Marine Corps
Life in the Marine Corps: An Infantryman’s Perspective
Life in the Marine Corps is in many ways like a civilian job once you have completed all of your training and schooling. In a typical civilian job, most people work from about 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. They show up for work in the morning grab a cup of coffee and often start their day with some sort of regular routine before focusing on more specific tasks that need to be completed. Around noon a one hour lunch is taken and in the afternoon specific task’s are focused upon. Life in the Marines is much the same way!
I was an infantryman in the Marine Corps for four years from 1993 1997. The first 6 months of my four years as an active duty Marine were much different than a civilian job. The first six months for me consisted of boot camp, and formal infantry training at what is known as the School of Infantry (SOI). We all are pretty much aware of what boot camp is like. In boot camp, nasty civilians are transformed into one of the few, the proud, a Marine! You will get yelled at a lot, you will PT (physical training) a lot, and you will either lose or gain a lot of weight! You will learn how to fire a rifle with pinpoint accuracy at 500 yards, learn how to wear a uniform correctly, and will learn about the many traditions and customs Marines live by. You’ll also learn a lot about Marine Corps history, first aid, and how to do basic warfare. In three months you will be transformed into one of the Few. I won’t lie; boot camp is tough, very tough. Once you get through it though, you will be a much better person for it and will be bursting with confidence.
After boot camp comes your formal schooling. It is at this point that you will attend some sort of school to learn the skills needed to perform your job well. It may be communication school, the school of infantry, or some kind of avionics school. Whatever it is, it will be much easier than boot camp and you will have much more freedom than in boot camp. At this point, you will be considered a “boot” a Marine who has just completed boot camp. Boots still have no idea what the “real Marine Corps” is like. The real Marine Corps in known as “the Fleet” or “FMF”, the Fleet Marine Force!
Once you are in the FMF, your real job begins. In the FMF your life will be very similar to a civilian’s life. You will be paid a salary, and will work from about 5:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m much of the time. In the infantry, you will often start your day with a healthy dose of PT (physical training). The PT will often consist of a multi-mile run, combined with other exercises like push-ups, sit-ups, side-straddle-hops, etc. When you are “in the rear” or not out in the field training, you will often have classes about such things as how to read a map, how to do first aid, how to call in mortar fire, and how to conduct a patrol. Other times you will be preparing for the next field exercise by packing up your gear and getting briefed on what type of exercise it will be. As a boot, you will be sent on “working parties”. These are odd jobs that need to be done around the base and within your unit. You may be asked to help sort gear at supply, help build wooden tank targets for a firing range, or you might just be out picking up trash. Whatever you are asked, do it and do it well you will be rewarded for it. The rest of the time, you will be performing your job. For an infantryman, that means conducting field exercises. This includes attacking an enemy position at a live fire range, shooting live rounds and throwing live grenades in a house made out of tires, and rappelling of the side of a 100 foot rock wall. When you are done with these field exercises, you’ll return to “the rear” and the cycle will begin again. That’s the very bare bones basics of what it is like in the Marines as an infantryman.
Of course, there is much, much more to it than what I have just described here. If you have a question about what life is like as a Marine Corps Infantryman, find your way to this free Marine Corps Community where there are hundreds of members willing to answer your questions! I’d be more than willing to answer any question you may have myself!
About the Author
Brent Lamborn is a former active duty US Marine and manager of a free site for Marines and their supporters:
US Marine Corps – Making a Marine (Part 1)
|
|
CK Products 6-Inch Marine Corps Insignia Chocolate Mold $1.99 CK Products chocolate molds are first quality, plastic molds. They are durable and reusable. not machine washable. Our chocolate molds are suitable for chocolate, soap making, butter molding, ice-cubes, plaster and concrete crafting. These molds are FDA approved… |
|
|
CK Products 2-1/4-Inch Marine Corps Insignia Chocolate Mold $2.98 CK Products chocolate molds are first quality, plastic molds. They are durable and reusable. not machine washable. Our chocolate molds are suitable for chocolate, soap making, butter molding, ice-cubes, plaster and concrete crafting. These molds are FDA approved… |
|
|
U. S. Marine Corps Travel Mug 14oz Stainless Steel with Lid $21.95 U. S. Marine Corps Travel Mug 14oz Stainless Steel with Lid… |
|
|
The D.I. [VHS] $14.98 Jim Moore is a tough-as-nails Drill Instructor with a chip on his shoulder: Pvt. Owens, who isn’t quite up to snuff. Sgt. Moore is convinced that “there’s a man underneath that baby powder” and sets out to force the private to rise to the occasion. Instead, he drives Owens to bail out altogether. Things only get worse when the Captain steps in and gives Moore three days to make the a Marine out o… |
|
|
The Walking Dead [VHS] $9.98 Starring Allen Payne and Eddie Griffin, five young marines are on a deadly mission in a desperate struggle for survival. How did they get to be there – and how are they going to get out alive?… |
|
|
Tribes [VHS] $29.98 … |
|
|
Repel 100 1 oz Insect Repellent Pump Spray 100% DEET 402000 $3.66 Repel formula is recommended by the National LymeBorreliosis Foundation because of its effectiveness against ticks and mosquitoes…. |
|
|
KA-BAR Full Size US Marine Corp Fighting Knife, Straight $47.51 ATTRIBUTES Blade Detail: Plain Edge Blade Length (inches): 7.00 Blade Material: Carbon Steel Black Carry System: Leather Sheath USMC Handle Material: Leather Disks Overall Length (inches): 11.88… |
|
|
3M 6291 Half Facepiece Respirator Assembly Medium with P100 Filters $13.69 6000 SERIES P100 RESPIRATOR comes pre-assembled with two 3M replacable 2019 p100 filters. It is NIOSH approved against dust and mists, up to 10 x the PEL. NOT TO USE IN PAINT SPRAY OPERATIONS. Size: Medium… |
|
|
STAY ALERT Military Caffeine Energy Gum – CINNAMON – SIX PACK (6 packs 5pc/pk) – 100 mg Caffeine per piece $6.50 The U.S. Military has researched and tested for 6 years to help stop fatigue related injuries and deaths. The result, STAY ALERT ENERGY CAFFEINE GUM, is now available. Soldiers no longer have to resort to eating freeze dried coffee grounds in the field to stay alert. Stay Alert is an effective and efficient tool for addressing problems that have caused injuries and deaths among out troops. Not onl… |
Tags: corps, marine, marine corps, marine corps marathon, marine corps mos, marine corps ranks, marine corps times, marines, military, usmc
This entry was posted on Saturday, January 19th, 2008 at 10:54 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.