Happy Veteran's Day!

Mostly it was the psychological element. I was probably the physically weakest person there, but I was prepared for that. I must have some sort of learning disability or something because I couldn't understand or follow directions, which meant everyone there hated me because they were constantly having to waste time fixing me up. Even though I was probably smarter than most of them in many ways, they all thought I was a brain-dead moron because I was stupid in almost every area that counted in basic combat training.

I suffered because I was unable to keep organized and did not feel like I had time to do all the things I needed to do quickly and efficiently. I didn't feel like I had time to keep my locker nice, do my laundry, do my extra PT, study for those tests they give you, do the chores, make my bed, write letters to maintain my sanity, and everything else. I am usually a total wreck, but I reached a new low in BCT. In the end what really got me was a newly assigned drill sergeant trying to prove she wasn't "the nice one" coming and tearing apart my disorganized locker, calling me filthy and disgusting and saying that I was going to get regular locker checks and if my locker wasn't perfect from now on, everyone else who was present would be punished in my place. Amid the screaming, feeling worthless and gross, and seeing how much they hated me more than ever, I basically had a meltdown.

Obviously not military material, I know. But remember that all I wanted was to be in the National Guard band.

Prince, it's ok, you're good.

Alright Grumble, where is all of this negativity coming from? 

Consulting charts is definitely a good idea. They have basic rubric and criteria that they use to score you, and getting myself to place where I want ahead of time is an adult thing to do imo - follow through, hard work, and planning based on known expectations versus spontaneous decisions/irresponsibility/failure.

There will definitely be people screaming at you. The psychological manipulation is worst for me. When I was there, I thought I was above that manipulation, but now that it's been a while, I can see that I totally wasn't. They try to frighten you and control your way of thinking about things. This isn't some anti-military sentiment or anything; it's just how it works in training. I was emphatically singing cadences about shooting people in the head without thinking twice about it. My shy self was screaming the Warrior's Creed at the top of my lungs. I lost a lot of my sense of self there. That's why I lacked the perspective to say to myself, "Hey, it's just a couple more weeks of this insignificant nonsense. Who cares what these people think of me?" Because in such a short time, they really had managed to make my whole world revolve around all the tasks and exercises.

Drill sergeants lie a lot. They always tell you that if you do not pass the upcoming exercise, you'll get held back. They say this every single time and it's almost never true, if ever, but everyone is forced to believe it because it MIGHT be true. It's understandable. They want everyone to constantly be performing at full potential.

I went to "Relaxin' Jackson." I'm sure it's far more brutal at most sites. This isn't to scare you away from enlisting. I have always had psychological issues that were exacerbated in basic. I know that the tactics they use are designed to train effective soldiers and give them the best chance of survival. I just think it's good to know what to expect, because even after reading a lot of descriptions of basic, I still didn't really understand what it would be like. It's not just about screaming and yelling and doing push-ups, although there's a lot of that. It's good to be prepared for the psychological stuff.

who hurt you prince ill kill em

@hunted - just don't join the USMC.


i have two Marine buddies who have blown their brains out in the past two years, and I can only think of one friend of mine who was in the national guard who committed suicide.


I would tell parents not to let their kids join the Marines... Synthesis turned out pretty well, but then you have me and IsFriday, both huge freaks in our own respective ways... there is just something about the Marine Corps that changes the way you think forever.

joining the USMC during peace time is also bullshit... get ready for probably an entire enlistment of getting called a boot or a BOOT POG because you'll never deploy to war.


The Air Force seems like the best branch to join, TBH. I scored on the 70s on my ASVAB in 2003 but still joined the infantry as a rifleman. because joining the Marine Corps for anything besides infantry is bullshit. then again, i served alongside dudes with ASVAB waivers... just the dumbest but meanest mother fuckers on the face of this planet.

and they will kill you. they really will. the marine corps infantry is about killing other human beings; that's what they train you to do, in a way whose brutality is dwarfed significantly by other branches. and they train you to do this intensively for six months straight, every day being indoctrinated, just to get the party started.