Expert: Jason Grabill - 7/18/2006

Question
Hey there, I was hoping you could answer a few questions I had. First, what is a typical day of Marine bootcamp like? A good friend of mine just left yesterday and I was wondering what he'll be going through the next 3 months. Second, how does Marine bootcamp comepare to other bootcamps, like the Army. Tougher? Third, exactly how elite are Marines when compared to say, army Rangers. I hear Marines are better than your typical infantry, but where do they rank when compared to other units?

Finally, I have a general question. When a conflict breaks, how does the govt. decide who to send in first. I've heard that marines are first to fight in all conflicts. Can you explain this? Thanks alot for your time.

Answer
Darren:

  Basically, your friend is going to be busy for the next 13 weeks.  There is no 'typical' day at Recruit Training, but his first few weeks, he'll learn the basic Marine stuff;  how to drill, carry a weapon, clean his weapon, wear the uniform, Marine history, basic first aid skills, how to respond to commands, and discipline.  After that, it will move on to more specialized skills, such as the rifle range (2 weeks..every Marine is a basic rifleman no matter what their job is), Field training, combat courses, hand to hand fighting, more drill, and last, the Crucible, a 3 day excercise where he gets to put all of it into practice.

 The Marines Recruit training is the longest of any service in the US.  And, also the toughest.  The Army is making theirs easier instead of harder.  Marines don't work that way.  

 The entire Marine Corps is considered an "Elite", whereas the Rangers are simply a small, highly trained, branch of the Army.  Both Marine Infantry and Rangers are trained about the same.  Marine Infantry rank far and above the average Army 'leg' infantry.  

 The gov't usually sends in the Marines because they are sitting nearby aboard ships, or can deploy very, very, quickly to hot spots.  The term "First to Fight" comes from that.  It takes the average Army unit 2-4 weeks to get moving and get where they are needed.  The Marines can be there within hours.

Hope that helps.

Semper Fi.

Jason