USMC Stepbro advice?

[LakeJake]

Thanks gents! Appreciate all the advice.

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[Jon Stewart]

Let the Marines teach him. The last thing he needs in the back of his mind is,
"that's not what my uncle showed me". They will teach him everything he needs to know once they beat the civilian out of him. Oops, that's what they did in the 60's,lol.

The TWO most important things he needs to be taught before he heads off to boot is, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT and DON'T VOLUNTEER FOR ANYTHING.

Hogmauler gave great advise. Work on getting into good physical condition. Run, run and then run some more. Not sure how much emphasis they have on swimming but that was the toughest portion for me.

[friscopaint]

As said before, if you have an AR teach him how to disassemble and memorize general orders. Lots of rock heads make it through, it's not rocket science. The better fitness he's in the easier it will be. I went to Parris Island in 1982 so I'm sure a lot has changed

[Hagen]

I grew up shooting at an early age and thought i was a good shot and didn't pay much attention to the instructors while at the range. I barely qualified. Pay attention to the instructors. The high shooter in my company never touched a weapon and didnt have any bad habits to break. The instructors will make him a better shooter if he pays attention.

[TxHamJello]

To me, having some firearms experience is probably better than having none. With that said, any rifle you own will likely not have the same optics (I understand they all use optics now, not iron sights), different sling etc . . . I would say there is benefit in mine knowing gun safety and familiarity. But, I would not worry about making him an expert rifleman before he get to range week.

He should probably talk with his recruiter and find out if they have recommendations for him to focus on. Been a very very long time since I went through boot camp, so cannot provide a ton of advice.

Good luck to the future Marine! Please provide updates on his progress, school he will be attending after boot camp etc.

[BufordT]

They will teach him everything he needs to know. If he want's to get a head start, I would have him memorize his 10 General Orders for start. He can even memorize weapons cpabilites such as max effective range for a point target and area target for the M-16A4, etc.

This!

[fishfeeder01]

Teach him that the Red crayons taste best. when they say duck , that does not mean to shoot the first bird he sees in the sky.
In all seriousness, ensure he is in the best physical shape of his life, and that he spends quality time with family before departure, Grandparents especially if possible. Thats time that i lost out on being deployed, I was able to come home for one funeral, but i missed out on quality time just hanging out with them.
Wish him the best of luck and always remind him that Prayer works. 22 years completed, now i get checks every 30 days,

[dustoffer]

Yes, Let them teach him, they will teach him all he needs to know. If it was me, I would be careful because there is only one way, the Marine Corp way when dealing with the Marines. But it is nice of you to want to help him.

Good advice here--As a company commander in the Army--I remember the zero-experience youngsters in the unit being easier to teach to shoot than the guys/gals who thought they knew it all--

[randtx]

Let them teach. Don't let him learn bad habits from someone else. Just gives a DI reason to screw with him.

This. We were told in the Army that people with zero firearms experience was the best because they did not have any bad habits. Let the Marine Corp teach him.

[jer_james]

Good luck to the young man!

[Briar Friar]

Spending hours around a barrel snapping in...good times.

Tell him to be the fastest he can be, loudest he can be, not be a range safety violator and not be an integrity violator and he will do fine. Qual day is not a day to F with your gear. I had a buddy on qual day decide to change dial on his front sight post...DQ.

Fight to be on one of the first relays right off the bat during range week...especially not an afternoon relay...especially on qual day. Wind and heat kicks up quickly...no matter the coast.

Semper Fidelis.

[ken800]

They will teach him everything he needs to know. If he want's to get a head start, I would have him memorize his 10 General Orders for start. He can even memorize weapons cpabilites such as max effective range for a point target and area target for the M-16A4, etc.

Great ideas! AND focus on the PT part. I did some running/pushups/situps before I started basic. They will literally "PT you until you die!" if you are even remotely out of shape. I ended up running with the "fast" group. After the first week they figured out where the "fit" people were and bunched them together for running and it was much more pleasant running in formation with people who weren't constantly falling out of formation. (if you call military PT pleasant, lol)

[Jon Stewart]

One thing he has going for him is that I understand they are no longer "hands On" like they were when I was in back in the 60's.

[Hogmauler]

You mean they can’t choke you with your web belt, put you in a wall locker and flip it several times, pour bleach in the shower and p t while your in there, choke you out during close combat training, and generally mess your whole day up? Wow! What is the world coming to!

[CWendling]

They will teach him everything he needs to know. If he want's to get a head start, I would have him memorize his 10 General Orders for start. He can even memorize weapons cpabilites such as max effective range for a point target and area target for the M-16A4, etc.

Why not all 11 general orders?

As far as firearms, some familiarization is good. Most of the best Marines i coached on the range never shot any AR or a rifle at all. No bad habits to break.

Better to be in good shape. And find out his DI's first name. Get to know them and call them by that instead and they wont yell at him so much.

Semper Fi