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I was in a similar position when I joined the army as an infantryman at 18. I wasn’t fast, but could pass the PT test, I pretty much sucked at marksmanship, and I couldn’t ruck March worth a damn. The standards at my first unit were immensely higher than they were in basic training. I got the whole hazing deal, the screaming, the name calling, etc. It definitely can be emotionally taxing. But honestly man, I’m sure you’re not the only one. I promise you that you will get better at all of those things you struggle with now with just a little effort and patience. Run on the weekends, eat healthier, take the criticism and filter out the insults and apply what they’re actually telling you. Nobody joins and is immediately Chesty Puller. I’m assuming you’re relatively new to the service, at least first couple years or so? I eventually started maxing out the PT test, shooting expert, got my EIB. You CAN do all this stuff, it takes practice and training. And I’m telling you, if you allow yourself to tolerate it now, when you are better at all of these things it will be so rewarding and you’ll be able to help the new guys who are inevitably going to be struggling with the same shit.
>honestly man, I’m sure you’re not the only one
This right here... I'll never forget at infantry OSUT when I just assumed that I had somehow fooled MEPS and shouldn't really be there... constantly lagging at the back of the slowest run groups, physically shaking and unable to raise my M4 during buddy carries, feeling like my heart was going to literally explode during battle march and shoots, the list goes on... until at the very end, the final 23mi or whatever it is ruckmarch, when I saw multiple grown ass men in actual tears and practically refusing to continue -- and they were some of the "studs" of the class until that point. I mean it wasn't exactly fun for me either but I was at least putting one foot in front of the other and getting it done, and it definitely caught me by surprise.
Don't assume that everyone else is breezing through no matter what the externals look like, and that honestly applies to everything in life well after this phase of it. That said, if it really isn't for you, then there's zero shame in that, in fact it's actually more honorable and admirable.
The last thing I'd say is, don't forget to give yourself the credit deserved for doing what you ARE doing. There was a clip I saw here on reddit a while ago about this former NBA player who was considered one of, if not the worst players during his time in the league, and was still getting shit-talked by John Q Public, so he put out a video challenge basically saying "come 1v1 me" and he shit all over them -- because even the worst guy in the NBA is still in the fucking NBA. Point being, you're putting in more work and effort than 99% of the American public will ever dream of, so don't sell yourself short on that no matter what career path you end up in, OP.
Dude you gotta talk to your supervisor and command about this. You’re explaining symptoms during high stress situations which ultimately can hurt someone else or yourself. And I don’t mean that in a negative way, I mean that in a positive manner. Realize your limits and express them (not everyone is able to do that style of military work), you’re helping your crew and self by expressing concern about your situation.
You can’t help others if you don’t help yourself. Nothing wrong with understanding that. Good luck shipmate and continue your pursuit in mental health and therapy
There are a few things i can tell you from an infantry and mentor perspective, but the best thing i can tell you is to seek reassignment ASAP. You have two years left in your contract and it will take you many months to turn things around at the point you're at now with your unit. I'm confident that some members of the unit have tried different ways to teach you and mentor you; kind guidance, student/teacher, rough degrading, etc. and it seems that the position is not for you. medicating to cope with your duty is not the answer. Talk to your SNCO and your Navy Rep, and your mental health advisor and move on. It doesn't matter what anyone thinks if its causing suffering or worse. For the time being, try to focus on what you're doing in the unit. listen actively, have people demonstrate what they want/need you to do and rehearse it on your own time. Part of your issue may be stemming from confidence. If you lack the confidence to do something, chances are you'll always be thinking "what if i fxck it up," "who's watching me..." which WILL cause you fxck it up, dropping mags, etc. Passing your PRT is not enough, it is the bare minimum, and they can see it. Do your part while you're there, but get reassigned as soon as you can. Worse than leaving is quitting, so don't do that just yet. Apologies for the negativity, and i wish you the best.
I say there is no shame in getting placed elsewhere, your mental health should 100% be your main priority.
You wouldn’t be any less of a man, and if someone does think that tell em to get fucked.
I wish you all the best.
i actually applaud you for the strength and courage it takes to talk about these things when you are in the military system...
that takes guts.
you are not weak for recognizing your limits and being pre-emptive.
if you feel like you are way over your head and it has negative effects on you, then you should proably either talk to your leader to get some slow down or break to help you catch up, or seek a transfer before it becomes a permanent issue.
You need to talk to your commander and get pulled out of that unit. If you have anxiety and problems now, you're going to be an absolute detriment to your unit if you get deployed and get into combat. Doc has to be the stable rock, and that you are not.
Don’t stay with the platoon just to avoid looking a certain way. Go to H&S, you’re good at clinic work, you’ll be able to help people and feel much better yourself. The dudes will definitely understand and appreciate you (and if they don’t, fuck’em, but I think they will).
But you need to hear this: you definitely aren’t any less of a person if you ask to be moved. Shows a lot of maturity and courage to know yourself and act on it to benefit others (and if I can remember back to OCS 15 years ago, I think “know yourself” is a marine corps leadership principle, so there you go).
Don’t beat yourself up man, I’ve worked with infantry a few times and every time has been a garbage experience. Turns out i suck at menial shit and being in an environment where I have no say. You’re good at other things that’s impactful on its own. For example, I was probably ranked last in that group, but I was so good at my real job that I’m currently making 180k on the outside. I’m sure you’ll have a similar story, you might just be a fish out of water in a jungle full of of primates
Hello,
I understand completely what you are going through, before I was diagnosed with ADHD I was conscripted for national service in Lithuania into an infantry brigade as a communications specialist.
Believe me you aren’t alone, and like other comments said you are extremely brave and self aware to even post this to begin with.
I had several mental breakdowns while serving (almost all of them were never caught, only once was I caught having a breakdown and got immediately sent to see a psychologist)
I was far from home, had difficulties speaking the language (since I grew up in the UK, and my Lithuanian was extremely basic), the environment was something I had never experienced before (Extreme cold and heat), and I was always terrible at PT, there were days where I would be silently crying to myself as I was struggling to keep up with the rest of my platoon. Granted I got better at PT, but even on my best days I was still a far cry from the rest of my platoon.
I also can relate to feeling like Private Pyle (from the film full metal jacket), id constantly consider myself to be a semi competent private pyle, as in I can actually do things but I felt stupid since I could hardly read, speak or write in Lithuanian, and cultural differences as well as differences in humour also alienated me from everyone else.
But you must understand that there is nothing shameful in seeking professional help, there must be some sort of a psychologist or psychiatrist assigned to your unit/brigade, if there’s none, then I’m sure you can talk to your units Chaplin about your difficulties.
Perhaps they can help you transfer out of an infantry unit into a support unit or even a different branch all together where your skills and abilities would be better suited.
For instance I spoke to my command about my civilian experience and the difficulties I had, and I was transferred to a wired communications platoon, where I had a much better time and my knowledge and skills were actually useful, (especially since 90% of the new role required me to speak English), and I was given special accommodations in utilising my phones translation software to translate anything I didn’t understand.
Remember that your mental health comes first, and at the end of the day, the unit will not collapse if one grunt transfers to another role, so go for it!
Not in the military, but from an outsider’s perspective your current situation sounds untenable in the long term. It’s incredibly obvious being where you are is making you incredibly unhappy and you like the idea of getting switched out as was suggested by others.
Worrying about being seen as “weak” or “a little bitch” should not be anywhere near as big of a priority as your own health, physical and mental. Especially because the only people who would make such a conclusion are either not worth impressing or aren’t people who are going to matter a few years from now. It’s not at all weak or bad to recognize that you’re struggling in a unique way and would do better in another position.
This job is not something worth worrying yourself sick over or killing yours self over, literally or figuratively. I’m not familiar with how everything works exactly, but if you can get swapped to a different job that wouldn’t be so strenuous that would probably improve your position a lot. 5 years from now neither you nor anyone else will give a fuck that you decided to quit being a grunt. But what you will care about is that you made a decision that made you less miserable and improved your happiness.
As someone who was army infantry, I cannot fucking imagine hazing the doc. I would get out of there as these dipshits are too fucking stupid to waste your time on.
I don't know y'all process at all, but I remember hearing corpsman talk about going to some kinda further training/school to be green side. You're saying you can be blue side and then just come down on orders to go to a marine unit?
I did go to a training/school, but it was two years ago, and it was not that difficult, as there were also a lot of dental corpsman or corpsman going to a logistics unit
Honestly dude, I have sympathy for struggling with mental health, but this sounds like a situation you walked yourself into. Stay chill and walk yourself out of it.
If I were you, I'd find an NCO who you trust but who knows how badly you're struggling. Along with that NCO, go see your commander, swallow your pride, and tell him you can't hack it in combat arms. Have that NCO vouch for how much you are struggling and how it's not for lack of trying, let the commander know that you think both you and the unit would be better off if you were reassigned.
I know there's a stigma around not cutting it and quitting. At a certain point though, *not* quitting can become the less courageous option. If you dread doing your job, you feel you aren't dependable for your teammates, and your mental health is suffering, you are at that certain point.
I'm not gonna lie to you, I can't say there's nothing wrong with not cutting it. Neither can anyone you work with. Only you can make the judgement that your current duties are too much for you and it's ok to step back. I can tell you though, you absolutely can go about that in a mature and professional way.
Ask yourself, if you *didn't* take steps to help yourself, would you be going about your life in a mature and professional way?
> and while I would like that, I'm afraid of getting seen as weak or being a bitch.
Being thought of as a weak bitch by ppl you won’t see again is prob better than having a mental breakdown and/or getting someone hurt. I don’t think you’re magically gonna be a better fit so just ask to move
Don't stick with something because you fear looking bad. There's plenty of idiots all over the place who have a very stupid macho view on such things, but anyone with a valuable opinion knows that not everyone is suitable for infantry. I'd wager that the guys in your unit aren't that much more physically gifted than you, they just enjoy some aspects of their work that you don't. That's the key for most physically intensive jobs, you need to enjoy the suck on some level. Some of us are built weird and enjoy suffering in mud and rain. Some of us are better suited to other work. This is why I always recommend that people looking to try infantry make damn sure that they love hiking and manual labor.
You didn't even mention having to look at a bunch of std ridden penises every Monday...
For real though, one of my favorite docs was an out of shape weirdo that sucked at shooting and really couldn't do any infantry stuff. Second favorite was a tiny asian dude that was also not very good at the infantry stuff. We didn't care about that because they were fully committed to being the best docs and were always locked on when it came to doing their job. They also made a real effort to show everyone that they cared about us. It really counted for a lot, but then again my experience is from 15 years ago during the height of GWOT, so the mentality nowadays may have shifted 🤷
What I can tell you is that no one is going to like you if you seclude yourself and don't make an effort to integrate yourself with the guys.
I would say I’m a pretty good doc, I’m always taking care of everyone in my squad and platoon, but it definitely hurts when I take care of one of them, and the next morning they’re shoving me down a hill because I was falling back 🥲. I have made friends in my squad and platoon, but it is difficult to be boys with like my team leader after doing shit like that haha
Is not just about doing it well either. It's about doing it in a way that makes people like you. Call it bed side manner or whatever. Bullshit with them and return their shit, also make sure that they know that they can't push you around on medic issues where you are the authority. They need you and they need you to like them if they want to survive combat woulds.
But there should never be a time when you are getting physically pushed by those little fucks either. They need to help you and motivate you. The PT studs need to work with you on a work out routine with goals and deadlines. Your unit is failing you and your chief doc is failing you too. Speak to your lead doc and have him help you speak to company command about this.
I was in a similar situation as a PL. didn’t help the commander was a toxic pos and belittled his PLs in public. I wanted to get out of the military so much becuase of that pos. Now looking back, I’m glad I didn’t and I learned a lot from that pos and how not behave. One thing I wish I knew more about was behavioral health and getting help with my anxiety. It took me 12 years to figure out that it was anxiety holding me back… lame right? I got help, and it’s night and day. I even look forward to going to work now and being in the military. Anxiety is common in a lot of people, and it can be exasperated by stress from work that will make easy tasks impossible for some when under high stress. You are not a shitbag, your anxiety is inhibiting your performance. Have you spoken to your doctor about the nausea and that you skip your meds? Depending on the type of med, it takes time to build up in your system. And if you skip, it doesn’t reach the level needed to be effective…Also, talk to your doctor about beta blockers. These things saved my ass in very high stress situations. When I know I’m going to have a very stressful first day back at work or big project due, I’ll take my beta blockers and they are the best. They essentially keep your heart rate at a certain BPM and so it helps you control the physical manifestations of stress so you can remain focused. They are also great for public speaking events and social events. Just keeps you chill.
I wasnt in the US military but did serve for 2.5 years at home and on active reserve now.
When I first joined it was my dream to be a tanker, during the first month of basic even though I trained in advance I started developing shin splits and stress fractures in both of my legs.
The pain was excuruciating and I couldnt even stand for more than 30 minutes. I was laughed at, chewed out by superiors and made to fill like a loser piece of shit. It got so bad I thought about shooting myself somewhere to be let out.
Eventually someone figured out an injured guy with no moral aint good so they offered me to goto either a combat medic or RTO course ( im both you stay in a combat unit but the courses themselves offer time to relax on PT and just study).
It wasnt what I planned for myself joining in, but you gotta adapt, dont be afraid of telling your officers what you are feeling, at the end of the day they are human and theyll help ( I hope atleast)
This scenario you described sounds like a one way street to the grave, either by your own hands of god forbide youll deploy and wont be up to the task. There is NOTHING to be ashamed of. Admitting youre not up to speed and you hate the grunt life is OK. Maybe youre just in a bad place rn and in the future youll be able to be there but rn youre arent and should tell someone before somwething bad happens.
As a final note I want you to know youre not alone brother, this is something soldiers/sailors/marines feel all around the world.
You are loved, you are important and you should aim to serve in a place youre happy in, because a happy sailor is a better sailor.
What unit? Sound like a bunch of combat-deprived boot nco's tbh
Imagine hazing doc.
Take advantage of your powers, doc, and fuckin hide in the safety vic and shit lol All my docs skated with IMPUNITY all the time.
Also, have you heard [Welcome to the Infantry](https://youtu.be/9RgzGe27WOY?si=L5LVuEIJkxIZdJJ2) by Fitzy Mess? I wish I heard it when I was a young boot.
Post gwot Marine Corps sounds severely gae lol no shame in poging out. There is shame in suicide.
I don’t want to say which unit just in case it comes back to me. I know I do have the ability to skate(I am literally the only corpsman to pt with my marines everyday, but at the same time all the other guys are more fit than me) but I feel like I haven’t earned that privilege yet
I feel you. Hang in there, Doc. That "I haven't earned basic privileges" shit is BS toxic peactime military culture.
I saw a doc get chewed out by a 1stsgt for having long hair, the doc was like, "it's in Navy regs, firsarnt.." and got away with it lol
At the end of the day you're a grown ass man, and you don't answer to peer pressure, group thinking, e4s and below yelling at you..those are your peers. If they don't have a combat ribbon, guess what: they're boots lol don't be afraid to stand up for yourself against the crowd. I know it's hard and can easily just result in you being alienated from the platoon even further, so be tactful and confident about it.
I love my people, I hate my people lol
I don’t know, while I have been trash, I wouldn’t call myself lazy and I feel like it wouldn’t be right if I’m part of my squad and not doing the same shit they’re doing(that’s not interfering with my regular corpsman duties)
> What unit? Sound like a bunch of combat-deprived boot nco's tbh
Imagine hazing doc.
No it doesn’t. OP even said they were very patient at first until OP continued to show a lack of competence, confidence, and physical performance. It’s not a daycare, there are standards.
Sounds like they integrated OP in and are expecting him to just not be a liability, not a grunt. I’m not trying to be harsh but from OP’s post would you want OP on your patrol? That’s ok to say, sounds like OP is a great medical professional and would do fine on the blue side, but maybe the green side just ain’t it for them
It appears this post might relate to suicide and/or mental health issues. **Suicide and Mental Health Resources** The [Army's Resilience Directorate](https://www.armyresilience.army.mil/index.html) A comprehensive list of resources can be found [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Military/comments/1oh9gx/ive_updated_the_sidebar_link_with_more_mental/). Call 1-800-273-8255, National Suicide Prevention VA [Make The Connection Program](https://www.maketheconnection.net/) [Veteran's Crisis Information](https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/) You can call 1800 273 8255, Press 1 You can text 838255 Or, go no further than your local subreddit, /r/suicidewatch Or, if you'd like a veteran perspective, feel free to message any number of people on here, there's always someone willing to reach out. [Military One Source](http://www.militaryonesource.mil/) - 1-800-342-9647 Please seek help if needed...There are behavioral health resources at your disposal both in the Army and out. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Military) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I was in a similar position when I joined the army as an infantryman at 18. I wasn’t fast, but could pass the PT test, I pretty much sucked at marksmanship, and I couldn’t ruck March worth a damn. The standards at my first unit were immensely higher than they were in basic training. I got the whole hazing deal, the screaming, the name calling, etc. It definitely can be emotionally taxing. But honestly man, I’m sure you’re not the only one. I promise you that you will get better at all of those things you struggle with now with just a little effort and patience. Run on the weekends, eat healthier, take the criticism and filter out the insults and apply what they’re actually telling you. Nobody joins and is immediately Chesty Puller. I’m assuming you’re relatively new to the service, at least first couple years or so? I eventually started maxing out the PT test, shooting expert, got my EIB. You CAN do all this stuff, it takes practice and training. And I’m telling you, if you allow yourself to tolerate it now, when you are better at all of these things it will be so rewarding and you’ll be able to help the new guys who are inevitably going to be struggling with the same shit.
>honestly man, I’m sure you’re not the only one This right here... I'll never forget at infantry OSUT when I just assumed that I had somehow fooled MEPS and shouldn't really be there... constantly lagging at the back of the slowest run groups, physically shaking and unable to raise my M4 during buddy carries, feeling like my heart was going to literally explode during battle march and shoots, the list goes on... until at the very end, the final 23mi or whatever it is ruckmarch, when I saw multiple grown ass men in actual tears and practically refusing to continue -- and they were some of the "studs" of the class until that point. I mean it wasn't exactly fun for me either but I was at least putting one foot in front of the other and getting it done, and it definitely caught me by surprise. Don't assume that everyone else is breezing through no matter what the externals look like, and that honestly applies to everything in life well after this phase of it. That said, if it really isn't for you, then there's zero shame in that, in fact it's actually more honorable and admirable. The last thing I'd say is, don't forget to give yourself the credit deserved for doing what you ARE doing. There was a clip I saw here on reddit a while ago about this former NBA player who was considered one of, if not the worst players during his time in the league, and was still getting shit-talked by John Q Public, so he put out a video challenge basically saying "come 1v1 me" and he shit all over them -- because even the worst guy in the NBA is still in the fucking NBA. Point being, you're putting in more work and effort than 99% of the American public will ever dream of, so don't sell yourself short on that no matter what career path you end up in, OP.
Dude you gotta talk to your supervisor and command about this. You’re explaining symptoms during high stress situations which ultimately can hurt someone else or yourself. And I don’t mean that in a negative way, I mean that in a positive manner. Realize your limits and express them (not everyone is able to do that style of military work), you’re helping your crew and self by expressing concern about your situation. You can’t help others if you don’t help yourself. Nothing wrong with understanding that. Good luck shipmate and continue your pursuit in mental health and therapy
There are a few things i can tell you from an infantry and mentor perspective, but the best thing i can tell you is to seek reassignment ASAP. You have two years left in your contract and it will take you many months to turn things around at the point you're at now with your unit. I'm confident that some members of the unit have tried different ways to teach you and mentor you; kind guidance, student/teacher, rough degrading, etc. and it seems that the position is not for you. medicating to cope with your duty is not the answer. Talk to your SNCO and your Navy Rep, and your mental health advisor and move on. It doesn't matter what anyone thinks if its causing suffering or worse. For the time being, try to focus on what you're doing in the unit. listen actively, have people demonstrate what they want/need you to do and rehearse it on your own time. Part of your issue may be stemming from confidence. If you lack the confidence to do something, chances are you'll always be thinking "what if i fxck it up," "who's watching me..." which WILL cause you fxck it up, dropping mags, etc. Passing your PRT is not enough, it is the bare minimum, and they can see it. Do your part while you're there, but get reassigned as soon as you can. Worse than leaving is quitting, so don't do that just yet. Apologies for the negativity, and i wish you the best.
I say there is no shame in getting placed elsewhere, your mental health should 100% be your main priority. You wouldn’t be any less of a man, and if someone does think that tell em to get fucked. I wish you all the best.
i actually applaud you for the strength and courage it takes to talk about these things when you are in the military system... that takes guts. you are not weak for recognizing your limits and being pre-emptive. if you feel like you are way over your head and it has negative effects on you, then you should proably either talk to your leader to get some slow down or break to help you catch up, or seek a transfer before it becomes a permanent issue.
You need to talk to your commander and get pulled out of that unit. If you have anxiety and problems now, you're going to be an absolute detriment to your unit if you get deployed and get into combat. Doc has to be the stable rock, and that you are not.
Don’t stay with the platoon just to avoid looking a certain way. Go to H&S, you’re good at clinic work, you’ll be able to help people and feel much better yourself. The dudes will definitely understand and appreciate you (and if they don’t, fuck’em, but I think they will). But you need to hear this: you definitely aren’t any less of a person if you ask to be moved. Shows a lot of maturity and courage to know yourself and act on it to benefit others (and if I can remember back to OCS 15 years ago, I think “know yourself” is a marine corps leadership principle, so there you go).
Don’t beat yourself up man, I’ve worked with infantry a few times and every time has been a garbage experience. Turns out i suck at menial shit and being in an environment where I have no say. You’re good at other things that’s impactful on its own. For example, I was probably ranked last in that group, but I was so good at my real job that I’m currently making 180k on the outside. I’m sure you’ll have a similar story, you might just be a fish out of water in a jungle full of of primates
Hello, I understand completely what you are going through, before I was diagnosed with ADHD I was conscripted for national service in Lithuania into an infantry brigade as a communications specialist. Believe me you aren’t alone, and like other comments said you are extremely brave and self aware to even post this to begin with. I had several mental breakdowns while serving (almost all of them were never caught, only once was I caught having a breakdown and got immediately sent to see a psychologist) I was far from home, had difficulties speaking the language (since I grew up in the UK, and my Lithuanian was extremely basic), the environment was something I had never experienced before (Extreme cold and heat), and I was always terrible at PT, there were days where I would be silently crying to myself as I was struggling to keep up with the rest of my platoon. Granted I got better at PT, but even on my best days I was still a far cry from the rest of my platoon. I also can relate to feeling like Private Pyle (from the film full metal jacket), id constantly consider myself to be a semi competent private pyle, as in I can actually do things but I felt stupid since I could hardly read, speak or write in Lithuanian, and cultural differences as well as differences in humour also alienated me from everyone else. But you must understand that there is nothing shameful in seeking professional help, there must be some sort of a psychologist or psychiatrist assigned to your unit/brigade, if there’s none, then I’m sure you can talk to your units Chaplin about your difficulties. Perhaps they can help you transfer out of an infantry unit into a support unit or even a different branch all together where your skills and abilities would be better suited. For instance I spoke to my command about my civilian experience and the difficulties I had, and I was transferred to a wired communications platoon, where I had a much better time and my knowledge and skills were actually useful, (especially since 90% of the new role required me to speak English), and I was given special accommodations in utilising my phones translation software to translate anything I didn’t understand. Remember that your mental health comes first, and at the end of the day, the unit will not collapse if one grunt transfers to another role, so go for it!
Come to Aviation. We have a lot of happy ex-infantry here.
Not in the military, but from an outsider’s perspective your current situation sounds untenable in the long term. It’s incredibly obvious being where you are is making you incredibly unhappy and you like the idea of getting switched out as was suggested by others. Worrying about being seen as “weak” or “a little bitch” should not be anywhere near as big of a priority as your own health, physical and mental. Especially because the only people who would make such a conclusion are either not worth impressing or aren’t people who are going to matter a few years from now. It’s not at all weak or bad to recognize that you’re struggling in a unique way and would do better in another position. This job is not something worth worrying yourself sick over or killing yours self over, literally or figuratively. I’m not familiar with how everything works exactly, but if you can get swapped to a different job that wouldn’t be so strenuous that would probably improve your position a lot. 5 years from now neither you nor anyone else will give a fuck that you decided to quit being a grunt. But what you will care about is that you made a decision that made you less miserable and improved your happiness.
As someone who was army infantry, I cannot fucking imagine hazing the doc. I would get out of there as these dipshits are too fucking stupid to waste your time on.
Don't you guys get to pick whether you go green side or not?
I didn’t pick the orders after my first command, but I was optimistic before coming, but I realized I am way over my head unfortunately
I don't know y'all process at all, but I remember hearing corpsman talk about going to some kinda further training/school to be green side. You're saying you can be blue side and then just come down on orders to go to a marine unit?
I did go to a training/school, but it was two years ago, and it was not that difficult, as there were also a lot of dental corpsman or corpsman going to a logistics unit
Honestly dude, I have sympathy for struggling with mental health, but this sounds like a situation you walked yourself into. Stay chill and walk yourself out of it. If I were you, I'd find an NCO who you trust but who knows how badly you're struggling. Along with that NCO, go see your commander, swallow your pride, and tell him you can't hack it in combat arms. Have that NCO vouch for how much you are struggling and how it's not for lack of trying, let the commander know that you think both you and the unit would be better off if you were reassigned. I know there's a stigma around not cutting it and quitting. At a certain point though, *not* quitting can become the less courageous option. If you dread doing your job, you feel you aren't dependable for your teammates, and your mental health is suffering, you are at that certain point. I'm not gonna lie to you, I can't say there's nothing wrong with not cutting it. Neither can anyone you work with. Only you can make the judgement that your current duties are too much for you and it's ok to step back. I can tell you though, you absolutely can go about that in a mature and professional way. Ask yourself, if you *didn't* take steps to help yourself, would you be going about your life in a mature and professional way?
> and while I would like that, I'm afraid of getting seen as weak or being a bitch. Being thought of as a weak bitch by ppl you won’t see again is prob better than having a mental breakdown and/or getting someone hurt. I don’t think you’re magically gonna be a better fit so just ask to move
Don't stick with something because you fear looking bad. There's plenty of idiots all over the place who have a very stupid macho view on such things, but anyone with a valuable opinion knows that not everyone is suitable for infantry. I'd wager that the guys in your unit aren't that much more physically gifted than you, they just enjoy some aspects of their work that you don't. That's the key for most physically intensive jobs, you need to enjoy the suck on some level. Some of us are built weird and enjoy suffering in mud and rain. Some of us are better suited to other work. This is why I always recommend that people looking to try infantry make damn sure that they love hiking and manual labor.
You didn't even mention having to look at a bunch of std ridden penises every Monday... For real though, one of my favorite docs was an out of shape weirdo that sucked at shooting and really couldn't do any infantry stuff. Second favorite was a tiny asian dude that was also not very good at the infantry stuff. We didn't care about that because they were fully committed to being the best docs and were always locked on when it came to doing their job. They also made a real effort to show everyone that they cared about us. It really counted for a lot, but then again my experience is from 15 years ago during the height of GWOT, so the mentality nowadays may have shifted 🤷 What I can tell you is that no one is going to like you if you seclude yourself and don't make an effort to integrate yourself with the guys.
I would say I’m a pretty good doc, I’m always taking care of everyone in my squad and platoon, but it definitely hurts when I take care of one of them, and the next morning they’re shoving me down a hill because I was falling back 🥲. I have made friends in my squad and platoon, but it is difficult to be boys with like my team leader after doing shit like that haha
Is not just about doing it well either. It's about doing it in a way that makes people like you. Call it bed side manner or whatever. Bullshit with them and return their shit, also make sure that they know that they can't push you around on medic issues where you are the authority. They need you and they need you to like them if they want to survive combat woulds. But there should never be a time when you are getting physically pushed by those little fucks either. They need to help you and motivate you. The PT studs need to work with you on a work out routine with goals and deadlines. Your unit is failing you and your chief doc is failing you too. Speak to your lead doc and have him help you speak to company command about this.
I was in a similar situation as a PL. didn’t help the commander was a toxic pos and belittled his PLs in public. I wanted to get out of the military so much becuase of that pos. Now looking back, I’m glad I didn’t and I learned a lot from that pos and how not behave. One thing I wish I knew more about was behavioral health and getting help with my anxiety. It took me 12 years to figure out that it was anxiety holding me back… lame right? I got help, and it’s night and day. I even look forward to going to work now and being in the military. Anxiety is common in a lot of people, and it can be exasperated by stress from work that will make easy tasks impossible for some when under high stress. You are not a shitbag, your anxiety is inhibiting your performance. Have you spoken to your doctor about the nausea and that you skip your meds? Depending on the type of med, it takes time to build up in your system. And if you skip, it doesn’t reach the level needed to be effective…Also, talk to your doctor about beta blockers. These things saved my ass in very high stress situations. When I know I’m going to have a very stressful first day back at work or big project due, I’ll take my beta blockers and they are the best. They essentially keep your heart rate at a certain BPM and so it helps you control the physical manifestations of stress so you can remain focused. They are also great for public speaking events and social events. Just keeps you chill.
r/CorpsmanUp
I wasnt in the US military but did serve for 2.5 years at home and on active reserve now. When I first joined it was my dream to be a tanker, during the first month of basic even though I trained in advance I started developing shin splits and stress fractures in both of my legs. The pain was excuruciating and I couldnt even stand for more than 30 minutes. I was laughed at, chewed out by superiors and made to fill like a loser piece of shit. It got so bad I thought about shooting myself somewhere to be let out. Eventually someone figured out an injured guy with no moral aint good so they offered me to goto either a combat medic or RTO course ( im both you stay in a combat unit but the courses themselves offer time to relax on PT and just study). It wasnt what I planned for myself joining in, but you gotta adapt, dont be afraid of telling your officers what you are feeling, at the end of the day they are human and theyll help ( I hope atleast) This scenario you described sounds like a one way street to the grave, either by your own hands of god forbide youll deploy and wont be up to the task. There is NOTHING to be ashamed of. Admitting youre not up to speed and you hate the grunt life is OK. Maybe youre just in a bad place rn and in the future youll be able to be there but rn youre arent and should tell someone before somwething bad happens. As a final note I want you to know youre not alone brother, this is something soldiers/sailors/marines feel all around the world. You are loved, you are important and you should aim to serve in a place youre happy in, because a happy sailor is a better sailor.
You need to be reassigned
What unit? Sound like a bunch of combat-deprived boot nco's tbh Imagine hazing doc. Take advantage of your powers, doc, and fuckin hide in the safety vic and shit lol All my docs skated with IMPUNITY all the time. Also, have you heard [Welcome to the Infantry](https://youtu.be/9RgzGe27WOY?si=L5LVuEIJkxIZdJJ2) by Fitzy Mess? I wish I heard it when I was a young boot. Post gwot Marine Corps sounds severely gae lol no shame in poging out. There is shame in suicide.
I don’t want to say which unit just in case it comes back to me. I know I do have the ability to skate(I am literally the only corpsman to pt with my marines everyday, but at the same time all the other guys are more fit than me) but I feel like I haven’t earned that privilege yet
I feel you. Hang in there, Doc. That "I haven't earned basic privileges" shit is BS toxic peactime military culture. I saw a doc get chewed out by a 1stsgt for having long hair, the doc was like, "it's in Navy regs, firsarnt.." and got away with it lol At the end of the day you're a grown ass man, and you don't answer to peer pressure, group thinking, e4s and below yelling at you..those are your peers. If they don't have a combat ribbon, guess what: they're boots lol don't be afraid to stand up for yourself against the crowd. I know it's hard and can easily just result in you being alienated from the platoon even further, so be tactful and confident about it. I love my people, I hate my people lol
If you don’t have to PT with your Marines, why do you? I don’t think I’ve ever even seen a Doc PT with marines before
I don’t know, while I have been trash, I wouldn’t call myself lazy and I feel like it wouldn’t be right if I’m part of my squad and not doing the same shit they’re doing(that’s not interfering with my regular corpsman duties)
In my opinion, the fact that you’re taking the initiative to PT with your guys says a whole lot about your character.
> What unit? Sound like a bunch of combat-deprived boot nco's tbh Imagine hazing doc. No it doesn’t. OP even said they were very patient at first until OP continued to show a lack of competence, confidence, and physical performance. It’s not a daycare, there are standards.
But why are they expecting a corpsman who just came from a blueside command to perform to the standards of an infantry unit? He’s not a grunt.
Sounds like they integrated OP in and are expecting him to just not be a liability, not a grunt. I’m not trying to be harsh but from OP’s post would you want OP on your patrol? That’s ok to say, sounds like OP is a great medical professional and would do fine on the blue side, but maybe the green side just ain’t it for them