MarineCorpsBootCampSurvival.com

You have known your child since before they were born and have watched them crawl from your memories right up to their days in high school.  You have had your ups and downs with them, but you both know that there is a bond united by love, that only a parent understands.  You have heard of all the horror stories of Marine Corps Boot Camp, but we want to set the record straight for what you can expect your baby to experience.  As a parent of a Marine, we want to set all of the myths aside, so you will be able to rest just a tad bit easier tonight.

Your child will NOT be beaten while in Marine Corps Boot Camp.  I offer you each and every video you could find in a search on the Internet.  You will not see any footage where a Drill Instructor is “touching” a Marine Recruit.  Sure you may see them adjust a pack or a rifle, but you will never see a Drill Instructor strike a recruit in violence.  If this were to happen, the Drill Instructor would soon find themself out of a job and in legal trouble.  It is a violation for a Drill Instructor to strike a Marine Recruit.  If you stop and think for a moment, it only makes sense.  A Drill Instructor is the one that teaches the recruits the rules and the ways of The Marine Corps.  Boot Camp is where all of the honor and values that make a Marine are taught and would be for nothing if The Drill Instructor violated the very honor they were demanding from their recruits.  You can rest easy, a Drill Instructor will not harm your baby.

How parents can help their child the best way possible.

Another point is that the Drill Instructors are there to make your child a Marine.  Being a Marine is all about taking care of one another and the Drill Instructor is the person that will make your child the best Marine that they can become.  You may not agree of the “parenting” skills that the Drill Instructor uses, but you need to realize that the Drill Instructor is doing their utmost best to ensure that your child is receiving the training that will keep them alive.  The training is more than how to shoot straight or dodge a bullet.  The training that your child is receiving from the Drill Instructor is what will set them apart.  The training is what grows team spirit and your child will learn to become part of something that is bigger than them-self.  The Drill Instructor is taking over as the parent, and you must let go because your job is done.

Being the parent of a Marine is something that right now scares you to death.  You fear the worst, while you should be hoping for the best.  If that days comes when your child marches on the parade deck as a United States Marine, you will see a spark in their eye that you never really knew was there.  When you see your child sporting the new uniform you will forget all of the piles of laundry you used to fret over.  When you see how spit and polished the shoes are you will forget all about the times they dressed like they were bums.  When you them them as a newly minted United States Marine, you will be proud of them like you have never been before.

Right now you are trying to deal with the issues you two had fought over, such as staying out too late and the choice of their friends.  Now that your child has decided to become a United States Marine….does it not, now feel silly about some of the arguments that you had?  Is it now distressing that some of those arguments that were so intense no longer can be even remembered of what they were about?  Your child has committed to becoming a United States Marine and that is one level of commitment that you should be cheering over, and not stressing about.

Your child is really no longer a child and even though they will always be “your baby”, they in reality, are grown and ready to leave the nest.  The best thing you could do for your baby is let them grow and chase after their dreams.  By becoming a United States Marine they will grow in ways that will stun their own friends upon their return home for leave.  They will leave as a child and return as an adult.  Do not waste the hours you have left agonizing over the fact they are leaving.  The act of leaving is inevitable and you should rejoice in the fact that you raised them so well, they are ready to attempt the formidable challenge of being a United States Marine. 

If you really loved your child, which we know you do, you will do all in your power to help them.  If they are getting ready to ship out in a week or a month or even 6 months, you should help them get ready to be their best.  One great thing you could do is order the Prepare for Marine Corps Boot Camp e-book from another website at the link provided.  All too often the recruits spend all their time preparing for Marine Corps Boot Camp only by doing physical training.  The foundation of a true Marine is not just the physical aspect, but also the mental aspect. 

By starting Marine Corps Boot Camp with a base knowledge of what to expect, your recruit will be so much better prepared upon arrival at boot camp.  By knowing what is coming academically and emotionally before they step off the bus, the better they will do.  Those that do the best in boot camp sometimes get their choice of duty stations after the follow on schooling. Being able to choose where the next duty station is sometimes works out well for parents, as well as Marine.

Let your child grow and let them go, so they will know they can always come home again.  Do not waste the precious time you have left with them, while they are sleeping in the next room… arguing.   They will leave one-day regardless of where they are going and The United States Marine Corps is one place that will help them through the rest of their adult life.

Being the parent of a Marine is not easy, but then if it were there wouldn’t be enough Marines because without strong parental upbringing, there would be no strong Marines.

Semper Fi!  (Always Faithful)

United States Marine Corps Boot Camp Prearation E-Book

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