I hear you bro. LOL.
F.M.
F.M.
Marine Corps infantry
- Thread starter Tandem
- Start date
I served my time man, LAR, and most units for that matter will get theirs before they met you get yours. Back in the day before most of our time, FAPs were meant to give guys a break, now it's just for the shit bags and short timers. MCIWS isn't exactly a free ride, and as most MCIWS know just because some "dude" joined the MARINES doesn't mean he can swim. So the woes continue at least once or twice a week at a training tank near you, don't even get me started on open water ops. When I started at the pool I used to ask why they would join the Marine Corps if they couldn't swim, but after a while it all begins to meld together. I fall under the S-3 and the Masterguns I work for is a boss so he sent me and another guy to the pool before we punched out for our next assignment. It was a blasty blast, an awesome year long break. I highly suggest it, come on man MCIWS is only 15 training days...swim or die.
Oops, forgot the best part: Take off to DZ 30min, or your next C-130 is free.Harness for hours, LOL.
Harness, JMPI, get on bird.
That's the AF way kiddos.
We had one guy who took the MCIWS gear list of 45 pounds in his pack as go out and find 45 pounds worth of rocks. Nobody corrected till he got to the pool for day one.
Everything AKKeith said is spot on, probably because we are in the same unit lol...but one thing he didn't really touch on that I think is important to know is that it sucks (in case you didn't figure that out yet). The life of an infantryman is often boring and repetitive, repetitive and boring...and every now and then you get to do the stuff you actually signed up to do, the stuff you read about in books and saw on tv. There are many late nights and holidays not observed because you're out doing training that you've already done a thousand times and you're wondering why it's so important to keep doing it while everyone else is off and enjoying the weekend. In a light infantry battalion you walk everywhere. There have been many field ops, especially this past year, where you will walk with all your armor/gear and pack 6-9 miles then spend three days buddy rushing on a live fire and maneuver range (day and night), then walk your tired and dirty ass back through the hills home. This is the very essence of a grunt.
You will chafe.
You will bleed.
You will be tired, sore, wet, hungry, and miserable.
...more often than you will be stoked on what you're doing.
But this is the life you chose. Never, ever forget that. Almost just as important, never forget why, and never forget that no matter how shitty you think your situation is, your brother in an adjacent unit is suffering much more than you are. And there are more of your fellow Marines overseas putting foot to ass on our enemies who are suffering on a scale that makes them want to go back to when they were just "training". Remember it's not that bad.
PMA will get you through anything. Positive Mental Attitude. Good luck with whatever path you choose, but make sure you know why you're doing it.
You will chafe.
You will bleed.
You will be tired, sore, wet, hungry, and miserable.
...more often than you will be stoked on what you're doing.
But this is the life you chose. Never, ever forget that. Almost just as important, never forget why, and never forget that no matter how shitty you think your situation is, your brother in an adjacent unit is suffering much more than you are. And there are more of your fellow Marines overseas putting foot to ass on our enemies who are suffering on a scale that makes them want to go back to when they were just "training". Remember it's not that bad.
PMA will get you through anything. Positive Mental Attitude. Good luck with whatever path you choose, but make sure you know why you're doing it.
The posts on this thread make me both proud I was an 03 and also very glad I'm no longer having to live that life on a daily basis. That's kind of the Corps in general: Your proud as hell of who you are as a Marine and what you did, but you really want whatever games are going on to end asap and move on to other shit.
I have been in the infantry for 6 years now and honestly its what you make of it. I learned a lot and had a great time though I am a mortarman and we all know how mortarman skate. My advice to you is make the best of what ever happens with your first enlistment and try to learn as much as you can.
I also spent 6 years as an 0331. Wouldn't have wanted any other MOS.
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