Why People Flunk Marine Corps Boot Camp: Top 7 Reasons
We have been asked the question of why people flunk Marine Corps Boot Camp over and over again, so we decided to create this page in an effort to provide a concise answer. The reason why people flunk Marine Corps Boot Camp is not always the same and yet many of them are closely related. We have compiled a list of the top 7 reasons why we think people flunk out, or wash out, of Marine Corps Boot Camp. The list is not in a rank order, as each reason is personal to the recruit that flunks out. Flunking out is what is important, and not the reason why the recruit flunked out. Flunking out of Marine Corps Boot Camp just means you failed.
Click Here: If You Don’t Want To Flunk Marine Boot Camp.
Injury: There are times when a recruit falls off a rope or twists a knee and becomes hurt to such a degree that they cannot continue on with Marine Corps Boot Camp. When this happens the recruit is stashed away in some platoon waiting to heal. This is a very frustrating time because the recruit has realized the dream to become a Marine is dead and yet they cannot return home. The reason the recruit cannot return home is two-fold. First off, the recruit needs to heal, but more important to the Corps is they do not want to send home recruits that look beat up and /or abused. It does not make good public relations. This is a reason why people flunk Marine Corps Boot Camp.
Criminal: There are times whena civilian slips into boot camp and starts training like everyone else. Then one-day while the platoon is sitting quietly in the squadbay, two men in suits walk in and take a recruit with them, and that recruit is never heard from again by the their fellow recruits. The reason for this is because they had some outstanding warrant on them or some such criminal charge that did not get caught on the initial processing. Once a recruit actually enters active military duty, their is another, deeper background check performed. This follow on background check sometimes turns up a recruit that has not been so honest. This is yet another reason why some people flunk Marine Corps Boot Camp.
Drugs:This reason has been given its own section because it is very common. A very popular reason why recruits get sent home is because they smoked pot or did some other drug right before they reported into boot camp. One of the first things a new recruit does when they get off the bus at a Marine Corps Recruit Depot is they take a “piss test“, which the rest of the world refers to as a urine analysis drug test. A new recruit will pee in the bottle and off goes the sample for testing. It takes a few days/weeks to get the results, so somewhere along the line the recruit gets pulled away from the rest of the platoon.
Too Fat: Yes, we said it Too FAT. This reason actually falls under an umbrella of reasons why people flunk out of Marine Corps Boot Camp. The actual reason may because the recruit cannot keep up with the physical training. Maybe the fat brought on some other health issues that warranted the expulsion from Marine Corps Boot Camp. The end result of being obese will start with the Drill Instructors giving the recruit more attention than they will want. This negative attention will bleed over to the fellow recruits getting angry with the fat one because the platoon will be punished since the fat one cannot keep up. If a recruit is too fat they will become the focal point of everything the Drill Instructors can throw at the recruit. If you think that this is rude or not “politically correct” you would be right if your were in the civilian world. In the glow of Marine Corps Boot Camp, your feelings mean nothing. If you are fat and can’t get over the wall, you are a liability. if you are fat and can’t keep up with the platoon, you will need to go to the “pork chop platoon” for further and additional training, or go home. It is that simple If you are too fat in Marine Corps Boot Camp the deciding factor will be if the individual has the internal drive and motivation to keep up with the rest of the unit. Being fat is not a automatic get sent home, it is just an issue that will require additional intestinal fortitude to overcome.
Click Here if you are worried about your weight
Lack of Personal Drive: If a civilian shows up and is really not committed to becoming a Marine, there is a very good chance they will fail. The commitment to becoming a Marine will need to transcend personal discomfort and personal needs. A recruit that does not have the internal drive to continue and carry on will falter along the way and fall behind in training. This is when the gray area becomes apparent because the lack of personal drive will allow, for example, a minor medical injury to become a chance to be sent home. When a recruit has a lack of will to carry on through the most difficult time in their life, it becomes easy to roll “the reason” into another reason that will offer them the opportunity to quit. A recruit that does not have the internal and ongoing will to graduate Marine Corps Boot Camp, will allow a non-essential cause for failure to blossom and grow into a reason that can become tangible enough for dismissal. The possible list of reasons in this category are virtually limitless, but they are there for the weak recruit to take a hold of, and then use that excuse for the rest of their life. The excuse that manifests itself for dismissal from Marine Corps Boot Camp will be retold to family and friends over and over so many times, that after a while the failed recruit starts to believe the reason really was substantial enough to warrant leaving boot camp a failure. Lack of personal drive is one reason that people flunk out of Marine Corps Boot Camp that starts while still at home waiting as a “poolee” to start boot camp.
Lack of Preparation Academically: Preparation for Marine Corps Boot Camp is one thing that an individual can never get enough of,…and whatever they do to prepare,… will leave them ill-prepared for Marine Corps Boot Camp. To flunk out of Marine Corps Boot Camp a recruit really has to flunk out because the individual recruit is offered time and time again an opportunity to succeed. If a test subject is causing trouble the recruit would have to be a rock to not be able to pass it eventually. The academic portion of Marine Corps Boot Camp is not the reason for many recruits being sent home from boot camp. What causes the trouble is that the academic portion of boot camp is really just another faucet of stress that must be overcome to graduate. If a civilian does not study before they arrive at the recruit depot to start basic recruit training, then the amount of stress will increase overall, compared to the civilian that studied before arriving at boot camp. The point you need to understand is that the academic studies, in them-self, are not difficult. It is only when the academics are thrown at you with the rest that is going on, that makes it difficult. If a civilian studied all of the subject matter prior to becoming a recruit, the level of stress would be reduced exponentially. The lack of preparation academically only leads to increased stress, that some individuals just cannot handle, and that is just another reason why they flunk out of Marine Corps Boot Camp.
Easily Intimidated:The Marine Corps really does not want some mindless drone running around looking to start a fight, but they do not want a person that can be intimidated too easily. If a civilian shows up to recruit training and takes the training and the treatment they receive too harshly, they will end up being intimidated and they will flunk out and fail Marine Corps Boot Camp. A recruit needs to be able to stand up and stand tall to the constant barrage of verbal abuse they receive while at boot camp. Anything less will cause the recruit to fail boot camp and be sent home as a civilian. The recruit cannot take the treatment at boot camp as a personal issue. If the Drill Instructor sense a weakness, they will work at using it to intimidate you right back to the civilian world.
If you want to become a Marine, you have to make it through Marine Corps Boot Camp. If you are not prepared for what that means, you will have a tougher time than you need to have. Marine Corps Boot Camp is not some unbeatable experience, as demonstrated by the graduation ceremonies that take place weekly. If you are going off to boot camp, then you have made the commitment and that commitment will only have one of two outcomes. You will either become a Marine or you will fail. PERIOD!!!! You will spend every minute of everyday in Marine Corps Boot Camp dealing with the issue of becoming a basically trained Marine. Either you prepare now or you don’t. If you choose to not prepare now you may still graduate, but your time in Marine Corps Boot Camp will suck much more than it has to.
Lack of Preparation Physically: It is not by accident that the reason for not being physically prepared for boot camp was listed last. Most outsiders will disagree with this, but the truth is that The Marine Corps Boot Camp process is not designed to kick out and fail the weak from becoming a Marine. One of the first things a recruit has to do when they arrive at Marine Corps Basic Training is what is called the Initial Physical Fitness Test (PFT). If you arrived at boot camp, chances are you will be able to make the minimum requirements to start and continue boot camp with your platoon. If you have the ability to qualify at the initial PFT, you have the physical ability to graduate. The entire Marine Corps Boot Camp system is designed to take ANY civilian and work them hard and push them physically so they will be able to march on the grinder (parade deck) and graduate as basically trained Marines. It would be silly to think that the entire system would be set up to “hire” civilians and then not have a system in place to promote being physically fit. Once again, preparation is key, because if an individual shows up for Marine Corps Boot Camp and has a good physical condition, their stress level will be lower, and they will be able to not “freak out” when the entire world around them seems to be crashing down around their ears. The point of being fit beforehand will only lower the overall level of stress that the recruit will have to endure. Before you get done reading this…LISTEN UP!!!!!! Being out of shape does not mean you will fail Marine Corps Boot Camp just as much as being in shape DOES NOT guarantee you will graduate a Marine. It all comes back down to personal drive, will power and overall commitment.
Click Here to learn how you can prepare for Marine Corps Boot Camp
Too Fat For The Marines?
If you are thinking about becoming a United States Marine and are concerned about the little thing ahead of you called boot camp, you have good reason to be concerned. Whether you attend basic training at MCRD Parris Island, South Carolina or MCRD San Diego, California, you have an event ahead of you that will chart a major portion of the rest of your life. The United States Marine Corps has a reputation of building strong and disciplined bodies that to some may seem as being able to perform amazing feats of strength and endurance.
If you are considering an attempt at becoming a Marine then you need to prepare not only your body but also your mind. If you need to lose some weight then settle back for a few moments and let an old Marine help you out with some quality information. Listen up and pay attention because you are about to get some great gouge on how to prepare for Marine Corps boot camp. You are about to learn what it takes to lose some weight and get ready to become a Marine.
If you need to lose some weight then the best piece of advice you get is to get your head screwed on right and get it done. Get out and exercise, drink water, run and then run some more. Eat better quality foods, quit soda and go for a run. Start doing pull-ups and then go for a run. Do push-ups and then go for a run and then when you are done running stop and take a short break before you go for another run. Does this sound like alot of work? Does this sound as if it is something you can do? If you are thinking about the answer for a moment then you have already started to fail, and here is why.
Marine Corps boot camp is fairly similar to going on a diet.
A diet, running and especially boot camp is much more of a mental experience than it is a physical experience. The Marine Corps will provide you a balanced diet and an exercise program that many people would pay money to be able to take part. The one difference is that the intensity of the mind games is what overwhelms you when in boot camp. Those mind games are where many fail to earn the title of Marine. The mind games are designed to be relentless and enduring which is actually the key component to completing a successful diet plan. When trying to lose weight the control of what you eat and what you do not eat is all created and fulfilled in your mind, or the “brain housing unit” as the Corps refers to it.
Find out why being skinny is not enough to complete bootcamp.
If you need to lose weight to join the Marine Corps then start getting your head together and that head is what will carry you all the way to the parade deck on graduation day. If you enter boot camp with a can do attitude the Marines will build on that and you will become the physical stud you desire. Granted it would help your cause if you could score a perfect PFT (Physical Fitness Test) but the Marine Corps has the ability to train you and will drive and push you until you can do all that is required.
The human body is an amazing instrument that the Marines use to accomplish its goals. The Marines know that the body will do almost whatever physical request the mind asks it to perform. The secret of being successful in boot camp is mainly a mental issue. You need to convince your mind that what is being asked to do, will be done. Running, sit-ups, pull-ups or mountain climbers are things your body will do as long as the mind is motivated enough to reach the goal. That is why the word motivation is such a familiar word to Marines.
So if you are thinking of becoming a Marine and need to lose weight then just get up and make it happen. Sitting and thinking about it will do little to complete the task. The head games that are played are enough to flunk out the average civilian scum that dares to enter MCRD Parris Island. If you are serious about becoming a Marine, the time to start is never too early. If you are not in great shape, get in great shape. It is also recommended that you study, in detail, the actions the Drill Instructors will inflict upon you.
Being in good shape is really not the only battle you will encounter while in boot camp. If you understand the “why” of what they are doing can put you ahead of the pack, or in this case, the platoon.
Is your mind as ready as your muscles?
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Fat Marine
Fat and Marine are not two words that really go well together unless you are talking about the C130 Fat Albert. A fat Marine is not a common sight and if you see one you should call the cops and have the person arrested because the standards of The United States Marine Corps do not allow a person to remain in the Marine Corps if they can’t keep from becoming obese.
Although the weight standards for being in The United States Marine Corps have made it impossible for some recruits to complete boot camp, weight standards today force some Marines from active service. The term fat Marine is not one that is very common, unless you are in the Air Wing side of the house…but then that is a different story because we all know that the air side does not stay as fit as the ground side. (Can you tell I was a ground pound-er? 
Please do not take offense, because it is the truth and the reality despite the weight standards. For the most part the fat Marines tend to collect more often in the air wing than the ground side. It all goes back to calories in and calories out and more calories are expended humping 5 miles than flying 500 miles.
This is not a weight loss website, but we do have an extensive site that is dedicated to losing weight. (Thin Blog) I am no longer an active duty Marine and I struggled for years with weight gain. Thin Blog and this site are my two favorite sites to “play with”. Over the years many weight loss products have been tested and discarded for being nothing more than scams and fads that really have little impact on a person’s weight. The purpose of this fat Marine article is to help all generations of Marines lose weight and get into shape. I wasted too many years as a fat-old Marine trying to get back in shape. What I have to say here is the truth and I hope my love for the Corps can shine through to show you, the reader my sincerity. If you want to lose weight…this shi* works!
Whether you are a Marine wannabee and are looking to start Marine Corps Boot Camp or if you are on active duty trying to stay on active duty, we have a simple, fast and easy way to help you make it happen. If you are no longer serving on active duty and want to just get ready for a Marine reunion or if you just want to look better, we have the same simple, safe and proven solution.
The ONLY way to lose weight is if you burn more calories than you eat. THAT’S IT!!! Did you understand that? The only way to lose weight is to burn more calories that you eat. The problem is that if a person eats too few calories, they suffer from hunger and that hunger results in your body burning muscle and not fat. Hunger is what causes so many well intentioned fat Marines to fail in their attempts to achieve a healthy and sustainable weight. Hunger is what keeps many Marine Pooles from being really ready to join the Corps.
If you are hoping to lose weight I have the only plan available that has ever helped me lose weight and this plan has been around for over 30 years. If you want to lose weight fast this is the safest way to get it done and you can lose 20+ pounds each and every month. You do not need to suffer from hunger because you need to eat about 6 times a day. This is what most weight loss wann bes do not understand.
Whatever your need for not wanting to be a fat Marine you owe it to yourself to make weight loss happen. You owe it to yourself to get healthy and if you are on active duty and want to stay on active duty you owe it to more than your family……you owe it to your Corps.
Semper Fi!
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