This is what basic Marine infantry training is like

If you know anything about Marine infantry, you know that we've built up one h**l of a reputation over the past 243 years. Whether it's destroying our enemies or our profound capability to drink an entire town dry of alcohol, one thing is for sure — we've made a name for ourselves. But, the biggest and most important reputation is the one we have on the battlefield.

But the infantry plays the biggest role — closing with and destroying the enemy. Some may even regard us as the best in this respect but, to be the best, you have to train like the best from the ground up. This all starts at the Marine Corps School of Infantry so here are some things you should know about how the Marine Corps makes Infantry Marines:

Infantry training is tough

You probably expected as much. But, let's get this out of the way now: it's tough but it's not as tough as you'll think it is. There are going to be lots of challenges but remember that the goal is to mentally and physically prepare you for being a professional war fighter.

Sleep deprivation

Not unlike the first 48 hours of boot camp, you're deprived of sleep. Very unlike the rest of boot camp, the sleep deprivation doesn't end after the first 48 hours. In fact, you might develop a mentality like, "I can sleep when I get to my unit." But, chances are, you won't.

Malnourishment is a common side effect of joining the infantry

In boot camp, you get three meals at the mess hall each day with the exception of field week, where you get MREs, and the Crucible, where you get, like, one MRE for three days. In SOI, you get nothing but MREs – and believe me, your gut will feel it.

There might even be times your instructors don't pull your platoon aside to make sure you eat; you'll just have to eat when you can.

Sleeping indoors is rare

You might have expected this. Infantry Marines sleep outside no matter what. Sleeping inside is something you only get to do when you're out of the field so get used to sleeping in the dirt under the rain.

The instructors are more harsh

Just because they don't scream in your face all the time like Drill Instructors doesn't mean they're better. Combat Instructors are, in a way, much easier to deal with. Overall, they're way more harsh in the long run because they know you might end up in their squad or platoon and they want to make sure they trained you well enough to be there.