So I'm going to the Marine Corps March 10th. Any current or past military guys want to give me some advice. I've already been told to not volunteer for anything unless I know EXACTLY what it is and a few other things but they aren't coming to mind.
Sparkle ..............are you mad ? You know they will send you some place hot and sandy with lots of lethal locals !!! Be sure,,, be safe ..and dont admit the sparkle bit !!! SMurf
serious advice help the slow guys when you can, your squad is judged by the least as well as the best. Don't goof around with rank or awards. Do not get caught doing impersonations of the drill sergeant. (trust me on that one). when you are getting a bollocking - don't take it personally. Remember the instructor did not have the advantages you had like knowing his father
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey people! I'm not entirely stupid because I didn't spell one word correctly . I'm just an idiot. Alansmurf - Yeah I suppose I am a bit off edge? But one of the reasons I am going in is because it will be an opportunity for training and experience in combat. Nothing is wrong with the name Sparkle, it can change to something a bit more "cool" like Spark or something : P. It's definitely not something I will talk about during boot camp at least . . .
You sure this belongs in celebrations? What's your MOS gonna be? Are you already in DEP? Are you East or Westcoast? You going officer or enlisted? If they promise you sign-up/enlistment bonus make sure to get it on paper in black and white. Make sure to work on your pullups, crunches, and 3 mile run. Check out the articles on www.stewsmith.com for some training routines that get you into 'military shape'. Start doing forced marches with a heavy backpack/sandbag to get your feet and shoulders ready. Make sure to check out everything you can about enlisting in the USMC on www.military.com Make sure you know your naval terminology before going to bootcamp. Get used to standing/excercising on red ant hills without flinching/scratching when they bite you. Same goes for sandfleas (If you go to PI) Oh no you didnt :ban: For the people that think Sparkle isnt a manly name: http://martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47690&highlight=Sparkle+Manly
Dang Sick! I forgot about Sand Fleas and Fire Ants. "Don't you swat at my pet recruit!" DI's have a field day with that one! Not to mention mosquitos too!
For me it belongs in celebrations. MOS - I'm going to be an infantry man but I'm not sure what I'll be doing until I go to the school for it. I'm interested in recon but I hear they don't take too many new Marines. Yeah I'm already in the DEP and I have been for a while. I'm east coast so I'll be at Paris Island and I'm going enlisted. I didn't get offered any bonus though. Thanks for the advice and I need to get a pack to march with. I'll have to ask the recruiters about that. As for the PFT I believe I was told I passed it first class with a low score when they ran me through it about a month ago. Since then I've cut a few minutes off my run time, added pullups and crunches to my final score. I'm hoping to go in with the ability to run 3 miles in 15 min, do 20 pullups, and 100 crunches with no problem. I don't think I'll have a hard time with it as long as I keep training as I'm already in decent shape. I have to say I'm not looking forward to the sand fleas too much : /. I get practice with them at my brother in laws house trying to play Xbox Live, they have a dog and I get bit all the time during some intense game play.
Always remember son. The marines are just a branch of The US Navy, you are a passenger on our fine fleet of war ships and should stay quiet and out of our way until we point you at the beach and send you on your merry way with the hail of an offshore bombardment. :woo: Good Luck. Check in after boot is over and I'll tell you more.
If not you, then who? Thank you for your willingness, your bravery. You will come back changed. Hopefully, improved, and having improved something around you, at least a little. And if you hadn't gotten fired, where would you be? It is hard to see blessings sometimes, until afterwards.
The Army makes a big deal about run times and push ups, the Marines make a big deal about pull ups. Get used to doing them correctly as they don't count unless you go to full arm extension. From what I saw they treat you pretty good after boot camp. I preferred the Marine DFAC to ours by a long shot.
