Wanna-bes and Poolees.... Written specifically for you.

[DrZ]

I have been reading and responding to various posts here for a while now and determined that perhaps a blurb here can help some of our wanna-bes and poolees. I am hoping I get some assistance from my Brother and Sister Marines to continue this thread concerning things I have neglected or forgot to add.


1. When you talk to your recruiter....take notes. Don't call them ever time you realize you have forgotten what they said concerning a subject. They have work to do and don't need to repeat things due to your bad memory.

2. Recruiters, DIs, as well as the majority of personell at MCRD are the cream of the crop. These people have a special place in the Marines and they deserve your upmost respect. They have the daunting task of CREATING the next generation of Marines.

3. Practice! Try something that may be new to you and that is saying Yes Ma'am, No Ma'am, Yes Sir, and No Sir. If you make it a habit now, you won't have as many issues learning it in boot.

4. Get in the best shape you can prior to boot. You have the chance to work out with Recruiters and various other Marines prior to going to boot. USE IT. I can promise you that boot will still be difficult but a little less so if you can do well on the physical aspect from the start. Get your score up now. It will do nothing but improve.

5. If you smoke...quit. Smoking is frowned on just about everywhere these days. It steals you of the lung capacity you need to do your best. It is expensive and basically a pain in the butt. Don't look back 40 years from now wishing you would have quit when you are young enough to do it. In answer to your unasked question.... yes I smoke and I wish I had used boot to quit.

6. Practive the ASVAB. There are practice tests available at military . com. The better you do on the test, the more choices you will have on your job. What you learn in the Marines can turn into a lifetime job in or out of the Marines. I was taught electronics during my time in and still do this today. I acknowledge I spent time at University as well but had a leg up because of my Marine training.

7. If you have issues with your family....attempt to rebuild those bridges now. You will NEED and WANT their support during boot. You will want someone out there who is looking forward to a few lines in a letter to let them know you are alive, well, and getting better and stronger everyday. No man (or woman) is an island unto themselves.... rebuild your relationships and gain strength from those relationships when you are struggling with boot.

8. RESPECT! Learn it and live it. Use it in your everyday life. Both online and in the real world. Especially use it here when dealing with the Marines who are here to assist you. These people have been through what you are considering or are soon to go through. Show them respect and you will be respected in return. Respect must be earned...work on earning some early.

9. Don't blow smoke up anyone's butt. Have pride in yourself, your family, your country, and in the Marine Corps. But don't let your alligator mouth overload your hummingbird butt. If someone asks why you are joining the Marines, don't let your first answer be, "I want to kill someone." Believe me, combat is not like a video game and you will never be the same afterwards. Tell whomever asks about honor, pride, traditions, and everything else that attracted YOU to the Marines. Tell them you want to be part of the best.... and believe it. The rest of the stuff you want to say is BS to make you look bigger in their eyes. When you come home in your uniform... the way you walk, stand, talk, and act will tell them everything about you and BS won't be needed.

10. Attitude. Lose it! Boot camp will take a group of individuals, strip away the individualism and rebuilt this group as a cohesive team. You will walk, talk, and act much the same at all times. If you go into boot with an attitude, you will do yourself substantially more damage than good. The DIs have one hell of a job and attitudes just make it more difficult for BOTH but especially for YOU!

11. Don't get on those yellow footprints thinking you know it all. You know nothing and the sooner you accept that, the better off you will be. These men and women who will be teaching you, know what you need to learn and if you go into boot with an open mind.... you will learn what you need to know and it will stay with you the rest of your life.

12. Don't be concerned if you have never touched a weapon. Part of your training will be to teach you how to shoot, how to care for your weapon, and how to do both the Marine Corps way. Some of the best marksmen in the Marines learned everything they know in boot. They continued to improve by honing those skills.

13. Never give up! You are going to be tired, dirty, hungry, homesick, and will basically feel you can't give anything more. But you can and YOU WILL. Being a Marine is finding that bit more to give when you believe there is nothing left. You will learn how to continue on when you are sleep deprived, short of rations, and just dogged tired. Work hard to earn your title!

14. You will be learning many things while in boot. Drill, hand to hand combat, care and feeding of your weapons, military history, pride, and honor, as well as how to survive in ALL situations. Be a sponge and PAY ATTENTION. You will need and use much of what you learn during your time in and some for the rest of your life.

15. The final one.... and probably the most important one! Remember everyday why you want to be a Marine. Remember the pride and the strength you see in the Marines you have dealt with so far and use that to make you be the best in everything you do. Never give up.... just strive to be that much better. Remember the Motto.... Semper Fidelis... Always Faithful. LIVE IT.

Once the title "U.S. Marine" has been earned, it is retained. There are no ex-Marines or former-Marines. There are active duty Marines, retired Marines, reserve Marines, and Marine veterans. Nonetheless, once one has earned the title, he/she remains a Marine for life.

[Wyoming]

Very good essay.

Too bad the 'Wanna-bes and Poolees' will pick it apart in an attempt to get the answer THEY want.

Iffen they don't, they will puff up and begin with the disrespect part.

[Lisa 23]

OUTSTANDING DrZ!!!

The mods should make a sticky out of this!

[Phantom Blooper]

I think it is a good list....

The only thing that I can offer is pertaining to this site....

SEARCH out the KEY WORDS in the SEARCH button in Ask A Marine or Poolee Forum....of what you want to know or trying to get an answer to.

I enjoy mentoring as much as possible on here....

But just about every post is repetitive and it could be answered by using the SEARCH button.....

If not Marines are willing to answer....

But for the correct and non dinosaur scoop see a recruiter face to face!

I am wearing out the S...E...A...R...C...H..tabs on my computer keyboard and laptop.

[tdrt]

I would only add one more thing:

Please use proper sentence structure and capitalization. If you don't think that "I" as referring to oneself is not important enough to capitalize, then I don't think you're important enough to respond to.

[sparkie]

Woah,,,,,,, Buncha hardasses,,,,,,,, LOL. ]I agree].

[32JJW0311]

Thank you for you knowledge: Ssgt Heep, Cpl Holmes, Pfc Lisa, Ssgt Hall, Ssgt Troy R, and Sgt Sparks.

[DrZ]

Joshua,
Believe in yourself and bust your butt at every turn in boot and walk out with a set shiny new PFC chevrons on your sleeve.

Good luck to you.

[32JJW0311]

Thank you Sir Ssgt Heep. No disrespect but I'm going in as E-2 so I plan to come out as E-3 Sir. Thank you again.

[DrZ]

Do it! And if you will.... I want you to come back here... WITH THE TITLE US MARINE... and share your experiences with the Poolees and Wanna-bes.

Let them know if the Marines here are blowing smoke up your collective butts or if we speak the truth.

Good luck my friend!

[32JJW0311]

Do it! And if you will.... I want you to come back here... WITH THE TITLE US MARINE... and share your experiences with the Poolees and Wanna-bes.

Let them know if the Marines here are blowing smoke up your collective butts or if we speak the truth.

Good luck my friend!

Is that an order? haha. Yes Sir Ssgt Heep Sir.

Question for you, Staff Sergeant Heep.? In your opinion, what is the best way I can improve my pull-ups? I am doing 13 wide grip and about 16 reverse grip. I enjoy wide grip more and it looks more impressive. The other opinions I've gotten have been, such as follows:
-Do them everyday and max out all the time.
-Lose weight, because your to big and heavy to do 20.

I'm only 185lbs. 5'9" I run all the time, and I'm not fat at all pretty skinny actually and if I lose weight it's only going to be muscle.
To do them everyday would over work them wouldn't it? I know when I weight lift I don't do chest or legs or shoulders etc everyday because I would over work them, would it be the same for pull-ups?

I look forward to any suggestions, and your opinion Sir. Thank you.

[DrZ]

To improve your pull ups.... it is all upper body strength. There are three things that I know that will improve that for you. One of the best is the standard pushup. That focuses mainly in your triceps and chest muscles. The first time you should do your max number of pushups. Then every time you work out, attempt to do 5 to 10 more. Then do the same with weights and do curls and bench presses. This again focuses on the triceps.

Personally, I never worried about what looks or feels best.... I always focused on maximizing the number of pull ups I could do. Pick your highest number, in your case 16 for the reverse, and just do it. You have quite a bit of time prior to hitting boot.... you should be able to add quite a few prior to leaving.

I entered boot at 205 and 6' tall. I was at football weight (well football weight back in the 60s anyway) and only worked out in the manner that HS football required. I did poor on my first attempt at the PFT. By the end of boot, I was doing the max of everything. I don't believe in working out everyday. I needed at least a day to let the muscles heal. Personally...I would do them until your body burns.... then a day of rest and start over again.

As you can tell from my picture.... lol... those days are over for me. Have gained 25 lbs in the 33 years I have been out. I can still run the 3 miles but it takes me closer to 25 minutes now.

Don't kill yourself prior to boot.... work gradually towards your goal.



Get your numbers up to the highest you can prior to going to boot. I can PROMISE you.... the ugly DI will be in your face to improve your score.... and you will.

[terran1996]

Wish I had quit smoking after boot to.(He says as he chain-smokes his third cig.)

[32JJW0311]

Thank you very much Ssgt Heep I will try to work that into my schedule.

[Steve018]

good post. number 1 might seem surprising but actually important, i learned that one the hard way haha