I have an 18 yr. old grandson who is a good guy, but with character flaw. He’s is a slob. His facial hair
is coming in black, not real heavy, but vary noticeable. He shaves every 3 or 4 days. It looks like crap.
I tried to explain that he needed to have some self pride. And he should shave every day, if not every day at least every other day. This went in one ear and out his a$$. Still a slob.
This brought back an experience I had in boot camp ( MCRDSD ). Our platoon had just been formed and we had just received our first uniform issue. Utilities, boots socks and such. Our Senior Drill Instructor S/Sgt Colter had the platoon fall out in our schivies and bring the shaving kit we were issued with the bucket issue. Once in formation Sgt. Colter started his inspection, walking back and forth in front of the formation. He stopped right in front of me. He then ask if I shaved ? My response was NO.
He then began to explain the proper response to a question ( a little painful I might add ). He then ask, how many in this HERD shaved. He had them rase their hands. About half shaved. He then returned his attention to me. Sh$t-head have you ever shaved ? Again my answer was, a resounding NO. I was again given instruction in the proper way to address the drill instructor. And again it was vary painful.
At this point S/Sgt. Colter explained very clearly how we would shave. And how much time we would have to Sh$t-shower-and shave. Five minutes. “FIVE MINUTES, FIVE MINUTES “. I can’t crap in five minutes. Then he said, hit the showers, get, get, get. Looked like a dam fire drill. a$$holes and elbows. When we got back in formation, you can’t believe how much toilet paper was stuck on our faces, I looked like a mummy. Back in the fifties when you received your bucket issue, we were issued the Gillette double-edge razor. This dam thing was a good way to commit suicide.
This was my experience and I’am sure most marines of this era have had similar. I am 76 years old and every time I shave, I think about this. Drill Instructors make one hell of an impression.
Chuck Wilson
Plt. 1019 1958
Sherman, Texas
Sgt Grit wants to hear from you! Leave your comments below or Submit your own Story !
Sounds familiar. Half of those who did shave had only used an electric razor. That first morning was made an even larger cluster due to the fact there were no lights on in the head. It wasn’t total darkness, but close to it with some light from the barracks shining into the head. Shaving with a blade for the first time in relative darkness brought forth a lot of blood. Even those of us that had used blades before drew blood. The sinks were a mess. I thought the lights were purposely turned off for our benefit, but apparently not, because we changed barracks later that day. Before we grabbed our gear and moved we did field day the barracks to include cleaning the bloody sinks and deck in the head.
You’re absolutely right, Chuck. Those Gillettes were dangerous. I remember thinking “I’ll probably bleed to death before I leave the depot”. When I got to 2ITR at Camp San Onofre in Sept 1958, I saw a cadre Cpl using a battery powered electric shaver out in the field and I thought, “This is the way to go”. At $85.00 a month, it was a long time before I could afford one.
Been there, done that, bought the tee shirt! Oohrah!
I believe part of the “bucket” issue was a tub of Barasol shaving cream..and I also recall some really brilliant boots thought they could get sh*t, shaved and showered, and beat the time limit, by just not putting a blade in said razor. Upon being “inspected”, rather closely, those unshaven were sent to the head to open the used blade dispenser, retrieve a used blade and “dry” shave. We even had one “mature” boot who had a nice growth under his nose. That’s what our DI called it. He didn’t remove said growth. The DI had him stick the Barasol tub in his mouth and complete, in the dry manner, his shave, with a used blade. What a fine lesson was learned by all!!
Aug-Oct 1970, Plt 188, A Co, 1st RTR, Parris Island. After the range, our DI’s usually avoided the head during our morning “ablutions” after the range, and we had gotten our pattern/routine down. One morning, as I was shaving, another DI from the series came through the head. (We were in the “new” concrete conjoined recruit barracks.) All of us reacted as someone called us to Attention! Surprised and reacting, I shaved a 4-inch long strip down my cheek. Lots of toilet paper, but I don’t remember any comments on the tp or scab from the DI’s.
as a 17 year old recruit [plt 33,1950 ] there wer,nt to many of us shaving .one of m y fellow recruits was caught with peach fuzz on his face was ordered into the shower with his Gillete razor ,running around the shower dry shaving with the lights out singing the MARINE hymn.he came out bloodied from face to toe.He is probably shaving every day still
Chuck, I am looking for more funny boot camp stories like those in my first book “SH*TBIRD! How I Learned To Love The Corps.” If you’d like to contribute send your stories to Jim Barber at bootcampstories4 at gmail. Include your date of enlistment, duty station (MCRDSD or MCRDPI) and platoon number. If you have your boot camp Blues picture include that as well. I also need specific permission to use the picture when published.
We were not fortunate enough to be issued Blues out of boot camp at MCRDPI in 1967 except for the outstanding Marine(s) in each graduating platoon.
I’d be walking that slob problem up the chain. Who’s his XO ? Start leaning in from there. Maybe a few marches and hours of PT might muster up some sense of pride ? Maybe PT that XO till they see the light ? All my employees are vets. Been that way since I came home from AFG. Got a few Army guys who “get it”. The Marines require no directive or explanation. They got that at boot. I don’t even try to recruit the other services anymore. Pretty much a waste of time.
I was 20 years old when I went to MCRDPI in 1966 so shaving wasn’t new to me. When we got our initial issue our shaving kit contained a Gillette safety razor complete with the fairly new stainless steel double edged blades. Before our first triple “S” our drill instructor took everyone’s newly issued pack of stainless steel blades and re-issued each of us a pack of the older blue blades. Before I enlisted, the factory where I had worked provided showers for the workers as due to the nature of the company our work clothes were too dirty to wear home. So, we showered and changed into clean street clothes each day before leaving the plant. I had gotten used to shaving “by touch” in the shower after work so I was able to cut a little time off of my shower/shave time. I don’t recall having any problems with cutting myself but some of the younger recruits that were shaving for the fist time had a lot of problems.
Parris Island, July of 1970. We were about 3 week into our training and it was evening, everybody in white skivvies sitting on our foot lockers shining something or writing a letter home when all hell broke loose at the other end of the squad bay. The house-mouse and a couple other recruits were running to the DI’s hooch and a bunch of recruits yelling and screaming. Thinking it was a fight I went to check it out just as the Senior DI, SSGT Chadwick double-timed into the squad bay to see this one recruit that had slashed his forearms horizontally numerous times in a lame attempt to commit suicide, by Gillette razor blade. Chadwick slapped this guy up-side his head so hard it took a moment for his eyeballs to catch up, then he grabs this recruits arm and is yelling at him, “long ways, you slice yourself long ways, this way we can’t save your sorry ass”. Of course there was a lot more “language” than “sorry ass”. Anyway, he was dragged out of the squad bay with his arm wrapped in a pillow case and we never saw him again nor was there ever a mention of it. I do believe an extra garbage can of water was used the next morning and we all spent a considerable amount of time with our shower shoes squeegeeing the water from the second deck of that wood floor. Good times. Semper FI. Sgt Nowak
Many fond memories of those shaving lessons!! DI’s due make a lasting impression. Thanks for sharing. Coincidentally, I was in the same platoon as Chuck Wilson!! Only 30 years later!!! Gary Devericks MCRDSD. Plt 1019. 1988.
I shaved before Boot but not like at Boot; fast and bleeding like a stuck pig. Don’t shave every day now ’cause I’m retired, 71 and my beard comes in white so it doesn’t show. I have every 2 or 3 days now.
GREAT STORY. BROUGHT BACK SOME OOLLD MEMORIES. ONE THING I DID NOT SEE IN THE FLOOD OF COMMENTS ON SHAVING. I REMEMBER SOME RECRUITS HAVING TO SHAVE WITH THEIR BUCKET OVER THEIR HEAD. HONEST ANY ONE ELSE??? NEXT TIME THEY SHAVED REAL CLOSE. THAT D.I. WAS A NASTY SOB. I HOPE HE GOT HIS. MAYBE SOMEONE MADE HIM SHAVE HIS BALLS. YA I’M NUTS.BRENDAN McCarron. P.I. 1965.
Sir I was in platoon 1019 MCRDSD in 1997 and my memories are almost exactly the same. Semper Fi.