The Parent's Survival Guide to Marine Corps Boot Camp

Book excerpt: Welcome to one of the most unique families in the world. By proxy, you will be inducted into a group that is older than our Constitution. It is an honorable organization with a long history of warriors. You are about to be the parent of one of those warriors. Without the knowledge and facts of what to expect, this journey can be scary. It is important to learn myth from fact and to ensure that you do everything you can do to support your future Marine and keep yourself from worrying. If you are a Marine veteran, or come from a Marine Corps family already, this book is a great resource. It can help you compare your experiences with how the Marine Corps is conducting its training now. Many things have changed throughout the history of boot camp, but many things have not. This book can provide you with an opportunity to brush up on what's new and discuss what is the same. This guide has information from multiple official United States Marine Corps web sites and endeavors to be as current as possible. The 13 weeks of recruit training will fly by before you know it. While you won't be there personally to witness the transformation, you will be able to learn what is happening to your recruit. The best thing you can do is educate yourself on what your recruit is going through so that you can learn what will be expected of him/her as a United States Marine. This book is designed to help you do just that. It will give you a glimpse of what it is like as a recruit in boot camp and what you, as a parent, will need to know. It will also explain how you can help your recruit while he/she is in boot camp and what not to do. When graduation rolls around, you will be prepared to see your new Marine and understand exactly how the graduation process works. Also, we will explore what happens to your Marine after boot camp. His/her journey is only beginning at that point. There is still much more that your Marine will learn as he/she is sent to Marine Combat Training, his/her Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) school and then into the fleet. The adventure doesn't stop with graduating boot camp. Your Marine is going to need your support for a long time. The best thing you can do is prepare yourself with the education and knowledge that you can be a successful Marine parent. This is an exciting time for your future Marine. He/she is embarking on a journey that few will ever understand or comprehend. It will change their lives in so many ways. It is important as their parent that you understand why they call the Marines, "The Few. The Proud." It is a way of life that is difficult to explain unless you have lived through it. However, this book is going to do its best to explain it in a way that makes you beyond proud that your son or daughter chose the Marine Corps as a foundation for the way to live an honorable life of service to our country.