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| Marine Corps Basic Training |
Note: This page references MCRD (Marine Corps Recruit Depot) Parris Island because all female Recruits and most male recruits east of the Mississippi River receive their Basic Training at that facility. There is also MCRD San Diego where similar training occurs.
Your son or daughter will most likely be flown to Savannah, Georgia. Inside the airport you'll a line of young men along one wall. A long line at the restroom? Nope, these are soon-to-be recruits. Standing still, almost at attention. Looking straight forward. Not talking. Just waiting for the Drill Instructor (not Drill Sergeant) to give them instructions to get on the bus for the trip to MCRD Parris Island.
The bus ride will take longer than normally required. And in the early morning hours, when it's pitch dark, the bus will pull up beside the infamous yellow foot-prints and the Drill Instructor will order the occupants to get off his bus. See the video from your recruiter for an account of this.
As a part of the evening's events the young men and women usually get a very brief phone call home. They are only allowed to read from a short script on the wall by the phone and are immediately cut off. (One parent we talked to said she never received this phone call, but most do.)
Enjoy the sound of your son's or daughter's voice. It will be the last you hear of it for a while.
You will receive a postcard with your Recruit's address. Letters will be your primary means of communication for the next three months, as recruits are not permitted to receive incoming phone calls, email, text messages, etc. and may only receive outgoing telephone privileges on very rare occasions.
 Write to your recruit every day! But please do not send gifts or supplies (another great way to get your recruit into trouble). This is Recruit Training, so don't address letters with "Marine" or a rank, like "Private." This is a title they will earn after they successfully complete training. Don't add stickers or use colored envelopes or scented paper. Having letters that stand out are exactly what your Recruit does not want or need. They are trained to be part of a team, not individuals.
 Even if you hear that other Recruits are allowed to receive gifts, do not send any to your Recruit unless he or she specifically requests them. And then, only send what is requested, nothing else. One more thing: just because they can receive some goodies at one time doesn't mean that it's a standing order.
Send them labels with your address, return address labels with their ad-dress and stamps. Believe it or not the time saved from addressing envelopes is precious to them.
Recruit Training
Training consists of a week of "processing" followed by 12 weeks of very structured activities.
- Processing Week
- Recruits arrive on Parris Island, get the Welcome Aboard speech, clothing and gear issue, medical screening, perform the Initial Strength Test, and are introduced to their drill instructors.
- Weeks 1-4
- Recruits receive instruction on military history, customs and courtesies, basic first aid, uniforms, and leadership and core values.
Recruits learn hand-to-hand combat skills through the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP), which is made up of various martial arts styles.
- Week 5
- Swim qualification. There are four levels of swim/water survival qualification in recruit training. The Marines are an amphibious service, and water survival training is designed to increase our competence and survivability in an amphibious environment.
- Week 6
- Grass week (rifle range). The recruits learn the fundamentals of Marine Corps marksmanship, sight in on the targets and learn how to make adjustments to the M16 A2 service rifle.
- Week 7
- Firing week (rifle range). The recruits have three days to prac-tice the KD course of fire, a pre-qualification day and a qualification day, firing the M16 A2 service rifle.
- Week 8
- Team week. The recruits will spend the week working in various areas of Parris Island, maintaining the appearance of the Depot, and practic-ing for Final Drill.
- Week 9
- A-Line/Basic Warrior Training. The recruits will conduct vari-ous exercises to begin developing basic field and combat skills. Some of the events they will execute are: Day Movement Course, Rappelling from a 48-foot wall, Military Operations on Urban Terrain (MOUT) course, Firing at multiple targets, Firing at targets form unknown distances, Firing while wearing a gas mask, Combat Endurance Course
- Week 10
- Crucible
- Week 11
- Final drill. Recruits and Drill Instructors are evaluated on their knowledge and application of Marine Corps drill and rifle manual.
Written testing
- Recruits are evaluated on their knowledge of basic military education.
- Week 12
- Ceremony practices. Emblem ceremony: Ceremony in which the recruits receive the Marine Corps emblem - the eagle, globe and anchor, in front of their families and friends.
- Graduation
These activities are detailed here on the official Parris Island website.
Do not send your Recruit a copy of the "Training Matrix" or any details about it. Having this information may get him or her into trouble.
No News is Good News
Recruits are supposed to receive mail every day it's available. Obviously when they are "in the field" during the Crucible that won't be possible. But the amount of time they have to read their mail and reply is very limited.
So don't be surprised if you go for weeks without hearing anything. But remember: No news is good news. And keep writing to your recruit every day. They appreciate the letters more than they can express. And it will help you, too.
Just keep your letters positive. Don't pass along any bad news in a letter. And make sure your letters are complete. Don't assume the "story" you started in a previous letter has been read and you are continuing it. It doesn't always work out that way. And a partial story or one out of order (or out of context) can have devastating results on your recruit. So please be careful.
But there are things you can do to "keep in touch" with what's going on. A great place to start is the Parris Island Family and Friends Support Center (sometimes referred to as the "Parris Is-land EZBOARD"). You'll need to log on (you can sign up for free) before posting any messages.
Make up a nickname as your login user name. Don't use your last name as part of your nickname.
The EZBOARD is designed as a support tool for friends and relatives of Recruits at Parris Island and consists of a number of bulletin board areas for people to post questions, answers, experiences, etc. Some are general in nature, others are specific, for example, your Recruit's Platoon will have an area just for them.
The first place to visit is the "Welcome, Feedback and Rules" forum. Then take some time to browse the entire site and see what's available. A lot of the questions you have, and many you haven't thought of yet, are already answered there.
There is also a "Recruit Family Chat Room." This is frequented by a wide cross-section of members, from newbies, to parents of Recruits ready to graduate, to parents of graduates, to DI wives. Conversations are not always focused on life related to Parris Island, but vary depending upon the needs and interests of those in the chat room at any particular time.
Do not use any last names (Recruits, DIs, SDIs, or yours) on the EZBOARD or the Chat Room!
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