Top products from r/USMC

This thread belongs in /r/USMCboot

> Do you get any influence in what area you will be stationed in?

I think the recruiter will ask you for some preferences, and ask you to rank them in order of preference.
I'm pretty sure this is a meaningless exercise to make you feel better. The USMC will send you where they need you - period.

> What physical condition should I be in by the time I graduate?

Be able to run (RUN - not walk) three miles before you get on the bus.
If you can RUN three miles in ~30 minutes (without stopping to walk) you should be ok.
Be able to perform several dead-hang pull-ups. More than one.

Exercise your Google-Fu and find out what the required number of sit-ups/crunches is for your age bracket, and be able to do like 75% of a perfect score before you get on the bus.

Technically, if you are hitting the DEP mandatory minimums, you can get on the bus.
But you will be in for a world of hurt if your personal best is just the mandatory minimums.

The Drill Instructors have been making young people stronger for a long, long time.
You don't have to be a athletic stud, they will upgrade you from below average to above average by the time you graduate.

But if you are a poor performer, they will exercise the ever loving shit out of you to improve your performance.
Exceptionally poor performers will be removed from the training cycle and moved into a Physical Conditioning Platoon.
You don't want to go there if you can avoid it.

> How can I get a head start before I graduate?

Finish your Eagle Scout if you are involved with Scouting.
Eagle Scouts are automatically promoted from E-1 to E-2 at end of boot camp.

If you enjoy reading, you might try this series:

WEB Griffin: The Corps

It's a history-based series of fiction books that will expose you to USMC history starting with pre-WW2 through Korea.
The USMC is BIG on knowing our history.
Keep in mind, that is a FICTION series. Try not to imagine yourself as a super spy guy, ok?

Watch This HBO Series:

HBO: Generation Kill

That is another FICTIONAL series, based on the real life experiences of the author of this book:

Nate Fick: One Bullet Away

Those will expose you to the modern USMC, and help you understand what you are thinking of becoming a part of.

Those should help you get your mind in the right alignment.
Don't forget to get your body into the right condition as well. Get off the sofa and RUN.
Join the Track Team.
Running is the usual problem area for most recruits, in part because running is part mental as well as physical.
The more you run, the more you can get the mental components of running in alignment.


> Should I leave my individuality at the door when I join?

For the 3 months or so you are in Boot Camp? Yes. The Drill Instructors are going to rip it out of your chest.
You will be torn down to base emotions and capabilities, and rebuilt as a Marine.
It sounds cheezy. It sounds like a romantic sales pitch. But there is real, honest truth to that statement.

After Boot Camp, when you go to MCT it will kind of be like going far far away to a University.
Nobody knows who you were.
Nobody has any idea what you were like before.
You can choose to be the kind of Marine you want to be.
You'll never really forget who you were. Some of your old habits or characteristics will always be with you.

But you'll have the opportunity to develop a new individuality that has a strong respect for the greater collective, this new extension of yourself.


> Stupid question but, what do you do with your phone? Do you leave it? Do they take it? (Not that I really care I'm just curious.)

I believe you can take it with you, and leave it in storage while you are in Boot Camp.
You WILL NOT have access to the phone while you are in Boot Camp. It won't be in your foot locker. It will be in a storage facility that you won't have access to.

What you should bring depends on how far away you are, and if you need an overnight bag.

In a nutshell, bring as little as possible.

Empty your wallet down to the bare essentials:

Drivers License or Photo ID.
Maybe $20 in cash plus maybe $2 in quarters.

From the moment you climb on the bus, the USMC is supposed to feed you and take care of you until the moment you either are sent home as a washout, or until the day you EAS.
You should not need to feed yourself, but sometimes busses break down or what should be a 15 minute stop in Jerkwater, Tennessee turns into a 3 hour fiasco trying to find a replacement driver or a mechanic.

Your recruiter should talk to you about running shoes.
Apparently there is a specific list of makes & models of running shoes you are allowed to bring.
Don't fuck that up. Buy the right stuff, and make damned sure they fit PERFECTLY.

Somewhere in your town or in the big town close to you is a boutique running specialty store.
Go there. Buy them from them. Get them to size you and check your running stride.

Shin Splints and knee / ankle injuries are a MAJOR CONCERN in boot camp, and a whole lot of the risk of those injuries can be mitigated with damned good shoes & orthotic inserts.
If they suggest an insert of some kind, make damned sure you fasten it into the shoe do it DOES NOT fall out before you get on the bus.

If you've never heard of shin splints before, do yourself a favor and read a wikipedia or WebMD article on them. That's serious business to you now.

You won't see the clothes you wear to Boot Camp for 3 months, other than those running shoes. So don't wear anything fancy, special or offensive.

I see two issues here.

If you want to get your kid a watch, like, you're dead set on getting him a timepiece, feel free to get him some sort of moto bullshit. Just make sure you purchase something nice quality, obscure, and preferably give him the receipt with it. Also, I'd suggest making this more of a 'dress up' time piece and not an every day carry sort of watch, that way your son doesn't feel obligated to wear it other then when he's around family if it doesn't want to.

Regarding tacti-cool time pieces, I'd wait as well. It's a marvel that most Marines can even tell time, and you want to get him a pricey ABC watch (altitude, barometer, compass) that he'll either break or never use properly? Nothing cooler than a data Marine or a mechanic that can tell you which direction north is from the motor pool.

If it was me, I'd go to his graduation if it was feasible (dress the women-folk down, the DIs have been breaking their leashes lately), and just be supportive. I'm not sure what kind of kid you have, your relationship with him, or his maturity level, but trust me when I say he's going to need your help in the future.

Also, if you want to wear a watch with an EGA on it as a sign of support, then go for it man!

----------

For the majority of "military" applications, a blacked out Timex or Casio with glow-light function will serve him overwhelmingly the majority of the time. Ensure it's digital, with a seconds readout, and easily replaceable because Marines are dumb, and equipment breaks all of the time.

Something like this would be ideal: https://www.amazon.com/Casio-DW5600MS-1CR-G-Force-Military-Concept/dp/B001QFYDEC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1484228910&sr=8-2&keywords=casio+dw5600

I suppose that depends on when you "don't make it."

If you drop out of OCS, or get injured at PLC/OCS, I'm not sure how willing they are to take a chance on you again, but they might if it's medical.

If you decide the USMC isn't for you, or fail out of school, you have to pay the gov't for the loans. I'm pretty sure they make this very clear when you accept your NROTC scholarship. In fact, I'm extremely sure you have to sign an agreement to pay the loans back, barring any extraneous circumstances.

And I really would like to think that NROTC scholarships are rare and exclusive enough that they are not handed out like candy.

Are you interested in Air, Ground or Law?
Please do yourself a favor and read One Bullet Away.

*Former gunny

Does he like to read? These are two of my favorites, and I'm fairly certain most vets would enjoy them too:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Forever-War-Joe-Haldeman/dp/0312536631/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367616641&sr=8-1&keywords=The+forever+war

http://www.amazon.com/Without-Remorse-Tom-Clancy/dp/0425143325/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367616649&sr=8-1&keywords=Without+Remorse

I suggest reading One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer; it's an autobiography that gives a lot of insight into the sort of path you want to take, as well as the Afghanistan and Iraq invasions (the author is the Lt. Fick depicted in Generation Kill). Someone who is actually in the military would be able to better vouch for the accuracy of the book, but my impression is that it's a pretty solid account.

Check out the Commandant's Reading list recommendations for Officer Candidates. I'd add One Bullet Away and What it's Like to go to War to that list as well.

How is your general knowledge? Do you know all of your Troop Leading Steps, Leadership Traits, General Orders, and Operational Order sub-paragraphs?

Here we go. I re-drew it freehand and made a few minor adjustments to make it more suitable for apparel printing. Link is for a shirt, but if you want a long sleeve, tank top or whatever just search the title in the amazon search bar and they should come right up.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QWHMCWK

Bro, Imma do you a solid. Get yourself a a Condor coyote tan hat with velcro so you can slap all manner of moto patches on it and an American flag. It makes you look operator as fuck and they are cheap. Just make sure you take care of your alopecia, don't end up like Michael Jackson...http://www.amazon.com/Condor-Tactical-Cap-Size-Fits/dp/B001R4VVR4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1464058089&sr=8-3&keywords=condor+hat

Officer candidate school.com

Take a head lamp, one with red light on it. http://www.amazon.com/Energizer-30039800022210-P-6-LED-Headlight/dp/B009MJAXKM

Learn as much history as you can.

Print this skeleton order from here.
http://www.bu.edu/nrotc/semperfi/gouge/5paragraphskeleton.htm.

Thats my advice. It will make life easier on you.

Edit: officercandidatesschool.com

Try to do a little research before you make a comment like that. Might I suggest some light reading:

https://www.amazon.com/Chesty-Story-Lieutenant-General-Puller/dp/037576044X/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=chesty&qid=1565270202&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Wikipedia works too

Its sounds like both of you ought to bear down on this knowledge:

https://www.amazon.com/Rich-Dad-Poor-Teach-Middle/dp/1612680011

Ok. Interesting. Here's the memoir I read - by Sharkey Ward. There's a passage in it where low on fuel he has to make the snap decision to fire cannons at an argentinian hercules flying a mission back to Argentina.

https://www.amazon.com/Harrier-Falklands-Cassell-Military-Paperbacks/dp/0304355429

He blew the wing off, sending it down. Then 20 years later he gave an extraordinary interview with the son of the hercules pilot, very emotional -

https://perros.metro951.com/2011/04/27/malvinas-para-siempre/

Jack Ryan on Amazon Prime.

If you want to get Amazon's attention, head over and write a review and let them know. It's at the bottom of the page.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B073RPZK88/ref=atv_hm_hom_3_c_h_hkpt83JR_1_1?ie=UTF8&pf_rd_i=home&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=3445500422&pf_rd_r=J7A4XAHYMA9VQXRYW2WE&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_t=12401

I have this http://www.amazon.com/Anker-2-Port-Charger-PowerPort-iPhone/dp/B012YUJJM8/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1463097145&sr=1-6&keywords=solar+charger

works aight.

Here is the mobile version of your link

Here is the mobile version of your link

You can read this book.

Any G-Shock, I used this one.

Gunner's Glory?

One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer by Nathaniel Fick

For less messy amazon links you can extract the part after "/dp/" in

https://www.amazon.com/Casio-DW5600MS-1CR-G-Force-Military-Concept/dp/B001QFYDEC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1484228910&sr=8-2&keywords=casio+dw5600

and make it:

https://amzn.com/B001QFYDEC

BEEP BOP

Plz send any recommendations via PM

This anthology from Military History Quarterly covers everything from the development of the stirrup to the Battle of Jutland. It has stories that will turn you white:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0393031063/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1410575364&sr=8-1

yaaaaa... this kid is the classic example of a money burner

He has minimal work experience as an 18 year old. Fortunately for me i joined when i was 23 so i was a little more level headed about spending but im worried for him

someone else here linked this book and since i know he wont read it, maybe i will to give him some tips along the way

My gf says that if it wasn't for her, I would wear those in public. Damn right I have!

http://www.amazon.com/Soffe-Mens-Running-Short-Black/dp/B003AU5W0A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1425609682&sr=8-1&keywords=soffe

Or you could just get bed sheet straps....same shit



Edit: Jesus H Christ, Marine. do you not know how to use google or know about Amazon? Found this after doing a simple search.

This shit changed my life:

http://www.amazon.com/Standard-Shirt-Stays-Locking-Clamps/dp/B00AERKG94

> He was operated on by a Navy doctor (a trauma surgeon), not a nurse

From the book The Evolution of Forward Surgery in the U.S. Army: From the Revolutionary War to the Combat Operations of the 21st Century he was referred to as Navy Nurse.

So maybe I got my information wrong, can you point me to an article or a book that says Navy Doctor so that I can change the info in here?

Bro,
I don't know much but I know this.

Leadership is service.

It's not about you.

Real leadership looks like this:

• protecting your guys from bullshit from above
  
• looking out for their welfare and checking in on them
  
• holding them to a high standard and yourself an even higher one
  
• balancing men vs mission aggression vs caution
  
• knowing your shit so well you cannot fuck up in any circumstance
  
• knowing their shit so well they cannot fuck up
  
  Read this book
  
  http://www.amazon.com/One-Bullet-Away-Making-Officer/dp/0618773436