Marine Lingo

(In no certain order....)

  • The Pit
    A huge sandbox, which allows Parris Island's DIs the pleasure of making recruits torture THEMSELVES with PT (physical torture...um, I mean training), where the dreaded South Carolina sand-fleas dwell. The platoon (or individual) are marched double-time into the pit. The DI proceeds through every exercise he can imagine, and the platoon must mimic the exercises the DI is demanding. The platoon must achieve unison with the DI's orders and each other, and they must learn the lesson which delivered them to the pit in the first place. If the DI is really ill with the platoon, this routine will occur mid-day and with blouses off. After a big rain is the worst, and that is how the The Pit came to be known also as The Beach.

  • PT
    Physical Training. Any form of exercises recruits are subjected to in order to make them stronger, to punish them, or to teach them a valuable lesson. See also Quarterdeck.

  • Quarterdeck
    This is forward-most part of the squadbay, between the DI's quarters and recruit racks. It takes its name from the part of a ship where all ceremonies at sea take place. I tell you this much though, if you ask any recruit or former recruits, they will tell you only of ceremonies of pain. The quarterdeck is where everyone who has made the DIs daily list is sent just before EHR--Evening Hygiene Routine--to take his/her punishment of excessive PT.

  • Deck Floor

  • Rack Bed

  • Bulkhead Wall

  • GoFasters Running Shoes

  • Double-time Hustle, Run

  • Ink-Stick Ink pen

  • UA Unauthorized Absence, AWOL

  • PCP
    Phsycal Conditioning Platoon. This is where all the overweight or out of shape recruits are send to get extra PT and fall back in training so they do not drag down the rest of the platoon with low PT scores.

  • MRP
    Medical Recovery Platoon. This is where injured recruits go to get better. The recruits send to MRP fall behind in recruit training and spend much longer on the island.

  • Pick-up
    A recruit from another platoon who has fallen behind in training, by either being sent to MRP or PCP, and is transferred to another platoon. Pick-ups tend to be ill-received within their new platoons. This is mostly due to the fact that since they have been on the island longer than most of the recruits in their new platoons, the pick-up tends to think he/she knows it all.

  • Chow
    This is what you eat while on Parris Island, though I refuse to admitt that it is, in fact, food. Never in civilian life have I known eggs to have green specs in them, but on the island they do. I have never, except on the island, had the displeasure of deciding if something was cake or meat-product.

  • Chow Hall
    Where chow is served.

  • CO
    This is the abbreviation used to refer to one's Commanding Officer.

  • "All about....."
    This is an expression used often on Parris Island. It is used as such, "I am all about drill." Meaning, "I am focused on doing well in drill. Another example, "I am all about getting laid tonight." Meaning, "I really want to get laid tonight." Enough said?

  • Nasty
    This one hears constantly while on Parris Island. "Get your NASTY hands out of your NASTY face! You NASTY boy! Oh, I see! You all want to slouch around and be NASTY!" Used in this way, it means, to be out of step, unorganized, civilian in habits.

  • "Good to Go"
    This phrase has two meanings.
    1) meaning-- Okay, that is great, fine, super.
    "You are already done, good to go. Did you see how well that was done? Good to go."

    2) meaning-- Okay, you want to be like that.
    "Oh, you don't want to pay attention! Okay, good to go!!!" "Oh you don't like me, GOOD TO GO!! Fifty push-ups!!" Get the idea yet?

  • BC's
    BC's are the perscription glasses the government issues recruits with visual impairments, and the term comes from the fact that if a girl sees you wearing these ungodly things you will not be sleeping with her. Birth Control Glasses.

  • Cas or Casual
    Casual is where recruits leaving recruit training on Parris Island are sent to wait out their time being processed off the island. It is a very odd place. The people there are either going home against their will or depressed because they want to go home but are stuck there. I made several good friends while in Casual, but I have yet to hear from any of them since we are back out in the civilian world.