) The Navy had dibs on the gym, so we had to go at 0100 hrs. We did get quite alot of libo. If your E-3 and below expect cinderalla cerfew. Good Luck.

[Lisa 23]

edwinrivera1990, try typing Marine Expeditionary Unit.

[Marinefelon]

Ship life sux. You will get good at playing Spades, but besides cards there is not much to do. You can work out when the Navy isn't in the gym.. you can wait in line for chow all day then the Navy gets to go ahead of you because they actually work on the ship. Sometimes you do rifle shoots off the flight deck but this is rare as air ops are constantly running 24/7 Sometimes if your with MSPF you get to run drills down the Passageways and slam squids into the wall with all your gear on.... thats the highlight of your time until you hit a libo port.

Oh and there is no volunteering ... if your a grunt and don't go to A-stan you will be on a MEU

[USNAviator]

I know what the purpose of an MEU is, but my question is what is a typical day on a MEU for infantry?

Is there a lot of down time since your on a boat with no where to go 24/7, so that means a lot of cleaning? Are you put together with the navy men/women or are the Marines in a seperate area? How's the chow? How often do you hit land? Do you get "liberty"? Is there more PT involved to pass the time? How much training is done? Do you get to go up close to an F/A 18 Super Hornet :) (sorry it's been a dream to be a naviator but never going to happen so I'd be satisfied getting to see them in person).

Is an MEU something one should volunteer for right after SOI or wait a couple of years?

Edwin you're not getting any where near an F-18. Those are based on carriers. You will get up close to a Harrier and a lot of Helo's though.

I think Causby gave you a good discription of what life is like on ship board. You won't be sailing on the Norwegian Cruise Lines. It's basic and it's not all that comfortable and it's noisy.

I will ask O3Mike to post. Mike is a retired Marine Major who will give you some other insight I'm sure.

[BadAce2212]

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=8ff_1216549659

There is a bunch of videos here about the 24th MEU, including some A Day in the Life videos.

[03Mike]

I know what the purpose of an MEU is, but my question is what is a typical day on a MEU for infantry?

Is there a lot of down time since your on a boat with no where to go 24/7, so that means a lot of cleaning? Are you put together with the navy men/women or are the Marines in a seperate area? How's the chow? How often do you hit land? Do you get "liberty"? Is there more PT involved to pass the time? How much training is done? Do you get to go up close to an F/A 18 Super Hornet :) (sorry it's been a dream to be a naviator but never going to happen so I'd be satisfied getting to see them in person).

Is an MEU something one should volunteer for right after SOI or wait a couple of years?

Okay - based upon my experience on my last float -- a lot will depend on your leadership - that is, your NCOs, SNCOs, and officers. Space and time is limited aboard an amphib, so there is a lot of small unit training and we did a lot of round-robin (or station) training.


I had my company PT every day (Note: EVERY DAY)
We did a lot of sand table / small unit tactical decision making training.
There will be a lot of SOP drills (until you are sick and tired of them)
You'll learn from all of the crew served weapons teams.
You'll learn from the Combat Engineers
Your doc will do first aid classes until you can treat a sucking head wound in the dark.
We did live fire weekly - actually, I had live fire running five or six days a week, but since time is short, space is limited, and you have to coordinate with the Navy, flight ops, the MEU HQ and the BLT HQ each Marine would typically shoot only once a week. You may only fire 20 rounds a week (Close Quarter Combat drills) - but you shoot almost every week - the point isn't to get better, it's to keep from losing the edge you built during pre-deployment training.
The S-2 will deliver intel briefings -- at least most of that will be new info.
You drill on just about every task that you, any member of your fire team or squad (including your squad leader) will be expected to perform.
We would run fast-roping drills once a week (we were the "helo" company) - either fastroping off the port side elevator or we'd fly over to the LPD and fast rope down on their deck.
There will be unending working parties.
You'll live in very close quarters with your fellow grunts - and the berthing spaces will stink (hell, the whole ship stinks, for that matter).
Libo - you'll get some. There will be a general "schedule" for liberty ports that will be discussed shortly after getting underway - but all that goes to hell as soon as some backwater sh!thole you've never heard of pops up on CNN - then your stops in Australia or Italy are canned.

Used to be, 30 days at sea without a libo call meant a "steel beach picnic" - a bar-b-que on the flight deck, sodas, and if the CO is in a good mood, two beers per. I'll let some of the current Marines here chime in on how much that happens anymore.

If you are on the West Coast, you'll probably sail across the equator - so you'll go through the mysterious ceremony of transforming from a lowly polywog to become a trusty shellback. Can't say much more than that - you have to experience it for yourself.


Don't know if that answers your question - but that's about as accurate as I can give. Anyone else - feel free to chime in since it's been a few years since my last pump.
Bottom line - once afloat, there will be lots of boredom, lots of gear cleaning, lots of working parties, lots of card games, stupid jokes, repetitive training, push ups on the no-skid deck -- and if you're lucky, you'll be just ****ed off enough to be really nasty when they send you ashore to do a Marine's business.

[USNAviator]

Outstanding Mike, thank you. Edwin there you have the info from a Marine Major. Good idea to thank him for spending some of his free time helping you when he could be bashing the Navy and Aviators in particular......:D

[DanM]

I did try running a search on this forum, but whenever I search meu or MEU it comes up with nothing even though I know I've seen threads containing the word meu but it still comes up blank. I'm pretty sure googles is not going to have the exact answers I'm looking for, coming from a infantrys perspective. So anyone who's been on one lately please feel free to chime in.

Wait!!!! You are one of the computer generation who doesn't know how to use Google.Google also made it simple by adding a site specific search button.Over 10 pages of post links at a simple touch of a button.

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2005-02,GGLD:en&q=meu+site:leatherneck%2ecom

[WXSgt]

depends on the job. you probably will never see a harrier if your with the main body of the BLT on the LPD. but if on the big deck(LHD or LHA) then youll get to see them. The BLT here with me on the USS Green Bay has alo of down time most of the ones ive seen brought xboxes and ps3's with monitors on ship and just play games alot and go to the gym alot. some are taking college some Cpl's Course. now this is on an LPD, on the big deck when they arent doing flight ops you have a nice big flight deck to go running on so they get a bit more pt also as teh size of ship goes down so does quality of life. the one exception is that the Boxer(LHD-4 our big deck) is an older ship and the Green Bay (LPD-20) is a newer one so we do have better berthings but no pay phones to call home and personally i like the gym on the big decks better. liberty you get some. on the was to centcom from cali we got dubai hawaii and half a day in guam thats it. as has been said before some bs comes up on CNN and your rushing lol.

[ammermda]

I was on the 26th MEU SOC in '94. We were on the USS Harlan County. There were no females on our ship. Life is different on ship. Alot of it depends on what kind of ship you are on. Our ship was small so not alot of ammenities. Chow was ok, but long ass lines. If your on any kind of duty you can go at midnight for midrats. All of us grunts and the amtrackers were in seperate berthing areas from the Navy. Our bunks were stacked and had about an inch thick matt. We were stacked 5 high. We had one picnic style table with a t.v. and VCR. We had to clean our berthing area everyday and wait for the Captain of ship to come and inspect.(he never came) The Navy had dibs on the gym, so we had to go at 0100 hrs. We did get quite alot of libo. If your E-3 and below expect cinderalla cerfew. Good Luck.

Same thing in 2008 aboard USS Iwo Jima...

[edwinrivera1990]

Thank you 03Mike for taking the time to answer my questions. I know how to use google and I'm aware of it's existence. But this is the point of this forum; to ask questions and have Marines give you their individual experience. A lot of the videos online about MEU's show the cool stuff, like the training they do, but I wanted to know the boring stuff. If you're not going to answer my question then dont post. It's annoying that people are always saying to look on google but people come on here to ask questions and get them answered. Again thanks for the ones who answered my questions.

[Zulu 36]

Outstanding Mike, thank you. Edwin there you have the info from a Marine Major. Good idea to thank him for spending some of his free time helping you when he could be bashing the Navy and Aviators in particular......:D


Ain't love grand?

[ammermda]

I know how to use google and I'm aware of it's existence...If you're not going to answer my question then dont post. It's annoying that people are always saying to look on google...

Let's call this part of your response a 'mulligan.' Whether you appreciate all responses or not, you need to get in the habit of treating everyone with respect (and especially Marines on a Marine site).

That also goes for others (non-Marines) posting rude responses as of late. Fact of Marine life: get used to holding your tongue, unless you like NJPs.

My $.02

[03Mike]

Ain't love grand?

:banana:

[USNAviator]

Ain't love grand?

Chris, Mike has had a problem with us fly boys since the Corps wouldn't let him wear his RayBans in the shower.........;)

[Zulu 36]

Chris, Mike has had a problem with us fly boys since the Corps wouldn't let him wear his RayBans in the shower.........;)


Really? The Air Force let us wear them in the shower. A shame. :beer:

[USNAviator]

Really? The Air Force let us wear them in the shower. A shame. :beer:

Well that's understandable. They were standard issue to everyone in the Air Force. I'm sure your daughter has a pair or two......:cool:

[Zulu 36]

Well that's understandable. They were standard issue to everyone in the Air Force. I'm sure your daughter has a pair or two......

Actually, standard issue was a little different. But during Desert Storm, everyone's cheaper standard issue glasses were breaking through wear, so supply ordered a new pair for everyone in the squadron. We got Ray-Bans because the standard issue was out of stock and they sourced Ray-Ban to fill the void.

I have noticed that we have managed to completely derail yet another thread. :!:Caution: Professionals at work. :!:

[USNAviator]

I have noticed that we have managed to completely derail yet another thread. :!:Caution: Professionals at work. :!:

I know and we can't even blame Dave. However I think Major Mike should shoulder some of the blame, after all RHIP and responsibility