Once upon a time or so I’ve been told, a SGT was sent to Marble Mountain w/ a req for some extra beer from the flyboys. While he was waiting for it to be loaded, he helped himself to the the tap left unguarded (only the flyboys would be this trusting) behind the bar.
After enjoying several pulls, he went to the head to give back some of the borrowed beer. When he entered there were 2 bluebellies already at the trough. Since he was a large capacity Marine, he didn’t finish until they were at the sinks. As he strolled past them, he overheard one of them say,”will you look at that, he didn’t wash up!”. Hearing this the SGT turned and said,” in the Marine Corps they teach us not to piss on our hands.” ’nuff said!
Funny stuff! We were also told when we could piss! Funny sight when you have an entire battalion of recruits lining both sides of a dirt road and given the command to face outboard and commence peeing on my command! Reddee! …P!
not completely true .do to some serious bladder inguries in the past probably before 1960 a recruit could within reason request a head call.Paul
Completely true! My drill instructor didn’t care was not aware or was trying to teach us a lesson! Pvt. Placentia requested permission for a head call in front of the whole platoon and was denied! He ask again! Was denied again then while being berated proceeded to unzip his fly and pee in front of our drill instructor and the world! That was in the middle of a 12 mile force March and shortly afterwards we all that had call I described earlier. One of the funnier episodes experience of boot camp! Semper Fi!
What year were you there. Lot of DIs lost stripes for shit like that. Bad shit when a recruit gets injured because of negligence. Running on full bladder is just stupid and a good DI would know that. If that recruit ended up in hospital DI would probably get busted or worse.
You kinda helped Paul make his point there kapena. Even though the DI’s tried to give us regular head callsthere was always an exception and the DI’s new it and yes the recruit would probably get berated for it but hey better off then pissin his skivies Right? or bursting something and causing a huge problem. Nick 0311
SEMPER FI MARINES! ITS Camp Pendleton 1980. No disrespect to any Marines just sharing. No judgement. We did have a recruit who did pee in his cammies and we all felt sorry for him and even I had to pee at that time. I think everyone did. But he caused a lot of extra time in the “the pit”at the end of the day for our platoon as every time someone messed up during the days training we were punished!
I know I’m getting old, so refresh my memory what is ITS and what is “the pit”? Was that boot camp at Pendleton ? Nick 0311
How could Nick forget the pit. Any area where the drill instructor decided would be a good place for about 30 minutes or more of mass exercise (or until he got tired) was the pit.
OK now I get it! He made it sound like the “The pit” was actually a pit. Hey I’m 77 years old cut me a huss. Nick 0311
Hey Nick , 3rd battalion we called it “The Sandbox” Had to bury our rifles in it one time, go do some PT, then dig them up, hours of cleaning! Harry 1371.
Thanks Harry. I do remember doing PT in the sand behind the barracks. Sure would like to be able to remember everthing. Maybe I’ll startmaking stuff up like some do LOL. Nick 0311
This story brings back a vivid memory of my time at P.I. in 1962. Our platoon was on the parade field one afternoon after I had unfortunately consumed too much “bug juice” at the noon mess. I had an urgent need to urinate but recognized that our DI would not acknowledge this need for individual requests. The platoon only had head calls as a unit on the DI’s direction. Just as I was hitting a critical point with the pain, a fire drill was sounded and the DI requested 4 volunteers to double-time to the barracks to close the windows. I was gone in a flash and closed the windows in the head…..after I used the urinal.
I’m sure the ITS was a typo (meaning ITR-Infantry Training Regiment).
As a Drill Instructor I’m not saying non of these happened; just about anything is possible except pissing in front of me! Turning his back and pissing would have made for a tough day physically, but doing it right in front of me? BULL***T!! Maybe there was a Hat that tolerated that, but he never finished his tour on the field. That recruit would ended up out at CCP or the Motivation Platoon for a day (Circa ’70, ’71, ’72).
Keep the RTR stories coming. We always enjoy the recruit versions of why we did something. What we really did was try to make sure that our future Marines could survive anything after boot camp with us. Love us or hate us, you feared nothing after us.
….and it couldn’t have been Boot Camp at Pendleton. Although I was a Hat in 3rd Bn Parris Island, I went to Boot at MCRD San Diego where we started in some of the 100+ cantonment TENTS at the time. If you went to boot camp at Pendleton, it was before 1948.
Silly %#¥¥€. One of my DI’s was Joe Basilone. I gained a Commission and became a Maj. I was about to join the LAPD. My military career was over, but I never requested a pension. I commanded units in five nations on three continents multiple times. BTW , no relation (to my knowledge). I’m now retired from the LAPD}. Semper Fi to all that I served with!
July 1963 Platoon 352 Had a Corporal DI that marched us to the head after noon chow, stood us in front of the head and stated “Head Call” but never let us go. We stood in formation doing the bladder squeeze until it wasn’t funny anymore. I do not think anyone pissed their pants. Also had one member of our Platoon upon the entire platoon being asked if there were any questions after the first week ask, “Sir, I have taken a shit since I got here. What should I do.” The DI casually stated, “(name), we are waiting for you to blow up.” Platoon laughter!!
Have NOT taken a shit” Sorry! Damn computer!!
I think he meant “It’s” and hit all caps. Recruits were at Pendleton, and still do go to Pendleton, for the rifle range. So the typing could be better, and the story could be true.
Good point Paul! Thanks. I think all of us that were MCRDSD recruits remember the range at Pendleton. Good times, good times, headed down the home stretch. When I was a D. I. at P.I., 3rd Bn, the range was and is on the Island. San Diego is landlocked, being boxed in between the Mission Hills district and the airport.
Just a note: There have been several moves to close Diego over the decades because of the astronomical value of the land to developers, but that will never happen. The Marine Corps Recruit Depot Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places 30 years ago, and there’s no way P.I. could handle the load. Probably the toughest day in our lives as D.I.’s was qual day. We couldn’t get down on the ground with you and talk you through it.
Semper Fi Paul
CWO-5 Noble Callaway
Boot Camp platoon 243 Parris Island Jan 1967. I was at the end of the squad bay and when they yelled head call that first day I couldn’t make it to piss. After not pissing all day and doing bends and thrust for ever that evening I couldn’t hold it any longer and pissed a little in my utilities and requested a head call. My DI looked at me and said looks like you’ve already pissed. Continue the bends and thrust.
Semper Fi