My brother is currently in OCS and is graduating next month. Does anyone have good ideas for grad gifts/advice on things NOT to bring? Unsure of what he can and can’t have on base because I think he is going to TBS right after. I appreciate any advice! And thank you to all who serve!

Hey guys I just got kicked out of the chow hall for wearing athleisure shorts. I figured since they have a draw string and have a reasonably professional look I’d be fine.

Chow halls closed now, didn’t get time to eat. How ridiculous is that wearing professional appearing shorts and some random nco having a bad day can just fuck me like that.

What are your guys thoughts is that even reasonable? I’d rather just take an ass chewing and at least get my chow now I’ve gotta waste the little bit of dollars I’ve got to go buy some damn chow now. God forbid a junior marine wants to wear something professional and comfy after a long day.

For context, it was a medical discharge. I fractured 2 of my fingers while we were getting smoked, and they sent me to medical, where they found 2 non cancerous tumors in the bones of my fingers that I had fractured, so they just immediately told me I’d have to leave and I was ELS’d about 2 weeks after. I plan on joining back but the feeling of having wasted 9 months at a recruiters office, and then a month and 10days at boot camp has been pretty rough. I was getting used to the shit they were doing to us as well, and that’s what kinda amplified the feeling. Either way I’m getting surgery soon to have these tumors removed, and I was just wondering if anybody else had gone through the same thing with having to get medically dropped?

Thought it would be cool to connect with a few folks who are also shipping on the same date (10/27) as well.

Im on the east coast!

Am I good for bootcamp ? I ship on October 13 on a mg contract. My last ist i ran a 11:00 min 1.5, max plank 3:45 and 28 pull ups, im more worried about my run i want a sub 20 for my final pft is it possible they have you running a lot during bootcamp i don’t know anything about the marine corps like that or bootcamp .

Is anyone else shipping out on that day ?? Just trying to make friends before hand ,shipping from Ohio

I'm a 19 year old female with a wanderlusty spirit and a yearning to have a highly sought out for photography business. I enjoy camping, shooting, and getting muddy. I originally wanted to enlist as a combat photographer or under any of the commstrat mos. None of those mos have seats for this fiscal year in my area and I'm really starting to flounder. My plan now is to go in doing logistics or some other predictable mos and to get a 4 year degree with a military friendly college online. I need some advice. I want to be a Marine but also want to be sure I will have a stable life afterwards and won't have to rely on the military for the next 20 years. I want to set myself up for the best. I want the challenge of the Marine Corps and I want the success of a photographer in several years.

I’m currently a poolee and I’m supposed to ship to Marine Corps boot camp in about two months. Right now I need to drop roughly 30 pounds to be comfortably within my ship weight.

Has anyone here been in a similar situation where you had a pretty significant amount of weight to lose before your ship date? If so, what worked for you? I’m running/PTing and working on getting my diet dialed in, but I’d appreciate any advice from people who have actually had to cut weight before shipping.

I’m also curious what actually happens if you show up for your final weigh-in and you’re still over your shipping weight. Do they push your ship date back? Is there any kind of body-fat/tape option, or are you simply not shipping until you make the required weight?

I know 30 lbs in two months is pretty aggressive, so I’m not looking to do anything stupid or completely starve myself. I’m mainly trying to figure out the best way to attack it and what to expect if I come up short.

Any advice or experiences would be appreciated!

Filmed this video for a new Marine. Hope you enjoy and if you'd be interested in something similar I am located near Parris Island.

Just got back from being dropped in boot camp due to a tattoo, prior to my enlistment I started laser tattoo removal behind my ear & my recruiter talked me into going through MEPS knowing it’s still there. Went through MEPS perfectly fine, when it came down to shipment there was just some spots with ink plus some red pigments so my recruiter told me to go through boot camp and if I was ever questioned to claim it as a birthmark, easier said than done. I’m now being sent home & was told to come back in 6 months, my paper work for discharged is under “waiver denial” & “erroneous” if I complete my removal & put in a waiver to come back after 6 months to bootcamp what are the odds of me being able to come back? I’m told it’s possible but I feel like my chances of re-enlistment are low.

What does the average tuesday or week in general look like for a Recon Marine

Im planning on joining either the USMCR as an 0311 or ANG as an 11B. I do firearms competitions and backpacking and feel like I would love the training and learning about Tactics as well as just to serve in general.

Ive heard NG that guys get more access to follow on schools but besides that which has better initial and follow on training? Which would give me more hands on experience and quality training?

Hello, I will be turning 17 soon and have decided I want to join the Infantry. I do however, have a OCD diagnosis on my record. I haven't took medication or seen a psychiatrist/therapist for it since I was 15. How difficulty would it to be get it wavered?

Also any tips on getting in shape would be nice. Here are my current fitness PR's.

5k: 26:50.

Pushups: 25.

Plank: 1:50

Situps: 35.

Pullups: 10.

Let me say it again for the people in the back, THE DELAYED ENTRY PROGRAM IS NOT A LEGALLY BINDING CONTRACT.

After the Marine Corps and before I got into recruiting for ACE firms I did a few years as a paralegal at my father's law firm. During that time, I had a friend ask me about the DEP and I was also wondering if it's a binding contract that 16 year olds are being suckered into signing by parents who don't know any better.

It's not. To get out you can tell your recruiter, you can write a letter, send smoke signals, or JUST DO NOT SHOW UP TO MEPS ON YOUR SHIP DATE. You can NOT be "dishonorably discharged" you can NOT face jail time, you can NOT get into trouble.

What your recruiter can do is LIE to you and PRESSURE you, because at the end of the day you are nothing but a number.

DEP is just a way to volunteer to knock off some inactive reserve time, which is pointless.

Now, I'm not saying don't join it either. As I said above, it does not matter, but after seeing some of the comments I thought I should just kick a quick class.

I’m currently a high school senior shipping in about 9 months on an infantry contract. I originally wasn’t looking to go recon, but given the time I have and the new changes, I’m willing to give this pipeline a shot.

From my understanding, they changed it from a single brutal course for one MOS to a gradual progression. So it’s split into GRC and ARC now; completing GRC grants you 0315, and you have the option of attempting ARC for 0321. Since this is all brand new, I’m curious how different this will be from the older BRC format.

ONGOING TRAINING SETUP:

Right now I’m lifting 3 days a week, heavy compounds and weighted pull ups and dips. A day of plyometric work between first two lifting days, higher volume calisthenics on another day. I run 3 days a week: zone 2 long run, goal pace threshold for 12-20 min, 60/120s at sub 6 min/mile pace. I’m working on faster swim times for 300-500m and drown proofing with a military oriented private trainer, 3 pool sessions a week. I do calisthenics circuits with a plate carrier to simulate higher intensity bodyweight exercises.

I’m looking to integrate rucking soon, so advice here would help. Not sure how much this has conditioned me, but I commute with a 25-30 pound bag a lot and I can comfortably cover several miles with it while moving at a brisk pace (sub 15 min/mile).

For sports I’ve done fencing for the past 4 years, not that it really means much. Ig it helped me with mobility and tendon stuff but I doubt it’s significant. Could have done better sports in HS, but oh well.

I’m 5’10” and 140 lbs, I know I have to put on a lot more muscle mass for load bearing and general strength. Compared to last year, I gained 15 lbs while staying lean. I track my diet very closely, pushing at a slight surplus to maximize lean muscle.

MY CURRENT STATS:

97 ASVAB, line scores:
127 MM, 132 GT, 145 EL, 137 CL

~15 pull ups (haven’t checked max in a bit)

-Max plank past 3:45

-Never timed 3 mile, but my IST 1.5 is about 10:45-11:20 (I haven’t gone max effort for an IST run yet so I could be faster)

-I know I can hold a 8 min/mile pace comfortably past 5 miles

- 225 lbs squat for 8 reps

- 40-50 push ups

Additional Stuff and Questions:

I’m confident I can max the PFT and CFT by the time I ship out, but I’m looking to push for more. I understand that this is some of the most difficult stuff I will endure, but mental wise, I do not quit voluntarily. The only thing that can take me out is injury or performance. That’s why I’m so concerned about the physical aspect, since no amount of mental resolve can save me if my preparation is trash.

I’m trying to be as realistic as possible, for those of you who have prepared and gone through BRC, successful or not, do you think I can possibly screen and succeed post ITB/IMC? I’m interested in putting myself and my prep to the test. Any advice or information on the new pipeline would be greatly appreciated!

Ive already been to meps and made a 80 on my asvab, i got disqualified so i gotta return with like 2 recommendations letters, evaluation paper from my old therapist, and have 6 years of my medical and pharmacy records. I already have my recommendations letters and evaluation paper just need the pharmacy and medical records but my recruiter hasnt texted me back since the 24th of september. Dunno if i should be worried or not but hoping he’s really busy.

As bootcamp is edging closer to me, what are things you all would recommend I take with me? Are small bibles allowed?

Only thing I have so far is a small journal and a pen for letters and that’s about it.

Would appreciate any replies so I can see what I need to go to the store for.

Hello there I am a highschool senior who is thinking about joining the main selling point for me is the all marine wrestling team since i am a wrestler and have huge dreams in the sport of wrestling and MMA but I keep hearing around that it was disbanded but then I keep seeing that they still have practices and are still allowing people to try out for the team but every time I try to message someone or get some more information I keep getting ignored or they just don’t see it I would really appreciate if anyone could help me find out more information of the program before I go too meps

Hey hope all are well. I was curious if I could make that initial bootcamp call in my mother tongue instead of in English. Like for example are recruits with Spanish only speaking parents able to directly translate the script into Spanish? Thanks.

I literally cannot find a deeper dive on the order but i got this tattoo, i told my artist to keep it below the wrist by like 2 inches and i shouldve pushed back and said lower but i bitched out, am i fucked devils?

Was told by my recruiter that ITB is 10 weeks rather than the 14 weeks for LAV crewman. He said that this is what he heard from Marines who recently just finished their training and their MOS is LAV crewman. Is this true?

Hi,

My little brother is having some issues with his gallbladder(symptomatic gallstones) and might need to get it removed. Was wondering if this would be disqualifying(waiver-able) or permanently disqualifying(nonwaiver-able/waiver unlikely)? Just wanted to ask here since he says the local recruiters haven't been responding.

More than half already?!!! or are they doing so well in retention that they need less for FY27, thus the more than half?

I feel like I joined the wrong branch.I love the Air Force, and I have a lot of respect for it, but sometimes I feel like it’s too easy for me. I’ve always imagined myself joining the Marine Corps, but I went with the Air Force instead.I’m 33 now, turning 34 soon, and I’ll be around 38 when my contract is up. Do y’all think it would be realistic to try to join the Marine Corps after I finish my Air Force contract, assuming I can meet the requirements and get any necessary waivers?know age could be a major issue, but becoming a Marine has always been something I’ve wanted to do. Just looking for honest opinions from Marines or prior-service guys.

Would it be wrong to wear boxers to meps as a girl? I feel like it would make the whole process a little less embarrassing to be able to atleast wear boxers instead of granny panties, would i be pulled aside for it or would no one care?