OK... Anyone remember the rating system for inspections?? Outstanding, Very Good, Good, Fair, UNSAT?? Are those correct? Remember that starch on your uniforms that you could see was a big NO NO... If your blue utility cover was solid as a rock it was PERFECT... Oxford polishing secrets at the time were, Nylons, lighter fluid, a not so damp rag.. I even think they issued us an old soft baby diaper to polish our oxfords?? Also.. remember our pumps? They were not corofram back then.. just plain black leather and you had to buy them yourself.. they were not issued!
I remember the DIs throwing the garbage can down the middle of the squad bay because we didn't get up fast enough. Remember that reveille was played on a Squak box in the squad bay? Debbie
No clue on the thunder?! Can't wait to hear that one... They inspected your bed clothes?? Did you have issued stuff? We had to bring our own. When I went to sleep at night I would only untuck one side of my rack... and HARDLY move at night.. that made making the rack the next day so much easier... I STILL sleep very still... careful not to move!
I do remember waking up just before the DI's would wake us up. I was a squad leader and we rotated which side of the squad bay we had to run to in the mornings in order to do the morning count... if you ran the wrong way, there were many squat thrusts awaiting you. It was funny, always rotating in order to make life just a hair more confusing. I also remember the lights coming on.. tough if you were in the top rack right under one of those lights! UGH. I remember when the other platoon's DI's would sometimes come in and wake us up... SGT Kelly, Juliano and another name that slips my mind.. sort of like Harshbarger.. or Hamburger.. Haffenreffer... it will come to me...
Originally posted by heidilarsonhurley: No clue on the thunder?! Can't wait to hear that one... They inspected your bed clothes?? Did you have issued stuff? We had to bring our own. When I went to sleep at night I would only untuck one side of my rack... and HARDLY move at night.. that made making the rack the next day so much easier... I STILL sleep very still... careful not to move!
I do remember waking up just before the DI's would wake us up. I was a squad leader and we rotated which side of the squad bay we had to run to in the mornings in order to do the morning count... if you ran the wrong way, there were many squat thrusts awaiting you. It was funny, always rotating in order to make life just a hair more confusing. I also remember the lights coming on.. tough if you were in the top rack right under one of those lights! UGH. I remember when the other platoon's DI's would sometimes come in and wake us up... SGT Kelly, Juliano and another name that slips my mind.. sort of like Harshbarger.. or Hamburger.. Haffenreffer... it will come to me...
I also remember having to jump to attention ALL the time... "Attention on Deck", "Officer on Board", best one.. "Man on Board"
Thunder was the sound your boots made on the catwalk at the "Palonesian Village", where we lived. They called it that because of the way the roof peak was shaped.
WRTC, now 4th Bn, has connecting side walks that are elevated about 3 feet off the deck. When you march setting down your heels on that catwalk, it made a thunderous sound. We didn't get to really do thunder much until we were Seniors on deck. It was great! You always knew when the Senior Platoon was coming your way.
Oh man, you missed out! It was cool. Then sometimes we got to do monkey drill to show off a little. Hearing us coming down the catwalk was a motivator for the newer platoons, knowing someday they would be in our position.
I remember people used to sleep on top of their racks so they didn't mess it up to much but in the middle of the night the one who was on duty would make them get under the covers.
Someone mentioned "Attention on Deck", there was another good one, it is slipping my mind right now. When walking down a hallway and a D.I. or an officer was walking down the hallway. We had to get up against the bulkhead and freeze. What was that command? Debbie Wieske
Originally posted by debbie4Him1: We had to get up against the bulkhead and freeze. What was that command?
Maybe it was "to the winds?"
A veteran - whether active duty, retired, National Guard or Reserve - is someone who, at one point in his or her life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America" for an amount of "up to and including my life." That is honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand that - Author unknown.
Originally posted by debbie4Him1: I remember people used to sleep on top of their racks so they didn't mess it up to much but in the middle of the night the one who was on duty would make them get under the covers.
Someone mentioned "Attention on Deck", there was another good one, it is slipping my mind right now. When walking down a hallway and a D.I. or an officer was walking down the hallway. We had to get up against the bulkhead and freeze. What was that command? Debbie Wieske
When I was on the top rack I just unfolded one side... made life so much easier. It was a bummer with the bottom rack.. tougher to get underneath to pull the blanket tight.
I don't remember "to the winds"(sounds like someone had gas...)... "Attention on Deck" was the only command that got us on our feet and frozen in Attention... We had to say "By your leave" when walking by or being passed by an officer/senior enlisted or DI... When saying it we had to freeze and make a right or left face and stand at attention or salute if required...
Originally posted by SgtShaw86: Oh man, you missed out! It was cool. Then sometimes we got to do monkey drill to show off a little. Hearing us coming down the catwalk was a motivator for the newer platoons, knowing someday they would be in our position.
Great Times.
I remember just waiting for the day when we'd get to do monkey drill and sing the Lady Leatherneck song.
The GAS chamber was great! Clears up your head and cures what ails ya! I'd do it again in a heart beat.
Anybody remember being in full camies and going through that long mud filled trench out in the field at PI? There were obstacles that you had to traverse both with and without your fellow recruits help. Loved that crap!
Originally posted by SgtShaw86: The GAS chamber was great! Clears up your head and cures what ails ya! I'd do it again in a heart beat.
Anybody remember being in full camies and going through that long mud filled trench out in the field at PI? There were obstacles that you had to traverse both with and without your fellow recruits help. Loved that crap!
Oh yeah I almost forgot about that...yeah loved it too! NOOOOO it was great for sinuses and all but I still hated it !
Hey, I'm new to this sight and have been enjoying reading everyone's boot camp stories. Sometimes I still can't believe I was a Marine, but am so proud of the fact that I was a Marine-there is truely nothing like it. I was in boot from Sept 1981-Dec 1981. Platoon 18B. I would love to talk to anyone else from that time frame.
