Boot Camp Questions

[Turbo]

I've been thinking about enlisting in the Marine Corps for some time, and I just had some questions about Boot Camp.

1) What was the "Gas Chamber" like?

2) Are the Drill Instructors as bad as they are portrayed?

3) Was there ever free-time? If so, what activities were there to do during it?

4) What was one of the hardest things in your opinion at Boot Camp?

Thanks for your time.

[thewookie]

Ethan, you need to fill out your profile, as per site rules, before somebody will help you.

PM any squad leader and we can open this back up once you have done that.

[Lisa 23]

Profile filled out....topic re-opened.

[IHaveEGA843]

1) What was the "Gas Chamber" like? It sucks if you dont follow instructions as I did. Follow instructions and youll breeze through it.

2) Are the Drill Instructors as bad as they are portrayed? They train you physically and mentally. Its up to you to make it a quick 3 months or a hateful 3.

3) Was there ever free-time? If so, what activities were there to do during it? Free time is for writing/reading letters, working out on the quarterdeck, and preparing your gear/uniforms for upcoming events.

4) What was one of the hardest things in your opinion at Boot Camp? If you fail to follow.the simple commands given regardless of how stupid they are it will just make it more miserable then it should. The fastest way off PI is to graduate.

[il duce]

1) sucks, every Marine has to do it so dont worry too much. Like getting pepper sprayed/maced
2)yep, find a copy of "Ears Open, Eyeballs Clicked"
3)lol, roughly halfway through 2nd phase, we started getting an hour nightly of 'SDI time' which meant you could write letters or take a long shower...really thats it. Sundays, if you skipped Church services, you hung out in the squadbay but the only thing you could do was hang out or write letters. AND if the DIs were in a good mood, you'd end up cleaning
4)depends on the recruit but me personally, I had no trouble getting slayed, PT, spit on, etc. I enlisted when I was 28, married, one child and #2 on the way so the hardest part was being away from my family

[thewookie]

Thank you, Ethan.

Looks like a couple of Marines have given you some direction. And they are spot on.

Good luck

[Buddy1213]

1) What was the "Gas Chamber" like?
Meh. Wasn't too bad. Follow the technique that is taught and you'll get through. You'll cough and hack for maybe an hour or two after, but you'll be totally fine. Really not nearly as bad as what some portray it to be. I accidentally opened my eyes quite often during the gassing, not a good idea so they say. I can't remember my eyes getting irritated though. Just some mucus that I was coughing up.

2) Are the Drill Instructors as bad as they are portrayed?
You'll get too many stories and opinions on this. What happens in boot camp should stay inside of boot camp, because it's a special training environment. You get third parties trying to butt in saying doing one thing is bad, or saying this or acting like that, then training starts going bad. It's meant to be a certain way for a reason. By the end of boot camp you will understand what I am saying. Whatever happens to you, you will survive, you will be fine, and you WILL know the boundaries on "correction." Bottom line, trust your instructors, and remain loyal to them. Come graduation you'll see, I promise. It isn't that bad. You'll live.

3) Was there ever free-time? If so, what activities were there to do during it?
Already answered, SDI time is about an hour or less every day. Holidays they seem to give out more time. I spoke with many Marines from different coasts, battalions, companies. Some recruits watch movies like Shooter nowadays in boot. I didn't get that. Some recruits get 4 hours of free time on holidays. Nope, not me. In my opinion, screw free time. Go take a poop before racking out, hydrate, do like 20 minutes of PT in the bay, repair or find broken or lost gear, and in your last 5 minutes write your family. Done. Boot is for training, not for free time.

4) What was one of the hardest things in your opinion at Boot Camp?
Shin splints. Wore boots literally for the first time there for an extended period of time. Marches became hard, some of the mind games they played didn't help the condition I was in. But I got through just fine. Just keep pushing. Secondly was an ear infection that stole my hearing in my left ear for about a month. I was extremely scared because my job requires a good ear. When you face such medical problems, get the solution and implement it fast. You'd be surprised at the number of people who spend extra time in boot or MCT because of an injury or illness. Know your body's limits, when you need the help, get it.

Another thing is to check yourself when it comes to frustration. Other recruits can and will be dumb. Maybe you will be dumb. Don't be dumb. Just do what they say when they say it and don't over think it. Don't lie, cheat, or steal. Don't try to assault another recruit. Pass the training, which is BASIC, listen in class, it's simple. Also we had a recruit get in a lot of trouble for using a racial slur. Again. Don't be dumb.

Don't be dumb.

Don't be dumb.

Don't be dumb.

Good luck.

PS Don't be dumb.

[Gunstream]

1) It sucks. Hundreds of thousands of Marines before you have done it and survived, and you will too. Suck it up buttercup. Someone in the room is going to panic, freak out, try to run out, put their mask back on too soon, etc. It's going to happen. So know that you'll be getting gassed two or three times until everyone gets on the program. If you really want to make the chamber easier, volunteer to be one of the guys guarding the door. I did, and I had so much fun body checking other recruits away that I hardly noticed how bad the gas sucks.

2) Some are, some aren't. Most of them are. There'll be one or two in your company that are so sick you'll wonder what their mothers did to them as children. Avoid those, and hope you don't end up in their platoon.

3) Depends on the platoon. About half way through boot camp, my platoon all started wondering why we never got SDI free time like the other platoons, and I guess it got back to our senior (probably via one of the house mice). He told us that we wouldn't be getting much time to read or write letters, and that boot camp is easier if we don't have any free time. I think he was probably right... Some of us got motivating and inspiring letters, but alot of people get Dear John letters that wreck them throughout boot camp. The more you can shut your home life out of your mind, the easier it is to stay focused on the task at hand.

4) For me, it was being punished as a group for the repeated mistakes of two or three individuals. There will be two guys in your platoon that screw up all the time. You'll constantly be getting slayed because of them, and you'll eventually figure out that it isn't going to change while you're there. They're going to keep messing up, and you're going to keep getting punished for them.

[SPhiladelphia]

1) Gas Chamber wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Just listen to what the instructors tell you to do. At first, your skin will feel like a mild sunburn and it will turn very irritating. It's just few minutes of uncomfortable irritation to the skin and eyes. On a positive note, it will clear your nose and sinus.

2) No, if you don't do what you're suppose to do. Yes, if you like doing your own thing. Just remember, they are doing their job and it's all business when you're in boot camp. Leave your feelings at home.

3) At Parris Island, you have one hour of free time. It usually begins at 1845. I usually got my footlocker squared away and wrote letters. You will have enough time to write letters. Also, you can workout for a couple of minutes to improve that final PFT.

4) What was one of the hardest things in your opinion at Boot Camp? The hardest thing for me was not being shut off from society. Also, I disliked scuzzing for hours.

Good luck.

Stay motivated.