If you are or have been a marine in the U.S. Military please answer this question!?

Question

I'm 13, but I have allready decided that I want to become a Marine. I have watched a million Documentaries on the military channel and I have looked up a tun of imformation on the internet, but I want some personal advice. what can i do now that will get me ready for then. I allready take a Kartea class to keep in shape. What else do I need to do?

Answer 1

Just stay in shape, keep out of trouble with the law, graduate from HS - my Marine Corps would love to have you apply.

The other answers to this question from Marines and former Marines [there is no such thing as an "ex-Marine] tend to be pretty good - you may notice that we do take care of our own.

The biggest problem I had in boot camp was not the physical stuff - I was in good shape. But, you are going to be tired a lot and you are being conditioned to react as you have been trained.

The key to boot camp is to "accept" the conditioning. Once I realized that, it was do-able [No, it was never easy].

Here is an example: before boot camp and rifle range, I never fired a rifle in my life. So, I didn't have to un-learn anything. And, I shot expert - not only then, but throughout my Marine Corps career.

These guys really do want you to succeed and be a credit to yourself and to the USMC [and to the USA too, but I am not sure that is as important to Marines as the USMC - just a thought].

Answer 2

I find it interesting that you are asking former Marines for their advice: An Army General once said:

"There are only two kinds of people that understand Marines: Marines and the enemy. Everyone else has a second-hand opinion." --- Gen. William Thornson, U.S. Army

I would offer this advice: You are kinda young to be limiting yourself on your choices in life. However, should you remain interested in the Corps, to succeed you only need to know what others have said about the Marine Corps:

"Marines are about the most peculiar breed of human beings I have ever witnessed. They treat their service as if it were some kind of cult, plastering their emblem on almost everything they own, making themselves up to look like insane fanatics with haircuts to ungentlemanly lengths, worshipping their Commandant almost as if he were a god, and making weird animal noises like a band of savages. They'll fight like rabid dogs at the drop of a hat just for the sake of a little action, and are the ******** sons of bitches I have ever known. Most have the foulest mouths and drink well beyond man's normal limits, but their high spirits and sense of brotherhood set them apart and, generally speaking, the United States Marines I've come in contact with are the most professional soldiers and the finest men I have ever had the pleasure to meet."
--An Anonymous Canadian Citizen

"Boots are new recruits into the United States Marine Corps. During the Vietnam War period these young men were a mixture of volunteers and some draftees. None were senator’s or congressmen’s sons. Very few were from the upper echelons of American society. Most were from hard working, well founded, families that believed in something called the "United States of America". These young men had been schooled in a system that started the day with the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag and the Lords Prayer. Many believed in America and all it promised. Most were patriots.

"Civilians cannot and will not understand us because they are not one of us. The Corps - we love it, live it and shall die for it. If you have never been in it, you shall never understand it. Semper Fidelis!"
--GySgt Brad Lemke

"Being ready is not what matters. What matters is winning after you get there."
--Lieutenant General V.H. Krulak, USMC: To a Marine unit leaving for Vietnam, April 1965

Why in hell can't the Army do it if the Marines can. They are the same kind of men; why can't they be like Marines.
Gen. John J. "Black Jack" Pershing, USA; 12 February 1918

The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marine Corps!
Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady of the United States, 1945

Marines I see as two breeds, Rottweilers or Dobermans, because Marines come in two varieties, big and mean, or skinny and mean. They're aggressive on the attack and tenacious on defense. They've got really short hair and they always go for the throat.
RAdm. "Jay" R. Stark, USN; 10 November 1995

My only answer as to why the Marines get the toughest jobs is because the average Leatherneck is a much better fighter. He has far more guts, courage, and better officers... These boys out here have a pride in the Marine Corps and will fight to the end no matter what the cost.
2nd Lt. Richard C. Kennard, Peleliu, World War II

Bottom line to you if you continue with your desire to be a Marine.
You have try to be the best in everything you do, because all the courage and bravery that went before you will be expected to be carried on by you.

Good luck and Semper Fi!!!

Answer 3

You need to be prepared for the unexpeccted. I decided at about your age that I was going to be a Marine, like my father was. I read everything I could find, watch everything I could see. Spent hours running and training. I talked to everyone I could find that had been there. I heard all of their stories, some of them going back to the 1930's. And once I got to Parris Island, I learned two important things. One, even from 1930, not much had changed. Oh, there were new buildings, new weapons and new training schedules, but the core of what it was supposed to be was the same. Two, nothing that you can ever read, see or hear can eve come close to preparing you for actually BEING there.

Being in the Marine Corps was one of the most rewarding, and at the same time, frustrating experiences I have ever, and possibly will ever have in my lifetime. I met wonderful people, and I took part in some great things while I was there. I was able to help people in my own community when Hurricane Daniel hit North Carolina, working with the Red Cross. I was able to work with children through the Young Marines program (basicall Boy/Girl Scouts in camouflage). I knew that I was doing something important for myself, my family and my country.

I am proud to say that I earned the title of Marine.

Semper Fi, best of luck

Answer 4

Study hard. Get into the Naval Acadamy then get a commision in the Marines. I went enlisted, then to college. Big mistake, I should have gone the other way around. I think I may have actually enjoyed it as an officer, as an enlisted it just sucked. Of course, I was infantry.

Answer 5

Try doing push ups, crunches, pull ups and ruining. Since the better shape you are in the better off you are. I you are near a beach try doing some of the exercise in the sand. a whole different experience. Swimming is another good thing to do since you will have to swim qual in boot camp. Also stay out of trouble and get good grades. good luck it is a great experience!

Answer 6

Work your *** off in everything you do.