Blood Pinning

Max S.

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I would like to be an Infantry Officer or Aviation Officer in the marines but one thing I’m still confused about is blood pinning. Does it still happen and if it does can I opt out after the official ceremony?
 
You won’t be blood pinned. Usually your rank is pinned on by those you select. If you earn wings they won’t do that at flight school. Not something to worry about.
 
@Max S. - pinning and blood stripes are not something you should be concerned with.

Back in the 80's, it was quite common amongst the enlisted men in my infantry company. It was done out of the sight of the Officers and unless someone was injured enough to seek a light duty chit, we looked the other way. It was tradition.

Today, there are severe actions taken on leaders and those who commit hazing. There has been plenty of bad press when these incidents become public and the hammer comes down on the chain-of-command when it does. I am sure it happens from time to time but it is not pervasive and is dealt with severely when it does. Based on my conversations with several of today's Officers, it just isn't done much anymore. That is a good thing.
 
It used to happen at Benning at the completion of jump school, at least when I went there. However...several years later, one newly winged jumper showed up in the ER...the wings had been "blood pinned" so hard the tines were buried in his collarbone...bad stuff.

Sometime after that; he wasn't the first to have "issues", the army came out with rules like USMCGrunt described...woe unto the leadership that allowed this as it was considered "hazing" and a criminal act, etc...

Like USMCGrunt said, when I ask friends today they say it doesn't happen.

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
Apparently these days "breaking in" an armored cavalry Stetson still involves filling it with a large amount of alcohol.
 
Apparently these days "breaking in" an armored cavalry Stetson still involves filling it with a large amount of alcohol.

The alcohol is just the mixer for all the other stuff they throw in there, son had to have his cleaned twice just to get the smell out. Those Air Cav Kiowa Cowboys really got serious.
 
I would like to be an Infantry Officer or Aviation Officer in the marines but one thing I’m still confused about is blood pinning. Does it still happen and if it does can I opt out after the official ceremony?

I can't imagine officers every behaving so uncivilized (read with sarcasm).

Enlisted men? Not so much.

Seriously, while my active duty service was more than 30 years ago, I never saw anything that qualified as "hazing" at all. Hard training, to be sure. Blanket parties existed in Boot Camp, of course. Pinning ceremonies were good natured and rarely more than some hard punches in the arm followed by copious amounts of alcohol. Nobody died. Nobody was hospitalized. Comradeship was amplified. Welcome to the Brotherhood!

How do you train men to take a bullet in the stomach, drag a worse-wounded buddy to safety and return fire at the enemy (at the same time) if they can't take a punch?

This ain't diversity training in corporate Manhattan.

On the other hand, I'll note that Drill Instructors can no longer hit recruits and that is a good thing. Physical abuse is way down & physical training is way up. No more smoke breaks for recruits.
 
"No more smoke breaks for recruits."

When I joined the CG....back when the main propulsion was Oars...I can remember the first time the Chief yelled out "10 Minute smoke break!!" about half went outside to the smoking can, the rest of us had to stay and continue cleaning something or another. The next time he yelled Smoke Break" everyone went out. There was a lot of coughing and gagging going on but Hey, we were getting a 10 minute break!
 
That was when Noah was on his first cruise, right?
 
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