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I'm not sure why this popped in my head, but have they made any recent changes to the Marine Corps boot camp? I was in boot camp back in 97. I remember a lot of the training between boot camp and MCT focused mainly on combat in woodland type areas. My thought is that is focused on the type of combat experienced in Vietnam.
My question is, have they changed boot camp to focus on more of an urban style combat along with more of a desert atmosphere?
I went through Marine Corps Boot Camp in the 60's during the earliest part of the Vietnam. It was geared to learning the basics. Marksmanship, close order drill. physical fitness, hand to hand combat. Nothing at all in the way of training was structured for combat conditions in Southeast Asia. In fact the only time I even heard the word Vietnam was when I overheard one of the DI's talking to another DI saying one of his former recruits had recently been reported KIA.
It wasn't until we went through the Infantry Training Regiment that we were introduced to training tailored to Vietnam warfare. Ironically all the weapons we used were WW2 vintage. Apparently the Corps had millions of rounds of old 30 caliber rounds they wanted to use up so we fired Garand rifles, BAR's and Browning light machine guns. I never saw an M 16 until I was posted to my first duty station.
so we fired Garand rifles, BAR's and Browning light machine guns. I never saw an M 16 until I was posted to my first duty station.
Wow..how was that? I have fired a Garand before, in fact my father (WWII Marine) owned one and passed it on to my brother before his death (30-06 isn't it). Never even saw the old Browning machine gun and would have loved to fire the BAR although I bet they were heavy as hell. Did you get to see any M-14s? One more question if you don't mind. Looking at your address, did you go through San Diego and become a "Hollywood Marine" or did you go to "The Rock"?
I went through in 1999. There have been minor changes since then, but most of the big changes focus on the sequence in which major training events take place. The Marine Corps does not view Boot Camp as a "training evolution" so much as a "rite of passage." As such, much of the curriculum is discipline based rather than skill based. There is a minor amount of field and tactical training, but generally today if you only learn one thing at Marine Corps Boot Camp it is to follow orders. MCT/SOI is where the combat skills are really introduced. Following MCT, the non-infantry Marines attend MOS school.
I haven't clicked on this link, but just the title tells me it'll be funny. Haven't heard that term in years, but it's one that instantly make you laugh or think of someone in particular.
I was in USMC boot camp at Parris Island in 1964. We trained and qualified with the M-14. At Camp Geiger (ITR), we trained with the M-1. At boot camp the training was just basic. Not geared to any specific type of war. At ITR, the training was geared for the jungle.
USMC boot camp in the late 1960's was 8 weeks.
Today it is 12 weeks.
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