marines today vs back then?

Question

i joined the corps back in the 70s,, early 70s,, and when i enlisted in the marines the DIs would punch you and hit you and torment you until you just about broke, alot of guys did, my platoon started with 78 guys and graduated with about 40,, today its a whole new kinder gentler corps, is this bad training for the corps, now they graduate everybody,, is this good or bad,, it used to be the few the proud,, thanks for answering

semper fi bro

geez who couldnt forget the field days,, dragging the mattreses outside, buffing that concrete floor until it shined i got the top bunk always, i could see out the windows and i like that,, 40 guys and 4 urinals 5 toilest and 4 showers,, boy those were the days

Answer 1

The old squad bays vs. rooms. We were a lot closer with the guys we were with. Same with the old tents. In the latter, you shared the "chores" with each other, i.e. getting up to light the d*mn oil stove; get a new supply of oil; fetch water, etc. You worked together, played together and shared experiences. Back stateside, you were close to the guys in your squad bay. Remember the field days, airing out fart sacks and buffing the floor? How about those blackjack games over a footlocker and blanket? In close proximity with other Marines, you got to know them better. BTW. I preferred the top rack.

Answer 2

I am an active duty marine and this is something i wonder about myself. I used to see the Ads on TV, " The few, The proud, The marines. Well it isn't really "The few, The proud anymore. The standards for entering the Marine Corps have become lower and even if a person doesn't meet the standards they pass out waivers like candy. I expected entry and boot camp into the Marines to be alot more difficult than it was. To be honest i was dissapointed i joined the Corps for a challenge and i feel they didn't deliver, admittedly i am sure it is much tougher than any other branch of the service but just not what i expected. Then i was suprised again when i arrived in the fleet to be greeted by my roommate an overweight, undisciplined "Sh&& Bag" as we call them. I am just dissapointed by the caliber of people the marine corps is allowing among its ranks. Don't get me wrong there r still a helluva lot of great marines in the corps and the majority of marines are disciplined but i believe the lower standards for entry and the boot camp being easier is not a good thing for the future of the Marine Corps.

Answer 3

I graduated in the mid 90’s and I thought the training was top notch. They didn’t graduate everybody, but there were several that slipped through because they were mentally tough. I would have to agree that the Marines have gotten weaker, but so has society. As difficult as it was, I knew I wasn’t going to get punched for screwing up. Although at times, a punch would have been easier to take. I don’t think you can accurately compare todays Marines to yesterdays. They both are the best the US had/has to offer, but unfortunately the Corps hasn’t remained above the political debate. Once it becomes too political, you lose your edge. Let the Marines do their job in Iraq and this war would have been won 3 years ago. Hold them back and this becomes another drawn out battle that loses lives.

Answer 4

"HOOYAH"! Navy BC in 1962. Had a boot hang himself, a guy smoke a pack of smokes with a SH** Can over his head and a guy caught in the head playing the fiddle...he finished in front of 60 of us. I guess that it was different! I might also mention that i was a Reserve and went to BC for only two-weeks after my Junior year in hs. When I showed up for football practice in my senior year I scared the SH** out of EVERYBODY; the whole NEW ATTITUDE I guess. My senior pictures were taken with a high and tight haircut; HAH Friday nights at the drive-in were FANTASTIC!

I suppose what BC teaches one is how to deal with FEAR. If you have experienced BIG FEAR, the daily stuff just doesn't matter anymore. I was also amazed at the pain level that I could tolerate with NO problem and could function on little or no sleep for a couple of days. I guess that they crammed 8 weeks into two and it has been a HUGE positive influence in my life since.

I was in operations and intelligence and spent almost 5 months in country; wasn't my plan but you learn to follow orders and complete the mission PERIOD!

THAT initial DISCIPLINE and FEAR from BC has served me well through out my life. THAT FEAR in BC is relative! I made $1M, lost it, fought cancer and won and a bunch of other stuff, but it was all just a low branch when I compared it to BC and being in country.

The KIDS today have a hissy fit over small SH** because they have NO real comparison. I have MELLOWED with age, but the scuttlebutt is my reports go to great effort "So he doesn't do that thing with his neck veins".

USN 1963-1967
"Honorary" Marine Corps DI"

Long answer, but I hope it answers your question.

Answer 5

I joined and went through boot camp in early 2006. I've only heard about what it was like in the 70's, but I imagine it royally sucked due to the people there not having volunteered to be there. Now, yes, today there are a lot of sh%% bags. However, many marines I trained with will agree, we'd rather take a physical beating than the games they play with us. It's fast, you get stronger, and now you don't have to find your underwear in someone else’s foot locker. We started with about 100 and graduated near that many, but remember, about 1/3 of those graduates didn't start with our platoon. We dropped a lot of marines and picked up new ones who dropped from other platoons. They kept the weak ones in recruit training as long as they could until they basically gave up or made it through. A lot of recruits didn't make it at all, but usually it was the ones who didn't want to be there, or got caught with drugs in their system. My Senior was right, the fastest way out of recruit training is graduation. While I was there, we had three recruits try to commit suicide by jumping out the window of a three story squad bay. I don't know how that compares to training in the 70's, but I wouldn't say its easy today. I agree with another member here that I was disappointed and thought it would be more physically tough, but the training lived up to my recruiters words that it's more mentally tough than physically tough. To finish, my biggest problem with recruit training isn't how many they graduate, but how many end up there to begin with who shouldn't be there.

Answer 6

When my husband went to boot-camp early 90's it was pretty much as you described. Breaking you down so they can build you back up. It should have stayed that way. The Marines are an elite fighting force, how else can they remain that why if their training is not the toughest in the nation?

Answer 7

My husband got out of the Corps in 93 and he said things were already changing from when he went in to boot camp in 84

Answer 8

I'm Army, but I have to tell you that the Marines that I have come in contact with, here, are some of the best soldiers anywhere.

I would put their personnel clerk against anyone else's most elite.

Well, except for my personnel clerk who is a professional fighter....

LOL

Answer 9

Yes when I joined in the mid to late 60's we were trained hard discipline. A lot has changed which added hazing which in essence created a softer basic training because of public outcry from deaths of the aforementioned. I would like to see it back to make it tough, it helped to keep me and others to stay alive. Thanks for your question bud!

Answer 10

marine boot camp should lighten up even more. i think mentoring is a better approach than stern discipline, it is possible to train a fighting man without screaming in his face