re: Question for OT Marines

The boot camp portrayal was quite accurate. The Vietnam portion was ridiculously inaccurate.

Did my boot camp at MCRD in San Diego in fall 1968 only one year after R Lee Ermey was a DI there. He nailed the delivery.

Boot camp had been reduced to 8 weeks so they could better focus on subsequent infantry training at nearby Camp Pendleton. So boot camp was a sorta crash course. Very violent, teaching to kill was a priority. No time to mess around. We all got the crap beat out of us — lot of shots to the solar plexus, eye slaps, back of head slaps and kicks to the ribs while on “elbows and toes” — excruciating. Some guys got all out beaten by the two junior DIs. My senior DI could pass for Ving Rhames and was uber fit and funny.

I think the violent nature of boot camp from about 1967-72 was the reason why so many remedial measures were taken later.

Blanket parties? Hell yeah. I was among the beaters and the beaten. It went both ways. Our DIs were not good role models.

I went into boot camp kinda chubby and was treated like a “hog” but after they brought us by to see the “Fat Farm” platoon I successfully vowed to get into shape and did. Left there as fit as most and having to almost double-up my web belt to keep my pants up. In fact my DI gave me a big smile at end of camp.

The conditioning and discipline served me well as an 0311 grunt in Vietnam. I survived with only two Purple Hearts. No doubt boot camp trials saved my butt.

Vietnam in the bush was the only thing harder than boot camp and both surpass anything I’ve ever encountered since over the last 52 years.

Am I proud to be a former Marine? Yes. Would I do boot camp and the Nam again? frick no. Once in a lifetime was enough.

Semper Fi my brothers.

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Respect.

Was on the Island in 96.

The bootcamp you see in FMJ mirrors my experience in many ways.

1. My senior drill instructor was 90% Gunny Hartman. His demeanor, word choice, and body language reminded so much of Gunny. I was in awe to be living this part of one of my favorite films.

2. Blanket parties: We had two. The first one didn't do much damage. 5 or 6 recruits decided to basically scare the shite-bad recruit. That was all. Each hit him once, I heard. I was in the head but heard the commotion. The 2nd time went overboard. Same recruits; same shite-bag. They beat the hell out of him! We were all punished the next day.

3. Private Pyle: Pyle was a special case. We were also not allowed to have live rounds in bootcamp, outside of the rifle range and other specific trainings. However, there was one recruit who f'n lost it. Attacked two different recruits to the point where he might gave blown someone away if he had live ammo at the time. He was court-martialed. We had a couple recruited who were simply below standard, and the drill instructors were always up their asses. In this way, these two were also Pvt Pyle. Complete shite-heads who couldn't seem to do anything at times. It was hard to watch. They were dropped from our platoon around the middle of training (week 5,6,or 7).

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Something similar happen to our platoon in Boot Camp. All of our fat privates got caught smuggling crackers from the chow hall. DI made them eat them while he slayed us on the quarter deck.

I remember afterwards one of them begging us to not be upset with them, because they were being starved to death an we just didnt realize how hungry they were. LOL! didn't feel sorry for them then and still dont now.

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Great video. Thanks for sharing! 1:40am going to be dragging arse tomorrow!

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His Drill SGT was a WWII/Korea Lieutenant Colonel who had been RIF'd back down to NCO and was just putting in his time to retirement, when he would retire at his former LTC rank

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WTF?

The boot camp part seemed pretty accurate to me. I was at MCRD in 1974. The part where they marching on the grinder and the DI shouts out "you're bouncing ladies, you're bouncing" is a term I hade heard many times.