big question

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wannabemarine

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Feb 28, 2006
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yesterday was my 17th birthday so as of today i have 6 months to get ready for the marines! since i notice allot of the members here are marines, or are non active duty marines (some would make the mistake of saying ex marines) i thought i would ask if you guys had any advice that might help in two areas

1. training for bootcamp, I have been doing lots of running, pushups, sit ups ext but im still not were i want to be physically so any advice would be helpful.

2. what kind of gear should i be looking into (im hoping to go into the infantry if that helps, or a sniper if i qualify), the only reason im thinking about this is because im thinking it would be better to get it now when i dont need money, and have a permanent location i can ship things too.

thanks for the help guys.
 
You might want to go to www.military.com and check out the Marine discussion forum.
They have all the info that you're seeking.

Good luck, and a big thanks from this old Soldier!
 
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Two suggestions:

1. Listen very carefully to what is being asked and said and follow instructions.

2. Don't buy any gear until you get a permanent duty assignment.


Best of luck in your great adventures!
 
If I was going back to boot again I would have trained for about 3 months before on about 6 hours sleep instead of the 10 or so I was used to :o . It will lean you up a bit but it wont be such a shock to the system. The NCO's are like hawks in the first few weeks, you want to shine but dont be a kiss ass. Also, if you want to be a sniper, get some good training in now. Find a place that shoots rifles and get your breathing, positions and mindset right. Your scores on the range will influence whether they will consider you. I dont know about the US Marines but in the UK we have 3 prizes at the passing out parade. Best Recruit, Best Shot and Best PT. Again, winning best Shot would stand you in good stead.

Good luck and remember, if it was easy anyone could do it. You are going to be tired and pissed off and hungry and aching and any other combination of nastiness you can think of. Just grin and bare it and it will be a thing you will be proud of for the rest of your life. Oh, and be prepared to meet the best friends you will ever have too, there is nothing closer to a guy than his pal from basic, not even his wife.
 
Get in the best physical shape you can and learn to swim well if you don't know how already. Forget about the gear for now -- the Marines will give you what you need and you'll know later what you desire in the way of additional gear.
 
yea im definantly going to be doing allot more shooting, and looking into some sort of martial arts crav maga? isnt that what the idf developed. thanks for all the tips ill do the best i can.
 
One thing that every firearms instructor I know has said is that it is easier to train a person correctly who has never shot, the Marines have a very good marksmanship program, I would not run out and start shooting now and pick up a bunch of bad habits that are hard to break.

Its been said don’t buy anything! Your recruiter should have a list of approved gear you can take. Get two pair of very good running shoes, have them broke in but not wore out before you go

Run, due a bunch of cals, run some more

At http://www.armyranger.com/bb/ we have a bunch of DEPs, you could log on and see if there is anyone close by to train with, probably some good info there that is not service specific
 
wannabemarine said:
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2. what kind of gear should i be looking into (im hoping to go into the infantry if that helps, or a sniper if i qualify), the only reason im thinking about this is because im thinking it would be better to get it now when i dont need money, and have a permanent location i can ship things too.

thanks for the help guys.
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In the Marines it's called "Rifleman" not infantry. That mistake will get your ass kicked in boot camp.;)

As far as being an 8541(Scout Sniper) they take a lot more into consideration than shooting ability, not that it hurts, but map reading, retention of the things you saw(the scout part) woodsmanship, stealth when moving on a target in broad daylight, concealment tactics and the like will be as or more valuable than shooting. You would spend far more of your time observing and reporting what you see than you will shooting people, but it certainly won't hurt to hone your shooting skills.

Talk to the recruiter about SS school before you sign on the dotted line. If they tell you no problem, get it in writing and have a copy for yourself. Anything not in writing is just so much BS and don't let them bully you into not getting it. You must have it before you sign the contract.

The recruiter is like a used car salesman and you MUST get what you want in writing or it will not happen, no matter how sincere he, or she sounds. Ask about signing bonuses and rank before signing too. You just might hit it good. If you don't ask and get it in writing, you have no one to blame but yourself when you see others with the cash for doing the same thing you did for nothing.

If you have nothng else, then a .22 rimfire will do nicely to teach you position shooting and marksmanship skiils, just make sure you find out exactly how the Marines do it so you don't get into all kinds of bad habits before you start. Call a recruiter and ask him where you can obtain a guidebook for Marines, if they still use them, as that will show you many things as well as positions for shooting their way.

When you go for your range qualification, pay attention to everything THEY tell you. Forget what you think is right for the time being, and concentrate on doing it their way. Life will be so much easier for you if you do.

And of course, mouth shut, ears open and the DI is always right. Good luck to you.:thumbup: :D
 
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