Dropped him off at the recruiters office this morning.
They are driving to MEPS Columbus, staying overnight and then flying to SC in the morning.
Wish him luck, gonna be hot down there!

_________________________________________

They are in the middle of the Crucible right now, around 8am Saturday morning he will officially be a Marine.

Graduation will be 2 weeks from today.

All of his letters have been positive, and he has passed all tests on the 1st try.
Qualified Expert on the range too!

Can't wait to get down there and see him.
He made me a deal in his last letter, that if either one of us cries when we pick him up, it's just the humidity, lol.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ElKabong,

Good luck devildog! (Devil-pup?) The heat and humidity will be brutal, i did basic and IN training at Benning July through Sep and it was a bit warm.

I have a feeling he's not going to be smiling like that in a few days.

quote:

Originally posted by Strambo:
Good luck devildog! (Devil-pup?) The heat and humidity will be brutal, i did basic and IN training at Benning July through Sep and it was a bit warm.

I can't even imagine that.

I was at Benning from January through June and got all the seasons, sometimes in a single day. It was bad enough in June when I left. Guys falling out due to heat injuries.

quote:

Parris Island

4th Battalion is at PI, he'll do fine. Semper Fi.

Is it too early to wish him Semper Fi? Another fine young man going into military service. A good calling.

flashguy

Congratulations Dad! I want you to wish the little maggot good luck for me. In about 12 weeks time you will have one of the worlds finest warriors as your son. He will be transformed into a U.S. Marine, one of the few and the proud.

Semper Fi!

Good luck to your son! I went thru Parris Island in August to October of 1964. Four year active duty enlistment and two year inactive reserve. Deployed 29 months of a 48 month enlistment. Made PFC twice finished enlistment Sgt-E5. Naval ships I was on Terrel County 1157, Waldo County 1163, Lorain County 1177, Henry County 824, Okinawa LPH3,IwoJima LPH2, USNS General E.D.Patrick T-AP-50 and Fremont APA-44. Finished my active duty enlistment at GITMO with 3RdBN-8Th Marines. Agent Orange Recipient and "Pardon Me What Did You" in regards to hearing.

Hopefully your son's enlistment will pass with out incident and prepare him for life's journey!

quote:

Originally posted by Warhorse:
Congratulations Dad! I want you to wish the little maggot good luck for me. In about 12 weeks time you will have one of the worlds finest warriors as your son. He will be transformed into a U.S. Marine, one of the few and the proud.

Semper Fi!

This ^^^ and the transformation is amazing!

I went to PI for my grandson's graduation and I couldn't believe it was the same young man that left. I'm not usually an emotional guy, but I don't mind saying I shed a tear or three as I shook his hand after the ceremony.

Congratulations to you, your family and your son!

He’s gonna fucking hate that he went in the summer...

Best wishes for him, in a few months you will have a whole new person, enjoy him and tell him thanks for his service.

Congratulations on your future Marine.
Both of our sons graduated from there and we could not be more proud on a daily basis.
Be sure to write letters frequently. He might not get them right away, but he will get them and they help during boot camp.

Fine looking young man.

Congrats. Take picture again when returns from basic

Good for him! I wish him luck.

It's been almost 53 years since I stepped off the bus at PI. I hear it's changed some.

Congratulations to him, and thanks for not talking him out of it. When you get the phone call from him the hour he arrives at Parris Island, don't freak out. It's a freakable moment. Just remember that every day the Marines are taking care of him. When you see him next, he will be nearly unrecognizable.

If you are on facebook, Parris Island has its own page and you can follow his company and maybe see pictures of him in training.

Congrats again from a fellow Marine parent.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeinNC:
He’s gonna fucking hate that he went in the summer...
.

Ya fuckin hate it anytime of the year! Those guys in the Campaign Covers make sure of that!


Dad, congratulations!
He's about to go through one of the toughest things he's done up to this point of his life. It's going to change him.

In a few long weeks, a bunch of us will be able to tell him "Welcome to the Club" and Semper Fidelis!

We Marines talk a lot of trash about which Boot Camp is hardest, PI or San Diego.

I was a Hollywood Marine, and I’ll take those mountains over the sand fleas in the Carolinas any effing day!

Good to know we are still growing patriots! My younger son graduated boot camp 12 years ago. We went to the graduation and had a great proud moment watching him march across that parade ground. You have good reason to be very proud of your son!

He'll be fine. I was at PI from May to August. It is hot, but due to heat related casualties, they limit certain things during certain "Black Flag" conditions. Although what happens behind the treelines, or in barracks will still happen, DI's are very strict about this, as their ass is on the line if they don't follow orders.

I actually remember morning PT being pretty enjoyable, weather wise. I'd rather go through it during the summer months, than the winter months.

Ronin, I read something about PI or SD, and it involved DI's who had trained at both. The consensus was SD was more physically challenging, while PI was more mentally challenging.

ElkaBong, your son is in good hands. They (DI's) want your son to succeed. They just have an odd way of doing it.

Please keep us posted.

Semper Fi!

Dang, you and mom should be proud as hell. Good job mom and dad!