Step Son Leaving for Paris Island, SC to Join the Marines!!!

[reesestewww]

He leaves Sunday at 1500 heading off to boot camp. I’m VERY proud of him. He’s wanted to serve our country since the age of 3.

Let’s give him a big HOO-RAA!!!!

[Eric 951]

Tell him good luck at the island and a big

"HOOOO-RAAAAA"

[Hugh R]

I was at PI in 1971. Tell him he can do it. Tell him to learn his General Orders as quickly as possible, its painful to not do so. Stare straight ahead, never look the Drill Instructor in the eye; look through him, even as he's yelling in his face. Tell him to make sure his boots are comfortable when they're first issued, if there even a little tight, they'll only get worse as he runs. YOU remember you'll be getting a man back, not a boy.

[mikester]

Lucky Kid.

When I was 20, my uncle tried to get me to talk his 18 year old OUT of going into the marines. I was just in college and I was supposed to tell him how great it was.

I told him it was great but that if he wanted to join the Marines he'd get nothing but respect for it from me. I thought it was a great idea, he joined up soon after and he's still in today (10 years later).

[Hugh R]

A few other things:

Never refer to the drill instructor as "You", a "ewe" is a female goat, and the DI, will remind him of that and asked if your son wants to fu(k him. Refer to other DI's as Sargent so and so, or Gunnery Sargeant so and so. Never use the abbreviation DI, always Drill Instructor. Begin and end all responses to the DI with "Sir". After boot camp, the only people who are called Sir are officers. Speak in the 3rd person, refer to himself as "Private so and so (it may be recruit so and so, I don't remember) not "I". Write him letters, he'll welcome them. Tell him the DI's read the outgoing mail, so be careful what he writes its OK to write that they yell, they run his tail off, but don't fabricate. One guy in my platoon wrote that they beat him (not) and he got sent to "Motivation" for a week, most everyone goes to Motivation for a day, it sucks. BTW, its Parris Island, not Paris Island.

[rcecale]

Originally posted by Hugh R
YOU remember you'll be getting a man back, not a boy.

Actually, Hugh, he'll be getting a MARINE back! what a great Return On His Investment!!!

Semper Fi to the future Leatherneck! OOOH-RAH!!!!

Randy

[djmcmath]

I'll give a big Oorah to a new devil-dog. I'm sure you must be proud! Being Navy, I'm obligated to throw an arbitrary Marine joke out: You realize, BTW that we're not allowed to call Marines "jarheads" anymore? Some scientists at Berkley discovered it's actually possible to put a brain in a jar.

(laugh track)


Dan

[kach22i]

If you don't mind me asking, how long did he sign up for? Special training?

My brother joined the Navy (has been out for over ten years now) for six years; the first two were nuke school.

Best of luck.

Note: edited for clarity, see post below.

[rcecale]

Marines don't have a bootcamp in or near Chicago...only in Parris Island and San Diego....hmmmmm


edit: And Dan, although the Marines indeed ARE a Department of the Navy, the world views the Marines as the Men's Department!


Randy

[kach22i]

Originally posted by rcecale
Marines don't have a bootcamp in or near Chicago

Try this:
http://www.cinchouse.com/newbies/bootcamp.htm

There are Marines at the Great Lakes
Naval Training Center but they are not in boot camp. What can I say it's been close 20 years since I was there as a visitor.

Q: Why do the marines go to boot camp for 3-weeks longer than anyone else?

[rcecale]

The lengths are determined by each individual service, rather than by the DoD. Each service develops their own training syllabus which they are constantly revising and upgrading. 25 years ago Marine Recruit Training was only 11 weeks long. A few years before that it was 13.

Randy

[djmcmath]

Originally posted by rcecale

edit: And Dan, although the Marines indeed ARE a Department of the Navy, the world views the Marines as the Men's Department!

Ouch! I've known and worked with some really fantastic Marines. Heck, my brother plans on being a Marine helicopter pilot.

Ok, so there's Marine in the field, eating snakes to survive, in the interest of protecting some vital national interest. It's cold and raining, and he's thinking "Man, this sucks." Meanwhile, a short distance off-shore, a submarine is communicating with the Marines via radio. A sailor thinks to himself, "Boy, it must suck being out there in the cold and rain, eating snakes." Meanwhile, the Air Force is back at the 'Q waiting for the next flight. "What, no cable? Aw, this sucks!"




Dan

[azasadny]

reesestewww,

Congratulations! I spent 9 years in the USN as a Hospital Corpsman, 7 years and six months of that time attached to the USMC, finishing with Desert Storm. Be sure your son gets the schools/training he needs to reenter the civilian world with some good job skills. I attended college while I was "in" and though it wasn't easy as we were always being deployed, etc... I finished my BS degree while on active duty. Only 2 of us out of 1250 people finished our degrees... If he can attend college while he's in, encourage him to do so, but Marines usually get deployed too often for that...

[rcm]

Con- grats and good luck to the lad.

[Schrup]

He is a brave young man! I have a couple friends that joined the Marine Corps & soon regretted it, but after they graduated boot camp they were glad they did. I took the softer easier way & joined the Air Force.

[rcecale]

Paul,

Air Force or any other service...you served, brother! Semper Fi!

Randy

[kach22i]

Originally posted by azasadny
Only 2 of us out of 1250 people finished our degrees... If he can attend college while he's in, encourage him to do so, but Marines usually get deployed too often for that...

I think my brother did the Edison thing after he got out, although Arizona State on-line may now be a viable option.

From what I have learned through my brother, training may not be directly applicable to civilian jobs. However, his away from home lifestyle (subs) was sought after and has taken him across the world since he has gotten out. Making 3x's what I do, he has no permament home, no wife and no daily grind....life continues to be an adventure.

http://www.tesc.edu/prospective/military/navy_college/
To participate in the Navy College Program Distance Learning Partnership (NCPDLP) at Thomas Edison State College, students must complete at least 6 semester hours toward an associates degree 12 semester hours toward a bachelors degree.