Question for you Marines out there.

Goatman007

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Hey guys, was watching Full Metal Jacket for the 40th time last week. Outstanding movie, we had a former Marine in our Air Force unit in Alaska, He said Boot was exactly like that. We were impressed!. Question that has bugged me since the first time I saw it is this. Why was Joker responsible for Rafterman, and what does/did this mean??
 
I love that move. Boot Camp stopped being like that after the rules changes post 1983. Prior to that we had M16's, but the DI's were the same and got away with all kinds of stuff not permitted after '83. What do you mean someone stuck a NCO sword into your chin? That's a gawd damn shaving cut recruit! Saw it, knew the guy would try to step up on it, but come on, four DI's against 1 priv, and no one else gonna say jack or shit!
For a rigorously structured environment, I grew to love it so much that I missed it after a while
 
I saw that movie in Beaufort South Carolina (7 miles from Paris Island) on opening day. Theater was full of marines, half of which were drill instructors. I missed 75% of the dialogue that first viewing, had to go see it again a few days later. LOVE that movie.

I went to boot camp in 1986. Rarely did a DI touch a recruit in public. Saw several recruits enter the gear locker with a DI and come out a few minutes later after "falling down" Also, getting your "uniform adjusted" was a full contact sport.
 
^^ they were still chokin dudes out in 2001 when I went. Some prior air force guy had big airforce tattoo and the DI hammered him hard. One night while holding rifles out at 90° charging handles to the rear, the guy fell over backwards and cracked his head open on concrete floor. They continued hazing us until the guy started having siezure. They promptly took us to the pit... noone saw a fucking thing
 
Yeah. I try not to tell boot camp stories. It is not a big beatdown fest, but you do see guys get manhandled and smacked. One di did get taken away. Looking back on it though, imagine having to run a bunch of teen highschool grads between 3 or 4 of you in that kind Of environment. Got to get those kids to be in line - got to be a rough job.


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Back in the 60`s.......they would beat you with nitesticks if you needed it......... while the whole company watched......you didn't get out of your contract by crying mommy or pissing the bed......they made men outa ya....... even if you weren't ready to become one.....
 
My favorite line eveer, from my former Marine stepfather was,"It builds character"

What it DID for US: It gave we Few the ability to look at anything we face, then Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome. Army, Air Force, Navy, they just learn to survive. We overcome anything because it is ingrained into our psyche during Boot Camp and we all, whether anyone acknowleges it our not, THANK GOD we are MARINES.
Think for a minute, my Brethren, about NOT being a Marine. Doesn't work, and can't wrap your head around that, can you?
Semper Fi, Semper Superbia
 
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For perspective, I went in Jan 94. Many of the "incidents" were absolutely spot on: food in footlockers, literally retarded guys who should've never been there, attempted suicides, one guy who "tried" to kill a DI, even had a kid "go over the wall" and make a run for I-5 from Edson Range.
What was more subtle was the outright DI on Recruit violence. They largely left it up to the squad leaders or other recruits to conduct blanket parties. When they "hit" someone it could always be attributed to an accident. It was just coincidence that when they started throwing shitcans or full water bulls that a problem recruit would catch a flying object to the gut, nuts, whatever.
The only outright punch I saw in person was on the PT field when a recruit took a swing at DI and got completely leveled. That DI got moved to the pool for the remainder of our cycle.


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What a crock of shit, get the fkn waders on. We had a prior service jarhead go through our basic, he was a bit Older, like 28 or so but dam was he one dumb mother fucker, our drills had to beat him with a bat too just to get him to understand LEFT and RIGHT. I guess they taught him to overcome something, I dont know what but it must have been something. Granted this was 1980, maybe things got better in the corps but dam that guy was one dumb fkr.

My favorite line eveer, from my former Marine stepfather was,"It builds character"

What it DID for US: It gave we Few the ability to look at anything we face, then Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome. Army, Air Force, Navy, they just learn to survive. We overcome anything because it is ingrained into our psyche during Boot Camp and we all, whether anyone acknowleges it our not, THANK GOD we are MARINES.
Think for a minute, my Brethren, about NOT being a Marine. Doesn't work, and can't wrap your head around that, can you?
Semper Fi, Semper Superbia

 
What a crock of shit, get the fkn waders on. We had a prior service jarhead go through our basic, he was a bit Older, like 28 or so but dam was he one dumb mother fucker, our drills had to beat him with a bat too just to get him to understand LEFT and RIGHT. I guess they taught him to overcome something, I dont know what but it must have been something. Granted this was 1980, maybe things got better in the corps but dam that guy was one dumb fkr.

meh
When I got into Army, all I saw was pussies. Oh we survive! You get cookies for that Drill Sergeant? Come see my salty ass when you learn to Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome, Bitch! BTW, YOU CAN'T SMOKE ME!(He couldn't...dang Buck couldn't handle my insults every time he swapped what he called exercise). When the Staff came over, he told him to just walk away. Fort Lee Prior Service is the next building over Specialist(dropped two damn ranks going from NG to Army...waste of money on their part because I got my rocker back in under three years, strips in under 2)
Sorry, Sir, but your Army stopped existing way back in the late 80's, and was long gone by the mid 90's. Sad fact is, in 2009, the Army was weak as fuck. Marines still on Fleek!
 
I wont comment on the Marines as I never was a Marine nor did I go to MC Basic, but I have to agree with Switchblade on the pussyfacation of the Army. I went to basic in '66. I finished up my RA/NG career in '92. Post Vietnam Army was all down hill, worse now then when I got out.



 
well my not fking with bullshitting over inflated ego of the few the proud the paranoid jar heads only lasted a few days. Gents, you fkrs cant even do a standard combat tour more than 6 fucking months, an hell you can barely handle that with getting your dumb asses killed in greater proportion that you should be while accomplishing a hell of a lit less..You fkrs have to improvise adapt and overcome because the navy doesnt give you enough money to even buy a fkn 300 win mag sniper rifle ferkrissake, that doesn't make you tougher it makes you dumber for joining such a underfunded organization. you say my army was done by the late 80's bu I gotta look at the track record, they left the marines in the dust all the way to Bagdad in the latest Iraq invasion, swimming in Saddam pool while you guys were still mud wrestling with the RG in Basra. Sorry gents your bullshit vs facts do not add up vs army. I dont mind you guys lying to boost your own ego because ya need it in such depressing situations as being a marine but dont do it by slighting the actual facts and history of the Army gnts, I woleked with you all and you are good but not half as good as you think you are and you do lack equipment, training and abilities to conduct sustained strategic continental war, you are just a little QRF that butt fucks sailors when not actually doing what you are supposed to be doing.
 
well my not fking with bullshitting over inflated ego of the few the proud the paranoid jar heads only lasted a few days. Gents, you fkrs cant even do a standard combat tour more than 6 fucking months, an hell you can barely handle that with getting your dumb asses killed in greater proportion that you should be while accomplishing a hell of a lit less..You fkrs have to improvise adapt and overcome because the navy doesnt give you enough money to even buy a fkn 300 win mag sniper rifle ferkrissake, that doesn't make you tougher it makes you dumber for joining such a underfunded organization. you say my army was done by the late 80's bu I gotta look at the track record, they left the marines in the dust all the way to Bagdad in the latest Iraq invasion, swimming in Saddam pool while you guys were still mud wrestling with the RG in Basra. Sorry gents your bullshit vs facts do not add up vs army. I dont mind you guys lying to boost your own ego because ya need it in such depressing situations as being a marine but dont do it by slighting the actual facts and history of the Army gnts, I woleked with you all and you are good but not half as good as you think you are and you do lack equipment, training and abilities to conduct sustained strategic continental war, you are just a little QRF that butt fucks sailors when not actually doing what you are supposed to be doing.

Slow your roll fuckstick. and learn to spell.
 
Jerry, I'll admit that I still can't tell when you're being serious and when you're trolling. Nor can I understand how the possession of a 300wm is some measure of the worthiness of a fighting force. Although my understanding is that we do in fact have them if that helps?

Since you're the only person of any branch of service I've ever heard repeatedly make this assertion of our inadequacy, I'm going to assume that "you're just funnin'" to get a rise out of us.

I'll say that I had huge respect for the SF guys, at least the true ass-eater ODA guys. I got confused when it looked like the old "B team" guys had ODA designators, but it also confused the shit out of me that there were guys in Ranger Batts that haden't been to school, guys with Ranger tabs that weren't really Rangers, etc. As I mentioned on a similar thread, the only toy y'all had that I thought we should've had was the MLRS.

As for boot camp and all that shit, things changed after your era. Marines didn't have to attend the other branches' Basic, but any other prior service had to attend ours. We had one prior service Army guy in my boot class, he didn't make it, but at least he was trying to better himself.
 
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