Boot Camp Graduation Gifts: Five Ideas For Their Special Day

Marines marching in formation with dress uniforms

Boot camp, basic combat training, BMT; the entry level training that all new military recruits endure when they join the U.S. Armed Forces is referred to differently depending on the branch of service, but everyone joining the U.S. military must endure the rite of passage and attend some type of basic training.

Basic training for every branch of service is different and varies in difficulty, but when its over all participants are happy about their accomplishment and a great way to show them that you’re proud of their achievement is to purchase boot camp graduation gifts. If you do not have a lot of military experience or you’re unsure of what to buy, let us help you with our short list of ideas for boot camp graduation gifts.

Subscriptions
Subscriptions used to be hard to manage, but thanks to technology, anyone can read, watch and play games from their personal devices.

Subscriptions make great boot camp graduation gifts because hard copy magazines are fading into history and most, if not all, magazines are available in a digital format with a subscription. If your newly minted Soldier, Airman, Marine, Sailor, or Guardian isn’t really into periodicals, then maybe a subscription to a popular streaming channel might be a great gift. If the new service member in your life is a gamer, there are plenty of membership subscriptions that will satisfy their gaming fixes and also make great boot camp graduation gifts.

Gift Cards
Gift cards make great boot camp graduation gifts because they give the recipient complete freedom to purchase what they want. Gift cards can be used in a variety of ways to shop for uniform items, including ribbon racks, or service pride items, but rest assured, you can’t go wrong with gift cards as boot camp graduation gifts, especially when you can send them virtually via e-mail or drop them in the mail as a traditional plastic card.

Books
If the basic trainee graduate in your life loves to read, then good boot camp graduation gifts are books. If the graduates have reading devices, you can simply digitally purchase a book for them and they are sent a link to download their book. You can also buy them a credit on a particular e-book platform and they can download a book of their choice if you don’t want to be deal with shipping something.

If your young troop knows where they are headed after graduation, then consider hard copy books and even audio books for them to listen to. These formats make great boot camp graduation gifts for those who are book fans.

Military Gifts
Some great boot camp graduation gifts are things like shadow boxes, coin racks, and flag cases. Even though graduates are new to the military, these are great boot camp graduation gifts because they can keep them ready and use them once they start receiving awards, coins or other tokens of military service. They will own a way a showcase their tokens. These are always awesome boot camp graduation gifts.

Service Pride
Things like hoodies, t-shirts, and hats all make great boot camp graduation gifts. It’s a nice way for that special basic trainee in your life to show their pride while keeping warm and looking sharp.

Whatever boot camp graduation gifts you decide to buy, shopping and shipping early is always smart to ensure your trainee knows you are thinking about them as they complete their training.

Marines Basic Training: Can You Make the Cut?

Talk to any recruit who has just enlisted and you likely will hear them say something like “I hope I make it through basic training.” Hearing that comment, the old adage comes to mind that says “Hope is not a plan,” and like anything in life, preparing for basic training is key to succeeding at basic training, especially if a recruit has enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and plans to attend the Marines basic training.

Marines basic training is a four-phase, 13-week transformation that takes civilians and turns them into United States Marines. It is well-known in the military ranks that Marines basic training is the toughest basic training out of all service branches.

A male marine helping another over a wall

So how can a recruit prepare for Marines basic training? We spoke with some Marine veterans and asked them to give us their top three recommendations on how to prepare for Marines basic training.

1. Learn what you can before you go.
There is a lot of information available on the internet about the Marine Corps. Recruits should learn military ranks, Marine Corps history, USMC Core Values, the phonetic alphabet, and the Code of Conduct. It’s also recommended that recruits study drill and ceremony before they leave for Marines basic training. The Marine Corp Hymn and the 11 General Orders of a Sentry should also be learned. All of this information will prepare a recruit for Marines basic training and most of it is available on official government sites.

2. Start physical training yesterday.
Marines basic training is a challenging physical test of endurance and strength. Most Marine veterans said that they had pain in muscles they did not know existed and all of them said that it is important for Marine recruits to start running as soon as possible. A Marine recruiter can likely offer a great running regimen to help better prepare recruits for Marines basic training. Remember to run for at least three miles.

While running is important, it is only part of the physical expectations that are expected of recruits at Marines basic training. Recruits should also practice rucking (hikes with a lot of weight in a backpack) for about 10 miles. Recruits should also perform a wide array of exercises like pull-ups, sit-ups, and push-ups to prepare for Marines basic training. If recruits have access to obstacle courses, it is recommended that they practice on them as obstacle courses are a part of Marines basic training. If a recruit doesn’t know how to swim, it is highly recommended to learn before leaving to Marines basic training.

3. Get in the right frame of mind.
Most Marine Corps veterans say that attitude is a large part of whether or not a person survives Marines basic training. It is important for recruits to understand that the drill instructors are not there to personally attack recruits (although it sure seems that way while you’re there, according to Marine veterans). Their mission is to train and transform a civilian into a Marine and while some of what they do might be perceived as personal, there are literally millions who have endured the same type of stress, survived and became U.S. Marines.

Recruits should try to compartmentalize things as they transpire and when mistakes are made, execute the incentive training (what civilians might call the “punishment”) and move on. Recruits in Marines basic training should avoid getting bogged down with a bad attitude.

marines climbing over a cargo net obstacle

That said, recruits should be as resilient as possible during training and focus on the tasks at hand, keeping emotion out of it. Understanding that the pain and tension is a part of the rite of passage will help recruits make it through Marines basic training.

Depending on where a Marine recruit enlists will determine where a recruit trains but the two locations are Recruit Training Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina, and Recruit Training Depot, San Diego, California. If a recruit lives west of the Mississippi, they will likely go through Marines basic training in San Diego. If a recruit lives in the east they will go to Parris Island.

Regardless of location, all Marine recruits should prepare before they arrive. Remember, hope is not a plan. Prepare, cooperate and graduate.

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