View Full Version : Personal Time
This is probably a dumb question but I figured I'd ask here instead of at MCRD and get ITd for it.
But... during your hour of personal time each night, are you allowed to get a head start on your sleep? Or is that strictly prohibited.
First and foremost I would square away all of my trash. And if I werent too tired, work out or write a letter or two.
But what if I just wanted to sleep. Would I be allowed to do so?
Phantom Blooper
10-23-07, 04:07 AM
NO! You square away your gear,write letters, SSS,and studying.This may not be the order it is now.
You don't catch up on sleep in boot camp.
Don't sleep in classes. Don't sleep on fire watch. Don't sleep in the shiatter.
You will be deprived of sleep. Sleep deprivation is a training tool. If you go to war or conflict your sleep will definitely be deprived.
The drill instructors tuck you in the rack after you say goodnight to Chesty and later sing a stanza of the Marines Hymn. SLEEP TIGHT!:evilgrin:
Covey_Rider
10-23-07, 04:25 AM
Don't worry to much about doing something such as sleeping when you're not supposed to...you will know when you can and cannot, most of the time it will be "cannot" though. You will be told exactly how to live in boot camp and will know what is right and what is not right.
During your square away time it should be your gear, helping those around you, SSS, then if you have any time you can write some letters. Make sure you're taking care of yourself and your fellow recruits.
Understood... And thank you for the replies. I thought that was the answer, but it never hurts to ask right?
By the way, what does SSS stand for?
Covey_Rider
10-23-07, 04:45 AM
haha SSS = Sh*t, Shower, Shave. And no...never hurts to ask.
Haha. That works. As for Sundays, what can you do in your free time besides church (or after)
Old Marine
10-23-07, 07:41 AM
All of your "Free Time" in Boot Camp is controlled by your Drill Instructor and you will have to learn to live with that fact.
sparkie
10-23-07, 07:46 AM
SSS, Thats funny,,, I thought everyone was born knowing that one, Try this one,SOS.
Marine84
10-23-07, 07:51 AM
SOS.
$h!t on a shingle................some goooooooooooood stuff right there!
sparkie
10-23-07, 07:53 AM
A breakfast classic, I loved it
killerinstinct
10-23-07, 10:38 AM
HAHA i think this is the best question i've seen. I'd be willing to ask you to ask the DI's that i'm sure their jaws would drop and not know what to say of course you would get IT'd probably or maybe just a sarcastic question.. But i laughed hard people around me wrere looking at me at work.
Wyoming
10-23-07, 10:48 AM
$h!t on a shingle................some goooooooooooood stuff right there!
40 years later and I still make SOS about once a month.
I actually like SOS. My grandfather had me try it, he was a Korean War Vet. Beef Stew on burnt toast. mmm mmm good.
Echo_Four_Bravo
10-23-07, 03:13 PM
I got more sleep in boot camp than I ever have, before or after.
Anyway, I feel deprived. I never had SOS in the Marine Corps. In high school a friend's dad made it often though- good stuff!
zackmerc
10-23-07, 05:09 PM
The square away time you get at the end of the day is strictly for hygiene and preparing your gear. It last for about one hour and then you have hygiene inspection before hitting the rack. The drill instructors will look at your fingernails, ears to see if they are dirty. Then you do a 1 2 3 4 count drill where you check your rifle racks, lock your footlocker, drink one full water bull, and prepare to mount the rack.
As for letter writing, your drill instructor may not like you writing letters during square away time. You get 4 hours of square away time on Sunday so that's the day to do it. That should also be used for squaring away not for letter writing. Best time for letter writing is lights out.
Are u allowed to do anything other than sleep during lights out? As for Sundays... what do they consist of?
Echo_Four_Bravo
10-23-07, 05:45 PM
Please follow the rules- proper grammar is expected- and "Are u allowed" isn't it.
Regardless, no, you are not allowed to do anything after lights out. That doesn't mean that you don't do actually have things that have to get done then.
Sunday morning consists of you going to chow, having some free time, and going to church. (And you really should go, whether you're religious or not.) The afternoons aren't much different than every other day.
Ok thank you, and sorry about the 'u' I've been on AIM all afternoon, so it just kind of slipped. I normally try to minimize slang like that while I'm here.
Marine84
10-23-07, 07:43 PM
Bootcamp was the ONLY time I've ever slept really good - they wore me out so bad during the day that I would be asleep before I hit the pillow good. Would sleep all night til wakeup call the next morning (unless I had firewatch).
And church on Sunday is HIGHLY recommended - religious or not - just because it WILL truely make you feel better to not have somebody yelling at you for a while over something TOTALLY stupid - like that teeeeee tinnnnny little piece of scum in the furtherest corner of a shower stall and your toothbrush that you cleaned it with can't get in that tight space.
Oh I will definatly be going to church. Do you receive bibles during church? Assuming that you do, can you take them back to your squad bay?
Echo_Four_Bravo
10-24-07, 01:37 AM
We were given small New Testament Bibles. We never really had time to read them, but we did have them.
HardJedi
10-24-07, 08:15 AM
yep, i enjoyed church in boot camp. and I am a person who DESPISES organized religion. as for lights out, you can do anything you WANT after lights out, if you are prepared to face the consequences of your actions. the only things allowed after lights out are sleeping, fire watch, and making head calls. Honestly, even if I didn't have fire watch, I'd have them wake me up in the midle of the night, so i could make a head call in privacy. and thats the ONLY way you ever get any privacy. there were no stalls, or even doors around the crappers back then. no idea if there are now.:)
zackmerc
10-24-07, 10:28 AM
There are stalls but no doors on them. They're afraid recruits might lock themselves in and do something crazy. But the stalls are directly in front of each other so there is absolutely no privacy.
vicbx2006
10-24-07, 11:24 AM
You can get away with reading and writing letters after lights, but be VERY careful. If you get caught you, your rack mate, the recruits to your left and right, your squad leader and the guide will probably pay for it.
And if your guide and squad leaders are anything like me and my squad leaders were, you will never make the same mistake twice.
ChuckAII
10-26-07, 12:11 AM
You get about 7.5 hours of sleep every night in boot. It doesn't feel like it, but you do.
Now, if you're one of the Platoon S*** Bags... It's different. When I was in boot (last year) we had something our Guide invented called the Double F***. The premise was pretty simple: The scribe would give you 1 hour of firewatch (the max our Senior allowed recruits to issue) and then I (the Plt Prac Hero) would mandate a 1 hour study session immediately afterwards.
5 hours of sleep dropped alot of bad recruits out of my platoon... or they became hella smart and immune to sleep deprivation. Which means they stopped being S*** Bags anyways, so mission accomplished.