Which Military Branch would you rather serve?

[UK47]

You still need to come to terms with what "best" really means. it's nothing more than a title according to percentages. it proves nothing. Best will not stop you from being killed or getting others killed. A good soldier could care less if he is the best because he knows these things. Rome was the best standing government for over 800 years..where is that best standing government now?

 

i %100 claim to the time i served and no amount of insults will change it otherwise. I've fought and bled against my own will and for the will of others. i can understand how that might be hard for someone who has only been on this planet for 15 years, a little hard to take in but it's truth. i am not the only one on the fourms that has done this also. One of the staff members is also an ex marine and has served his time.

I believe you, but by the "very frontline" I was reffering to Helmand, of course you did not fought there)

 

About the SAS, believe me or not, I don't care, the SAS are the best, I know it, and I'm not the only one, I suggest to put a end to this debate.

[OHWceta]

So for those of you who've been through boot camp, how is the experience?

 

I've heard so many stories that all contradict each other.

[WoogieMonster]

So for those of you who've been through boot camp, how is the experience?

 

I've heard so many stories that all contradict each other.

 

For the navy, the stories can seem to contradict because a lot of people don't realize there are different kinds of divisions that you can be put into during your training. Some divisions focus on athletics, others on academics, some on safety & shipboard training. The problem is that as a recruit, you do not get to choose, it's entirely up to the personality of the RDC/instructor in charge of each division. Throughout bootcamp, everybody does everything at least once, but the difference is that an academic division might spend 4 days learning the basics of firefighting and about the different types of fires and how to fight them and then get a day to see it in practice, while an athletic division will spend 4 days actually doing the stuff that the other guys were reading about and then a day to reflect on what they learned, and a safety division might spend 2 days in the classroom and then the rest of the week doing it.

 

If you meet an athletic person who was lucky enough to be in an athletic division and had an RDC who let the in all the base competitions, tried to win all the flags and got all the rewards for doing so, he'll probably tell you bootcamp was the greatest time of his enlisted life. On the other hand, if that same guy was put into a division that focused on academics, he's not going to have many good things to say because he would have spent most of his time in a classroom, likely getting yelled at for falling asleep.

[dezdimona]

a man in uniform,a patriot and willing to defend and fight for his country and those in it,turns me on,and I don't stray or cheat either

[UncleRoe]

Boot has it's ups and downs. For the corps the first 3 phases of boot are mental and phsycial hells, each hell testing your strengths and weak points,weeding out those that can't handle it and building marines out of those that can. After the first 3 phases the real training starts. ( they know you will pay attention and get things done after surviving the last 3 stages)

 

phases 4-6 were more of learning combat positions,how to handle a weapon properly,marching and drills etc. phase 7 was mainly breach and clear,wargames,applying learned skills into a simulated battlefield etc. Phase 8 was more of a overhaul review of all the other phases, but in a more serious manner, they also introduced training alongside armored vehicles and different branches of the military. phase 9,which is also the graduating phase, focused on tippy top mental and physical handling while at the same time being able to handle your own composure. For example. a fresh recruit with basic knowledge of his rifle can stand down wind of a 600 meter target and hit with ease,but a fresh recruit with basic knowledge of his rifle staring downwind of a 600 meter target after running 8 miles might not even know where the trigger is when it's time to fire.

Finally the last part of phase 9.. a nine mile march to an obstacle course you will have to run in tandem with your team a numerous amount of times that will prove your skills during adreniline criticals. once everyone has ran the course,They take a 9 mile march back to camp,where they stand at attention for the last time in basic. Those with passing time trail times for the final course recieve NCO chevrons and move on into the real world,those that failed are sent home with a sad face until the next basic is scheduled.

 

on a side note.. regardless of what your recruiter tells you.. don't beleive a word he says.. his job is to get you into the military and will lie his ass off to get you there. Also,once you hit basic,you will be getting paid by the government BUT food and housing is not free and they will charge you..yeah..even in basic..

[Harabec Weathers]

Boot has it's ups and downs. For the corps the first 3 phases of boot are mental and phsycial hells, each hell testing your strengths and weak points,weeding out those that can't handle it and building marines out of those that can. After the first 3 phases the real training starts. ( they know you will pay attention and get things done after surviving the last 3 stages)

 

phases 4-6 were more of learning combat positions,how to handle a weapon properly,marching and drills etc. phase 7 was mainly breach and clear,wargames,applying learned skills into a simulated battlefield etc. Phase 8 was more of a overhaul review of all the other phases, but in a more serious manner, they also introduced training alongside armored vehicles and different branches of the military. phase 9,which is also the graduating phase, focused on tippy top mental and physical handling while at the same time being able to handle your own composure. For example. a fresh recruit with basic knowledge of his rifle can stand down wind of a 600 meter target and hit with ease,but a fresh recruit with basic knowledge of his rifle staring downwind of a 600 meter target after running 8 miles might not even know where the trigger is when it's time to fire.

Finally the last part of phase 9.. a nine mile march to an obstacle course you will have to run in tandem with your team a numerous amount of times that will prove your skills during adreniline criticals. once everyone has ran the course,They take a 9 mile march back to camp,where they stand at attention for the last time in basic. Those with passing time trail times for the final course recieve NCO chevrons and move on into the real world,those that failed are sent home with a sad face until the next basic is scheduled.

 

on a side note.. regardless of what your recruiter tells you.. don't beleive a word he says.. his job is to get you into the military and will lie his ass off to get you there. Also,once you hit basic,you will be getting paid by the government BUT food and housing is not free and they will charge you..yeah..even in basic..

Duuuuuude I wanna leave for boot camp SOOOOOOO BAAAAAADDDD!!!!!!

 

I wish they'd send me already! Im ready to bring the PAIN! Haha

[OHWceta]

Duuuuuude I wanna leave for boot camp SOOOOOOO BAAAAAADDDD!!!!!!

 

I wish they'd send me already! Im ready to bring the PAIN! Haha

 

So do I, I'm stuck here a year before shipping out, ok, 1 day less than a year. I entered the Navy DEP program on June 3rd, 2009, I don't ship until June 2nd, 2010.

 

 

But it works out, I'm having a hell of a time memorizing the 11 General Orders of a Sentry, anybody got tips on memorizing it better?

[WoogieMonster]

I have no tips on memorizing stuff, so I can't help there. I can tell you that when you start standing real watches / rover / sentry duty, a list of overly wordy rules will be on the very bottom of your concerns.

Has anyone explained what boots going to be like for you and what you should expect? I know the recruiter probably told you a few things, but as Uncle Roe pointed out, it's very likely they left out a lot.

[Harabec Weathers]

Oh yea I have a pretty good Idea of what Marine Corps boot camp is gonna be like lol, hell on wheels :D

 

A couple friends have already come back from it at E-2, one came back E-3. Plus my old friend from high school is a Seargent is the Marines but his contract just ended. All those guys put together I have a good idea of what its gonna be like. But like I said, Im ready to bring the pain!

 

@OHWceta

Lol as for my general orders, I memorized all 11 of them on my way to PT one day lol. 15 minute drive and I had all 11 down pat just like that, same with rank structure from E-1 to E-7

 

All I can say, is read them all the way through, then try it from memory.

Keep doing that over and over and you'll get it quick.

[coreypikes]

Voted Army. Mainly because I was enlisted for 3 years. Went to Basic at Fort Jackson then went on to Fort Lee for AIT. Was posted at Fort Campbell for 6 months then went to Baghdad. Best and worse three years of my life.