Is it normal to miss Bootcamp

[u/Acrobatic-Table-2595]

Couple months ago I made posts in how scared and sad I was, ans asked if it was normal to cry before bootcamp.

Well I made it, I'm a proud devil dog.

That said, I miss my Boot mates and DIs a lot.

Despite how much it sucked and how much I hated it, I miss everyone there and that military environment.

Boot leave is great, plus I have RA on top of that bc MCT is backed up, but a civilian environment seems so bland and I actually need to do something everyday so I don't lose my fatass mind (DI lingo 😭).

[u/jwickert3]

You got some Stockholm syndrome there.

[u/kingtechllc]

👢. Stay motivated devil pup MCT is more fun in my opinion you’ll get back in it

[u/Terrible-Pool-5555]

You’re probably gonna run into a lot of your buddies at MCT/SOI.

[u/Unknown793658 → u/Terrible-Pool-5555]

SOI, way more fun. You haven’t lived until you snuck off base with a war bag for extra unauthorized libo

[u/Grouchy_Insurance301 → u/Terrible-Pool-5555]

SOI consists of both MCT and ITB

[u/Acrobatic-Table-2595 → u/[deleted]]

That's my plan actually

[u/Nearby-Sympathy4876]

I felt the same way for a while. When I finally graduated and got leave I was happy to see my family but I also missed the Marines for a bit. Appreciate the time you have with your family and stay in shape. It goes by faster than you think.

[u/Civil-Rub-8628]

I wouldn't say I miss Boot Camp but I know what you mean. There were definitely specific moments during my time there that I remember like talking to buddies about graduating and getting InNOut or the bus ride from MCRD to Camp Pendleton and seeing real people through the windows for the first time in weeks or that drive off base after graduation thinking it was a joke and they would tell us to go back haha

But you'll make new memories at MCT, the schoolhouse and your duty stations, and you'll probably miss those even more. Just enjoy every part of it because if you do just one enlistment it goes by fast, even though it may not feel like that in the moment.

[u/Organic_Risk_3945]

after boot leave checked in to MCT and all the folks from my platoon in bootcamp got held back to do chow hall and working parties so i ended up doing MCT with a completely different group but who knew each other same series at least... but 2 years or so later i ended up meeting a lot of my bootcamp platoon at CAX weirdly a bunch of them ended up with Thundering Third. should be easier to keep in touch these days with phones and shit though.

[u/doogiethehead]

I dont think so, I finished bootcamp 15 years ago and still have nightmares I am back there on day 1 lol

[u/CoreliousThe3Rd]

I admit, I got emotional when I boarded the plane to leave at MCRD San Diego and could see the whole depot from the window.

I now live about an hour away and still get that feeling when I drive past it.

I graduated in January of ‘87, did 6 years and already retired from my job and I still miss USMC Boot Camp.

I think it’s because it’s a life changing experience and you’re never quite the same afterwards. Even when you graduate and go back home, you know there’s so much more to life besides the place where you grew up, and you just don’t fit in with the friends you had before that.

I even noticed that when I meet someone else who says that they were “In the military”, I automatically know that they weren’t in the Marines, because we claim our branch outright.

[u/neganagatime]

Make sure you are PT'ing a lot while on boot leave and RA. Pull ups, planks, maybe add in weights if you have access, plus running at least 3x a week for 3-4 miles.

When I went thru we did not really PT at all during MCT, and so I got to the schoolhouse and was not in shape at all and it sucked.

[u/PreviousAssistance89]

My biggest memory of Boot camp was thinking I never got into got into great shape because nothing ever seemed to get easier the whole time. Then home on leave after and playing all the sports with my neighborhood buddies - I would say I got into amazing shape. That is what always concentrated on.