Basic training attrition rates.

[zukieast]

I seem to recall when I was going through Paradise Island in 1989 we had a number of folks who "wanted" to get out after they realized they made a mistake but the Corps would not let them go.

Most of our attrition was due to medical, followed by those that tried to swack themselves because they could not just quite.

Not sure about the other branches, but I know if folks are given the option to quite and things get a little tough, they will walk away. We didnt have that option.

As far as 9wks vs 12wks every Marine leaves boot camp knowing which end of the rifle the bullet comes out of and has at least touched all major infantry based weapons and radios. Then factor in 4 weeks of weeding out the civilian in the recruit, 4 weeks weapons, 4 weeks tactics and combined arms training. Then follow on now with another 4 weeks post boot camp infantry based training, then off to MOS. A basic Marine gets more military training in 16weeks than the average Army trooper gets in a 4 years (infantry units excluded).

Folks that I know who went to the Army all did it mostly because the Army does offer more jobs than the Corps, had units closer to where they wanted to be. And finally less deployments than they did in the Corps.

[mr. wonderful]

We had about 12 people out of a 240 man battery chaptered out at my basic at fort sill, for most of them they wanted to leave though. However I'm at fort sam houston right now and I've heard the dropout rate here is around 40% and I can see how too...

[Irv]

I think maybe in the late sixties we were a little more fit in the Navy than now.
I remember being at GQ scramble and they set different conditions including Zebra.
We had a few small round hatch (Zebra) within a large hatch that a 1st class could not pass thru and the Chief behind him reported the incident. The captain had all personnel up to Chief to lose weight and pass thru Zebra or be up be up before mast. About 90 percent passed and a few were given option of retirement.

[PatriotnMore]

Swimming was a requirement when I went through, in fact, you had to tread water for five minutes if my memory serves me correctly, and you had to pass an water survival swim course.

I could be completely wrong, but I've been told by more than one Navy person that swimming wasn't a requirement in bootcamp.

[Desert_Rat]

well swimming is not really a requirement in the corps. because there are many class 4 swimmers. all you really need to do is make sure your gear is water proofed and bycycle kick. or drown. but i think many people are also forgetting that the armies attrition rate maybe higher only because of the fact that they are humongous so they will have more people to drop. so if the army lost 10% of say 100.000 recruits yeah its alot but they still made 90,000 soldiers wheras say the marines get 10000 recruits and lose 20% they make 8,000 marines. the marines may have a higher percentage but the numbers are worse for the army.

This is true,I'll stand corrected.I'll say staying afloat is the minimum requirement.

[piedrarc]

You got me! Internet punch and I tried to counter.

[professionalcoyotehunter]

I knew someone would step in! I just wanted to keep the rivalry between the army and the marines. The army sure has a lot more over weight people than I have ever seen but the marines weren't far behind only because there were less of them. What took you so long?

[piedrarc]

It is not tougher just longer. It is not the army's fault it takes them 12 weeks to learn what it takes 9 weeks for the army soldiers to learn. There were just as many out of shape marines in while I was in the army. The worst shape people I had ever seen were the Air Force but they had the hottest women.

That's a crock of total BS. You obviously don't know what your talking about. The only truth to that statement is about the air force women.
Marines is capitalized!

[professionalcoyotehunter]

I've never been in the military but I have seen many overweight Army guy's and never an out of shape Marine. If Army basic is so tough why would you have to do Marine basic If you wanted to join? Once Marines decide to join other branches they don't have to go to bootcamp because they have the toughest basic out of all branches?

It is not tougher just longer. It is not the army's fault it takes them 12 weeks to learn what it takes 9 weeks for the army soldiers to learn. There were just as many out of shape marines in while I was in the army. The worst shape people I had ever seen were the Air Force but they had the hottest women.

[SuperSet]

Is there an issue with what's being mentioned in the report? I thought the "acceptable" rate for post-2000 IET attrition hovered somewhere around 12-14%.

[steelrain82]

well swimming is not really a requirement in the corps. because there are many class 4 swimmers. all you really need to do is make sure your gear is water proofed and bycycle kick. or drown. but i think many people are also forgetting that the armies attrition rate maybe higher only because of the fact that they are humongous so they will have more people to drop. so if the army lost 10% of say 100.000 recruits yeah its alot but they still made 90,000 soldiers wheras say the marines get 10000 recruits and lose 20% they make 8,000 marines. the marines may have a higher percentage but the numbers are worse for the army.

[nick]

The mainstream Navy's Mission,I'd say is to stay ON the ship.

Yep, they'll fight harder that way. All these tales about sailors not abandoning their burning ships, they just couldn't swim! But then, I knew a fighter pilot who was afraid of heights...

[jdberger]

The drop out rates are because people join the Army thinking it will be easy and they can breeze through it, get the money and get on with it, then fail out when they realize its semi difficult. Fewer people join the Marine Corps thinking this, for the most part they want to be there and want to pass for pride/patriotic reasons. The AF is a joke, people expect it to be easy and it is, hence the low drop rate.

Right - I'd see it as more of a "self-selection" process. Marines, and the people who decide to be Marines are a different sort of person.

(If it matters, I was Army Armor)

[Desert_Rat]

Swimming is a requirement in the Corps. Due to the amphibious nature of the mission.
The mainstream Navy's Mission,I'd say is to stay ON the ship.

[cgseanp1]

I'm surprised USN has 2nd highest drop rate. I'm thinking partly because people not being able to swim.

I could be completely wrong, but I've been told by more than one Navy person that swimming wasn't a requirement in bootcamp.