Reddit mentions of Generation Kill Season 1

This thread belongs in /r/USMCboot

> Do you get any influence in what area you will be stationed in?

I think the recruiter will ask you for some preferences, and ask you to rank them in order of preference.
I'm pretty sure this is a meaningless exercise to make you feel better. The USMC will send you where they need you - period.

> What physical condition should I be in by the time I graduate?

Be able to run (RUN - not walk) three miles before you get on the bus.
If you can RUN three miles in ~30 minutes (without stopping to walk) you should be ok.
Be able to perform several dead-hang pull-ups. More than one.

Exercise your Google-Fu and find out what the required number of sit-ups/crunches is for your age bracket, and be able to do like 75% of a perfect score before you get on the bus.

Technically, if you are hitting the DEP mandatory minimums, you can get on the bus.
But you will be in for a world of hurt if your personal best is just the mandatory minimums.

The Drill Instructors have been making young people stronger for a long, long time.
You don't have to be a athletic stud, they will upgrade you from below average to above average by the time you graduate.

But if you are a poor performer, they will exercise the ever loving shit out of you to improve your performance.
Exceptionally poor performers will be removed from the training cycle and moved into a Physical Conditioning Platoon.
You don't want to go there if you can avoid it.

> How can I get a head start before I graduate?

Finish your Eagle Scout if you are involved with Scouting.
Eagle Scouts are automatically promoted from E-1 to E-2 at end of boot camp.

If you enjoy reading, you might try this series:

WEB Griffin: The Corps

It's a history-based series of fiction books that will expose you to USMC history starting with pre-WW2 through Korea.
The USMC is BIG on knowing our history.
Keep in mind, that is a FICTION series. Try not to imagine yourself as a super spy guy, ok?

Watch This HBO Series:

HBO: Generation Kill

That is another FICTIONAL series, based on the real life experiences of the author of this book:

Nate Fick: One Bullet Away

Those will expose you to the modern USMC, and help you understand what you are thinking of becoming a part of.

Those should help you get your mind in the right alignment.
Don't forget to get your body into the right condition as well. Get off the sofa and RUN.
Join the Track Team.
Running is the usual problem area for most recruits, in part because running is part mental as well as physical.
The more you run, the more you can get the mental components of running in alignment.


> Should I leave my individuality at the door when I join?

For the 3 months or so you are in Boot Camp? Yes. The Drill Instructors are going to rip it out of your chest.
You will be torn down to base emotions and capabilities, and rebuilt as a Marine.
It sounds cheezy. It sounds like a romantic sales pitch. But there is real, honest truth to that statement.

After Boot Camp, when you go to MCT it will kind of be like going far far away to a University.
Nobody knows who you were.
Nobody has any idea what you were like before.
You can choose to be the kind of Marine you want to be.
You'll never really forget who you were. Some of your old habits or characteristics will always be with you.

But you'll have the opportunity to develop a new individuality that has a strong respect for the greater collective, this new extension of yourself.


> Stupid question but, what do you do with your phone? Do you leave it? Do they take it? (Not that I really care I'm just curious.)

I believe you can take it with you, and leave it in storage while you are in Boot Camp.
You WILL NOT have access to the phone while you are in Boot Camp. It won't be in your foot locker. It will be in a storage facility that you won't have access to.

What you should bring depends on how far away you are, and if you need an overnight bag.

In a nutshell, bring as little as possible.

Empty your wallet down to the bare essentials:

Drivers License or Photo ID.
Maybe $20 in cash plus maybe $2 in quarters.

From the moment you climb on the bus, the USMC is supposed to feed you and take care of you until the moment you either are sent home as a washout, or until the day you EAS.
You should not need to feed yourself, but sometimes busses break down or what should be a 15 minute stop in Jerkwater, Tennessee turns into a 3 hour fiasco trying to find a replacement driver or a mechanic.

Your recruiter should talk to you about running shoes.
Apparently there is a specific list of makes & models of running shoes you are allowed to bring.
Don't fuck that up. Buy the right stuff, and make damned sure they fit PERFECTLY.

Somewhere in your town or in the big town close to you is a boutique running specialty store.
Go there. Buy them from them. Get them to size you and check your running stride.

Shin Splints and knee / ankle injuries are a MAJOR CONCERN in boot camp, and a whole lot of the risk of those injuries can be mitigated with damned good shoes & orthotic inserts.
If they suggest an insert of some kind, make damned sure you fasten it into the shoe do it DOES NOT fall out before you get on the bus.

If you've never heard of shin splints before, do yourself a favor and read a wikipedia or WebMD article on them. That's serious business to you now.

You won't see the clothes you wear to Boot Camp for 3 months, other than those running shoes. So don't wear anything fancy, special or offensive.