Or should I just keep my mouth shut the whole time, and go with it.
I am not looking to suck up to the DI or anything. I just want to be smart about boot camp.
6 Responses to “If I go to Marine Corps Boot Camp, are there any good details to volunteer for?”
Leave a Reply
You had it right the first time: "try to keep your mouth shut". Why?
In Marine Corps boot camp: 1. No talking unless spoken to by a senior> Every person who is not a recruit is senior to you. 2. When spoken to, the first word out of your mouth is ‘sir’. 3. You will not be asked to volunteer for anything> you will be ordered to do everything. 4.You will spend all your time doing the follwing: Standing at attention, Marching, going to some classes, taking notes, 20 minutes morning meal, 20 minutes afternoon dinner, 25 minutes supper. You will be allowed to sit during meals and during some classes. And if you are not sitting, then you are marching or standing at attention in front of your rack (bed) in the squad bay (barracks) or standing at attention in platoon formation outside. 5. You will go to the base PX after each pay day. You will go there in platoon formation. 6. You will run in platoon formation every morning. A nice long run. Every morning. 7.You will learn everything that they teach you, and you will learn it well. 8.You will become an expert with your rifle. Your rifle will be a part of you. You will be able to take it apart and put it back together > blindfolded! 9. You will shave every day, wash your own clothing, learn to keep a neat appearance. There is a little light at the end of the daily tunnel. You will have one hour per evening > free time. That’s the time for you to read mail, answer mail, clean your boots, sew whatever clothing needs repair, study your notes, etc. Little by little, your duties as a recruit will eat away at that one hour. At the end of recruit training, you will discover that that one hour has been slowly but surely reduced to 15 minutes free time and 45 minutes Marine Corps time. Volunteer? Forget it. Did I paint you a picture of insanity? Maybe! BUT, on graduation day the insanity completely disappears. And you discover that your life is about to change forever. Change for the better. And you discover that you have not just become a member of a military unit. You discover that you have become part of a unique Brotherhood. Even when your enlistment is over and you rejoin civilian life, it will never leave you. Never. And thank god for that and thank God for the Marines. Every one of them. And best of luck with your MarineCorps career.
Try to stay under the radar. When I was in Army basic training my drill sergeant always said, "You are all volunteers". Good luck.
Be a Scribe or a Whiskey Locker Recruit. Scribe is probably the best billet in Recruit Training. Never having to put yourself on fire watch, and everyone will kiss your @ss for something or another. Always volunteer, any chance to get away from the yelling is always good. Volunteering is better than volun-told.
Yes, absolutely. Tell your DI that you really want to go to the pit. That is a good detail to volunteer for. Trust me, you will thank me later.
Scribe is usually the only position worth volunteering for. The best advice I have is to volunteer for nothing (except scribe), do only as you are told, and when you are told and nothing more or less. Stay under the radar. Blend in, and don’t skyline yourself. Once they remember your face and name is when they start to single you out for "special time".
In boot camp there is no such thing as a volunteer. You are vol-untold to do things. When the DI asks for recruits to do something, everyone better be running to him to help. At that time the DI will choose the rec to help.