Enlisting!!!

Hypertokyo5

Hypertokyo5

Semper Fi
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I am enlisting in the United States Marine Corps in the second week of June this year...which is when I will be eligible. I was wondering if anyone here is of prior service in the United States Armed Forces??? If you are I was just looking for some advice that a recruit could use. Thank you!!!:p
 
Hypertokyo5 said:
I am enlisting in the United States Marine Corps in the second week of June this year...which is when I will be eligible. I was wondering if anyone here is of prior service in the United States Armed Forces??? If you are I was just looking for some advice that a recruit could use. Thank you!!!:p
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Former Navy here.

1. Take your oath seriously

2. Never volunteer for anything
 
Former Marine here (13 years), former DI, etc...

Advice for boot camp: Listen carefully, do as you are told, move fast, be motivated.

Pay attention to the instructions passed to you, do not do extra, but do what you are told to do quickly and do the best possible job that you can do. Everything you do, move with a purpose...you'll stand out this way. Motivation, even though sometimes false, is contagous. When the others around you are moving slow or are feeling a little homesick or whatever...your motivation could be all that is needed to pick them up. Keep those around you motivated, and your time will go by quickly and much easier.

Even if you are not the most physically fit, doing these things could get you noticed, possibly get you in a position of leadership, and maybe even get you an early promotion out of boot camp!

As for the rest of your time in the service: Become the duty expert in your field. That means learn from others, and from their mistakes. There is no replacement for hands on experience.
 
How about.....

get your head shaved ahead of time. Wear no jewelry except a cheap watch. Work at getting in real good shape before you go, and then get in better shape then that. Don't smile or smirk when someone in charge can see you do it. Get a copy of things you will have to memorize and learn them ahead of time. No matter how tempting, don't let other boots get you to screw around. Find someone just out of bootcamp you can trust, and ask him/her what is the latest info to help you.Practice showering and dressing in about 2 minutes while half asleep. Learn to stand absolutely still in the burning hot sun while mosquitoes feast on you. Get your teeth in great shape before boot camp, military dentists can be a bit harsh. Learn to swim in a pool with several non-swimmers that splash and thrash and scream beside you. Learn to eat everything on your plate, rather you like it or not. Quit smoking and eatting junk food and drinking soda, you may not get to for a while.Be prepared to run into fellow new boots who seem to hate you for no reason. Last but not least, don't believe th DI when she tells how she did unspeakable things with your father and brother, LOL.
Uncle Frank USN
😊
 
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Uncle Frank, the guy is a gal. That shaved head might not go over too well. I'll not address the issue of her shaving.
 
I just have to get those new glasses !!

Shows how out of date my mind is, never occured to me about a female joining the military; shame on me for not reading the details.

Uncle Frank

😲
 
I'll pile on and strongly emphasize what Uncle Frank said about your dentistry. Anything you need done, do it now. Don't think you'll just wait and have the military fix it for free. I remember lots of guys in boot camp who did that. The teeth they thought the Navy was going to fix for free got PULLED instead.
 
I bought it up because ......

they yanked 7 of mine, LOL.

Uncle Frank

:(
 
Do not be surprised by rampant hypocrisy and double standards, particularly where sexual conduct is concerned. That will operate in favor of males, of course. Yes, I know the same thing happens all too often in civilian society, but be prepared for much worse in the military. You should also be prepared to have male Marines refer to you as a "BAM" or "big *** Marine", even to your face. You should also be prepared to have those in charge refuse to do anything about it. Good luck. You will definitely need it.
 
It would be helpful, Anohito, if you were to give some indication if you are relating first-hand experience.
 
Mike Cash said:
It would be helpful, Anohito, if you were to give some indication if you are relating first-hand experience.
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Oh, but I am speaking from first-hand experience. What I have posted from my Japan Diary gives some indication of the more unpleasant realities of military life, and there are more to come. My photo pages do not deal with such things, but they do give an indication of the times I was in the military. For now, suffice it to say that many males in the military acted as though they were entitled to commit adultery, but if the subject of their wives doing the same thing arose, they expected differently of their wives.
 
Is army service voluntary in the US?
I never quite understood when a draft can be made and what the juristic circumstances have to be.
 
Army service is indeed voluntary for the moment. I was also thinking of preparing myself for a draft, just in case there is one. How helpful would degrees in electronics, or computers be in a military career?
 
I wonder ??

By now Hypertokyo5 has probably run off to Canada and changed her name to avoid any chance of the militery finding her.

Uncle Frank

😊
 
Uncle Frank said:
By now Hypertokyo5 has probably run off to Canada and changed her name to avoid any chance of the militery finding her.
Uncle Frank
😊
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haha oh no...i am still here. just waiting for the day that i get to swear in. woo hoo! thank you for your advice...i actually have a tooth bothering me at the moment so i believe the dentistry advice ias very helpful.🙂
 
thank you all for your advice. i take it to heart and i believe that all of it will be extremely helpful and i will be able to use it to my advantage. as for the sexist remark warnings...i greatly appreciate that. that is why my grandmother is afraid of my joining...shes afraid that the men are pigs. lol. thank you all very very much.
 
Tell your grandmother that what doesn't kill one makes one stronger.

And tell your dentist that you want your dentition in tip-top shape, the reason why, and your deadline for getting it all done.

My dentist when I was your age was an ex-Navy man himself. And when he found out I was going in, he said "Let's get you all fixed up then. We don't want them pulling anything." So you can see that he knew the score too.
 
I just got the Information from "Kreiswehrersatzamt" that I will be drafted ,because my physical condition is good yada yada yada (military service in germany is compulsary unless you do social services).👍
 
I'll probably follow family tradition and choose the army but I'm not quite sure if I should choose Infantry or Panzergrenadiere (sry that I don't know the english term although its probably something like motorised infantry).:-)
 
haha well i am most certainly going to get my tooth fixed very soon and ill pray that my wisdom teeth dont come in while in basic training. :(
 
I would advise you pick up a copy of Warfighting if you are even remotely interested in officer training or aim to become an N.C.O. at least. I'd personally go R.O.T.C. (and I tried, but I was turned away for having flat feet).

Also, look up the Barbary Wars fought by Madison and Jefferson in the early 19th century. The Marines first made their name as an incredibly badass fighting force, especially during the Battle of Derna.

Semper fi.
 
Hypertokyo5 said:
haha well i am most certainly going to get my tooth fixed very soon and ill pray that my wisdom teeth dont come in while in basic training. :(
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In 1968, while in the Navy, I had a couple of wisdom teeth extracted. The dentist had an enormous amount of trouble with one of the wisdom teeth and had to chip it out piece by piece. After he got it all out, he discovered that one of the roots had a bend at an angle of 90 degrees, with the horizontal part pointing away from the X-ray machine.
 
moffeltoff said:
I just got the Information from "Kreiswehrersatzamt" that I will be drafted ,because my physical condition is good yada yada yada (military service in germany is compulsary unless you do social services).👍
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Usually called Mechanized infantry here...or just referred to as tanks.
 
Former Navy man here! Served 20 years and enjoyed the experience, after all, it enabled me to visit Japan, thus establishing my love for the country, the people, the culture, the food, everything.

The military isn't for everyone, most (like me) manage to enjoy a long, fruitful career while some never make it past Boot Camp. You have to be ready to commit yourself to the service one hundred percent in body and mind or you'll never last, especially in the Marines. Oh, yeah, most definitely take advantage of the dental and medical care the military provides. One last thing, if you do manage to travel to far away lands, be sure to bring a camera along to document your travels. My one regret from my years spent in the Navy, sailing to many foreign countries was that I never took enough pictures of all the places I visited.

In closing, Hypertokyo5, I hope your experience in the Marines will work out well for you.

🙂
 
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