good luck man...former Marine here(many years ago)...my best advice for these next 83 days is PT PT PT PT...be ready to run, do pullups, pushups, and situps as soon as you get there...the rest will fall into place...leave any attitudes at home, lol.....if ya got any questions, feel free to shout.....

i already am with the other poolees out of baton rouge. and there are no former marines. oorah.

yes youre correct...there arent any former Marines...once one, always one...just learn to capitalize the word Marine future devildawg!!...you will understand why later...

I'm trying to fix how I speak and type.

you will be just fine...im just messin with ya...dem dawgs with the 'smokey bears' will teach you everything you need to know...have fun these next couple of months...im very happy for you...the Marine Corps will treat you right..

diego or parris island??

The Island. My recruiter wants to go play golf with me sometme before I leave, but, he might break some clubs. 83 days and counting.

You'll do fine, here are a few more pointers, but they'll teach you all this (well, most of it) in receiving barracks.

Door = hatch
Wall = bulkhead
Floor = deck
bathroom = head
When you run into a situation where you would say 'Excuse me' to walk past someone, you say 'By your leave sir or maam' Definitely do NOT say 'GANGWAY!' OR 'GANGWAY SIR!'

Ask me how I know, LOL.

Don't be 'eyeballing' the scenery.

In boot camp, everyone Marine and Sailor is sir or ma'am. As a recruit, you are the only thing worse than a civilian, a civilian trying to become a Marine.

If you have a girlfriend, go ahead and end it before you leave. You will be a lot better off without young girl drama to deal with in boot camp. Besides, you will probably be deployed by next summer anyway, even with the draw down in the middle east. They are rotating in, and sending the fresh meat overseas to give the veterans a break.

I know 6 young men and women in different branches that have joined in the last year. They are all overseas, or leaving in a few months.

You are doing a good thing, and a wise move with this economy.

I'm trying to change a few habits before I leave, plus the Baton Rouge office is whipping us into shape. I'll make Bugeye keep y'all updated.

i know that by now you have decided or commited to what you wish to do in the marine corps. i hope that you were smart and picked infantry. i have a number of young friends who are either still in the army or recently got out. acording to them the most dangerous job in either iraq or afganistan is being a truck driver, the second is being a clerk. the truck driver you can understand ieds. why the clerk was my question, the answer, they are always in the toc or tactical operations center, either in the rear or on a fob, forward operating base, and that both of those places were targets for the bad guys. the safest place was to be in the infantry, it seems that the bad guys don't won't mess with the infantry and they disengage as soon as they can when they realize that they are up against infantry soldiers. and it doesn't matter whether they are marines or army.

idk

im sorry, but if ya want a 'safe' job, dont join the Marine Corps...every Marine is trained to be a basic rifleman(warrior, fighter, killer, etc...)FIRST..---regardless of MOS...

sorry, i couldnt let that one go.....

Iron Man has stated that he wants to face everything out there. He is a hard charging self starter and is not scared of a little adveristy. That is where our best of the best come from. Those that will sacrifice so that we can go and fish.

Semper Fi Iron Man. I will be the first in line to buy you a drink when you come home!!!

I wanna add something. Hey everyone, I want to be a MARINE, but I'd rather not see combt. Can Mike Breaux help me with that?

A MARINE is first and foremost an infantry soldier. Anything else is a joke.

cajunhopper, since you mentioned MY name...i must ask..what are you trying to say?? i was commenting on what 'hogheaven' said...

...Hogs' universal answer hit the target...'it safer to carry a gun,than push a pencil or turn a steer'n wheel'...he's right !!!... It's just like our domestic trash comparisons w/home invasions, they will dodge a man that is armed !!!...and our laws are trying to take that away from us ???...off the record there are many Vets and civilian patriots that are confused what we figh'n for ???...cheers

P/S...I seen a barracks brawl before...'da footlocker went out 'da window...the bunks got turn-over...cigarette butt-cans got spilled...combat boots rumbl'n on 'da wood floor...all because of ' three Duces and a pair of Kings' ??? and the 'Ford dealers' thumb that got caught in 'da bolt'!!!...now kiss and make-up !!!...cheers !!! LOL...cheers !!!

I was commenting on what someone else said, apparently it was deleted by the poster/

I come home around Feb 1-3, somewhere around there. And cajunhopper, I would be honored, and you will be among the first to know that I'm home.

Iron man, I will be the first to buy you the beverage of your choice when you get home. My oldest daughter's boyfriend is in Iraq now, driving an MRAP.

I probably wont go to Iraq, since the 'drawdown' I know I will be deployed though, where, IDK. And I'll make bugeye keep yall updated and put a few letters on the site.

How do I thank you and shake your hand over the computer? Be safe!