My Biggest Failure in Life - The Marine Corps
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- Опубліковано 5 лют 2025
- #marines #story #bootcamp
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Thanks for watching, and thanks for your support as always.
Crazy how you've seen more combat than 99% of your peers in the Marine Corps. Happy birthday bro
I thought he'd said he'd never been in combat? (May be being a fuckwit with this comment pls correct me if there's more to seeing combat or I'm just wrong or smth)
@@cthulhuaid2998he’s seen more combat than most of the grunts he trained with 😅
no combat in the marine corps but he has volunteered in multiple countries and has seen a lot of combat@@cthulhuaid2998
@@cthulhuaid2998he’s definitely seen combat
@@cthulhuaid2998 He said he never shot someone, I think.
Reuploaded because the audio was shit. Made this video because it’s the Marine Corps Birthday and my experience in the Marines will hopefully show how who you were yesterday doesn’t define your future. Thanks to the members for giving me courage to put out personal videos like these ❤️
you shouldn't need courage man, this is your channel, your choice wether to upload this or not. maybe you wanna upload it later, that's your choice
also glad you're still with us, and didn't off yourself ♥️ I love your content and you give me inspiration
(even though you may not have known back then 😂)
@CivDiv Happy 248th Birthday Devil Dog! 🍻🇺🇸🫡
still is by the way
Brother this video explains my time in the Army perfectly. Thank you for putting this out. Sometimes with all the failures in life, its hard to realize your worth. This video alone is going to help thousands of people who have had similar experiences in the military.
Audio is still a bit quiet but not that bad
This one hurts to hear, I do remember those days getting to a unit as a young boot with all combat vets hazing you day in day out. That compounded with the physical stressors was, at times, unbearable. Glad to see you are doing so well today on UA-cam and for yourself along your OWN journey my brother. Get some. 3/5 vet/Fellow UA-camr 🤘
Wpns Plt K 3/5 here. Respect to this Devil Dog, but when he couldn't make the hikes in Infantry Training he should have been discharged or offered a lateral move. These stories are repeated thousands of times. It's a meat grinder.
My buddy was in 3/5. Cheers Semper Fi.
You just hit a point eventually. I got myself ad-sep after my first deployment in the Army. Everyone has a point
Wicked seeing you on other videos I watch, love your content brother!
Were you in Iraq in 06?
The reason why so many people leave is simply because they were loyal to the service but the service was not loyal to them.
This right here.
Real
1000% correct
The Marines is a grinder, but so is life.
Oh well
Real
The only failure that I'm hearing is a failure of your leadership to straighten shit out. You are 100% U.S. Marine, you've got the heart, you've got the mindset, you earned the title and then some. I'm really sorry to hear that shit like that still goes on. I was in in the 90's and I have a friend who just retired two years ago (he had five years in the civ div before going back in), from what I had seen and heard from him, things had changed quite a lot for the better, but of course it's a big Marine Corps and change will be at different levels in different places. I look at you as a role model, brother and I know you are that for a lot of people watching. I wish all Americans could witness what you're doing for people who aren't even American, it's a huge lesson in humanity that too many people lack.
I forgot to add... it's incredible that this isn't being fixed, considering that we struggle to recruit as much as we do, across all services. The number of people qualified to join without a stack of waivers is getting fewer and fewer. The values among the general American public are diminishing where serving, let alone risking their lives for anyone but themselves. This really can't continue. I had a really cush time when I was in (luck of the draw on orders, etc.), even so I would tell people that the Marines would chew you up, spit you out and whoever came running back for more were the ones they wanted to keep, but I had no idea how true that was.
Thats 99% of Marine corp leadership,,,,,there is none
People who aren't Marines have no idea how difficult it probably was to make this video. Dude, you didn't fail at all - realistically, they should have played to your strengths and not have tried to double down on your weaknesses. They could've made you an RTO, CLS guy, company office, etc. Instead, they broke your body and your spirit which goes against everything the Marine Corps stands for. Happy Birthday Devil, hope you enjoyed your weekend.
The Marine Corps is notorious for cannabilizing its own for their weaknesses rather than playing to their strengths.
Homelessness, drinking problems, slow promotions, and a lot of STRESS!
It's NOT JUST A MARINE CORPS PROBLEM, the US ARMY Infantryman ALSO FOUGHT IN HEAVY COMBAT....IN ALL THE WARS THIS COUNTRY HAS EVER HAD, NEVER FORGET THAT...From a disabled Army veteran, served as an Infantryman with the 82nd Airborne division.
@@jackdaniel7465 facts
@@MLGtroll365 Thank you Brother, I never want anyone to forget any of our Fallen Brothers and Sisters, no matter what branch they served in.
This pisses me off so much that the Corps did this to you. You did not fail, the Corps failed you.
'Negative Counselling'...what a nasty euphemism for plain nasty group behaviour...toxic and does nothing to make you tougher or a better warrior - shutting down any possibility of you moving to a different OMS. And100% - it's disappointing to hear about how the rest of the troop managed you after everything we hear about the brotherhood of the Corps etc...he now has more battle experience than 80% of the USMC today.
@@nspr9721 try 90 most of these soldiers are just pencil pushers/pt professionals haha they may look good in training but when shit hits the fan 50% of them will fail the others will be to dishevelled to do anything practical with their lives
@danielcoppock Marines. Not soldiers. ....and even our non infantry mos's Marines are held to a pretty high standard. ALL Marines are rifleman. It's not like the army where u have ur job and that's it....thats ur job, period. In the usmc, we were expected to be able to fight as rifleman even if we weren't in infantry itself. In the usmc, a decent portion of the troops were in infantry battalions. I believe ur 90% stat might be army.
Just wanted to clarify that. Have a good one!
DIIIICK RIIIIIIIIIIDER SIMP ALERT
@SemperFi_EDC_Guy I’m not sure about that he stated 2015+ and 90% seems more then reasonable. And as far as army goes it’s all on what you are. I know my 10 years sf we got into the thick of it but the last 4 years and contractor I seen more combat in those 3.5 years then the full 10 in the army. But from 15+ service men did a lot of nothing other then patrols that I can remember being in. 2008-2012ish was by far the funniest times I had. Because are hands wasn’t tide so much, and they let us get after it.
You're a really tough dude man. I hate how the military gaslights people with that BS 'mind over matter'. It's useful to a point but it's overkill in many cases, your's being one of them. Thanks for your service, I'm sorry it got so dark, I'm sorry your leadership and team members didn't respect you the they could have and should have, the way you deserved. Your record speaks for itself. God bless brotha.
there are always people, no matter how great they are, that are pure liability in the field. the failure was on his recruiters part. not entirely, but for the role he was sent in to be expected to fill. it is every ones job to weed out the unfit, inorder to keep the unit alive. leaders are hard on every one because their experience has taught them they have to be, they know who won't make it almost all of the time, and they are rarely wrong. there is no forgiveness in combat, and little room for error that doesn't kill you or your unit, or those on your side, even the forgiveness of weakness in others compromises you in ways combat will expose immediately. there is a reason for the motto UNIT CORPS GOD COUNTRY. this right here is but ONE of the reasons why.
if you can't be depended upon and every one has to drop down and hold back at your level, it is the difference between life and death. bad weather, bad terrain, hostile environment, and an enemy trying to kill all of your side.
i 100% agree with Civs assessment, but if you do that for one legitimate case, the amount of others with a lack of faith, self esteem, and an ability to overcome that shortcoming, will be the first in line burying guys like Civ so far back it's obscurity.
and weeding out legitimacy from fraudulence takes alot of experience, wisdom, time, resources, patience, humility, and sanity that doesn't hardly exist, and most importantly WILL of senior leadership to do so, or FIND and TRAIN worthy minions who can.
not to mention doctors are like finding gold nuggets in your travels, more plentiful than god, but not even close to being a resource to be relied upon to solve any of this.
everything in the military is in short supply, and the rules are so effe'd up because of the few, who won't do anything right on their own volition have to make it that way for all, which causes every one to be mad all the time, which has been found to be good when you order them to kill other people, because of the automatic desire to release that anger finally at a directed target, with out any or little to no moral thought about IF and WHY they should follow commands. " just do it " most soldiers(9 out of every 10) when given the order to shoot an enemy, it has been found for many decades, don't actually try to succeed in this objective, for moral and conscious reasons, despite leadership well observing, that the soldiers had every dead right and opportunity. there are subconscious reasons that will cause most to 'miss' the kill shot.
everything that happens in the military is done by design to reduce this fallibility and not 'think, just do'.
your greatest enemy is yourself, your greatest hero is also yourself, you just haven't discovered this yet, if you don't already know it. sounds cryptic...it's something gained and requires hindsight during and after your challenges. failure is necessary to achieve this realization and understanding.
it's only okay to fail, when it doesn't hurt or kill you and those on your team......i could go further, but i will stop here. i'm not being paid for this, and it's something experience has to teach you anyways.
old men know better, they lack the ability of youth to do so. youth is not wasted on the young, it is the ability to try and learn this from the previous generations before losing the ability, and pass it on to the next generations to progress further than where the previous had left off.
I've never heard unit, Corps, God, country..ever.
My whole enlistment, I've never heard it. The only place I heard it was in the movie, "A Few Good Men."🤔
@@aprilgeneric8027u watch too many movies
You've clearly never trained for sas, sbs, seals or delta force clearly mind over matter is bassically the training words every day. marines have to do wayyyyy less hiking and climbing than the special forces.
@@resiefan3258no shit?
Had an experience the exact opposite of yours, but somehow almost identical. I excelled at hiking, I did awesome at all the training, I had zero problems. Meritorious promotion, was an NCO only 2 years into my enlistment. Did two combat deployments. Medals, commendations, I was a real command favorite. My senior NCO's and officers loved me and pointed to me as an example of how a real marine infantryman should act. They were going to give me sergeant if I re-enlisted, which I was seriously considering. Thing is, I had been in a LOT of combat, got blown up by IEDs on 3 separate occasions. Had a buddy get his head blown off by a sniper, had another lose his legs to an IED. I was starting to have a lot of problems. On the exterior I was still the perfect Marine, but I was waking up at night screaming. My juniors knew to wake me up with a stick or something because if I was in arms reach when I woke up I might attempt to punch or strangle whoever woke me up. So I tried to go to sick call for our unit to talk about it, but got told it was nothing. Tried to go to the chaplain but he wasn't really interested. I wanted to get squared away before I re-enlisted and since my unit wasn't helping I went to base psych and told them what I was dealing with. Suddenly my entire world got turned upside down. The same leadership who were so hard charging for me to stay in, rank up, and eventually join them in the upper echelons turned on me. I was moved to an empty barracks across the street and left totally alone with no contact from my brothers. My unit literally abandoned me, the only human contact I had for 3 months was staff NCOs and officers who would show up to my room to trash the place and scream at me for being such a huge piece of shit. I wasn't even officially in any trouble, I had done nothing wrong, I sought help for my problems using the channels they had told me to in a hundred PTSD awareness briefings and classes. They had just decided that since I was no longer useful that I needed to be gotten rid of. Despite all the awful things I ever saw, did, or had done to me in combat, that betrayal was probably the worst thing to ever happen to me in my life. I put my entire soul into the Marine Corps and gave literally everything I had and the moment I needed them, I was thrown away like a bag of trash.
Jesus... shitty deal, Brother. Their failure, not yours.
Wtf, that sounds fucking horrible. I hope you were able to receive some form of help now and actually have someone who you can talk to.
Sometimes, people who get into power immediately get very drunk on it. They show you all these PowerPoint sessions on PTSD, then....WHAT#$%^?? You actually, use said knowledge????? You had real concerns based on real issues (you're bro getting his head shot off, IED's, Deployment Trauma). Does it come out of their paycheck when you go get help for it? I totally don't get it. These people failed you on a galactic scale.
that sounds so like the consequences of malvinas war in my country. Cheer`s Corporal salutes from a 2nd lt Arg army.
This is what you always were to the American military, a tool. Soldiers are necessary tools in the army, and if you're a faulty tool you're no longer useful
I learned in 2007-2008 during my deployment with the 82nd Airborne that your own chain of command can be more dangerous than the enemy. The weight carrying requirements were idiotic and super destructive on the human body. Literally nobody in WW2 or Vietnam carried 120lbs of gear. I’m 6’ 200lbs and I hated carrying my aid bag plus body armor plus additional gear, I could literally feel my vertebrae crushing. When I crossed over into Special Operations that idiocy ended real quick. We used to laugh at the regular Army guys looking like turtles struggling to walk on missions
U.S. soldiers trained with at least 60 pounds but carried additional rations and munitions in combat. During World War II, U.S. troops carried more than 80 pounds in the Normandy landings.
U.S. soldier loads increased even more dramatically in the second half of the 20th century.
What i get from this is that US army training command want to "perform" the best and are breaking records trying to show that they are worth all that money!
they dont care if you cant do it, they want to break every record they can to show superiors that they are the "best" no matter what.
Look they can carry more weight then ww2 guys did that means we are better then the USA best soldiers of all time!
Remember 101st airborne? Yeah we carry double the weight now to try to impress grandpa!
30 year olds should not have back problems when they are the backbone of the army...
its sad that when war does start out either all this is going to get fixed at the first combat or they are going to die with it.
what special ops? One of the main requirements at SFAS is being able to carry 50 pounds on ur back all day lmfao?
@@NervousThunder1 he is right, im in special operations and we dont do that. "humans are more important than hardware". during slection and etc yeah you do it but once youre in thats over
I had a friend who literally broke his back in training with the 82nd Airborne. He explained that it happened because his standard parachute wasn't designed for his weight (he was exceptionally big in height and muscle) AND all the weight he was ordered to carry (particularly the M60).
He said, the logic was that since he was the biggest soldier in the company, he should be the one to jump with the M60.
Any physics or engineering freshman could explain why the smallest person should be the soldier to jump with the M60.
@ieatoutoften872 my grandpa had the callsign, "Cargo" becase he was 6'9 270 with a 6 pack.
As a result, he had to use a cargo chute to drop as he was way too heavy in a full loadout to use a regular chute safely.
I had the same issue at 6'6 245 doing my stint with the SF as well, on top of finding out the hard way single friction knots dont hold a fully loaded person my size. I was also the corpsman, so I was carrying 25 to 50lbs of medbag on top of everything else, too.
As a result: sadly all too familiar for me lol
As a retired HMC (Corpsman) who spent 12 years with the Marine Corps it hurts me to see this video because it happened a lot to other Marines. I had to have many a talk with SGT's, SSGT's, Gunnys, to CO's about how some Marines were being treated and took a lot of BS my self for intervening. I don't have any negative feelings about you and you are a Hard Charger and seemed to have built yourself up to be a better man than what you thought of yourself before. I am glad to have watched your videos for sometime now and if I were your Dad I would be proud to call you Son and Marine. Charge on Marine, Semper Gumby.
Thank you Doc to you and every Corpsman who ever served. Wouldn't be alive today if it wasn't for one particular Doc on a Medevac who came to us against orders and the rest of the medical team.
Semper Fi
@@edmunddantes7165 on behalf of all Corpsmen who served before me and who are currently serving, it was my greatest honor to serve our Marines. Thank you for your service and for the Doc who served with you.
I had an extremely similar experience in the Navy. Your story makes me feel less broken. Thank you for sharing.
It seemed like the Marine Corps failed you. I'm joining the military as an officer in my country. I'll remember to listen to my guys and do my best to watch out for them. I want to set my guys up for success, not kick them while they're down. Thanks for sharing your experience.
I would salute anyone named roflwaffer, thank you for your service
No dude, he just failed cuz he's a bitch, and then he couldn't handle being a quitter, and was making up for the lack of balls by going to foreign units. Not only that, he's literally fighting FOR the enemy (Ukraine)
My neighbor who was in the Army told me a bit about the men he guided. He was like a father to them helping with all kinds of personal decisions, financial etc. Unfortunately some men are so Alpha Dog they are hardly human. Too bad. My dad was a Marine and very proud to the end of his days, WW2 and Korea. Don't let your humanity fail you. Remember when you are a leader you are also a servant to those you lead.
I hope you do, because it seems to me they left a man behind.
A new boot lt, sometimes it’s not up to you. Good luck.
This guy is brutally honest and that is very high bar for all of us!!! I served with a few of you Marines while in the Navy.
Same here I was a Seabee and worked right next to them and got treated so much better. It’s fucking weird how shitty they are.
@@davidmiller571 this dude is a clown and is sketchty as hell, dont believe his story
@@kevinthegreat2141 I saw first hand how marines get treated while I was deployed with them in 2010. You may be right about this guy but the marines have a problem.
@ yeah, you might be right, but you saw the same thing i didd
You have turned a negative situation into a positive reality. You have contributed to the success of many units. You'll never receive an official award for these actions but I think all of us in the "have experienced combat" community applaud your work. Well done.
I noticed in several of your videos that you incorporate training during down time, or even during lulls in the mission. This is an incredible contribution that can't be emphasized enough. Well done.
There's not a lot grey haired people running missions. Resolve in your heart when you feel that you have done well, and fall back. Save some for the fight in the future if someday we find ourselves fighting for the survival of very own families. If you were my son, after all that you have been through, I would say it's time to put the weapon back in the rack, and pick up the clipboard. You have a keen knack for training. One good warrior can train thousands of fighters but a dead warrior has contributed his last.
As many can attest to, especially us grey hairs, those bumps and bruises only get worse as the years tick by.
You have done well, now go and live well.
You're fucking ballsy bro honestly. To just go to Syria by yourself to fight with Kurds is legendary, even if you just chilled in a cave it still sounds like quite the adventure. You are a very unique person and most people in the marines haven't had half the adventures you had.
😅 he didn’t just chill in a cave 😅
@@BaconSlayer69 , in his videos that's more or less how he, Civ Div, himself explains it. Training the kurds and living in a cave. With the ever looming threat of airstrikes and being raided. That alone is badass. No fucking chance in hell would I go to syria alone.
@@theuproar6858exactly
“Who you were yesterday doesn’t define your future” big up to you. You inspire me
That's right, it isn't where you start that counts, it's where you finish, that counts.
Hey brother. As much as I don’t want to admit it, I believe everything you are saying. I left in 2004 when my first contract ended. Leadership was becoming a really bad issue and I saw the writing on the wall. Unfortunately, those shit bags ended up being your leaders instead of guys like me that left. Semper Fi brother. Happy birthday.
This seems to be a common theme. The good people say fuck this shit, and the kneepad wearing bureaucrat dickheads stay in for the pension no matter what.
I get what you're saying bec I've seen it in other units. I've seen horrible leadership from like company gunny and 1st Sgt but I had the best leaders the corps had to offer at the plt level. I was the same size as he said he was but I used it as motivation to push myself to the level I needed to perform at that level. I get it that not everyone's body can handle performing at a level that fast pace and extremes.
I hated the toxicity but I appreciate the benefits I earned from the Marines.
@@robertstillwell2239The biggest issue is that he didn't have time to recover. Your body can't handle more than it can heal from and recuperate from. If he'd been given the time to put on muscle mass he'd likely have been capable of excelling, I'm sure, but he was never given the time or the calories to be able to put on that weight.
@@KeterMalkuth THIS! As a German I don't know much about the US Military. But I was envisioning a situation like in a movie I saw, where he would get extra rations and a training buddy "prescribed" from his Leadership to bulk him up.
Instead they were running him into the ground. Sad.
Marine, Listen up. I'm an 0311 as well. I am a little bit before your time, I joined up in 2003 when I was 17 as well. You and I have a lot in common devil. I want you to know my brother, you never learn anything from winning even though winning feels good. You learn everything from failing and then learning from these mistakes. I am proud of you for making this video because you can tell us what your weaknesses are, but you show what your strengths are too. You have integrity, your intelligent, and don't sound like a whining ass boot. It sounds like to me your senior NCO leadership failed you, your officers failed you, and ultimately your team failed you. It wasn't the Marine Corps that failed you, just assholes in it. Stand tall brother, you did shit alot of people can't even imagine doing, some folks don't even know what it means to fall asleep walking, in pain, freezing, and starving. These folks don't know there are people in the world when a guy is down, their guys will carry him, his mortar tube, maybe a machine gun or gear or whatever it takes. God bless you brother and Semper Fi! We are Marines I stick with you.
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i just graduated bootcamp in October and i know exactly what u mean by “falling asleep while walking” cause it happened to me hiking to the reaper. I don’t have even close enough of experience that you do buh im currently in BMP at MCRD (Basic Military Platoon.) I got injured during field week and didn’t report my injury till i was in M-Days bacc down in MCRD. I can handle physical pain buh mentally im slowly breaking down. It’s depressing asf in BMP, yuh we get our phones, offbase libo buh u don’t even feel like a Marine. You’re just stuck between bootcamp and MCT. I wanna complete my 4 yrs buh mentally im not whole. ion wanna sound like im complainin buh ts already fuckin wimme mentally
The only right thing to do, is do what your body and mind tells you, if it is all fucked inside get the fuck out, if your having cold feet dig deep and get where you want to go. The only truth is through God maybe you can start there and I wish you the best of luck devil.
@@astrobemovin
That's absolutely right man, the Corps (at least when I was in 2011-2017) was full of assholes. Most of my NCOs when I showed up to the fleet had fucked up their lives in one way or another, or they were on their way to doing so. The Corps was a pretty broken community during the middle/end of GWOT. A lot of really hurt and messed up dudes were left alone and it resulted in the kind of failure that was described in this video.
I have friends of mine that have seen more war and combat that are now senior NCOs all in retirement zones, my boys tell me about all of the "changes" being made to make the USMC "return" to their "roots" and none of the shit is really in anyones best interests in a lot of ways. This is a conversation best had elsewhere but semper gumby my friend!@@adamdew6789
Semper Fidelis Marine. You may not have had the physical stature to “hack it” in our gun club but my dude you’ve got the heart and soul of a warrior and more than most devils I served with. Great video brother and love the honesty. Every single one of us will fail at one point or multiple times but failure builds character and teaches and your perseverance in the face of adversity is honorable. You’ve earned the title and no one can take it from you.
I feel you bro, I was 5'5 120ish coming out of bootcamp and I didn't know but I also developed a stress fracture during the crucible that stayed with me through SOI and as I'm starting to do my VA shit apparently I might have fucking asthma, somehow I just thought it was hard to breathe for everyone or I just wasn't in good enough shape and I was just being a pussy so I just dealt with it the whole contract. ITB hikes were hell on Earth and while I was lucky everyone was super supportive I still felt like a piece of shit, I just felt like my body wasn't made to move like that on those hikes and I was letting everyone down, I was in a super dark place for awhile because of it.
Really similar situation, kind of glad it’s not just me 😅 hope the va stuff goes well man, and thanks for the donation that’s really nice of you
@@CivDiv no problem bro, I’ve always liked the content even though YT keeps unsubbing me but with everything you’ve done outside the Corps I figured you would’ve been hot shit in the fleet. It’s pretty inspiring to hear a story similar to mine especially with all you’ve accomplished since
@@SScozzari I have PT induced asthma that went undiagnosed my entire time in the Marine Corps. Same feelings. On my first deployment to Afghanistan I almost died our first PT run at that 8k elevation. I got a healthy dose of "suck it the f up" before falling out on my face.
@@logic2818 yeah they just told me I was just heat casing and to just drink water, I had a watch that read heart rate and that shit read 195
@@SScozzari Yea I can't remember what the Corpsman thought at the time but I'm just grateful I never died. I'm pretty sure my heart rate was near the same, when I came to I felt like death was close I was gasping for air feeling like I couldn't get oxygen for close to 5 minutes. Shit scared the crap out of me.
Hey brother, happy 248, I hope this finds you well. As a former Marine NCO and a combat vet, I'd like to say I'm proud to call you a brother Marine and I wish your experience with the Marine Corps could have had a happier ending. You raised your hand and earned the title, please don't diminish that for yourself or feel as though you owed anyone anything more than you gave. Despite what happened to you, you have made a difference and you have carried your part of the legacy forward. I would have been happy to have you in my squad and I think you are doing great brother. Keep up the fight and hold your head high.
Hey there, thanks for your service. I have family problems, I was forced to do Young marines as a kid, and my family is forcing me to ship to a military boarding academy. Im wanting to do Marines once im done with the academy... Whats your advice? This sounds like the Marines treat its forces like horse crap. Should I reconsider my life course? Any advice is appreciated.
I sympathize with you brother. I was a Marine infantryman as well from 2017-2021. I don’t think people fully understand why the Marine Corps is considered the hardest branch to serve in. The training isn’t that hard. The deployments and jobs really aren’t that hard. It’s the fact that service in many infantry units is much like a prison sentence with added deployments/combat. Several Marines I knew who had been incarcerated said this as well. You will be treated like a prisoner, and the culture is very similar to the criminal world in many ways.
Admittedly, I performed very well as a Marine, but I guarantee you every “stud” came close to or brushed up against their breaking point as well. The Marine Corps attracts extreme personalities. I like to consider the Marine Corps as less of an organization, and more of a cultural furnace that incinerates some and refines others. Whether we hated it or loved it, we can definitely say it shaped who we are today.
I eas'd 2011 had a 292 pft. I had a issue with the hazing after a while that was my only real issue. Led to a NJP first year and even more hazing. Squad leader made me super strong somehow got my good cookie in the end. Iraq I decided idgaf I am not a boot no more and wouldnt take the shit. We had 3 squads and were on a tough schedule. It felt like being in jail op so small you couldnt run it. So yeah there was issues no one to hear you scream out there lmao!! Good times though
Having been in the Navy, not the Marine Corps, I definitely relate powerfully to deployment being like a prison sentence, except out on a steel prison. I was in 2013 to 2017.
@@ScrapperSays I floated with the Navy for a bit on my last deployment. Definitely not fond of being on ship in excess of 45 days haha. Glad you made it out alright tho brother!
Well said, Semper Fi
@@cryeordie glad you made it out too bro!
Hey brother, one of those 30 first dudes in the unit with you. I check in here every once and a while, glad to see you're still doing good shit. I can attest to the absolutely fucking horrendous leadership we had at that time. Massive respect to you for all the shit you've done since you got out brother and stoked to see you keepin your head up
I'm guessing you guys were 1/7? I was 2/7 getting out around the time you guys were getting in. fucking brutal place to be a boot man. if I hadn't gotten lucky and passed SSP indoc as a boot I don't know if I could have hacked it, I hated my CAAT section so bad it was unreal.
Hey there, thanks for your service. I have family problems, I was forced to do Young marines as a kid, and my family is forcing me to ship to a military boarding academy. Im wanting to do Marines once im done with the academy... Whats your advice? This sounds like the Marines treat its forces like horse crap. Should I reconsider my life course? Any advice is appreciated.
I did the same thing same experience with the army. You are a great dude and forever a marine . You don’t have to prove yourself to anybody else , enjoy your life
I wonder if your story would have been different if you had gone Army.
My old man was Army during Vietnam. 3/21 23rd, 196LIB. He was a short man with asthma, and he was very underweight when he joined because of an abusive childhood. In fact, he was forced to join because my grandmother wanted to date again, and she thought it made her look old having a 17 year old floating around. Yeah... that's how fracked up my family was.
Anyhow. My pops actually gained weight in the army. He started out as a buck ten, and he was around 160lbs by the time he got out. It probably helped that he blew nearly his entire army paycheck on buffets every chance he got (starvation was a thing when he was a kid).
He was the medic. In addition to the medical gear, he carried double his allocation of water. He carried the M16A1, and 1000 rounds assorted (some in mags and some on stripper clips). He carried all his regular soldier's gear. Grenades. Claymores. And on top of that, he would carry law tubes or belts for the M60 when it was his turn to do so. No one told him to carry that thousand rounds of 5.56, but he did it anyways because he had funny ideas about preventive medicine. I'll just leave it at that.
He made it. But the marines screwed you as far as I'm concerned. They set you up for failure, and that's bullshit.
1000 rounds on top of everything else is insane. Your dad sounds like a real bamf
@@bandito8390 Like I said, he had funny ideas about preventative medicine.
I was denied conscription here in Sweden because of an abusive childhood. The only thing I've ever wanted was to join the military and then to be denied it really crushed me, you think it's possible for me to join the US army or is that no longer the case?
@@Mere-Lachaiselongue The US Army doesn't care as long as you meet their physical and educational requirements. I'm surprised Sweden cares.
@@Mere-Lachaiselongueas long as you are in not deathly poor shape, the and not too old, the Army will take you. I had people from all over in my basic. Maybe don’t mention the childhood thing, if at all possible when joining. But I’m sure they would still take you.
it's the little, non painful, instant, permanent injuries that really ruin swathes of servicemembers. Hearing is such a huge deal. It needs to be like the 4th biggest priority in the Marine Corps.
While being dragged as a simulated casualty during the crucible, my buddy's rifle that was slung around his body swung around and hit me in the teeth.
Hurt a lot, but I wasn't bleeding and it didn't knock any out, so I forgot about it. Fast forward two years, one day I just can't close my jaw fully because my lower front teeth are EXPLODING in pain if the top jaw's teeth touch them.
Pretty soon, my gums all swell up and my entire lower jaw swells up. To the degree that anybody living 1600 and earlier probably would not have survived. I'm lucky to be born when I was.
What happened?
That impact didn't destroy my teeth, but it damaged the nerves in my teeth, and over the next two years, they slowly died, and then got infected that day. I had to get three route canals because an M16 swung into my face. How the hell do you prove something like that is service related? Nobody documents that kind of event, it's incredibly common in an organization like the Marine Corps.
Hearing goes away, doesn't come back. Teeth don't grow back.
And the military wonders why no one wants to enlist. Who wants to willingly volunteer for permanent pain and/or hearing loss for the rest of their life after dealing with bs command and the VA
My condolences for what happened to you.
Its stories like this that are why the military is hell, you constantly feel like you need to defend your pride and your reason for doing whatever you are doing. Military members are more afraid of being late or falling asleep on post than being in combat.
I know war is hard and not for the weak but mindlessly creating abused soldiers that will do anything you want also cant be a good decision.
And you are right, there is no way in hell you are proving it happened in service. But it should be believed.
The military could argue that you should have reported it when it happened but your NCO would tell you to toughen up and stop being a whiny bitch before throwing you back in the field with a visit to the corpsman if you’re lucky.
0331 STA baby, carried 120+lbs for 3 and a half years, back pain was a given, get out, MRI, turns out I have 3 herniated disks. Not service related. Higher level review, waited literally an entire calendar year. Not service related. "No nexus event." Fuck it.
@@doom8274 I hate hearing shit like this. It's so obvious it's related.... it's also super inconsistent. Many gentlemen I know were lucky and able to attain 80% or greater disability, and some worse off were not able to achieve any. Almost a lottery.
I lost my hearing pretty bad about four (4) years after my two years (Infantry 0311) then 2nd Recon (0321) and when I came home to see my family, I could not hear them talk to me. They were asking me what is wrong with you, I said I think I'm okay but can't hear anything. I did get my hearing back in my 30s but I think it was blasting all of those caps in search and destroy missions w/out proper ear plugs
Our man was ostracized because he didn't like the taste of crayons. He preferred the taste of freedom
We all eat crayons but your point is still valid 😂
🤣 LOVE how all the tough guy twerps learned the hard way, all the tough talk abour marine corps and then YOU experience it and it somehow not so great and turn out war destroys men, it doesnt build you up 🤣
I new a lad who was as champion power lifter rugby player and as hard as nails, he joined the royal marines just like his dad. I thought at the time he was the sort of fella that wouldn't take any shit from anyone so how was he going to hack the 'discipline' of being a squaddie. Anyway towards the end of basic training his rifle went 'missing' and that was the end of his career in the Royal Marines, he went on to play rugby for his country. Best fighters don't always make the best soldiers, horses for coarse as they say, a Para will jump out of a perfectly good plane, but put him in a spelling contest and he'll burst into tears😂
@@IronCurtainTwitcher If those Paras could read they'd be very upset.
You are very brave and honorable to post this. Very few people would do what you did. I have great respect for you. Thank you for your post and thank you for your service.
You're a warrior and a survivor. That will take you a long way in this life.
Thank you Civ Div for your service and for sharing your story. That is a tough story to share. I have a lot of admiration for your honesty and your willingness to share difficult experiences
I was not infantry, but the tone of your experience was so similar. My sgtmaj was actively trying to "punish" me for having a complete mental breakdown/burnout. Then shaming me in front of my peers for pursuing services my wounded warrior contact told me to go after, and that i was allowed to try and eligible for. That experience before i was discharged was the last straw. I never got that "eternal brotherhood" experience. All i got from my service was physical pain and mental health problems im struggling to shake off, years later. Youd think 17 years and 6 deployments would be "enough". Nope, just because i couldn't mentally "hack it" anymore, i was instantly a "shitbag" and i became like a plagued thing to all my peers and friends. It was crushing
Jesus... 💔
Why are you surprised that people who volunteer to invade other countries are not bastions of morality who care for the well being of their subordinates?
Man im so sorry, your story is really soul wrenching, the military has awful practices and its really just pawns being controlled by some power hungry maniac
It's so odd that you and I are basically part of the same generation of Marines (I shipped in July of 2015) but we could've ended up in more different but similar places. I got out in 2019 went to college for 2 years and then enlisted in the Army in December of 2021. By 2023 I was in Germany training Ukrainians. Similar, but different. Wish you the best of luck in all your future endeavors man, and Happy Birthday to you and all the Marines past and present across the globe.
It really is all about the leadership of each command. The environment at the top shapes the experience at the bottom. And of course as with society, this changes each generation as well. Semper Fi brother 🤗
How’s the army compared to the USMC?
I’m also in Germany training Ukrainians in 2023….
@@ProfessorShnacktime generally more disorganized but ultimately very similar.
@@Poxyquotlwhy didn’t you just finish college then commission?
Another former Marine here, just found your channel. Like you, I didn't serve my full contract (5 years due to my MOS) and got out halfway through on a medical board. You did your time, you earned the EGA, and no one can ever take that away from you. It didn't make you any less of a Marine than anyone else who ever graduated from Marine Corps boot camp, no matter what anyone says. Just like you though, that's not how I felt for quite a while after I got out, but with more than a quarter century of life experience past that point, I can tell you that you have nothing to prove to ANYONE, not even yourself. I spent 7 years in Ukraine and went through the war in Donbas while I was there. Even as a civilian, the little bit of war I saw was more than enough. You don't need to go traipsing around the world trying to play hero. If you want to help people, help by doing what you can to bring an end to war. Look at the real reasons why wars happen and don't buy into the propaganda from any side. You can help people the most by doing what you can to bring an end to the suffering, not by contributing to it more. I'm sure I'll get a lot of flak for that, but that's fine, I've lost too many friends in Ukraine to this goddamn war to give a fuck what another ill-informed person thinks. Anyways, that's just my take on things. Learn from the failures and build on them to turn them into positives. Or something like that. Semper Fi, devildog.
wars are just bussiness for the military industry.
Happy you shared your USMC story. Light infantry vet here. Take your weaknesses and turn them around into strengths. Adversity Into Advantage!! That’s what I learned from my Paratrooper mentors. Learn from all these experiences. Seems to me after watching several of your videos in the past, you are already finding success! Peace Be The Journey!
Hey there, thanks for your service. I have family problems, I was forced to do Young marines as a kid, and my family is forcing me to ship to a military boarding academy. Im wanting to do Marines once im done with the academy... Whats your advice? This sounds like the Marines treat its forces like horse crap. Should I reconsider my life course? Any advice is appreciated.
You didn't fail the Marine Corp, they failed you. I'm a Marine mom. You earned that EGA and have continued to show the resiliency of a Marine, even after they failed you. Navy SEAL, Chad Wright, just addressed this phenomenon of people in the service attacking the integrity of other people in the service on his channel 3 of 7. It's sad that it happens. Very happy you have continued to live your warrior dream. Stay safe! God bless you.❤
The ONE thing I learned after 5 years in the Corps is that they don't give a shit about us! Expected to do the most with the least and just go with it no matter what. 3/2... 2003 - 2007. I know this video must have been difficult to make, but Kudos, you've done more than most of the "boots" will have ever done. From a Marine who did 2 tours, I'll say you're a Marine!
If you think the USMC expected you to do the most with the least I'm glad you never had to be in the British Army ! You guys had everything we could have dreamed of in terms of Support and Equipment 😂. We'd be lucky if we got your hand me downs !
3/2 Voodoo: 13-17.
@@smokebuh Semper Fi Betio Bastards!
@@stabilis8895 I don't think that you understand the concept of that phrase in the context that it is used in the Marine core. It is no referring to the equipment that they are issued.
@@Fungineering999 I don't think you know pal...
Bro i went through a similar experience in the USMC in 2014. I was also not a shit bag but my COC was ruthless and it seemed like they only wanted to harm me. It was the lowest point of my life. I loved being a Marine until the final few months in. Now every Nov 10 i have a pretty bad taste in my mouth thinking about it. I miss my buddies so much but i feel like the USMC is so mis organized.
Biggest regret of my life was dropping out of SOI because I was going through some weird mental battle with my self at the time. I was in about the same time as you. I regret getting out to this day. Biggest regret of my life was not sticking it out and trying to at least get deployed.
Our entire government needs some serious tlc.😂
@@ryanm5510None of that matters now. All that natters is that your still here. As CivDiv himself and many others have proven, you dont have to be enlisted to be a hero. Shoot.. these days you dont even have to be an astronaut to go to space. 😂 Nor do you have to be a politician to become president. Were all capable of doing great things and were all able to help make the world better.
Burn your past like rocket fuel bro. No need for the weight.
No need for regret. As long as God gives us another day we have a job to do and there's still hope for us. 👍⏳🇺🇲
After seeing several of you with the stories, I feel like I let you down by getting out after one contract in 2004. It seems that you needed great leaders and did not have them. I was a stellar Marine, a great leader and now I own a business. I often regret not giving more but there comes a time where I got to tell myself that I did my part and that’s enough. Semper Fi brothers and sisters happy birthday
🤣 LOVE how all the tough guy twerps learned the hard way, all the tough talk abour marine corps and then YOU experience it and it somehow not so great and turn out war destroys men, it doesnt build you up 🤣
story of a man who decided that administrative bullshit and fake masculinity was not the way looked after himself and became a hero. God bless you brother, inspirational for young men like me.
Thank you for being honest and vulnerable. It dove deep into a similar spot in my life and I find healing when people open up like this. Thank you!
I went to university and got two degrees, but had always been curious about serving and signed up to be an infantry officer when I was 27 (pretty late). I was incredibly fit and did very well on my dismounted training (by far the hardest experiences of my life), and I led platoons as a course officer and a for a Reserve unit, but to lead a platoon in Afghanistan I needed to qualify on mounted operations (i.e., leading a platoon of four LAVs), but I sucked at mounted ops and failed (mounted operations move much faster and I was getting disoriented). It was the biggest failure of my life. But somehow, because of my infantry experience, I wound up in SOF as a staff officer, but still got to lead plenty of field training, use all the weapons, and I deployed on many counter-terrorism ops and to Afghanistan. I knew my failure as an infantry officer would always define me in some people's eyes, but ultimately the career change made me more employable in my post-military life, I didn't die (a couple of my infantry course mates died as platoon commanders in Afghanistan) and, even though I've spent plenty of time beating myself up, I now know I've done and attempted things very few people have, and I'm proud of myself. It hasn't been an easy path, but I have a beautiful wife, a beautiful home, and life is good. Everything works out in the end; never give up.
Sad part is that it's well known that a lot of guys who can do mechanized ops have a very different skill set than light infantry guys. It's just 2 different subsets of infantry (arguably armoured too) warfare but because a lot of militaries demand interoperability, you see people's abilities go to waste. Still, you sound like you had a pretty good career.
@@joeblow9657 Thanks man.
Honestly, I think I'd puck your SOF path over your planned trajectory, sounds more like a challenge, and the label id being SOF is really inspiring (at least from a civvies point of view)
I hope when I get into the military I'll leave an impression like yours
Hey there, thanks for your service. I have family problems, I was forced to do Young marines as a kid, and my family is forcing me to ship to a military boarding academy. Im wanting to do Marines once im done with the academy... Whats your advice? This sounds like the Marines treat its forces like horse crap. Should I reconsider my life course? Any advice is appreciated.
The military eats lives. The Corps does it more than the other services. Some can do it and seem to make it just fine, but mostly we all get shit on and are lucky to get out when we can. GLad you used it for what it could give you and moved on with your life. THanks for your service.
True. From my experience, it was from peers. Fellow LCPL's, NonNCO's who keep you down and don't want you to better yourself. I was never held back by anyone above me, just those in my platoon whom I considered as my friends.. They actually didn't care.
Very true statement ever!
Marines in an infantry platoon can be ruthless towards each other if someone cant keep up. You DO NOT want to be THAT guy. It doesnt matter if you are hurt or have the most legitimate reason to fall behind. I am so thankful that I was able to maintain 100% health throughout my time in the infantry. I never exceeded at anything but Iearned how to blend in and become a ghost.
I was in bravo in 2011 lol. ITB was way more intense than necessary lol
I was fortunate. Father a marine, cousins, uncles. WW2, Bougainville, Tarawa, Iwo, Korea,, Vietnam. So i was prepared…mentally. I was 17, skinny Italian, when I enlisted in 1971. I saw people implode under pressure. We had an uncoordinated guy in our squad. They pulled a blanket party on him. Our squad leader was part of that. I got the rest of our squad together and said, Nobody comes in our quanset hut and pounds one of us! I told our squad leader we are sleeping with our bayonets and we will destroy anyone who comes in. Including him. THAT gave our weak member time to improve. He did, became a fantastic marine. The hardest thing to deal with in the Marines are other Marines. Simper Fi.
Bro like even if I was legitimately hurt like I’m pretty sure I tore a ligament in shoulder but never got seen for it
YEPPP!! 100%! Army was exact same. It’s like they love hazing and making fun and making you miserable even if you can’t help it. This was also my exact experience too. Except I made it somehow and here I am retired after 26 yrs from the BS finally. It’s definitely TOUGH And NOT for everyone.
Sounds more like a cult than brotherhood.
Oh, man, my time in The Corps (91-96) was brutal. I didn't fit in most places, was stressed non-stop, and always had the same entry on my reviews: does not lead. That's not good. Five years, only made E4, and even then I was the last one on the cutoff list. Skip ahead decades later, 46 years old, got diagnosed with Asperger's. Everything fell into place.
I was skinny, too. Went in at 120 lbs, too, and graduated basic at 130 lbs. Thank God I didn't go grunt!
what are the bare minimum weight/height requirements that you could gauge suitable in grunt field?
@@genluardwe had plenty of guys sub 5'5. Short stocky Marines and some short skinny dudes.
E4 in five years seems about average for the marine corps. Had a friend who got E-4 after five years then processed out shortly after cause his contract was up, have another friend who just got out and was an E-3 for over 3 years, while also having the responsibility of being a team leader that was also an 0331... as a lance corporal.
@@genluard Man, I do not know! Ultimately it's heart and mindset. The psychology of it. I think physically you'd want someone built for endurance (not too muscled, not too tall or short), but you could probably break that down further by task. I guess the real question becomes, How much of an impact on an infantryman's performance does their build have? Not as much as the heart and mindset. That's my thinking.
@@sabiticus will take that into consideration thanks for the reply man
There is a thin line between good training and just straight up cruelty.
You’re supposed to give a fuck about the man to your left and right.
They’re your brothers. It’s hard to feel that way when you’ve been abused all day and night 24/7.
Back in the early 90's, I was taught that the primary objectives of every single Marine Corps leader, from top to bottom, were: mission accomplishment and troop welfare. Clearly his leadership failed to grasp the second objective.
Hey man, I've been in the corps for a little over 5 years now. You are much more a Marine than I am. You did what any Marine wants to do, go overseas and help people. And unfortunately I have not done the same yet. I signed another contract out of the same motivation to help people as you have. However I am definitely EASing after this, it's just not worth it anymore. Continue to take pride in what you did in the Corps, and especially what you've done in Syria, Iraq, and Ukraine. You have truly done what the rest of us Devil Pups are dreaming to do.
Happy birthday, similar story. Salty combat seniors and countless days in Bridgeport and the Stumps doing infantry ops. Know full well about toxic leadership, crazy ankle and head injuries, and dark times - but glad you didnt cliff yourself.
Now im heading to Ukraine in a couple weeks.
Take care of yourself man, and im glad you are able to share your experiences.
Semper Fi
Good luck in Ukraine, hope you can make it through!
Are you alright?
You alive man
isn't it crazy how much shit you can put yourself through, psyching yourself even while having a TBI. you can handle a lot of stress and still not know till you try to get to baseline.
And then a liberal gets a mental breakdown if you look at them funny and need therapy for two years
Brother i respect you. I’m a Marine myself (reserves) I’m on the older side 25 and already had an apartment and life before the corps. When I had kids 18-19 in charge of me it was an ego check and I got negative paper work at boot camp and school house for fights. I know how toxic the corps can be. It feels like high school sometimes with cliques. Yours Marine in my eyes and at the end of the day you’re prioritizing your health. Takes a lot from a man to make a video like this and be open about himself!
Thank you for sharing you experience! I sorry about you hearing loss and your ankle. You are an inspiration and an amazing guy!! Thank you marine and sending you much love in your life! Thank you for your service!! God bless you for your future endeavors! 🙏💖💕
Real ones watched the first version
😂
What did he cut?
Just missed it 😢
@@CivilDefenseEngineerWhats the difference?
@@platinumsun4632 audio levels
Dude, I have a similar experience as you in the Marine Corps but not as in-depth. As a kid growing up, I really loved military stuff but I was super unhealthy, I really wanted to be in the military and be cool but I never thought I could do it because I was so fat. When I graduated high school I had no direction in life so I decided to talk to an army recruiter despite weighing 280Ibs. I got laughed out of the recruiting office but It started me on my weight loss journey, a couple months later I walked into the Marine Corps recruiting office 20ibs lighter. I did it because I said to myself that If the army didn't want me I'm gonna prove them wrong and go to the much harder Marine Corps. I walked in and I was surprised that not only did they want me but they actually had a program to help me get in shape (the Poolee Program). Knowing that I could actually do it gave me a purpose and I spent the next 3 months losing nearly 80ibs going all the way down to 180ibs. I wanted it so bad that I would bike each day to the recruiting office and home which totaled out to 24 miles a day. I would come in on days that we didn't have training so I could grind out more weight loss. Not to mention that I was daily going to the gym and eating 2,000 calories a day on top of all of it. Building up to going to boot camp my parents were having some financial problems because my dad recently had a heart attack and had medical bills plus him not being able to work, they weren't that bad, and honestly, I was so blinded to them due to my new found purpose in the marine corps. I also always thought that the Marine Corps benefits that were so hyped up to me would allow me to help them out. Boot camp finally comes and I experienced the Marine Corps. I pushed through it, made it up the stupid hill, and got my EGA. During boot camp, I always tried to find out what the actual corps was like from PMIs and other marines that weren't my DIs. They always didn't make it sound good, they kinda tore down the vision of the corps that the Recruiters built up and by the end of boot camp, I was contemplating if this was worth the next 4 years of my life. On boot leave, I found out that my parents' financial struggles had gotten a lot worse and my mom who was the only one working and ended up working a lot more. I wanted an extra week to find out how to help them, so I asked my recruiter for Recruiters Assistance (I had been writing to him about it the whole time in boot camp). I did everything to try to get it, I even came in during my leave to help out the Poolees. But my boot leave came to an end with no update. I reported to SOI with a massive amount of stress knowing my parents were struggling at home while I was sitting in the Marine Corps making no money. Get this shit, 1HR before my check-in time my recruiter calls me telling me "Hey I just right now called SOI and they said I couldn't get you boot leave, sorry''. This dude had so much time to try to get me it KNOWING what was going on and made no effort until 1 HOUR before the check-in time. This SHOWED me how much the Marine Corps cares about their Marines even though I was giving away 4 years of my life to it. That night I straight up had a breakdown in the barracks because I couldn't help my parents. The next morning I started the process to leave. That week was literally the lowest point in my life. I ended up spending the next three months in a holding platoon hell doing absolutely nothing and being able to do nothing because they didn't even let us leave the premises of the barracks. My life was effectively paused for 3 months whilst being treated like worse than trash. At the start of those three months, I was contemplating if I did the right thing or not by leaving but as those days went on I saw the true Marine Corps and I am thankful every day for deciding to leave when I did. No one knew when they would get processed out so I could've been there for any period of time, I knew dudes who were there for almost a year that had seriously bad things done to them. I knew a kid who got kicked in the head by an instructor several times whilst in training which resulted in him getting severe seizures and night terrors. Several times a day he'd have one of these but despite that the Marine Corps took 8 months to get him out. The Marine Corps could have easily processed out people especially dudes like that guy in a couple weeks but instead, they took forever because the Marine Corps doesn't care. I am thankful for the experience of joining the Marine Corps because it made me change my life for the better but I am also happy that I left.
Sounds like your recruiter didn't pay attention during his schooling and was too proud to ask how to get TAD Orders for recruiters' assistance. On my boot leave I requested RA and it was done by noon that day, new Orders faxed to the recruiting office. It all depends on when your mct or soi class or mos class picks up. After 3 weeks my recruiter recieved my new Orders stating my mct class was picking up the following week and had to reschedule my flights once again. But it does sound like your recruiter didn't know how to ask or request to Augment your orders.
@@MrStaybrown he just didn’t care
As a senior SNCO, I'm sorry that this happened to you. Your leadership clearly failed you, as well as your Recruiter from the beginning. I wasn't there, so I can't speak on behalf of their actions, but when I was a younger Marine, I was taken care of by those that were placed in charge over me. Mostly tough love at times, but I had solid NCOs that had my back and would go to bat for me when I needed help. Didn't matter the time of day. They made themselves available to me, took the time to properly counsel me on tough life and career decisions (something I think doesn't really exist right now, but that's an even longer bedtime story).
Problem is you need enough of the right people in the right positions. Too many apathetic dipshits from top to bottom ruining the military, and they wonder why recruitment is low. Everybody in their 20s grew up hearing about how poorly they were treated in the service, and for what? For the Taliban to take over Afghanistan again? What’s there to fight for?
Thank you for sharing. I hope you are in a good place now.
Semper Fi brother, I would have been happy to have you in my platoon when I was in. We all have our own strengths and weaknesses. It's how we come together and share those that we truly succeed. Leadership honestly sucked within the Corps. It's a big reason I got out as well. The ones that matter though would never fault anyone who was giving it their all. Those are the guys you want and from the sounds of it that is who you are. Happy Birthday, bro. Rah!
Edit: plus dude, you got more salt than most of the "salty" dudes that are currently in lol
I was an Army 11 Bravo Infantry soldier. I was treated like the proverbial "golden boy", as I had college, I was tall and strong, passed everything with ease, but one day, on a road march I stepped on a rock, which was left behind by an 11 Mike. My ankle made an audible "pop" that by fellow soldiers heard. My ankle swelled up to twice the normal size. I went from being respected to the Army treating me like a traitor - that's what I felt like. I am proud to have served for a couple of years, and I learned a lot. It will always be part of who I am.
I feel ya bro, similar story to you. I lost my Army career after 3 years and 4 months.
@@mx500a4 Sorry to hear that - thank you for your service though. Merry Christmas to you and yours
Props for being honest about your experience man. The infantry is not for everyone, and it's absolutely a toxic sink or swim environment, the weak get picked on and weeded out instead of built up in most cases. If you had waited a year to join, probably more physically developed, things could've been a lot different. If your command hadn't been lazy, they could've FAP'd you to the armory or something and you could've still had a career. It's just how the military is, a roll of the dice can turn what could've been a good 4 years into a terrible experience. I have a lot of respect for you for not really making excuses, you just admit that you weren't up to snuff physically and never really got a chance to catch up, anyone who has been in the infantry knows how it is for boots. It's hell.
A lot of people in these comments get the wrong idea as well, this is about institutional issues with leadership yes, but it's not specific to people who "can't hack it", and failure in your military career at different stages is normal. I did 4 as infantry, passed Scout/Sniper indoc as a boot, deployed to iraq, deployed to afghanistan, never NJP'd, made corporal, got out. Now all my civilian friends think I'm some billy badass. But guess what? I failed Recon, I started to drown and quit. I failed sniper school, I wasn't ready for east coast land nav after being in 29 palms for 3 years, and I got lyme's from a tick bite. Are they excuses for failure? No, but that's what happened. And those deployments? All we ever took was IDF and some random snaps, never even got a CAR after a year in the middle east. After failing sniper school, I had a MARSOC A/S slot. My command said hey cancel your A/S slot, we'll send you back to sniper school(for those who don't know, it's relatively normal to fail your first time. In my platoon, of 12 HOGs, 2 had passed their first try.) I said hey that's awesome that's my goal, cancelled A/S, told my command, and they said oops sorry, the school would make you late to deploy and the BC changed his mind on late deployers. Threw my re-enlistment papers in the trash that day.
The point is, everyone's experience is different, some of it is what you make of it, and some of it is what is handed to you. It's good that you came out the other side mostly intact and have good perspective on the whole thing, and even more important about this video that I think a lot of people gloss over, is that now that you've seen war, you realize combat and having seen combat, means almost nothing. There are some of the best grunts you'll ever meet, that have never seen combat, and some of the saltiest guys around, are the biggest shitbags, just absolutely horrible at their jobs. At the end of the day, combat doesn't have anything to do with being a man, being a Marine doesn't have anything to do with being a man, it's all up to you individually and what you make of yourself and your experience. Thanks for sharing your story with the world honestly, mad respect from a fellow 7th rej grunt. Was in around your time somewhat as well, 14-18, hell I might have even hazed you.
The greatest attribute for any warrior is humility. Thank you for sharing this story, dude. Mad respect.
Exactly. I served in the Marines a long time ago and learned very quickly that the best leaders were always as compassionate as they were tough.
Love you man, I failed my service too and got out early-keep fighting for a better future and for freedom!
Powerful story Brother. I have some baggage from military service. It is a shame that the military can be so brutal sometimes. I sometimes describe Army as a pack of Alpha personality types all trying to be the top dog. Great honesty and vulnerability on your part Brother. You can be very proud of your life and your service as a Marine. 🇺🇸 🇳🇿
Alpha's? Drunk bullying uneducated Betas was my experience.
No place for an intelligent, nuanced individual.
to an extent its bettter to halp a bunch of a type personalities in these MOS
What kind of baggage?
@@timo1312 pretty sure he means emotional baggage lol, but i could be wrong.
thats why theres that parallel between infantry and prison. thats the type i want fighting for us anyway.
You're the embodiment of the Marine Corps!!!
Perserverance, raw courage, mental strength, and MOXIE in ALL 5'4 of you!!
DON'T let ANYONE tell you otherwise Marine!!
Semper Fidelis
First Off
Happy Birthday and Happy Veterans Day from one jarhead to another.
Thank you for your honesty.
I was a small dude in the Marines, but you were smaller.
At 135, 5' 7", I had a hard time on the humps as well as a Dragon Gunner/Infantry. I twisted my ankles many times too carrying a bunch of crap on these humps. Fortunately, I did not have to do too many long miserable humps. Thank goodness. Yeah I hear ya, being a small dude with short legs and carrying a ton of gear on these humps sucks and can break many people physically and mentally.
Come to think of it I was pretty lucky I went during peace time and my company didn't do too many of those humps, then my second unit was with Unitas so we didn't really hump as much. Then my last 6 months I coasted by with Intelligence. So I made it out of the Marines completely intact thank goodness. It was a great successful run for me.
Unfortunately, some Marines were not so lucky. Some died or got permanently hurt physically. The Marines are the Marines. That's why the Marines are the toughest branch of all the armed services. Unfortunately, It's also a grinder and it'll grind out Marines no matter how good or bad you are. Toxic masculinity at the highest level. Marines simply are composed mostly of young, tough, rough, and testosterone driven men for the most part. Any chronic weakness will most likely not be tolerated.
I have no idea how the Marines are now for better or worse. Anyways, I'm glad you made out in one piece and I'm glad you got honorably discharged. Pretty bad for any young man or woman to leave with a dishonorable discharge for some dumb mistake.
I think the armed services should revamp that whole dishonorable discharged thing but that's a whole other story.
Thank you for your service.
It sounds like the Corps failed you, rather than the other way around Brother. Thank you for sharing, it can't be easy to tell the story and go through it on camera for the world to see like this. Most people would much rather talk about their high points and leave the lows to themselves. I think this deep, glamourless stuff you go into is what made me sub to the channel in the first place. I've never seen anyone else have the balls to be so real on camera
Happy birthday, devil. I was also an 0311 stationed in 29. Although I have some good memories to look back at, it was definitely the worst decision I've ever made. I felt this on a deep level. I hope everything is well and you're doing better. Stay safe, brother.
SEMPER FI, Brother! Much respect! You did much more on your own than I did in my 4 years in The Corps! SO proud to call you my bro.
Subscribed!
Hey there, thanks for your service. I have family problems, I was forced to do Young marines as a kid, and my family is forcing me to ship to a military boarding academy. Im wanting to do Marines once im done with the academy... Whats your advice? This sounds like the Marines treat its forces like horse crap. Should I reconsider my life course? Any advice is appreciated.
The most decorated soldier in World War 2 was Audie Murphy, who was 5 foot 5 inches tall (166 cm) and weighed 112 pounds (51 kg).
Great job on a tough video, Marine! I was in 1989-94, amtracks, deployed, still dealing with issues from it all, but hearing other people's issues and knowing I wasn't an anomaly is helpful to me. I honestly appreciate it. Thank you!
My uncle was a stud athlete and enlisted in the Marines in 68 before he was drafted.
Ended up right on the DMZ during the hill fights. Came down with meningitis & hepatitis at the same time. Told his platoon top he needed a medivac because he was sick and was told by top Marines don’t get sick. He kept up the hump until he fell out. Was evacuated to a hospital ship then Okinawa in a coma. It cooked his brain. He is still alive as of 2023 but almost like a high functioning autistic. He spent years in a coma then in and out of VA hospitals.
The sad thing is if he would have gotten the attention he needed he probably would have been 100% and return to duty.
what a sickening story. I can't imagine the pain. I'm so sorry for your family.
Hey man that's awesome! Marine corp is tough and I'm so glad you did not off yourself; I would not have been the same person I am today if you had. I really wish the best for ya.
I love democracy and the fact that you can talk about these issues publically so we can continue to improve ourselves and out understanding of inherent issues with our military training. I hope these issues are resolved in the future if not in the present.
I know I can't help with your long-term issues the Marine training have caused, but I wouldn't call this a failure. This was one of the greatest challenges of your life, and while physical limitations hindered you, mentally you have exceeded the resolve of many marines I know and that is a huge intangible benefit that I'm sure will continue to make you a better person and combatant (actions speak louder than words and you have much to speak of). I could write a book about how awesomely crazy your position is in the world, but unfortunately not many would read it.
I wish the best to you man, I know that whatever you put your mind to you will succeed at. Continue to keep it real, thanks!
You are the type of soldier that wins wars
For the real player$ in charge
Bro, you've got nothing to be ashamed about. You have courage and strength well beyond myself and the civilians I hang around with. Thank you for your service in the Marines, abroad, and maybe most of all, the service you're doing by sharing your story here on UA-cam. I believe that your content will have a greater positive impact than you ever could as an individual soldier. You've got the right mix of experience, credibility, vulnerability, and charisma. You earned a new subscriber today.
As a former Army Infantryman. I can totally understand your journey. I was fortunate enough to be 6ft, 180lbs. So the physical stuff wasn't hard for me. And I could hump all day and night and then some. But we had smaller guys too. In Army culture. You're only as strong as your weakest link. So if a soldier was struggling. You'd help your brother out.
Seems I was always carrying an extra ammo can or M60 barrel. We sometimes trained with the MC. So I was familiar with how you guys did things. There were differences. Tactics but also discipline. In the Army, after boot camp and advanced training. You're considered a soldier. And you're treated like one. As a Private. You're definitely at the end of the pecking order. But you're still a Soldier. Not a trainee. So you're treated with dignity and respect.
From what I observed. It looked like you guys never left boot camp. Yelling and screaming was just your way of communicating. I saw many a Soldier shake his head and say "glad I joined the Army". After witnessing MC culture. And it wasn't just us. I saw lots of guys come over to the Army. After doing a stint with the MC.
Every one had the same reasoning. They wanted to be career military men. Just not in the MC. And often their treatment of the men. Went beyond discipline. And was abusive.
They also mentioned career opportunities and faster promotions.
But, I'm sorry about your experience. Looks like you've got past it. Just remember. The uniform doesn't make the man. The man makes the uniform. 🪖
As a fellow vertically challenged infantryman (Army),I TOTALLY get it. When I got to my unit in Dec of 88 (yes, I am old), I was immediately given the M60. I probably weighed 125 lbs at that point. I HATED that thing. And, we did weekly 10 milers, every friday. I had to do the airborne shuffle for all 10 god damned miles.
Bless your heart for doing it anyways. The Fabric of a true Soldier.
what the hell? Is it an infantry leader trait to be a freaking bonehead? Your NCOs could have, I dont know, LOOKED at you, applied some common sense and given the M60 to a bigger guy!
@@madkabal lol. Thats not how it used to work. No idea how it is now, but back in my day, they would single out the smallest guys, beat us and work us daily, so that we were among the best the army had. They refused to let us quit. It instilled a great sense of pride, back then. Hated carrying the thing, but I was a tough son of a bitch back then, and didnt quit.
@@madkabal if they’re airborne, hell no. That’s how you get a fucked spine
I’d recommend watching the interview with Former SBS frogman Pasha. He went into the Royal Marines at the same weight I think
brother, I never thought id hear someone with a story so similar to mine. I never failed objects or self harmed. However, I was solid with my squad had to get my thyroid taken care of. All of a sudden everybody turned on me. Ended up just running my pains away to the point where I developed a fracture. That was that how I missed my only chance to deploy, got out honorably. Keep doing good work.
Hey there, thanks for your service. I have family problems, I was forced to do Young marines as a kid, and my family is forcing me to ship to a military boarding academy. Im wanting to do Marines once im done with the academy... Whats your advice? This sounds like the Marines treat its forces like horse crap. Should I reconsider my life course? Any advice is appreciated.
Thank you for sharing this Civ, this story is really special; and truly human. It takes a lot of strength to be willing to open up about these sorts of experiences.
You're a HERO. No doubts about it. Fighting for other peoples' freedom. I admire your courage and resilience. You are source of pride to your country and you should be proud of yourself.
Za wolność naszą i waszą!
Man is so much more than a marine. God bless.
I am glad you didn’t end yourself. I know how it sometimes feels like the only significant thing you are allowed to do, the only option. You’re living proof there’s another way.
The fact that you went to Syria and Iraq on your own proofs you were more of a Marine then those who said you were not. You have a lot of character. The Marines lost a good soldier by not listening when you asked for help. It happens to a lot of people. I see it in the private sector. all the time.
It takes a real man to share their lowest point. Though it might not mean a lot coming from an internet stranger, thank you. Many people have experienced the same thing but never had the courage to bring it up so honestly.
Little known fact, but in my experience the Marines create lifelong hatred. Hazing boots for the sake of hazing just makes people hate you. People always talk about the “brotherhood” or esprit de corps but here we are 10 years after EAS and I still hold a grudge. It’s not a great attitude to have and I wish I could be a bigger person, but nonetheless, it’s present.
Same. Still can't stand them. I don't have a single sticker or anything saying I was in. I'm a highly decorated combat vet that got treated like garbage. Got dd214 and they said if there were errors I'd have to stay another day to have it corrected. It had errors. Didn't care. Said honorable, which was good enough. I left that day.
@@adamtedder1012 Dang!!!…as a civilian I had no idea this was going on. I always viewed the Marines as the top branch in the military.
@@crandonborth nah its pretty shitty bro. Been in 3.5 years and still have 1.5 left because of my MOS. The saying is "This aint for everybody" when the truth is: this quality of life, lack of pay, lack of care, lack of hot water in the room they FORCE you to live in, lack of sanitation in the food they FORCE you to eat, lack of genuine leaders, lack of respect, lack of understanding, lack of fucks to give...... is not for anyone. Do NOT join the Marine Corps because they do not care about you. All your leaders care about is their own careers and take credit for the work you have done as you stand in a hot formation and watch them be awarded, promoted, and praised for the work YOU did. Then after they have their gloat session they're back to treating you and your peers like shit. God Forbid you have a family or wife, they don't care. This shit could be so simple but its the people that ruin it. Retention is at an all time low because nobody wants to deal with this shit anymore. Appreciate the vid to really expose wtf is going on in this shit. Would say semper brother but that word don't mean anything to me anymore...
@@TDuckNoKizzy So what’s next after your contract is up?? Are you going to transfer to another branch or just exit the military all together ?
Very relatable story, different experiences, same experience. So young you have my best. Some things just do not change.
Semper Fi Brother. I served in the 2nd MAW from 2014-2019, I can definitely sympathize with the brutality when you first get to the fleet. I was an airwinger so life was a bit easier in terms of hikes but the hours we put in were insane, 12 hour shifts 5-7 days a week and two deployments really wrecked my body. Glad you're speaking out about your experience but for those who are still seeking to join and see this as a negative aspect of the Marines, everyone has their own experience and I know I would regret it had I never joined. Best gun club in the world and the brotherhood is forever
2MAW, same here. I was a skid kid.
I worked on Prowlers back when they were around@@TheFreedomConcept
Hey man, the community, I was in as well was incredibly toxic as well. Especially the leadership. I feel your pain. Glad you got out and did good things!
Semper Fi Shipmate!
Get well soon brother✌️thanks for sharing this story, I know it wasn't very easy..slava civ💪🏻
Thanks man :)
I don’t care what any vet bro or other marines says, the actions and spirit of this man speak volumes compared to his colleagues. He is a true marine through and through.
As a fellow short Marine. Can confirm hiking sucks if you’re short and skinny. Lifting weights is truly a must and it’s something not talked about enough.
Not marine or army or regular force, but whenever the old guys are getting all choked up about the “new military” and how many concessions are made for people nowadays I think about stories like this. Taking care of your people is probably the most important thing you can do as an officer or IC. There’s only so many situations where “suck it up” is viable
Im sorry that you had a bad experience in the Corps. I am a retired Marine GySgt served from 1984 to 2004. I loved my time in the Corps. Once i hit Sargent i worked hard to help the Marines under me to be successful. Don't be ashamed of anything you did in the corps. You did your time and earned the title. Take the life lessons you learned and use them to be successful in life. Semper Fi and Fair winds and following seas.
Well I dont need to comment Gunny. You said it for me. GySgt White 1980-2001.
I had a similar experience in the marines. It is an extremely toxic enviroment where everyone thinks they're the alpha. It was the leadership I was under that was the worst, my peers were cool, but the guys with a couple chevrons had this super ego and thought they are instant DI's. The best day of my life was getting to the bus station and getting on the bus home. It doesn't matter how long you were in, what you did or didn't do, the fact that you joined during a time of war while millions of other young men didn't, is truly all that matters.
Crazy how you are the definition of a hero and a soldier.
Marine*
Im 26 right now and not currently fit for the military but want to serve my country. God bless you brother.
I was an 0311 in 29 palms with 3rd LAR. I feel you brother. So much of what you were saying, completely resonates with my experience. So much ridiculousness I feel like I needed to write a book. I never understood the cruelty in the Marine Corps that literally prevented readiness.
My heart and my hatches strive to protect you Civ!
I totally sympathize with you dude. I was 120 pounds as an 0311 also, about the same hate from the platoon from having trouble on the hikes. Fortunately, after 9/11, they were recruiting for embassy guard duty and my platoon sgt suggested I do that job instead. Best duty ever. What makes us tougher than most, is that we're able to do more than what bigger fuckers could do with comparable weight. But the best revenge is a good life, and I'm sure living that up now as a civil engineer. Semper Fi devil, you keep motivating the fuck outta me. Cheers, and happy birthday.
Hey there, thanks for your service. I have family problems, I was forced to do Young marines as a kid, and my family is forcing me to ship to a military boarding academy. Im wanting to do Marines once im done with the academy... Whats your advice? This sounds like the Marines treat its forces like horse crap. Should I reconsider my life course? Any advice is appreciated.
You can see a real fuckin difference between perspectives on military persona non gratas (whether discharged, leaving, etc): particularly Onision, vs Civ Div. Fuckin remarkable type of person you are. I'd be willing to bet that half the assholes that opt to be abusive for malice and not building you up wouldn't hack it through the shit you have gone through. It's truly incredible that you have the ability now to be a trainer. You train people who may find themselves in a similar situation as you were.
The amount of combat he's gone through by now, i doubt there's many US special operators who have had the experience of fighting russians 1st hand.
He's blown those losers back home out the freaking water.
I watched the entire video and I appreciate every word. Thanks for spreading this message to others.
every experience is an experience. good video bro
That sucks. I'm glad you were able to get through it. Happy Birthday, Marine.
You are not alone. Welcome to the Marines...
Fact. Anyone who says they loved it is full of shit.
I don't usually comment on UA-cam videos, because who tf reads the comments. However, I remember watching your video "How to join snipers" back in like early high school. That video, I think, at the time, was the only video on SSP, maybe besides someone like Devildoggamer. Anyway, though, your video still helped motivate me and gave me a goal to set in the Marine Corps. I've been in my bn's sniper plt for three years now, best decision I ever made.
This is extraordinarily brave for you to share this. You are going to help a lot of people with this. Thank you
You are just a number to the military. Once you are hurt and broken the military just gets rid of you, I hear so many horror stories on how veterans are treated by the government. I'm glad I couldn't get in the military due to me not being able to pass the mini ASVAB test at the recruiting station since I am high functioning autistic that went through special education in high school. I wanted to join the Army but now I think about how bad I could of been treated by toxic leadership. I am sorry the Marine Corps treated you so badly.
Sounds like the job market