Prepping tips for the RIP road march(es)

Eight weeks of smoke, training & evaluation.
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SITH
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Post by SITH »

I did not go to RIP but I'd like to add that mole skin is a foot (blister) saver. I put a swatch or two in a waterproof packet that I kept in my wallet for emergency purposes. Saved my ass on more than a couple of occasions.
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Silverback
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Post by Silverback »

You have to be careful with mole skin. The adhesive on the mole skin is not enough to keep the patch on your feet. I use (DOC help me on this one) Tincture of benznine. It's also great for injecting into post roadmarch blisters.
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Creeping Death
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Post by Creeping Death »

Rangergronk wrote:You have to be careful with mole skin. The adhesive on the mole skin is not enough to keep the patch on your feet. I use (DOC help me on this one) Tincture of benznine. It's also great for injecting into post roadmarch blisters.
Damn skippy. I've seen guys use moleskin improperly, and it came off during the march, and ended up being a ball of shit in their boot and actually fucked their feet up worse than if they wouldn't have used it at all.

I've always been a "fine line" kind of guy. You know, the fine line between being hard and stupid. I'd didn't do shit. I just let my feet blister during my RIP days. Yeah it sucked, but just nut through the discomfort. When your feet heal, they will be tougher and less likely to blister. Your feet need to be as tough a saddle leather to do the job. It takes quite a few miles of marching and quite a few blisters to get them that way. Over the long haul, trying to prevent yourself from ever getting a blister is like farting in a tornado - it doesn't do you any good.

Just powder your feet and put on fresh socks when they give you a break, and make sure you have some Gold Bond on hand when the skin between your thighs gets worn off (that's a lot worse than blisters, IMO).

The right mental attitude, boots that fit properly, and being properly hydrated it all you need to survive the road marches. You can nut through the blister pain. You can't nut through going tits up due to a fookin' heat stroke, at least not nearly as easily.

Drink water and salt your food, and you'll be fine.
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rangercamaro
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Post by rangercamaro »

I remember our roadmarch back from the land nav site. It was great!!! I was smoked to beat all hell from walking around all day and night and then they smoked the whole class because there was left over food and water after we ate. one..two...three... recover!!! Get your fricken rucks on were moving in 2 minutes!!!!!

I was fine for the most part. Just had to suck it up and drive through it. The best part was right in front of the Infantry hall where the statue of iron mike is. I was in a group with Brian B. and Ed H.(both went to 1st Bn with me) and a guy named Grimstead. Grimy was sucking bad, he was out of watetr and feet were killing him. I was walking with him trying to motivate him and he turns and looks up at the statue of Iron Mike and falls flat on his face in the road! No hands to break his fall, no knees first, his face hit first!! Brian, ed and i all pick him up and here the esteemed Sgt Bohannon behind us yelling, "Drop that piece of shit and get moving!!" Well, we continued to help him and over the next 50 feet, Sgt Bohannon was in our faces yelling for us to leave him alone!

I finally lost it! I was tired, sore and had a hell-of-a-headache from dehydration and turned to Sgt Bohanon and yelled " I will never leave a fallen comrade, SGT!!", turned and continued to help Grimy. I think I stumped him, all was silent for about 30 seconds when i finally told Grimy to give me his ruck. I slung it on my front and carried it, Ed and Brian carried Grimy! We alternated through the rest of the road march until about 100 feet from the finish. Sgt Bohanon stopped us and told us that Grimy had to finish the rest unhelped or he was going to NOGO him. We had about 10 minutes to make it in and we all stayed by grimy.

Grimy wanted to quit but we told him if he didn't make it we would not make it. Grimy put on his ruck and made it with about 2-3 minutes to spare. When the medics looked at him, his feet had almost no skin on them and he had some big ruck holes in his back.

Sgt Bohannon was behind us and yelling the entire time during that last 100 feet. After Grimy crossed the line and we came across after him I looked at Sgt Bohannon and I caught a glimpse of a smile! Then about 30 minutes of smoke for not following his orders!!! I had to get an IV that day but I wouldn't trade that memory for anything!

One last note, Grimy passed RIP and made it to 1st Bn with the rest of us. To my knowledge he never fell out of a another roadmarch!
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jakeshoe
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Post by jakeshoe »

Drink Water,
Take Motrin,
Suck it up,
And Drive On!

Your gonna get fuqqin blisters, chafed ass cheeks, etc..

Don't fall for any of that two pair of socks, panty hose BS. Are you willing to fuqqin' die in combat wearing a pair of pantyhose?

Train as you fight.

Two pair of socks, one of them will ball up. 30 mile road march wears out your skin, what makes you think a pair of thin ass pantyhose is gonna make it?

You ain't got time to stop and be fuqqin with your socks, your ballz, your pantyhose, your ruck, or ANYTHING.

You ain't likely to get a chance to run to the Shoppette and buy pantyhose before a combat deployment.

I'm a firm believer in doing a mission with ONLY the necessities. The more junk you carry the more likely you are to have something fail, or fall out form carrying junk.

Also,
in the middle of June (when I went throughg RIP) do you really want to be wearing any additional layers of clothing? I didn't. I would have loved to ruck naked with boots, a light coating of CLP between my balls, ass cheeks, and thighs, and a fuqqin' patrol cap.

After the road march IF you fuqsticks make it, then you get your handy dandy sewing kit out of the bottom of your wall locker, with all the stinky PT's that have rust spots from the rivets in the locker, and take a piece of WHITE thread, and thread it through your blisters, leaving the thread in place. Ideally you'd cut the needle off here..
Also you'd do this right before you go to sleep.

The thread wicks the fluid out of the blister, without cutting a big hole in it, it can stay there to wick for several days, you can leave the skin in place, it will harden and be a nice hard piece of meat for the next march.

My suggestion,
is to not use powder, use issue socks, I turned them inside out, I liked the green ones better than the black.
And NEVER change your socks, or take your boots off during a march.

Once you get going, the socks get "attached" to your skin, so they become your skin, instead of your foot sliding in your sock, the sock slides in the boot, less blistering.

Take your boots off and your feet swell.. You want to keep the swelling from happening. Once that happens the ole dogs start screaming.

This stuff does not all apply for more than a single road march. i.e. If on a long field problem or Ranger school I would change socks before long movements. If I had a dry pr to put on.

I have never considered myself a PT stud, and at 5'9" shrinking to 5'8" while in Bn, I managed to survive Col McChrystal's frequent 30 mile gut checks when he was Bn commander and Regt CO.

Now,
all you POS fuqsticks do push-ups because I would have bowed to the Ranger Gods and kissed their asses after a 15 day filed problem to have the info I've given you today and not learned it the hard way.
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jakeshoe
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Post by jakeshoe »

Oh,
And I never could bring myself to do it but vaseline between the ass crack and thighs is your friend.

Just never wanted to start a road march feeling like I'd been ass-raped in my sleep.
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jakeshoe
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Post by jakeshoe »

WTF?!

No thank you's, fuck you's, or anything for all the goo dinfo the Rangers have posted?

Ungrateful POS fuqstick DEP'ers and wannabe's.

If you worthless civilian scum ever make it to RIP I hope H8train makes ya pay for your lack of gratitude.

If I was there even H8train would step back from the heat of the smoking...
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Post by Silverback »

jakeshoe wrote:Just never wanted to start a road march feeling like I'd been ass-raped in my sleep.
I've often heard this is common problem in 2D Battalion.
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jakeshoe
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Post by jakeshoe »

Never was a problem that I knew of, nothing like 3rd Batt anyway...
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Antrim
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Post by Antrim »

rangercamaro wrote:After Grimy crossed the line and we came across after him I looked at Sgt Bohannon and I caught a glimpse of a smile! Then about 30 minutes of smoke for not following his orders!!! I had to get an IV that day but I wouldn't trade that memory for anything!

Sgt Bohannon was pretty damn cool. He was a hardass, but he gave a shit in the end. He just looked completely insane half the time. He had crazy eyes. :)
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Joseph PrettyDeepWater
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Post by Joseph PrettyDeepWater »

I guess this is a bit late, but thanks Rangers and Veterans for all of the tips and useful info. I plan on using most of them.


~Joseph
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pjd
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Post by pjd »

ChemLightBattery wrote:
Flesh Thorn wrote:Don't wear underwear during the roadmarch ! I cut mine off while still marching.
ive always heard that wearing underwear in the feild (unless its going to be freezing out) at all is a no go is that true?
I haven't worn underwear in 8 years - and I'll never go back. My teamleader in Batt made it clear that I was not to wear underwear while in civilian clothes so that I would be used to freeballing and more comfortable in the field. Now, Im so used to not wearing underwear, I can't be comfortable if I do. Off topic for the thread, but it was brought up, so there it is. :twisted:
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Post by Moni D »

jakeshoe wrote:take a piece of WHITE thread, and thread it through your blisters, leaving the thread in place. Ideally you'd cut the needle off here..
Also you'd do this right before you go to sleep.
I need to remember this for when I break in a new pair of dress shoes...THANK YOU!!!
Just out of curiousity Ranger jakeshoe, why does it have to be white thread, and does the thread remove fairly easily afterwards?
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Post by Steadfast »

monica12801 wrote:
jakeshoe wrote:take a piece of WHITE thread, and thread it through your blisters, leaving the thread in place. Ideally you'd cut the needle off here..
Also you'd do this right before you go to sleep.
I need to remember this for when I break in a new pair of dress shoes...THANK YOU!!!
Just out of curiousity Ranger jakeshoe, why does it have to be white thread, and does the thread remove fairly easily afterwards?
White thread is the only thread without dye.
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