I’d like to respond to the making of L/cpl. In boot camp. I went to MCRD San Diego in July of l969 also. I shot high series, and I got Pfc. You were promoted to L/cpl. while at the rifle range, when at the rifle range we weren’t even Marines yet. The rifle range was just phase 2, the half way point. After the range we were sorta promoted, we were allowed to blouse our utility’s. That was a big deal. I guess P.I. might have been tougher but did you ever stand outside after chow, and stare straight ahead and see the airport, a ride out. I don’t care if you were a holiday Marine or a P.I. graduate, we are and will always be Marines.
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It’s a ” shame ” THE CORPS changes with time but guess it must. Left P.I. in 1966 & NEVER heard of a Recruit Promotion other than to a PFC & that was for being the outstanding Recruit in the Platoon ( not to say it didn’t happen in San Diego in 1969 ). Excuse me for stating such but once you leave Boot Camp or have any Stripes on your collar, YOU ARE A UNITED STATES MARINE. UNTIL SUCH TIME YOU ARE JUST A RECRUIT & Brother, there is NO SORTA PROMOTIONS. OoooRah & Semper Fidelis……. Sargent Roger Dale Stewart U.S.M.C. & Vietnam Veteran
I agree with your comment Dale. The only advancement was to pfc for 5 boots…..4 squad leaders and the outstanding boot….Some how I was awarded one of 5 in Parris Island 1966. Was a squad leader….almost passed out!!!!
If memory serves, Edson’s Raiders (under Col. Edson Carlson) were trained at San Diego MCRD. The Commandant of the Marine Corps, Major General Thomas Holcomb, was of the opinion, however, that “the term ‘Marine’ is sufficient to indicate a man ready for duty at any time, and the injection of a special name, such as ‘Commando,’ would be undesirable and superfluous.”
I was in Plt 386 in April of ’66 at MCRD in San Diego. Two Marines in my platoon made PFC; the Right Guide and the High Shooter. No one graduated as a LCpl.
I was in platoon 1002 in October 65. I don’t remember how many PFC’s were made but I guarantee there were no L/Cpl’s.
LANCE KOOLIE OUTTA BOOT…CHESTY SAVE ME!!!…Sgt/0311/67-71/PI Plt-3044/ Charlie. Co 1/5 / SEMPER FI
No L/Cpl’s out of boot camp in the 60’s. However, attended my grandsons MCRD Graduation in Oct 2012, three recruits made L/Cpl. out of a graduation of approx. 600 Marines. The Grandstands were packed with family & friends. Was a sight to behold. Not many at my graduation, everyone mingled around in front of the movie theater/church steps after ceremony.
In 1972 I was a SDI at PISC in “A” Co 1st Bn. I had a former Army Viet Vet who had more ribbons (Silver Star also) than myself or the other two DI’s. Upon graduation from boot Camp he was promoted to L/Cpl. Boot Camp was only 8 weeks long then. He was not real outstanding in training, just a link in the chin, not a hook at either end. Raymond Edwards Sgt Maj USMC, 1966-1996 Retired, two time DI at PI.
There were a couple of recruits who mentioned to me they we’re to receive a promotion to L/CPL upon graduation. When I asked how in the hell this was possible I was told by a couple of them that their promotion was based on the fact that they had some ROTC while in college, and one other recruit had recruited enough other people to qualify. It wasn’t long after this were told in the classroom by our Platoon commander that he did not believe in promoting anyone to L/CPL out of boot camp, and assured all of them that only recruits whom he and the other Drill Instructors felt rated it would be promoted to PFC. And that is exactly what happened, all of these recruits were carefully watched, and they documented their screw ups so they could get around the contract promises of promotion. While in Radio School across the grinder from recruit training, I had the misfortune of being assigned to a class which had a Marine who was promoted to L/CPL, and assigned responsibilities which went with the rank. He was grossly unqualified to hold the billet, and was a total pain in the backside to deal with.
I don’t believe he was in the same USMC I was in!
I recall a prior Army service NCO coming out of boot camp as L /CPL. We called him grandpa during our time at PI.
I am sorry, but from what I remember of Boot Camp at PI (Plt 132, 1964) there were PFC’s promoted from the Platoon, but only on the last day of graduation, and I never saw, or heard of, a promotion of Lance Corporal in the second phase of training. Truthfully, I would have to ask how it was anyone could be promoted (Sort of, as is said) to Lance Corporal while in Boot Camp before receiving his EGA upon graduation, or even time in grade, while not being a Marine. No, I say there is a scam here…
Must have been 1 stripe with crossed lips!
NO LCPL out of boot camp! PFC to a chosen few who shot Expert with the M14 out at Edson Range. They never discussed who made what in boot camp anyway. Remember, time in grade determines when to be promoted, but not always. I made PFC in ITR. Most of us did. In Vietnam, eight months in country the Marines in my section finally received LCPL. 0811 was difficult to advance in because we need just one SGT for our section chief. I was ammo Corporal in name only. I counted ammo and fuzes amounts daily and a PFC at that.No big deal as someone needs to do this. We shot a lot of 105mm ammo and broke out fresh rounds on a daily basis. Some MOS groups promoted quickly, like Supply.Marines rotated and they need a Supply SGT. so that position always saw fast promotion in country.
Boot camp MCRD San Diego, Dec. 56 to Mar. 57, Only one recruit was promoted to PFC, No L/Cpl rank at that time, No one made Cpl E3 out of our platoon. I made PFC after ITR
8 of us finished HS and enlisted together in the USMC. Went through Parris Island, S.C. in the Summer of 1961. No one made L/Cpl. rank at basic training graduation. We did have about 6 guys make PFC. My squad leader made Series Honor Man. He was the only Marine in our series to receive dress blues & made PFC at graduation. We had one recruit who was at least an NCO while serving in the Army. He was the oldest of the 80 men in our platoon. He made PFC at graduation for previous service (he also wore as many service metals/ribbons as our DI’s who were vets of Korea War). Then we had 4 more that made PFC at the completion of basic training…..highest shooter at the range, the Right Guide & the other squad leaders?? Two of the guys that made PFC were fellow HS grads. After ITR training at Camp Geiger, Camp Lejuene, N.C. ….my next duty station was Comm.& Elect. Btn. at MCRD SD, CA. The Electronics/Radar Schools was 33 weeks long. I made PFC while in these schools. The completion of the last class the student with highest class average was promoted to L/Cpl. While stationed at MCRD SD, occasionally you would a see few guys leaving MCRD with a “new close hair cut” & dressed in brightly colored “mismatched shirt and pants”. These had to be the guys who were sent home and did not complete basic training. I made Cpl. E-4 in 1964 after 13 months in the Far East. 19415xx Cpl. E-4 1961 – 1965. SEMPER FI
G. Bradshaw: Summer of ’61 at PI. I was in Plt #339 Jul 7, 1961 to Sep 27, 1961. Was that where you started? If so, do you still have your grad book? I’m looking for mine so I can copy the Dress Blues photo to give my son, the last of our three generation Marine family.
Rare occurrence, but not totally unheard of…I had one of my recruits get promoted to Lance Corporal meritoriously while I was on recruiting duty (c. 76-80)…He had been a “contract PFC” going to MCRDSD based on his completion of 2 years college prior to enlisting, and graduated as the series honor man out of recruit training, which warranted him the meritorious promotion to Lance Corporal…I’m pretty sure that I still have the letter from the Depot CG in my recruiting “atta boy” collection.
I don’t agree with E-3 straight out of biotcamo but it does happen. Here’s proof: https://youtu.be/_y3bkc1U8vE
I was in San Diego for boot camp June69. I was the platoon honor man and received the PFC rank. Then off to Pendelton for ITR then AIT. The Lt Col in charge of AIT promoted ten Marines to L/Cpl at the end of AIT. I don’t know what I did that was so outstanding, but was fortunate to be one of them. I do remember the Sergeants in charge of our company royally bitching about it and how long it took them to make Lance Corporal.
I don’t get these pretenders. If they only knew how easy it is for Vets to smell them out they wouldn’t seek the false valor. Somebody needs to send them a few cans of whoop ass.
There was a man in my town that was proud of his “Marine” story. His story was just loaded with holes. For instance, he said his enlistment contract stipulated he could go into the jungle on his own looking for Mr. Charles. When he found him, he wouldn’t kill him. He would leave a white feather on the sleeping VC. Maybe he had read about Carlos Hathcock and the White Feather he kept in his hat.
The biggest hole in his story was when he would show a board with his medal ribbons. He had a Silver Star, a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. His error was he had the Silver Star and the Bronze Star out of order.
The next time I saw this man I was with another Nam Marine vet. We told him that if we ever heard of him telling his story again, we were going to mess up his health record.
I was in Plt. 2071 at MCRDSD Sept.-Nov. 1967, no one made LCpl only PFCs. Just attended a graduation at MCRD on 9 Feb 17 and did see one LCpl graduating! He was the series honor man. I was with Echo 2/27 and Delta 1/9 in Nam 68-69.
I went through Boot in July-Sept 1969. Plt 2013, Company F, 2nd Bn, RTR, MCRD Parris Island. My enlistment was for a 3-year hitch in a high demand MOS (at the time), 2831. I went in on the Delayed Entry Program, where I enlisted while still in high school and 17 years old. The delay was 120 days. At the time, 6 months service (combined active and inactive) was an automatic promotion to E2. When I graduated Boot, 8 people were promoted one grade. The Honor Grad (who was also the House Mouse and high qualifier on the range), the Guide, and one squad leader were promoted to LCPL. The other squad leaders made PFC and a few others got PFC by contract. It is worth noting that I was a “Terminal Lance.” I would have had to extend or re-up for Corporal.
I attended Parris Island in the fall of 1973 and had a recruit who was supposed to be “guaranteed” LCPL upon completion of boot camp due to his ROTC training. This boy was so messed up that he caused the entire platoon to visit the sand spur gardens on a hourly basis. He was worse than the boy in Full Metal Jacket. After this went on for many weeks, he was given a meritorious blanket party. He slept in the rack next to mine and I never heard a thing. Truthfully, slept right through it. The next morning, he left the platoon never to return. The Assistant Drill Instructor who had duty asked if anyone knew anything about what had happened. Of course, no one spoke up. It was funny that he said, “How come nobody woke me up to help. We smiled a little on the way to morning chow.
I do have a comment. We have these things in our Corps which are called “Marine Corps Orders/Publications” and one of those is the Promotion Manual. Now I don’t claim to be a genius; however, I am smart enough to realize that if the Marine Corps offers an opportunity to excel, then by all means TAKE IT! I too was promoted to LCpl meritoriously out of boot camp; 21 Jun 76, HCo, 3RTBn, MCRD, PISC. I was constantly harassed on being what was called back then a water walker. Well, I said, if you are that stupid to not take advantage of what is offered, then it’s your loss, and there is nothing in that Marine Corps Order about being a certain MOS, age, race or anything else. It does however require to apply yourself as it’s not just handed out. And may I add, EVERYONE has the opportunity to apply themselves. Now, in conclusion, I served 25 years active duty. In that was two tours as a DI, SDI, Series GySgt and Company Chief Drill Instructor among all the other duty stations we as Marines serve. I also might add that I was Meritoriously promoted to Cpl, Sgt, and GySgt. and deep selected as a SSgt. So for you Marines that want to make something of yourself, GO FOR IT and don’t listen to those that sit on their hind quarters.