I arrived in Parris Island August of ’67, a non-smoker, had never even tried cigarettes. In our initial issue of uniforms/toiletries and such we also received two cartons of Marlboro cigarettes. The cigarettes went into my foot locker.
That first week was mostly drilling to different warehouses to draw 782 gear and the like. There was no need of the entire platoon in the warehouse so the DI called for all non-smokers to fallout for detail, smokers the smoking lamp was lit.
As I remember, it was 12 of us who went into the warehouse to draw and organize the gear as directed. Mid-August, the warehouse was very hot and dusty. The work was not all that hard but the warehouse crew were DI wan-a-bes and made things as difficult as possible.
At the next warehouse we ended up, when the DI called for all non-smokers to fall out for detail, I nudged the recruit next to me and bumbed a cigarette.
I became a smoker.
That’s the first time I ever heard of cigarettes being included in a bucket issue, but I guess anything is possible. What really disturbs me though is the DI who turned his recruits over to non-trained personnel for supervision. We were assigned work details during maintenance week after the rifle range, but we were always supervised by our Drill Instructors. Most DI’s wouldn’t allow anybody to screw with their recruits. Loyalty went in both directions. Semper Fi!!! Top Pro
Feb 69, smokers received 2 cartons of smokes with their initial issue at PI along with other sundry items. We sure thought it was “nice” of the Corps to issue us all this stuff. Little did we know it came out of our paycheck. After a stint of a few weeks at “weak body barn”, I had quit smoking and didn’t want a cigarette, but after watching smokers get a break while we were left to get our gear in order, it didn’t take long to go back to smoking. It took until around 1974 to finally quit smoking.
The way I remember it the cigarettes were an option as we walked through the line of PX items. There were items and optional items like cigarettes and matches , didn’t mean that you were allowed to smoke them yet. I got a carton of Kools. Finally quit in the mid 80’s . Semper Fi Engineer! Harry 1371
Even on mess hall duty?
I sort of did the same thing only in my case it was the shooting positions it made me decide to smoke again.
I had a similar experience but it was a religious conversion. Being a Protestant, I took advantage of the short relief on Sunday mornings to attend chapel services. During the week leading up to final inspection it was extra stressful getting your brass gleaming, shoes spit-shined and all the other details necessary to pass inspection. Well, the Sunday before final I still had plenty to get ready and decided the only way to get caught up was to skip services – a big no no. In walks the DI and comes right up to me and asks me if I had been to church call. I replied, “Sir, yes sir.” He then said, “I didn’t know you were Catholic” (since Catholic services preceded Protestant services) to which I again replied, “Sir, yes sir.” He turned and said “Carry on private.”
i also arrived paris island august 67 as a non smoker ,joined smokers but only went thru the motions and puffed on the cigarette ,traded my cigarettes to another for shining my boots.never know we might have been in same platoon i can’t remember names of the other recruits
Like me I was a total Non-Smoker when I was a Hollywood Marine back in the 70’s . However, it seemed that the perks of the smokers out weighed the perks the non smokers, IE non -smokers were able to drink coke instead of milk or coffee. that is IF the Fountain Coke dispensers worked .yeah right. Smokers had longer breaks (my guess so they could catch their breaths ) . The DI smoked so when ever a DI lite up well you know. So,I started to light up at times only . Any way, after Boot Camp we hit overseas quickly for that lovely tour to join up with the 3/9. So, not really being a so called hard core smoker I started smoking it made for better sleep in the hot ,humid,mosquito buzzing nights . I no longer smoke.Guess it was a fad to be a cool young Marine humping in the jungles with a cig hanging out of the corner of ones mouth. Semper Fi Brothers.
Non smoker, never converted even though the entire platoon went out for smoke breaks and policing of smoking area. I distinctly remember standing outside in my skivvies at PI while it was snowing cursing out the smokers under my breath.
Jan-Mar 1972
2d Bn
San Diego, Feb.1964, Navy Relief made me a regular smoker. Donate your cloths and get a smoke no questions asked. Semper Fi. Brothers. L/cpl H. Young RVN 65/66/69
Got to P.I. in July of 66′ , we weren’t issued any smokes . You kept what you brought with you .
i had a similar experience with smoking at MCRD San Diego in ’72. After a few times watching the smokers go outside when the lamp was lit and the rest of us left cleaning the barracks, I began to go out when the lamp was lit, go through the motions of smoking and enjoying a few minutes of quiet time. As I was the “Secretary” of the Platoon I was out on the deck one evening and one of our Drill Instructors saw me. He remarked, in Drill Instructor style, that he didn’t know I smoked. I told him honestly that I didn’t, he didn’t respond just walked away shaking his head with a smile on his face.
Navy Boot Camp San Diego 1957
Our Company Commander/Drill Instructor had a very simple and method of teaching us that Navy men practices one for all and all for one…………..the hard way………….
If one recruit screwed up the entire company was punished. He had a variety menu to use as punishment such as entire company would march through a sand pile about half the dimensions of a school gym and about one foot of loose sand to march in. Plus, we had to carry our seabag containing all our issued uniforms and other items PLUS this was after taps and our spit shined shoes were required wearing….. Another was waiting for laundry day when all the white uniforms were scrubbed on cement tables and hung to dry with the small cord tied with exactly 1/2 inch loose (bitter) ends of the knot, he would cut the cord of every piece of uniform to make it drop on to the pavement and then we would march back and forth over the wet, clean, white uniforms until they were no longer. And to make the exercises so much fun and games for our “enjoyment” we never ever screwed up again. I am reasonably sure such training would not be permitted in today’s Navy. I would prefer having my company’s men watching my six than the politically correct products of today.
I retired in 1977 on 20 as a Chief Petty Officer and am so glad I am not in this man’s Navy now…