What is the dropout rate of the Royal Marine Commandos?
The rough numbers from what I remember is you’ll start with a troop of approximately 50 lads at the beginning of training.Over the course of the 32 weeks training the troop would lose roughly a third from injury. These lads ( I was one, I busted my knee and was out for 5 months) will join Hunter Coy and then return to another troop when fit.You will also lose around a third from people quitting and failing. You’ll get lots of goes to not fail, well, three I think and then you get binned at most tests, you might get put in Hunter Coy with the injured guys to improve your fitness but you don’t get forever.They’ve done the work to get you ready, you have to do it yourself as well and really push yourself….really really push yourself.So you’ll have maybe a third of the guys left that finish in their original troop, joined by back troopers along the way that add up to a few extra.Some people want to quit ten seconds after pledging their allegiance to the Queen, despite them saying that multiple times before that as soon as you’ve pledged you are theirs for two weeks so quit now, not in five mins (the lad in my troop hated those two weeks ha ha.)Some people quit further down the line, the may not fancy it, it just might not be for them. They may have personal problems, pregnant girlfriends, there is a multitude of reasons.Those that finish though, we got to join the biggest, best boys club in the world.I blog about Elite Military Forces - , you might find something you like there.
In the U.K., should I join the Royal Navy or Royal Marines?
Put simply: do you want to live on and help operate a warship or do you want to be a member of an elite amphibious infantry force?The Marines are infantry. In the same way that the army would have regular soldiers, but Marines come at the role from an entirely different angle. They might have similar individual weapons, but the doctrine and esprit de corps is vastly different.If you are a Marine, you are expected to be fitter, harder and way more deadly than regular infantry. You’ll be the force whom is always in the vanguard, sent to do the hardest missions, with heaviest packs and the meanest tours of duty. The only comparable army force would be the Paras, whom like you, would regard other military units with disdain.Standards for entering the marines in terms of physical fitness and aptitude will be very high. They might even be equal to those for many special forces units. A person hoping to join the army or regular Navy will have to pass the basic fitness test O.K. A prospective marine will need to smash it and then some.Your level of training and proficiency with weapons will be way beyond regular troops. Your marches, drills, personal and unit exercises will be beyond the norms endured by army personnel. Marines can be embarked on ships for prolonged periods of time. Like sailors you might be posted around the world and visit a dozen different countries, unlike sailors you will be the ones doing PT and weights and press ups in your spare time, just for fun.You can spot a collection of marines on a typical night out in Plymouth, they are the ones with the meanest hair cuts, and every man jack of them looks harder than a coffin nail.If that sounds like you, you are already half way there, the bulk of it is your personal mindset.If, like me, you would prefer not to have a crew cut, would not be too keen on PT and would rather vaporise 200 terrorists with a tomahawk cruise missile from 500 miles away whilst sitting drinking slightly bland coffee sat a weapons control console, then you want to be joining the navy. And since you are doing that, you might as well join the ultimate slice of that organisation and be a submariner. It helps if you have a slight personal level of OCD about cleaning things as well.
Should you join the Royal Marines at 16?
I didn't join the RM, but joined the RN at 16 so hopefully I can raise a few things to think about based on my experience:I thought of myself as very mature and in most respects I was however my lack of life experience meant that in some instances I didn't have comparable life experience, such as the concept of a boss. Weird as it sounds the closest I had to a boss was a teacher. Also I hadn't enjoyed an adult social life so banter was a new thing, because of this I got very easily offended and had to learn how to tell the difference between banter and actual piss taking.My relationship with my parents. To this day my relationship with my parents has been impacted by joining the Navy at 16. Up until that point all my interactions were based on a parent child relationship. I didn't grow to full maturity under their care. That has always left a bit of a gap. When you join the forces that young you are in effect brought up by your comrades. I was lucky in that a few people took me under their wing but I've seen other young lads go under in this environment. In some respects it can be a bit like the Spartan system!As others have stated if you join at 16 you miss out on further education. I hated school so was glad to have put education behind me, however when I left at age 22 I didn't have any qualifications which could get me a decent job. I ended up doing a lot of unskilled labour before taking the decision to go to college in the evening's.My advice would be to go to college and study a subject or subjects you enjoy for 2 years. Get a part time job for extra spends and to learn about the world of work. Look to join the armed forces at 18. Being more mature will definitely help your focus. You can also use the addition 2 years to improve your fitness as your body isn't fully grown at 16.Hope this helps.
I want to join the Royal Marines after University.?
Ok, i will have finished uni in either 2 or 3 years, depending if i do a placement year. So i will be either 22 or 23. Will i have passed my physical peak by that age (i am 20 now) making it much harder for me than those slightly younger? i row and play ice hockey so i'd say i have a pretty good level of fitness and strength already. I could be wrong but i don't think i'd have a problem getting through PRMC, it's the 32 weeks i am worried about, what is the drop out/failure rate and can you start over if you fail? I am not one for routine, i get bored very easily and i feel a career sitting in an office may not suit me in the long run, although i may enjoy it to begin with, it wont last. Originally i wanted to join the RAF as a fast jet pilot, but i am color blind so that idea went out the window. Americans please don't answer this unless you know what your talking about, just because you are/were a US Marine doesn't mean you know what your talking about, British Royal Marines are on a whole other level to US Marines. No offense intended.
How To Live A Life Like A Commando?
If you're not joking, there are actually two excellent books on this exact subject, using the commando mentality to succeed in the civilian world, written by commandos. The first is "Leadership Secrets of the Rogue Warrior", written by Richard Marcinko, the founder of SEAL Team SIX. http://www.amazon.com/Leadership-Secrets-Rogue-Warrior-Commandos/dp/0671545159/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1438710993&sr=1-4&keywords=richard+marcinko The second one is "Leadership and Training for the Fight", written by Paul Howe, a retired Special Operations soldier who spent most of his career in Delta Force. http://www.amazon.com/Leadership-Training-Fight-Operations-Enforcement-ebook/dp/B005PTZKLA/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1438711011&sr=1-1&keywords=leadership+and+training+for+the+fight
Are the royal marines on the front line of Afghanistan?
I think the marines all got rotated out of Afghanistan to make way for fresh army units in October, i might be wrong, but in that case the Army are currently on the front line to a much greater extent.
I'm thinking about joining the Royal Marines, what factors should I consider the most before deciding?
Make sure that you are joining for the correct reasons. Don’t join just because you have little other options, although it will still be good for you, you should really want to join just to join.Know that you will spend lots of time soaking wet, cold, tired, hungry, sitting in a bush at 03:00 waiting for an enemy that will never come. Just when you think you can get some sleep you will be kept up with a usually pointless task if on camp or an important task if in the field.Your body will hurt everyday during training, you will miss friends and family, you will change.But then?But know that training is just the game to get you up to scratch. After that you will be the fittest you have ever been, you be more confident and mentally stronger than anyone you know, you will be efficient in everything you do and civvies will annoy you with how slow and little they get done.You will have mates for life, some of the best laughs you will ever have and you will develop the Corps sense of humour that makes you laugh in the face of adversity and will make civvies look at you strange and wonder what’s wrong with you.You will be member of the biggest boys club in the world, fire hoofin guns, travel the world if you’re in the right place and have some amazing experiences.I still miss it every day of my life and I left in 2008.I blog about military stuff at Elite Military Forces - if you want to read about similar stuff!