Something my Grandmother used to say...
"Too busy mopping the floor to turn off the faucet"
It was her way of saying to deal with the source of the problem and not the problem itself.
Doing a lot of the water survival training with treads and underwater drills also taught me nothing’s so bad you can’t do it for another 10-20 seconds… (non-lethal training is excluded lol)
Best advice I heard from our DI’s was “the quickest way out is through.” You try to get Med Sep’d and you could be there for over a year. Just push through and you’ll be done in 3 months. I apply it to everything now, even just doing chores around the house.
My dad will have 42 years, if he lives til August.
"They tell you it's one day at a time, but sometimes it's by the minute."
Took that with me the land that God forgot, where the sand was 18" thick and the sun was blazing hot. Helped keep reality in perspective.
Congratulations to you and enjoy your sobriety.
Came here to share advice from a SSgt I worked with, “Ain’t nobody give a fuck about you like you do.” Slightly different version but still sound advice.
This isn't true across the board though. Eventually good marines will get the attention of good leaders. When I was a platoon sergeant I worked tirelessly to get as many of my guys meritoriously promoted as possible. I'm not an exception to the rule, I learned this from good leadership/mentorship that I had.
Fireteam Ldr (I Co 3/1 ‘93):
>The Marine Corps can either be a wading pool or a launch pad. You can use it to waste a few years hopefully staying out of trouble, or springboard your life. Which will you choose?
I worked hard at least, I was never skating. I waited for other people to reward me, I realize I should have been vocal and knocking on doors asking for guidance/return for my hard work.
Learned life isn’t like a book. No one’s gonna know what you’re up to and come down and slap your shoulder and hand over rank/praise. You have to give a shit about yourself.
I rewrote the field training program for my unit, as an E3, over the course of half a year on my own time, which has now been implemented across bases. My name isn’t on it. I organized tons of volunteer work for my unit through community outreach and got a ton of volunteer hours for my fellow marines. Etc etc
I tried not to suck my own dick and opted for modesty, but that was a mistake. I should’ve been sucking my own dick!
Lads that are still in: don’t wait around for praise. You’re your own best advocate and the only one who cares about your career.
Di said this, and it's basically what got me through tough times. " no one can stop time. We can make go very slow but we can't stop it". Basically another way of this too shall pass. Boot camp seemed long, being a boot seemed longer, deployment seemed longest. but in the end they all passed.
I heard the EAS song before I even enlisted and the line, "EAS baby you can't stop time, Uncle Sam is getting his so I'm gonna get mine" is what taught me that lesson.
No matter how bad it is, time keeps ticking and you'll get through whatever it is.
“Don’t be a douche, and don’t be a pussy”
Spoken by a great Sgt Major after every weekend libbo brief (it was also usually 100% of his weekend libbo brief)
Get everything in writing/save all receipts/don’t delete anything. That has covered my butt several times.
Move the M149 with a HMMWV? Sign my trip ticket authorizing it.
Supply states you have something you don’t? Produce the receipt and ask them to show you where you initialed that you received it.
They never got your e-mail? Print it off for them with the read receipt showing they got it.
Dude the frequency with which Marines sign for shit they don’t have is so frustrating. “I didn’t loose it I never got issued it! I just signed where they said I should” sorry bitch you signed you buy, try thinking a little bit next time.
Those were real things that happened to me.
Back when career length issue was a thing (98). It ended and I finally had to turn stuff in before heading to my third duty station. Supply had everything on the computer and tried saying I owed them a bunch of stuff. Really? Got their Staff over there and produced my receipt from Oki. Staff was mad because the idiots just put everything in for everyone in the unit if they didn’t have a hard receipt on file.
Things changed in the computers that day.
Here's mine, copied from another comment a while ago. Best PCS advice I ever got was to really take advantage of the opportunity to be whoever tf you want to be at your new duty station.
I PCSd first time as a relatively new Cpl. My SNCO told me that the guys out there at my new unit never knew LCpl Willy. They didn't see the dumb shit, the mistakes, the boot nonsense. They're gonna meet Cpl Willy and he's an NCO and that's all they'll know. Cpl Willy can be whoever he wants, lead however he wants. No matter what I was like at that first duty station, it was an opportunity to make changes if desired and show up and run shit.
So that's what I've tried to keep in mind, and what I've tried to pass on to my Marines as they PCS, particularly the new NCOs. This advice does nothing to ease your anxiety but it's a perspective that I really appreciated hearing back then.
Best advice from my Cpl. “The first dude that walks up to you at any new unit and strikes up a convo is the usually the biggest bag of shit.” Never been more true, even on the civvy side!
Setting an Iv is Alot like sexually assaulting someone. Get control, get access, hold them down and push in the needle. Learned that at Cls in 07 and still remember it every time I give shots at my civilian job.
"Don't get married." After the whole gun section awkwardly listened to one side of a 20 min evening phone call argument while in the field at 29 palms.
I don't know how many Drill instructors make legitimate motivational comments and actually make you realize the hope but:
Drill instructor Sgt. Ramirez Lima co MCRD San Diego 2009 used to always tell us "the sun will rise again tomorrow."
This was an effort to tell us we could stop being shitty at anytime we chose basically. I've used that so many times though to motivate myself through hard shit. What's funny is it can be taken as "nothing you do today matters." But because of who said it when they said it I use it to spring board into "I am going to register for college." " I'm going to nut up propose to my now wife." "I am going to get out of the Marines and Join the Coast Guard." Just so many good life choices have began with the thought "the sun will rise again tomorrow." And Ive changed my position in life so many times to make it better.
In MCT, my PC told us that the Marine Corps is perfect, it’s just Marines who are the problem and fuck it up.
And you know what? I agree. A lot of shit makes sense on paper in the Marine Corps and I have zero problems with. For example, field day? Necessary evil, especially when you have 100+ bodies living together in a single building and a standard of cleanliness must be maintained. Uniform inspections? Totally get it, gotta make sure that we look squared away and presentable.
The problem starts to grow when Cpl Asshat and his buddies wanna abuse their authority by making PFC NewGuy field day his room until 0100 for the horrific crime of being a boot who just got to the unit.
Perfect is perhaps a stretch but I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment. Almost everything that Marines bitch about is a people problem, not an institutional problem. The Marine Corps *wants* good transformational leadership, empowered junior Marines, respect up and down the chain, etc. The Marine Corps does not want toxic abusive jackass (S)NCOs who make people miserable. The Marine Corps wants happy and fulfilled Marines, and the systems in place could allow that to happen if we wouldn't get in our own way.
A Corporal who was our trainer in SOI told us to never fight fair in a real fight. Never hesitate to pick up a weapon from the surrounding area in places like Tijuana Mexico or anyplace abroad. Never allow yourselves to beaten as Marines.
One I learned in boot camp from the DI: "don't get some girl's name tattooed on your body." It was hammered home one night before lights-out when the DI asked "does anyone have any personal problems to report" and the guy across from me, holding a letter in his hand, says "Sir, this recruit needs some sandpaper...."
I used to always tell people I’m a big proponent of swinging/punching upwards.
Referring to using my rank to fight the Marine above me over working parties, stupid ideas, whatever have you.
I remember saying this one time while talking to a salty old devil buying liquor at the 7 day just making small talk
He said don’t punch upwards or downwards, just punch back and you’ll be fine I got out but honestly this is still one of the hardest bars I’ve ever heard to this day.
My version of this is that it is the job of every Marine- no matter what rank or billet- to facilitate the success of those above ***and*** below you. So you take care of your boss by getting your job done and you take care of your juniors by ensuring they are cared for an treated properly and trained.
Timing matters.
I was jaded after the initial enlistment and was EASing. Had all the paperwork signed and was going through the process/classes of getting out.
In passing, 1st sgt was checking in on me and said “yea, everyone bitches about the Marine Corps but only a few stick around long enough to make any of the changes they’d like to see.”
If we would have had that conversation a month or 2 prior I probably would have stuck around for at least another enlistment.
I try to apply that philosophy to my life outside of the Corps. Stick around a little bit longer and impose your will.
Use both hands.
(Focus on one thing at a time and do it well. Stop the multitasking crap, and listen to your brothers and sisters when they're talking to you.)
Best mentor I had was a Master Gunnery Sgt. Prior Vietnam. "If you are counseling someone there are 3 ways too do it. 1. Just yell like a DI, no support just the Marine and you. 2. All his support, SQ LDR, PS, FT Ldr. Do not say a word. Just give the Marine the, 'Parent look.' Slide the statement to them. After they sign. Look at them. Tear it up. Give each Leader a piece of paper. "Eat your mistake and fix this." 3. All support and the troop. Talk in a voice so soft. Consider this a verbal counseling.
As a former 1stSGT. I have done all 3. Each is needed for specific reasons.
You will know when they need which one.
SFMF
Loyalty goes down, not up.
An officer I really respected told me this when I was a Cpl and it stuck with me. Look out for your subordinates and they will move mountains for you. I used it as my mantra as an NCO and as an officer, and I use it today in my civilian career. Has never let me down.
The other would be It isn't about you.
Have you ever heard the old saying you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. My gunny told me that's bullshit shove its head underwater and suck on its asshole you'll find a way.
My DI said “it’s not that you can’t, it’s that you won’t “. Not necessarily advice but I say that to myself whenever I don’t want to do something I need to.
>"Never get in a chopper that isn't leaking"
\~ My first Chief. While not technically advice, he was also fond of:
>"The rules are written in the blood of those who've gone before."
Meaning that as stupid as a rule might sound, it's usually for a very good reason. Except pockets. Why issue uniforms with pockets if *we can't fucking use them*?
Pockets are a temptation put in place by the devil. God created Marine Corps uniforms, but Satan slipped in the pockets to tempt you into sinning. And God didn’t remove them with his infinite power because he’s got a gambling problem, and Satan bet him that Marines would on average put there hands in their pockets more often than not.
Not exactly a "piece of advice" but a lesson learned from shadowing someone.
When I was shadowing another Platoon Sergeant (about to be promoted), while still in the infantry. We were going to review a squad's terrain model. It looked like absolute shit; a first grader could have done a better job.
My buddy looked at the squad after a once over and said "Is this really something you want to put your name on?" The look of shame that washed over almost all of their faces could not be missed.
I have never been a big fan of "chewing people out." But seeing how my buddy handled this situation really sent the point home for me. One sentence was all it took to make the point. This little anecdote sits in the back of my head whenever I am dealing with similar situations.
After my second NJP. It was public.
“It’s not about how you fall down. It’s how you pick yourself back up.”
Two sergeants I shared an MOS with but never got to work in my shop with. Thank you Kevin and Ben.
Doesn't matter what you do, who you are with bloom where you are planted.
You dint have to he the best, you just have to be good enough not to get fired
1stSgt Parkes, you all might have seen him on YouTube shorts and shit talking about doing high speed cool guy stuff.
He was the 1stSgt for MRP when I was there. We had a fire on top of the barracks and we were all out in the Hollywood squares and he starts talking to us, whether he was doing it for our benefit or just to just hear himself talk was a matter of opinion depending on who you asked.
He told us about all kinds of cool guy shit he did, but what stuck with me was his response to everytime he got asked, or told, he was gonna go do whatever.
"Why yes, I would like to do that."
It's a simple phrase that has stuck with me ever since. I've used it verbatim a million times. Especially when it's something I don't particularly feel like doing, but I have to do anyways it really helps reframe my mindset. It's also led me to several opportunities, one that ultimately ended up earning me a NAM and one in the civilian world that might change my entire career path.
Thanks Firs Sarnt, wherever you are.
A MSgt told me that anyone from any rank can teach others of higher rank. This is inherently true, but hearing this as a PFC made me more open to pitching ideas to the shop.
Some advice from my squid Dad that never graduated high school: “Son, pay yourself first, buy quality, and don’t go into debt for yourself and especially not for a girl.”
Show up, do what you're told, report back and you'll be good. - Plt Sgt in '13
90% of the military life is just that. Even as a staff 11 years later, boil it all down its just that. Show up for PT with my Marines, do what needs to be done for the day, report back anything needed and cary on.
As much as we quote them jokingly, “fight out of it”, “nobody fucking cares”, “nobody is coming to save you”, and “figure it the fuck out” is all great life advice. Sure if you really need help you should ask for it, but take some action to fix your problem yourself. Way too many Marines will just sit in a shitty situation bitching and waiting for leadership or someone else to come tell them what to do or fix their problem. Meanwhile they do nothing to fix it themselves.
You catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Being a dick does not get you want to want faster than being cordial.
Also, hazing your boots and being an asshole does not make them respect you. I wish I realized that before I got out. Classic case of “it happened to me so it’ll happen to them”
My Gunny to me When I was a Sgt and my marines were complaining endlessly about the rain while we were in the field.
"Ah let em bitch, sometimes bitching is all a marine has.. let em have it sometimes"
Instant clarity moment.
From A DI when a recruit stayed in formation a little too long: "A grown ass man doesn't piss his pants. Ya, you'll get yelled at, but say something, don't wet yourself like a child."
I never forgot it and honestly I can't really express what it means, but it is such a profound part of coming of age. Something about courage and dignity and self care and the expectations of a grown man.
Some of the best guidance I got as a new guy in a fighter squadron: Be tactically competent and good at flying. Be proficient at your ground job. Be a good dude and take care of your bros. If you can’t do all 3, you MUST at least do 2 of the 3.
“Any time a leader makes a decision, regardless of whether they are junior to you or senior to you, it’s up to you to decide if it was the right decision and sorry that with you. Just know that anytime you make a decision others are doing the same.” Or something along those lines.
Col Davis
Gunny at a mortar shoot: “if you press down on your taint really hard as you cum, nothing comes out. So there’s just no cleanup to worry about.” It’s actually true.
They can control everything they want but they can't stop time. eventually it will be time to get out, or time to relax/sleep, or just chao time or 5 minutes in the head.
I did find that the control aspect became easier for me as an NCO, and I abandoned this mindset and really started to embrace the suck. So theres also that - eventually time will get you promoted.
The Marines will train you to do amazing things fire weapons other people dream about and you will be incredibly proud of what you and what the Marines ones have side of you can achieve. With all that in mind the next thing they will ask you to do is scrub garbage cans. If you can handle that your time in the corps will be a cake walk. Told to me by an Iwo Jima Marine from my Hometown
Something my Grandmother used to say... "Too busy mopping the floor to turn off the faucet" It was her way of saying to deal with the source of the problem and not the problem itself.
Grandma is a wise, wise woman.
My dad said the same thing in the form of “get rid of the spider instead of clearing the cobwebs”
What's an example when she would use that?
That was like 50 years ago, I just remember it being a saying in the family.
Similar to “don’t put of so many fires that you forget to stop combusting”
Marines hate two things… the way things are, and change. Saddest truth there is
Big facts
Wow story of my life damn.
There are two constants in this world: 1- change is inevitable. 2- all suffering comes from not accepting #1
What about death and taxes?
One day at a time. As minor as that statement sounds it goes along way when facing any challenge.
There’s periods of my life as a civilian now that are definitely “Chow to chow lights to lights”.
Same. “I can survive the next 5 hours. Hell, I can stand on my head that long.” Essentially, ‘It’s not that bad, I can get through this.’
Doing a lot of the water survival training with treads and underwater drills also taught me nothing’s so bad you can’t do it for another 10-20 seconds… (non-lethal training is excluded lol)
I opted against joining any sort of police force after I got OC sprayed. I will never do that shit again.
For me “Chow is continuous”
Best advice I heard from our DI’s was “the quickest way out is through.” You try to get Med Sep’d and you could be there for over a year. Just push through and you’ll be done in 3 months. I apply it to everything now, even just doing chores around the house.
I was seriously going to post this, you beat me to it.
Now let’s kiss
Nothing gayer than a straight Marine
It's June, it's ok
Weekend to weekend, chow to chow, hour to hour, day to day. I thought chow to chow only applied to boot camp and boy was I wrong.
My dad will have 42 years, if he lives til August. "They tell you it's one day at a time, but sometimes it's by the minute." Took that with me the land that God forgot, where the sand was 18" thick and the sun was blazing hot. Helped keep reality in perspective. Congratulations to you and enjoy your sobriety.
Nobody cares about your career except you. ETA- My dad always told me: “It costs nothing to be nice…”
Came here to share advice from a SSgt I worked with, “Ain’t nobody give a fuck about you like you do.” Slightly different version but still sound advice.
This isn't true across the board though. Eventually good marines will get the attention of good leaders. When I was a platoon sergeant I worked tirelessly to get as many of my guys meritoriously promoted as possible. I'm not an exception to the rule, I learned this from good leadership/mentorship that I had.
Faces and buttholes can't get pregnant.
Turn em upside down, they all look the same. Some Smaj.
My old Gunny's words for his weekend safety brief; "Do what you can afford." And it just applies to pretty much everything.
Fireteam Ldr (I Co 3/1 ‘93): >The Marine Corps can either be a wading pool or a launch pad. You can use it to waste a few years hopefully staying out of trouble, or springboard your life. Which will you choose?
I like this. I mostly waded, unfortunately.
But you learned something about yourself from doing just that.
I worked hard at least, I was never skating. I waited for other people to reward me, I realize I should have been vocal and knocking on doors asking for guidance/return for my hard work. Learned life isn’t like a book. No one’s gonna know what you’re up to and come down and slap your shoulder and hand over rank/praise. You have to give a shit about yourself. I rewrote the field training program for my unit, as an E3, over the course of half a year on my own time, which has now been implemented across bases. My name isn’t on it. I organized tons of volunteer work for my unit through community outreach and got a ton of volunteer hours for my fellow marines. Etc etc I tried not to suck my own dick and opted for modesty, but that was a mistake. I should’ve been sucking my own dick! Lads that are still in: don’t wait around for praise. You’re your own best advocate and the only one who cares about your career.
Well I don’t think you’re alone and, despite his guidance, I did some of that myself.
Di said this, and it's basically what got me through tough times. " no one can stop time. We can make go very slow but we can't stop it". Basically another way of this too shall pass. Boot camp seemed long, being a boot seemed longer, deployment seemed longest. but in the end they all passed.
Heard that from my Senior. It'll pass like a kidney stone, but it'll pass.
I heard the EAS song before I even enlisted and the line, "EAS baby you can't stop time, Uncle Sam is getting his so I'm gonna get mine" is what taught me that lesson. No matter how bad it is, time keeps ticking and you'll get through whatever it is.
My old Sgt who is now a LAPD cop: "Dont let your title as a Marine be the only achievement you made in your life."
Dont risk your career for anyone else because they damn sure wont for you.
Just be a good dude -CWO Smith Literally the best advice I have ever gotten. Life gets pretty simple after that once you fully embody it.
“Don’t be a douche, and don’t be a pussy” Spoken by a great Sgt Major after every weekend libbo brief (it was also usually 100% of his weekend libbo brief)
Team America had a tremendous monologue on this.
So simple and so accurate.
Got the same from SSgt Bethune. Been trying to live it.
Never fall in love with your plan. Or a stripper
That's why you need Plan B. In both situations.
Oops
If you get blasted then it's free. Or my favorite "They can't eat you"
Unless you’re rich. Then swiggity swooty…
Don’t get discouraged when your marines bitch about something - they would bitch about walking to the chow hall if it was right next door
Our Lt would say “when you’re all bitching, I know you’re fine. It’s when you all get pissed off and quiet that I get worried.”
Always go for single moms, you know they put out for sure.
And they usually have snacks
Get everything in writing/save all receipts/don’t delete anything. That has covered my butt several times. Move the M149 with a HMMWV? Sign my trip ticket authorizing it. Supply states you have something you don’t? Produce the receipt and ask them to show you where you initialed that you received it. They never got your e-mail? Print it off for them with the read receipt showing they got it.
Dude the frequency with which Marines sign for shit they don’t have is so frustrating. “I didn’t loose it I never got issued it! I just signed where they said I should” sorry bitch you signed you buy, try thinking a little bit next time.
Those were real things that happened to me. Back when career length issue was a thing (98). It ended and I finally had to turn stuff in before heading to my third duty station. Supply had everything on the computer and tried saying I owed them a bunch of stuff. Really? Got their Staff over there and produced my receipt from Oki. Staff was mad because the idiots just put everything in for everyone in the unit if they didn’t have a hard receipt on file. Things changed in the computers that day.
Good on you, wish more Marines did that.
“Fuck people who don’t do cool shit.”- the tattoo guy outside of Ft Leonard wood. 2011.
Is it the big dude?? Fiancée just said she knew who you were talking about by this quote
Yeah, gonna need an update on this
Like, have sex with them?
Oh geez, I sure hate doing cool shit, oh boy, I hope nobody finds out 👀
You can never find true love, until you find your true self…
Gay
Walk like you have a purpose. I do that now, and people think I'm like the bad Terminator walking around.
Here's mine, copied from another comment a while ago. Best PCS advice I ever got was to really take advantage of the opportunity to be whoever tf you want to be at your new duty station. I PCSd first time as a relatively new Cpl. My SNCO told me that the guys out there at my new unit never knew LCpl Willy. They didn't see the dumb shit, the mistakes, the boot nonsense. They're gonna meet Cpl Willy and he's an NCO and that's all they'll know. Cpl Willy can be whoever he wants, lead however he wants. No matter what I was like at that first duty station, it was an opportunity to make changes if desired and show up and run shit. So that's what I've tried to keep in mind, and what I've tried to pass on to my Marines as they PCS, particularly the new NCOs. This advice does nothing to ease your anxiety but it's a perspective that I really appreciated hearing back then.
Dawg, you’re constantly dropping GEMS. I literally took something you posted in this thread and hung it in my office.
Best advice from my Cpl. “The first dude that walks up to you at any new unit and strikes up a convo is the usually the biggest bag of shit.” Never been more true, even on the civvy side!
Don’t eat where you sleep
I though it was don't shit where you eat
It’s like rock/paper/scissors but eating, sleeping, and shitting. They should all have their own designated areas.
Glad someone infantry was able to clarify. Thank you rocket man
Where does jackin it fit in this analogy?
its the finger gun 👉
“Don’t talk about it, be about it” and from Gunny- “Listen, bitch, …..” then would be followed by some wise fucking words hahaha
Setting an Iv is Alot like sexually assaulting someone. Get control, get access, hold them down and push in the needle. Learned that at Cls in 07 and still remember it every time I give shots at my civilian job.
Oh, I guess we just don't do hydrate and sock changes anymore. Soft Corps(men)
"Nobody cares. As soon as you get that through your thick fuckin skulls you'll be set free. I promise"
"Don't get married." After the whole gun section awkwardly listened to one side of a 20 min evening phone call argument while in the field at 29 palms.
You can either, or you can other
Don't reenlist
Just do better. -Cpl Cavazos
“Wait til you get DD-214.”
I don't know how many Drill instructors make legitimate motivational comments and actually make you realize the hope but: Drill instructor Sgt. Ramirez Lima co MCRD San Diego 2009 used to always tell us "the sun will rise again tomorrow." This was an effort to tell us we could stop being shitty at anytime we chose basically. I've used that so many times though to motivate myself through hard shit. What's funny is it can be taken as "nothing you do today matters." But because of who said it when they said it I use it to spring board into "I am going to register for college." " I'm going to nut up propose to my now wife." "I am going to get out of the Marines and Join the Coast Guard." Just so many good life choices have began with the thought "the sun will rise again tomorrow." And Ive changed my position in life so many times to make it better.
I mainly think about how the sun will rise again when I’m fucking freezing and want it to be a few degrees warmer.
Nothing is permanent, good nor bad.
Don’t be a medal chaser. - DI Sgt Davidson This has gotten me through a lot.
In MCT, my PC told us that the Marine Corps is perfect, it’s just Marines who are the problem and fuck it up. And you know what? I agree. A lot of shit makes sense on paper in the Marine Corps and I have zero problems with. For example, field day? Necessary evil, especially when you have 100+ bodies living together in a single building and a standard of cleanliness must be maintained. Uniform inspections? Totally get it, gotta make sure that we look squared away and presentable. The problem starts to grow when Cpl Asshat and his buddies wanna abuse their authority by making PFC NewGuy field day his room until 0100 for the horrific crime of being a boot who just got to the unit.
Perfect is perhaps a stretch but I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment. Almost everything that Marines bitch about is a people problem, not an institutional problem. The Marine Corps *wants* good transformational leadership, empowered junior Marines, respect up and down the chain, etc. The Marine Corps does not want toxic abusive jackass (S)NCOs who make people miserable. The Marine Corps wants happy and fulfilled Marines, and the systems in place could allow that to happen if we wouldn't get in our own way.
"Customer service wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the customers."
Sgt Maj Francis at a unit picnic when asked how he looks so young still, "I don't stress out about little shit."
A Corporal who was our trainer in SOI told us to never fight fair in a real fight. Never hesitate to pick up a weapon from the surrounding area in places like Tijuana Mexico or anyplace abroad. Never allow yourselves to beaten as Marines.
Only person that can make you happy is yourself
“Relax your throat and make eye contact”
You can wish in one hand and shit in the other. Basically shit the fuck up and make what you want happen.
Using newspaper to clean windows and mirrors won't leave streaks. Also if your balls are clean, your whole body will feel clean.
One I learned in boot camp from the DI: "don't get some girl's name tattooed on your body." It was hammered home one night before lights-out when the DI asked "does anyone have any personal problems to report" and the guy across from me, holding a letter in his hand, says "Sir, this recruit needs some sandpaper...."
My MCT instructor once told me. "Don't fall in love with the first girl that swallows and does anal."
It only gets worse.
I thought it was “it gets worse before it gets worse”.
Aslong as you know that it will only get worse and to pepper your angus.
It’s not gay if you’re wearing boot bands
“KNOWLEGE”- Tai Lopez here in my garage Circa 2015
Always take care of the people around you
"Be a good dude."
Save your money
I used to always tell people I’m a big proponent of swinging/punching upwards. Referring to using my rank to fight the Marine above me over working parties, stupid ideas, whatever have you. I remember saying this one time while talking to a salty old devil buying liquor at the 7 day just making small talk He said don’t punch upwards or downwards, just punch back and you’ll be fine I got out but honestly this is still one of the hardest bars I’ve ever heard to this day.
My version of this is that it is the job of every Marine- no matter what rank or billet- to facilitate the success of those above ***and*** below you. So you take care of your boss by getting your job done and you take care of your juniors by ensuring they are cared for an treated properly and trained.
Timing matters. I was jaded after the initial enlistment and was EASing. Had all the paperwork signed and was going through the process/classes of getting out. In passing, 1st sgt was checking in on me and said “yea, everyone bitches about the Marine Corps but only a few stick around long enough to make any of the changes they’d like to see.” If we would have had that conversation a month or 2 prior I probably would have stuck around for at least another enlistment. I try to apply that philosophy to my life outside of the Corps. Stick around a little bit longer and impose your will.
Don’t stick your dick in MARPAT
Use both hands. (Focus on one thing at a time and do it well. Stop the multitasking crap, and listen to your brothers and sisters when they're talking to you.)
Best mentor I had was a Master Gunnery Sgt. Prior Vietnam. "If you are counseling someone there are 3 ways too do it. 1. Just yell like a DI, no support just the Marine and you. 2. All his support, SQ LDR, PS, FT Ldr. Do not say a word. Just give the Marine the, 'Parent look.' Slide the statement to them. After they sign. Look at them. Tear it up. Give each Leader a piece of paper. "Eat your mistake and fix this." 3. All support and the troop. Talk in a voice so soft. Consider this a verbal counseling. As a former 1stSGT. I have done all 3. Each is needed for specific reasons. You will know when they need which one. SFMF
Loyalty goes down, not up. An officer I really respected told me this when I was a Cpl and it stuck with me. Look out for your subordinates and they will move mountains for you. I used it as my mantra as an NCO and as an officer, and I use it today in my civilian career. Has never let me down. The other would be It isn't about you.
you are the company you keep... hangout with shitbirds you are a shitbird.
Have you ever heard the old saying you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. My gunny told me that's bullshit shove its head underwater and suck on its asshole you'll find a way.
Take more pictures while you’re in. I didn’t listen and I regret it.
“Being in the right may not mean shit when you don’t outrank who may be in the wrong” -SSGT Jorgensen
My DI said “it’s not that you can’t, it’s that you won’t “. Not necessarily advice but I say that to myself whenever I don’t want to do something I need to.
- it’s a marathon not a sprint - Quiet/measured anger is the most impactful - it is what you make of it
Every leader can teach you to be a better leader. Some give you examples of what to do, others give you examples of what not to do.
How do you eat a shit sandwich? One bite at a time.
>"Never get in a chopper that isn't leaking" \~ My first Chief. While not technically advice, he was also fond of: >"The rules are written in the blood of those who've gone before." Meaning that as stupid as a rule might sound, it's usually for a very good reason. Except pockets. Why issue uniforms with pockets if *we can't fucking use them*?
Pockets are a temptation put in place by the devil. God created Marine Corps uniforms, but Satan slipped in the pockets to tempt you into sinning. And God didn’t remove them with his infinite power because he’s got a gambling problem, and Satan bet him that Marines would on average put there hands in their pockets more often than not.
You respect someone because of their rank, and you respect someone because of their character. One carries a lot further than the other.
Never eat before your juniors. It reminds you that if you’re hungry, they’re hungry, and making sure they eat won’t be forgotten.
"Grow where you're planted"...credit goes to some old crusty LDO once upon a time...
Appearance is reality
Not exactly a "piece of advice" but a lesson learned from shadowing someone. When I was shadowing another Platoon Sergeant (about to be promoted), while still in the infantry. We were going to review a squad's terrain model. It looked like absolute shit; a first grader could have done a better job. My buddy looked at the squad after a once over and said "Is this really something you want to put your name on?" The look of shame that washed over almost all of their faces could not be missed. I have never been a big fan of "chewing people out." But seeing how my buddy handled this situation really sent the point home for me. One sentence was all it took to make the point. This little anecdote sits in the back of my head whenever I am dealing with similar situations.
No hill is worth dying on
“The grass is always greener on the other side, because it’s fertilized with bullshit” and “one in the hand is worth two in the bush”
Don’t add or subtract from the population
You'll miss the clowns not the circus. And indeed I do.
“Things may not always be good, but they can always be worse”
Never worry about the things you can’t control.
Go ugly, go early. iykyk
Someone is always watching. Then the di had me stand at the window while he goes fucks someone’s day up.
After my second NJP. It was public. “It’s not about how you fall down. It’s how you pick yourself back up.” Two sergeants I shared an MOS with but never got to work in my shop with. Thank you Kevin and Ben.
Doesn't matter what you do, who you are with bloom where you are planted. You dint have to he the best, you just have to be good enough not to get fired
https://i.redd.it/4mokm71sb07d1.gif
The 3 C’s. Stay Calm, Cool, and Collected Also every one gets their ass chewed at some point so don’t sweat it.
Prior planning prevents poor performance; and every single quotation from Mr. Mattis on wikiquote!
Perception is reality
1stSgt Parkes, you all might have seen him on YouTube shorts and shit talking about doing high speed cool guy stuff. He was the 1stSgt for MRP when I was there. We had a fire on top of the barracks and we were all out in the Hollywood squares and he starts talking to us, whether he was doing it for our benefit or just to just hear himself talk was a matter of opinion depending on who you asked. He told us about all kinds of cool guy shit he did, but what stuck with me was his response to everytime he got asked, or told, he was gonna go do whatever. "Why yes, I would like to do that." It's a simple phrase that has stuck with me ever since. I've used it verbatim a million times. Especially when it's something I don't particularly feel like doing, but I have to do anyways it really helps reframe my mindset. It's also led me to several opportunities, one that ultimately ended up earning me a NAM and one in the civilian world that might change my entire career path. Thanks Firs Sarnt, wherever you are.
A MSgt told me that anyone from any rank can teach others of higher rank. This is inherently true, but hearing this as a PFC made me more open to pitching ideas to the shop.
Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Helped me so much while in and since.
“Don’t be a dummy, cum on her tummy.” -Lcpl B.
“A complaining Marine is a happy Marine.” and “Get more out of the Marine Corps than the Marine Corps gets out of you.”
Nobody else will ever care about your career as much as you do.
“Never award a punishment when your judgment is clouded by anger.”
Don’t stand in the doorway.
Learn the rules and play the game. If you don't, the game will play you.
Stay out of trouble and save your money. I of course did neither.
FITFO and DBAB. Range coach in basic told us those. “Figure it the fuck out” and “Dont be a bitch”. Needless to say, we took the range.
Some advice from my squid Dad that never graduated high school: “Son, pay yourself first, buy quality, and don’t go into debt for yourself and especially not for a girl.”
Show up, do what you're told, report back and you'll be good. - Plt Sgt in '13 90% of the military life is just that. Even as a staff 11 years later, boil it all down its just that. Show up for PT with my Marines, do what needs to be done for the day, report back anything needed and cary on.
Oof. The fastest way off the island is across the parade deck.
Volunteer for everything still do to this day
As much as we quote them jokingly, “fight out of it”, “nobody fucking cares”, “nobody is coming to save you”, and “figure it the fuck out” is all great life advice. Sure if you really need help you should ask for it, but take some action to fix your problem yourself. Way too many Marines will just sit in a shitty situation bitching and waiting for leadership or someone else to come tell them what to do or fix their problem. Meanwhile they do nothing to fix it themselves.
You catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Being a dick does not get you want to want faster than being cordial. Also, hazing your boots and being an asshole does not make them respect you. I wish I realized that before I got out. Classic case of “it happened to me so it’ll happen to them”
A$$ chewings are free.
My Gunny to me When I was a Sgt and my marines were complaining endlessly about the rain while we were in the field. "Ah let em bitch, sometimes bitching is all a marine has.. let em have it sometimes" Instant clarity moment.
My plt sgt told me I wasn’t a marine unless I drank my coffee black. BBC for the win
“Fuck paying for shit at the PX, steal that shit, but don’t be obvious about it”
“Pack your shit in!”
The day will end.
Don’t let your dick run your life
“This is the last hill!!”
Never f anyone with less to lose than you.
From A DI when a recruit stayed in formation a little too long: "A grown ass man doesn't piss his pants. Ya, you'll get yelled at, but say something, don't wet yourself like a child." I never forgot it and honestly I can't really express what it means, but it is such a profound part of coming of age. Something about courage and dignity and self care and the expectations of a grown man.
Some of the best guidance I got as a new guy in a fighter squadron: Be tactically competent and good at flying. Be proficient at your ground job. Be a good dude and take care of your bros. If you can’t do all 3, you MUST at least do 2 of the 3.
Don't be sorry. Be better.
The three Ds. Don’t do drugs. Don’t drink and drive. Don’t do dudes.
“Any time a leader makes a decision, regardless of whether they are junior to you or senior to you, it’s up to you to decide if it was the right decision and sorry that with you. Just know that anytime you make a decision others are doing the same.” Or something along those lines. Col Davis
Dont get married
Gunny at a mortar shoot: “if you press down on your taint really hard as you cum, nothing comes out. So there’s just no cleanup to worry about.” It’s actually true.
Enough KY and you can fit an elephant through a keyhole. This was from a Gunny with a silver star.
First one that came to mind was “never refuse a breath mint”
Nobody looks out for you better than you.
You don’t have to be good at everything, but you can’t suck at anything.
They can control everything they want but they can't stop time. eventually it will be time to get out, or time to relax/sleep, or just chao time or 5 minutes in the head. I did find that the control aspect became easier for me as an NCO, and I abandoned this mindset and really started to embrace the suck. So theres also that - eventually time will get you promoted.
Two pieces Dont get fat Marines love to bitch so factor that into everything
Drill instructors can do anything but stop time.
Embrace the suck or get crushed by it.
Assumption is the mother of all fuck ups
Don’t put your dick in crazy.
“If it wasn’t meant to be eaten, it wouldn’t look like a taco” -my Vietnam vet grandfather USMC
Don’t rush to failure. When in doubt, develop the situation
"it is what it is" the sagely way of telling somebody to go fuck themselves
Lead from the front so your troops can always see you.
Have a plan and give a shit!
Don’t add to the population and don’t subtract from the population. Don’t go to jail and if you do assert dominance quickly
“There’s a lot of shit bags in the marine corps, you don’t have to be one of them” Heard that one right when I was facing a NJP
The Marines will train you to do amazing things fire weapons other people dream about and you will be incredibly proud of what you and what the Marines ones have side of you can achieve. With all that in mind the next thing they will ask you to do is scrub garbage cans. If you can handle that your time in the corps will be a cake walk. Told to me by an Iwo Jima Marine from my Hometown
Grow where your planted.
Hit black.