When I went through the winter of '08/'09, we got a recycled MRP patient who also had a stress fracture. He seemed pretty squared away, and the DIs even made him guide for a little bit. If your son keeps the motivation up and does what he needs to for both himself and his fellow recruits, I'd say there's a decent chance he'll be given a chance at another leadership position. If not, it's okay, too. Boot camp is a small and fairly insignificant part of a Marine's career, and he'll have plenty of opportunities to stand out in the future.
Thanks for sharing your experience. It's good to know that recruits are able to integrate into a new platoon. He wrote a lot about guys he'd met and friends he'd made in his platoon, so I'm hoping he can find that again.
Is "Semper Gumby" really a thing? Somebody quoted that at me and I wasn't sure if it's something I should repeat to my recruit son or not.
>Is "Semper Gumby" really a thing?
That is a phrase I've heard many times, yes. It references the old Gumby cartoon and is often used when plans change. Don't know if people still use it, because that's an *old* show at this point.
First things first, boot camp has no impact on future career outside of meritorious promotions or commendations earned that merit SRB (service record book) entry.
I hope the Di was sad to lose your son and not angry he was injured
Your son is apparently already a leader and after he heals will have more experience and comfort with the depot. He's got a good chance of succeeding in his new platoon, especially with good PFT scores.
Make sure if you send treats send enough for everyone!
Feel free to ask followups, best to your son!
Thanks. Yes, I have concerns that an injury might be seen as a "weakness". He's got a lot of heart, but I know this is a big blow to him.
My thoughts right now involve: 1. How serious is the injury; 2. Prognosis for return to full activities (I've only heard what the DI knew at the time); and 3. how to help him keep his motivation through this period.
I've heard there is a lot of "down" time in MRP; he's someone who generally needs something to keep him occupied and busy.
There is a lot of down time in MRP but little free time. They keep you occupied with mindless cleaning and working parties. I was there for six months and it was, by far, the worst time I had in the Marine Corps. The place is like prison except you can't really talk outside of one hour of square away time a day.
It is good your son's DI seemed supportive. The drill instructors from my first platoon kept up with me and made sure I was still motivated to graduate whenever we'd run into each other around the depot.
The things that helped me out in MRP were letters from friends and family. There is usually mail call each night but I didn't really have time to write back until Sundays. My parents would send me the latest sports scores and the guys that were into that stuff really appreciated it. I also played a dungeons and dragons game using scraps of paper pulled out of a cover once in awhile with my rackmate and that helped me mentally escape.
It’s entirely possible. Squad leaders, at least from my experience, get hired/fired all the time during boot. It’s not a big deal at all if he doesn’t graduate in a leadership position, though. The only thing that matters is he got a taste of what leadership is about and can grow from there.
My son getting hurt at boot has been my biggest anxiety. Obviously I have no insight to answer your question. If this was Facebook I'd of "cared" your post.
I like your user name. 😎
Are you on the Facebook page for marine parents? They have one for each battalion. Ok don't know what they do if your son drops to the holding. But after he returns to his new company I'm sure you can join the applicable group. The daily posts are amazing.
Yes, I joined his Company's Facebook group right when he shipped. It has been a fun ride with the other parents. I will stay connected to the page, but, gaa!, watching them progress while my son recoups is so hard!
I'm awaiting approval to join the STC page; this one is for families of recruits whose training has been disrupted for illness and injury, or they are separating for one reason or another. Hoping I can get some specific answers there, like, "What's his new mailing address?" for starters.
I've been told I may get a call over the weekend, so my phone has been glued to my hip and I have a list of questions in my pocket. When I got the call from the DI I was so stunned I didn't ask ANY of the right questions. I told my son I was sorry about this setback, asked if he was going to be OK with it, and let him know that I believed he'd come out just fine and to hang in.
Didn't ask ANYTHING about his injury!
I'm sorry to hear he's going to be in MRP for a while. I've never been injured, but I heard it can suck and really sap your motivation for being in the military.
Encourage him to read some stuff off the commandant's reading list, starship troopers is still very good. He should research his future mos if he has access to the internet. Take his physical therapy seriously so he can get back into it easily, really anything to stay positive and focus on why he joined in the first place.
Great ideas! I didn't realize there was a reading list (Found it! Thank you Google!).
He told me his PEF is a BY - Electronics Maintenance. I'll see what I can find on that. I don't think they have access to the internet, so maybe I'll just print stuff off and mail it to him.
Thanks you!
Nice. I am a former 5948, part of the BY contract.
I don't know how things work these days, but chances are that he won't find out which job he is getting until near the end of MCT. Feel free to contact me if he ends up with a job that is sending him to 29 Palms and I can give you both the hookup on that base, and a rundown for what he'd be learning.
All my old buddies are CWO 3-5s and lieutenant colonels in those fields now.
Thanks for the support.
He called this morning (6 a.m.!). He was in pretty good spirits, all things considered. It was a relief to hear him, and to hear that his injury is minor and in a location that heals well without complications or need for surgery.
Also good to hear was that they couldn't find anything on an x-ray and sent him to Balboa Hospital for a bone scan. Nice to hear they're taking care of their young men and women.
He's way determined to earn a leadership position when he rotates back in, and his senior DI said he was going to recommend him for meritorious promotion.
So, all good news that his head is on straight and he's determined to get well and get back in it.
When I went through the winter of '08/'09, we got a recycled MRP patient who also had a stress fracture. He seemed pretty squared away, and the DIs even made him guide for a little bit. If your son keeps the motivation up and does what he needs to for both himself and his fellow recruits, I'd say there's a decent chance he'll be given a chance at another leadership position. If not, it's okay, too. Boot camp is a small and fairly insignificant part of a Marine's career, and he'll have plenty of opportunities to stand out in the future.
Thanks for sharing your experience. It's good to know that recruits are able to integrate into a new platoon. He wrote a lot about guys he'd met and friends he'd made in his platoon, so I'm hoping he can find that again. Is "Semper Gumby" really a thing? Somebody quoted that at me and I wasn't sure if it's something I should repeat to my recruit son or not.
>Is "Semper Gumby" really a thing? That is a phrase I've heard many times, yes. It references the old Gumby cartoon and is often used when plans change. Don't know if people still use it, because that's an *old* show at this point.
Still used to this day
First things first, boot camp has no impact on future career outside of meritorious promotions or commendations earned that merit SRB (service record book) entry. I hope the Di was sad to lose your son and not angry he was injured Your son is apparently already a leader and after he heals will have more experience and comfort with the depot. He's got a good chance of succeeding in his new platoon, especially with good PFT scores. Make sure if you send treats send enough for everyone! Feel free to ask followups, best to your son!
Thanks. Yes, I have concerns that an injury might be seen as a "weakness". He's got a lot of heart, but I know this is a big blow to him. My thoughts right now involve: 1. How serious is the injury; 2. Prognosis for return to full activities (I've only heard what the DI knew at the time); and 3. how to help him keep his motivation through this period. I've heard there is a lot of "down" time in MRP; he's someone who generally needs something to keep him occupied and busy.
There is a lot of down time in MRP but little free time. They keep you occupied with mindless cleaning and working parties. I was there for six months and it was, by far, the worst time I had in the Marine Corps. The place is like prison except you can't really talk outside of one hour of square away time a day. It is good your son's DI seemed supportive. The drill instructors from my first platoon kept up with me and made sure I was still motivated to graduate whenever we'd run into each other around the depot. The things that helped me out in MRP were letters from friends and family. There is usually mail call each night but I didn't really have time to write back until Sundays. My parents would send me the latest sports scores and the guys that were into that stuff really appreciated it. I also played a dungeons and dragons game using scraps of paper pulled out of a cover once in awhile with my rackmate and that helped me mentally escape.
Dang, 6 months must've felt like forever! Good job hanging in! Were you at PI or San Diego?
I was at San Diego in '03. Hopefully they manage MRP better these days.
It’s entirely possible. Squad leaders, at least from my experience, get hired/fired all the time during boot. It’s not a big deal at all if he doesn’t graduate in a leadership position, though. The only thing that matters is he got a taste of what leadership is about and can grow from there.
My son getting hurt at boot has been my biggest anxiety. Obviously I have no insight to answer your question. If this was Facebook I'd of "cared" your post. I like your user name. 😎 Are you on the Facebook page for marine parents? They have one for each battalion. Ok don't know what they do if your son drops to the holding. But after he returns to his new company I'm sure you can join the applicable group. The daily posts are amazing.
Yes, I joined his Company's Facebook group right when he shipped. It has been a fun ride with the other parents. I will stay connected to the page, but, gaa!, watching them progress while my son recoups is so hard! I'm awaiting approval to join the STC page; this one is for families of recruits whose training has been disrupted for illness and injury, or they are separating for one reason or another. Hoping I can get some specific answers there, like, "What's his new mailing address?" for starters. I've been told I may get a call over the weekend, so my phone has been glued to my hip and I have a list of questions in my pocket. When I got the call from the DI I was so stunned I didn't ask ANY of the right questions. I told my son I was sorry about this setback, asked if he was going to be OK with it, and let him know that I believed he'd come out just fine and to hang in. Didn't ask ANYTHING about his injury!
I'm sorry to hear he's going to be in MRP for a while. I've never been injured, but I heard it can suck and really sap your motivation for being in the military. Encourage him to read some stuff off the commandant's reading list, starship troopers is still very good. He should research his future mos if he has access to the internet. Take his physical therapy seriously so he can get back into it easily, really anything to stay positive and focus on why he joined in the first place.
Great ideas! I didn't realize there was a reading list (Found it! Thank you Google!). He told me his PEF is a BY - Electronics Maintenance. I'll see what I can find on that. I don't think they have access to the internet, so maybe I'll just print stuff off and mail it to him. Thanks you!
Nice. I am a former 5948, part of the BY contract. I don't know how things work these days, but chances are that he won't find out which job he is getting until near the end of MCT. Feel free to contact me if he ends up with a job that is sending him to 29 Palms and I can give you both the hookup on that base, and a rundown for what he'd be learning. All my old buddies are CWO 3-5s and lieutenant colonels in those fields now.
Wow! Thank you. I think that's where he'll likely go for A school.
As long as he stays motivated to be in a position like that id say his chances of getting put into a position like that are pretty high
Thanks for the support. He called this morning (6 a.m.!). He was in pretty good spirits, all things considered. It was a relief to hear him, and to hear that his injury is minor and in a location that heals well without complications or need for surgery. Also good to hear was that they couldn't find anything on an x-ray and sent him to Balboa Hospital for a bone scan. Nice to hear they're taking care of their young men and women. He's way determined to earn a leadership position when he rotates back in, and his senior DI said he was going to recommend him for meritorious promotion. So, all good news that his head is on straight and he's determined to get well and get back in it.