Background:

The United States Marine Corps requires that all Marines perform a Physical Fitness Test (PFT) and a Combat Fitness Test (CFT) once per fiscal year. Each test must have an interval of 6 months (same standards apply for reservists). The PFT ensures that Marines are keeping physically fit and in a state of physical readiness. It consists of pull-ups, crunches and a 3-mile run for males. For females it consists of flexed arm hang, crunches and a 3-mile run.1 October 2008, the Marine Corps introduced the additional pass/fail Combat Fitness Test (CFT) to the fitness requirements. The CFT is designed to measure abilities demanded of Marines in a war zone (continue reading…)

Blue skies, birds chirping and a cool breeze may be an ideal morning for most people, but add in the smell of gun powder and the crack of a hammer hitting a primer and sending rounds down range is what perks up most Marines.

On recruiting duty, Marines are exempt from attending the rifle range, but for Recruiting Station Milwaukee that does not mean poolees are not offered the opportunity to learn basic Marine Corps marksmanship and gain some familiarity firing the civilian version of the M-16A2 service rifle, the AR-15.

Nine of the 13 recruiting substations with RS Milwaukee each received half a day of marksmanship training, live fire, cover and concealment classes, M240B Medium machine gun familiarization, a partial Initial Strength Test and a Meal Ready to Eat lunch at Stone Bank Sportman’s Club between August 4-7. (continue reading…)

When thinking about a question he has just been asked about his life Pfc. Duy Trinh takes a moment to reflect on the answer and also about how it may sound.

“I was born in Saigon, Vietnam,” said Trinh through broken English.  Something in the way he pauses shows in his as eyes, as if the 20 year old goes back to his birthplace and through all his memories that brought him to this exact moment in his life. “My grandparents fled after the Vietnam (conflict), and all my relatives split up after that, some came to the states.”

Born as the only child to a construction worker and a housewife, Trinh dreamed of growing up to be an engineer, but when his parents decided to move to Garden Grove, Calif. in 2004 the young man focused on lear

ning to speak English and finishing school.

“I started (American) high school with only three months left of my freshman year,” said the Bolsa Grande High School alumni “Mr. Bridges was a (English as a Second Language) teacher, he helped me a lot.  I liked him because he was an instructor first but was very careful in the way he actually listened to me.”

Trinh learned that his teacher was a former active duty Marine and heeded his advice when it came to learning and has carried the guidance with him ever since.

“He always told me ‘Your books are your weapon, like a rifle to a Marine.  Every time you come to school your books are (continue reading…)

Former teacher, Pfc. Patrick Collman, Platoon 2109, Company E, had the option to go to Officer Candidate School because he had a bachelor’s degree, but chose to enlist instead, for the challenge. He wanted to start from the bottom and work his way up, as he has demonstrated in virtually every aspect of his life leading to boot camp.

“That way, if you do get into a higher position you know

what the lower positions are going through,” Collman said.

Having grown up in the mountains of Colorado, Collman loved the outdoors, and as a result, became a Boy Scout, then attained the rank of Eagle Scout during his senior year of high school.

But before Collman could lead scouts, he had to start somewhere. Just as Marines start as recruits, Boy Scouts must go through the ranks and start as Cub Scouts. (continue reading…)

Yes. Recruit Training will be one of the most physically and mentally challenging experiences of your life. But it is not impossible. The sense of accomplishment upon completing training is very rewarding and worthwhile.

During the first two weeks of recruit training, recruits will send home a letter stating they?ve made it to MCRD San Diego or Parris Island and will provide an address for which to receive mail.

Here is an example of an address for recruit mail from MCRD San Diego:

Recruit John E. Doe
1st BN, Alpha Co. PLT _ _ _ _
36001 Midway Ave
San Diego, CA 92140 – (plus platoon #)

EMERGENCIES

If a message is required to notify a recruit of an emergency situation at any time during recruit training, please contact your local American Red Cross or please visit the American Red Cross Emergency Communication Services web page, to have an official message sent to either MCRD San Diego or Parris Island. In order to process the message quickly, please provide the recruit’s name, social security number, company and platoon.

Pvts. Cody L. (left) and Kyle D. Wombles stand in 2nd Recruit Training Battalion’s commander’s inspection Tuesday. With their mother’s consent, the twins enlisted into the Marine Corps at 17.

“Recruit Wombles times two!” yelled the drill instructor as two heads popped up simultaneously. Acknowledging the call, they both rose to their feet and ran to the front of the barracks.

Cody L. and Kyle D. Wombles grew up in the small town of Pleasant Hill, Ill. Living in a town with less than 1,000 people, the two Company F recruits welcomed the idea of being identical twins in a new, ethnically diverse environment with new experiences.

Said Cody: “The only way our drill instructors can tell us apart is by the … ”

” … mole on my face,” said Kyle, finishing his twin’s thought.

They take turns finishing each other’s sentences, and they do it frequently.

“Other recruits in the platoon always tells us how lucky we are and how they wish that their brothers could be here training with them,” said Kyle.

Taking on the challenge of joining the military was an ambition the twins shared as young boys.

“We decided on the Marines because it looked like it was the hardest,” said Kyle as Cody nodded his head in agreement. “Our mother didn’t want us to go, but we told her when we turned 18 we were going to join.”

“They probably put it mildly,” said their mom Cheryl Wombles about their choice.

After the several discussions and heated words that the family shared, she ultimately found herself supporting their decision to join.

“Kyle didn’t voice his opinion to want to leave Illinois as much as Cody, but they both want to see different things,” said Cheryl.

A year of persuasion helped the twins, who were born on Dec. 17, 1986, to get their mother to sign the parental consent form to allow them to join at 17.

“She signed our papers and we asked our recruiter to get us to go as soon as possible,” said Cody.

“But he didn’t have any open spots until after the summer,” said Kyle.

Putting themselves on the waiting list for open spots, the two did encounter an opening, but for only one of them.

“At first I was ready to take it,” said Cody. “Then I realized it wasn’t enough time to say goodbye to everyone, so I passed it up.”

In early August, the twins finally made it into boot camp as infantrymen.

Having each other to rely on during training has helped them to excel and make it through. In a letter that Cheryl received from Kyle, she believed that he was becoming homesick and needed reassurance

“I told him that he needed to buck up and take it like a man,” said Cheryl. “I also told his brother to look out for him, which makes me look hard, but I knew they would be fine.”

The twins followed their mother’s guidance and did well throughout training.

“They are basically joined at the hip,” said Sgt. Jefferson A. Rivas, Platoon 2126, Co. F drill instructor. “Whenever one reports for something, instead of picking them apart they both come up.”

Showing their drill instructors that they have no problems getting through training, both recruits averaged about the same score on almost every competitive event.

“Every time we went through the obstacle course, the drill instructors would make us race one another,” said Kyle.

“Most of the time we were pretty even, but occasionally I beat my brother,” finished Cody.

The twins’ kindred mind set made boot camp easier to bear.

“When the drill instructors would count down to get us to do things quickly, other recruits were digging through their stuff to look for what was asked,” said Kyle. “My brother and I would be much further ahead of everyone else because without a word my brother would have what I needed or I would have what he needed.”

Doing everything alike in a place where conformity is comfortable only helped the twins excel with no problems except for small heckling.

“During chow, the drill instructors would ask the second one of us why we were in line trying to get seconds,” said Kyle.

Having completed the first part of their journey in the military, the Wombles twins look forward to the School of Infantry and a chance to see more of the world.

Staff Sgt. Julian Lopez, Permanent Contact Station Escondido, Calif., Recruiting Station San Diego stands at attention in the back of the room as Navy and Marine Corps enlistees swear in at the Military Entrance Processing Station in San Diego.

He is an early riser, out of bed by 3 a.m. and on the road to work by 4. His mission: to find highly-qualified men and women to fill the ranks of the Marine Corps.

He reports to his post with razor-sharp creases and a red blood stripe running down the outside of his trousers. Upon his head rests a white cover displaying a golden eagle, globe and anchor. The determination can be seen in his eyes.

Staff Sgt. Julian Lopez, a recruiter assigned to Recruiting Station San Diego has done well early in his recruiting career. Although being a recruiter was not his first choice�he wanted to be a drill instructor�Lopez made the most of it enthusiastically.

�Staff Sgt. Lopez is one of my most consistent and successful recruiters,� said Maj. Kate Germano, commanding officer, RS San Diego. �He is ranked in the top two percent of all my recruiters for consistently meeting the quality and quantity standards when it comes to recruiting.�

Lopez lives by the saying: �Attitude is everything.� By doing so he has earned several awards, including Rookie Recruiter of the Year for Recruiting Station San Diego and several Recruiter of the Month and Quarter awards.

Lopez, a native of Cali, Colombia, came to the U.S. in 1995 at age 16. He joined the Marine Corps� Delayed Entry Program in August 1996.

Coming from Colombia at his father�s request, Lopez admits not knowing much about the United States except that many people from Colombia think the United States is the best country in the world.

Lopez joined his father in Miami and eventually went to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., for recruit training in January 1997 under an aviation logistics supply contract.

As if recruit training was not challenging enough, when Lopez left for boot camp, he did not speak English.

Lopez looked to fellow recruits for help with this language barrier and became more proficient with English after the completion of boot camp and attending school.

After eight years in the Fleet Marine Force, Lopez received orders to recruiting duty.

He volunteered to go to Iraq for a second tour, but Lopez was needed at Recruiters School aboard the depot here. Lopez accepted the mission ahead of him and vowed to do his best.
Upon completion of Recruiters School, he was assigned to Recruiting Substation El Cajon, Calif.

To some, being a Marine is tough enough, let alone being tasked each day with facing constant challenges regarding possible candidates.

But Lopez remembers what it was like coming to America knowing nothing about the military, only that he wanted to be a part of the best. He expected the Marine Corps to be tough, so facing the extreme obstacles in recruiting did not come as a surprise.

�After I did my research, knowing nothing about the military, I saw the Marine Corps was the best,� said Lopez with a thick Colombian accent. �The Marines are the smallest branch, they fill the need for that pride of belonging, and the challenges we face day-to-day are what attracted me.�

Throughout his time in the Marine Corps, Lopez has had many influences who assisted him throughout his successful career, but he attributes his recruiting success to the leadership of Gunnery Sgt. Shawn Hudachko, Lopez�s staff noncommissioned officer-in-charge at RSS El Cajon.

Lopez said he learned everything he knows about recruiting from Hudachko who taught him that success comes from consistency. And following this rule, Lopez brings in two to three future Marines each month. Although Lopez has good and bad recruiting months, he has never contracted fewer than two people into the Corps in any month.

Lopez said he is not a pushy recruiter. He understands that it is the prospective Marine�s life and it is his future at stake.

�I don�t like �what if� when I talk with someone about his future,� said Lopez. �I keep my word, so I put all my cards on the table and let him make the decision.�

Lopez�s honest technique worked with Marine enlistee, Stephen C. Martinez. Martinez, 22, said he had considered going into the military since high school and finally decided to take a trip to his local recruiting office. When he opened the door, the Marines were the first recruiters he saw.

�My intentions were to talk to every military branch in the office, but after talking to the Marines, I knew that was what I wanted to do,� said Martinez. �Staff Sgt. Lopez told me everything and was completely honest.�

Martinez was so sure about which direction he wanted his life to go that he enlisted just six days after his initial visit to Permanent Contact Station Escondido, Calif. where Lopez now recruits.

Although Martinez did not become a reconnaissance Marine, he was in the infantry. He said he chose infantry in order to experience more travel and adventure.

�Martinez is going to be motivated,� said Lopez. �Some recruits you can never tell, but I know he is going to do well.�

In the recruiting field, long hours often accompany late nights and less time with family. Sometimes having to work more than 80 hours a week focusing on their mission, some recruiters find it hard to distinguish between work and home life, said Lopez.

While some recruiters say finding highly-qualified individuals to join the Corps is the hardest part of their job, Lopez feels that maintaining the other roles in life is more challenging.

Keeping clear the roles of being a recruiter, husband, mentor and father in check is difficult, according to Lopez.

Managing the time to keep in close contact with the future Marines while raising a family is a major challenge many recruiters face, he said.

Although the hours are long, life as a recruiter is anything but ordinary. Recruiters face challenges each day while attempting to spread the word about the Marine Corps in high schools and teenage hangouts.

Once a recruiter goes to a high school, it is his goal to find an interested senior to help him reach more seniors. Students are more prone to listen to their peers than to a recruiter. Lopez said networking is the key to recruiting.

�My goal is to meet and talk with at least two seniors every time I go to a high school,� said Lopez. Building strong relationships with school officials is a big factor in a recruiter�s success.

By setting up events like pull-up challenges and inflatable obstacle courses, recruiters challenge students to see � not if the Corps is good enough for them, but if they are good enough for the Corps.

Lopez says the greatest reward of being a recruiter is laying out successful career paths for individuals to get their lives straight.

He said when a Marine returns from boot camp and thanks him, he knows his hard work has paid off and it all feels worthwhile.

Lopez reenlisted Dec. 14, adding another four years of dedicated service to his 11 year career.
�No matter what you do in life, you have to make the best of it,� said Lopez. �It�s all about attitude; if you are negative you don�t get results. If you stay motivated, you will get what you want. You have to be positive.�

Lance Cpl. Christopher K. Morgan-Riess, tactical data network specialist, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Camp Pendleton, and Lance Cpl. Ryan J. Heist, operations clerk, 11th MEU, take a rare break and come out for some sun to watch CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters conduct training aboard the the weather aboard the U.S.S. Peleliu off the coast of Camp Pendleton.

One Marine sought the road less traveled while the other sought the path to self discovery. Both found that their road was one in the same, and it began at the yellow footprints.

Lance Cpl. Ryan J. Heist, operations clerk, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Camp Pendleton, never set out to be a Marine. Heist grew up in affluence, a self-described privileged kid who had everything handed to him right up until he joined the Marine Corps.

Lance Cpl. Christopher K. Morgan-Riess, tactical data network specialist, 11th MEU, came from an upper-middle class background. Morgan-Riess, who was the only child of a college professor and book publisher, graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a bachelors degree in philosophy. Growing up, Morgan-Riess said he lived in the sheltered world of academia with his face buried in books.

Both young men had everything going for them. They had money, nice homes, nice clothes and a pedigree that destined them to academic success and monetary wealth.

Heist would later realize that money wasn’t everything and Morgan-Riess soon learned that the lessons of life he was searching for could not all be found in books.

So they both joined the Marines.

Now, both Marines find themselves sailing off the coast of Camp Pendleton, aboard an amphibious assault ship and part of one of the most elite fighting forces the world has ever seen. As Heist puts it, he is on a personal journey of discovery, while Morgan-Riess describes his quest as one for knowledge. Aboard the U.S.S. Peleliu, they are conducting dangerous and important training that they may one day have to use in Iraq or in some other war-torn place. Both are just a couple thousand miles from home, but almost a million miles from the life they used to live.

Before enlisting in the Marines, Heist spent his days going to college and working for a popular Jazz restaurant in Dallas. He played basketball and football, went fishing, and spent his time listening to music and going to the movies with friends and family. If he needed money, all he needed to do was to make one call. Until then, “everything was just handed to me, and I never had to earn it,” said Heist.

Although extremely intelligent, Heist was uninspired in school and after a couple of years he had had enough.

So one night after work, Heist stopped and took a hard and honest look at his life. “I had no direction,” said Heist. “I didn’t have the discipline to go to class and do all my work at the time. I needed a place where I could get some structure and stability, and I couldn’t think of a better place than the Marine Corps,” said Heist.

Although their friends and family respected their decision, both Marines said most of their loved ones were not too happy at first.

“My father was pretty shocked. It took a couple of weeks of long dinners explaining to him what my reasons were for enlisting,” said Morgan-Riess. “He was expecting for me to go on to pursue higher degrees right away,” he said.
Heist’s family had a similar reaction.

“But I think after boot camp, they really saw the change in me,” said Heist. “saw me standing taller, being able to look someone in the eye and being able to express my opinions in a confident manner,” said Heist.

It was this newfound confidence and an inherent intelligence that Heist brought with him to the 11th MEU more than one year ago. These were all traits that he would need, if he were to function aboard a ship loaded with aircraft and equipment that housed more than 2300 Marines and sailors packed like sardines.

“Life aboard a ship is a culture shock like no other,” said Heist. It’s like a small floating city inside a pressure cooker streaming toward the horizon, where the heat begins to rise and the pressure starts to build as soon as the warning order is dropped and a mission is assigned, he said.

Most Marines and sailors would say that the MEU is not a place for the meek, soft-spoken, thin-skinned or those accustomed to a full night’s sleep. The sounds of Harriers taking off and landing is deafening and the rattle of chains being dragged across a hard-coated steel deck can be heard way down into the bowels of the ship. It’s a place for those who are driven, undeterred and maybe just a little bit crazy.

It is a place where tensions can sometimes run high, where time off and a good nights sleep are virtually non-exist because everyone is focused on only one thing, accomplishing the mission, said Heist. It is also an environment in which Heist and Morgan-Riess have flourished.

“Morgan-Riess is the type of Marine I would want on my team,” said Sgt. Mauricio A. Febres, computer technician. “He is one of the most capable troubleshooters in the MEU. He is extremely intelligent, very mature, and needs no supervision,” said Febres.

According to Morgan-Riess, the work is endless and there is little time to sleep. Despite this, he said there is no other job he would rather be doing and he is confident that joining the Corps was the best decision he ever made. Morgan-Riess said he remembers the exact moment that he knew he took the right road. It was in basic training, while marching in silence to the chow hall on a cold dark and miserable morning. “I happened to look up at the stars and at the faces of the Marines around me, whom I had been sweating and bleeding with for the past two months,” he said.

“I remember having this feeling of complete camaraderie and a certainty that if I ever needed them, they would help me, and that I would help them,” he said. “I had never felt anything like that before.”

“When you’ve worked 36 hours straight and you’re sitting around talking about how tough that was with Marines from all walks of life, there is a certain amount of bonding that I don’t think can be experienced anywhere else,” said Morgan-Riess.

“I see friends of mine who have gone on to pursue Ph.D.s and they still have only those five friends they’ve always had going through school,” said Morgan-Riess.

Although it’s nice to form close relationships, life in academia has a tendency to insulate you from the rest of the world, he said. “At that point in my life, I wanted to see the world and experience how the military works from a first person perspective rather than reading it in a book,” he said.

According to both Marines, since enlisting in the Corps, both have learned lessons in leadership, teamwork, mission planning and accomplishment in a setting like no other. And they have learned lessons that they could never have learned anywhere else.

Heist, an Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran, has seen the devastation of war and the devastation that Hurricane Katrina inflicted on Americans here at home. Heist was with the MEU when they traveled to Gulf Coast Region to assist the victims of one of the worst natural disasters to hit the United States. Given his background, Heist said one of the most important lesson he’s learned while in the Corps is to not to take so many things for granted. That as Americans we are very privileged and we that we should appreciate everything we have.”

Both Marines plan to leave the Marine Corps after their first enlistment and to continue their education. Heist plans to continue to pursue his degree while in the Marines and then use the leadership, logistical and technical skills he has learned to open his own restaurant. Morgan-Riess plans to pursue a degree in Law with a specialization in International Human Rights after fulfilling his commitment to the Corps. His dream is to some day work to prosecute war criminals in international criminal courts.

Both Marines say they are confident they will look back on their experiences and at the lessons they learned with the MEU and consider them as the focal point in their character development. For his part, Morgan-Riess said that when the time comes to look back at the road the he has traveled, a segment of the famous Robert Frost poem “The Road Less Traveled” will probably come to mind. “?Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I?I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”

At the end of the competition, the future Marines were given a Meal Ready to Eat (MRE), another facet of preparing them for Marine Recruit Training. They were shown how to open and prepare their meals and with skeptical faces but hungry stomachs, they wasted no time in testing out the Marine Corps? cornucopia of culinary delights. Approximately 400 future Marines gathered May 7, 2005 at Fort Indian Town Gap, Pa., for Recruiting Station Harrisburg?s Annual Future Marine Challenge. The purpose of the event is to familiarize the future Marines with boot camp and to allow them to learn about teamwork and camaraderie.

Approximately 400 future Marines gathered May 7, 2005 at Fort Indian Town Gap, Pa., for Recruiting Station Harrisburg’s Annual Future Marine Challenge. The event is a series of physically and mentally challenging obstacles similar to those found in Recruit Training. The purpose is to familiarize the future Marines with boot camp and to allow them to learn about teamwork and camaraderie.

A Marine drill instructor greeted the soon-to-be Marine’s as they exited the busses. The drill instructor then gave them detailed instructions in forming a platoon size formation and keeping their mouths shut.

“I thought it was a good head start for the poolees, said Sgt. Paul Nixon, drill instructor, Company I, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C. “It tested them physically and mentally and allowed them to display teamwork and camaraderie.”

After the initial shock of a drill instructor greeting, the young men and women were divided into three groups of 10 teams with 10 to 13 poolees on each team.

Following the obstacle course, a Marine Corps martial arts demonstration took place coupled with knee and elbow-bag drills. Approximately 400 future Marines gathered May 7, 2005 at Fort Indian Town Gap, Pa., for Recruiting Station Harrisburg?s Annual Future Marine Challenge. The purpose of the event is to familiarize the future Marines with boot camp and to allow them to learn about teamwork and camaraderie.

The day’s events were broken into three main categories; the Leadership Reaction Course (LRC), field skills, and an enhanced Initial Strength Test (IST).

“We broke all the poolees into three groups of approximately 125 each to keep everyone moving at all times,” said Gunnery Sgt. Derrick B. Jones, program specialist, RS Harrisburg. “We wanted everyone to feel the rigorous physical demand needed to complete recruit training.”

After a safety brief given by Maj. Kurt Mogensen, RS Harrisburg’s Commanding Officer, each group was then directed to one of the three main event areas for the day to begin.

The LRC consisted of 10 mentally and physically demanding problem solving cells. In each cell, the teams were presented a problem, and given 10 minutes to solve it. Problems ranged from transporting a casualty across a cable bridge to creating and crossing a bridge while carrying all equipment needed for the exercise.

“We wanted this event to stress two very important things they will need to successfully complete recruit training; physical fitness and teamwork,” said Jones. “Each team had to quickly decide a game plan and then try to work together to complete each problem in the given amount of time.”

The field skills area consisted of running through a timed obstacle course where teams had to run through several simulated barbed-wire obstacles, tunnels, and traverse through muddy terrain while simulating casualty evacuation along the way.

“Marines take care of their own,” said Sgt. David Watson, supply noncommissioned officer, RS Harrisburg, who designed the course. “We wanted to instill a sense of responsibility and loyalty to their fellow team members.”

Brandy Bross, a Recruiting Substation Bucks County poolee, executes a hip throw during the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program demonstration. Approximately 400 future Marines gathered May 7, 2005 at Fort Indian Town Gap, Pa., for Recruiting Station Harrisburg?s Annual Future Marine Challenge. The purpose of the event is to familiarize the future Marines with boot camp and to allow them to learn about teamwork and camaraderie. The purpose of the event is to familiarize the future Marines with boot camp and to allow them to learn about teamwork and camaraderie.

After the obstacle course, a Marine Corps martial arts demonstration took place coupled with knee and elbow-bag drills.

“The martial arts demonstration and the IST were some of the best aspects for them, said Nixon. “Today’s recruits arriving at Parris Island have the hardest time with the physical aspects of recruit training; these events can help ease that burden.”

For the IST each team’s score reflected the effort of everyone.

Each team had two minutes to conduct as many pull-ups and crunches as they could. The run-time for each team was taken when the last poolee crossed the finish line.

“The idea behind the IST portion is to help motivate them to get in shape and build a sense of camaraderie with the other members of the pool,” said Staff Sgt. William Favinger III, staff noncommissioned officer-in-charge, Recruiting Substation Capital City.

At the end of the competition, the future Marines were given a Meal Ready to Eat (MRE). They were shown how to open and prepare their meals and with skeptical faces but hungry stomachs, they wasted no time in testing out the Marine Corps’ cornucopia of culinary delights.
The day concluded with an awards ceremony for the winning teams and the future Marines left the training area.

“Only one team could win, however, all the poolees left the event with first hand experience about what recruit training is like, said Jones. “The recruiters paint a verbal picture for them, but it’s always better to get a real feel for it.”

Dylan Acker, a senior from Dallastown Area High School, York, Pa., gets a taste of mud during the obstacle course portion. Acker is one of many potential applicants who attended the event in the hopes to learn more about the Marine Corps way of life. Approximately 400 future Marines gathered May 7, 2005 at Fort Indian Town Gap, Pa., for Recruiting Station Harrisburg?s Annual Future Marine Challenge. The purpose of the event is to familiarize the future Marines with boot camp and to allow them to learn about teamwork and camaraderie.

Each Poolee had the opportunity to practice their leadership skills during the Leadership Reaction Course (LRC). This course is similar to the obstacles recruits face during the Crucible and is designed to build confidence in teamwork and leadership. Approximately 400 future Marines gathered May 7, 2005 at Fort Indian Town Gap, Pa., for Recruiting Station Harrisburg?s Annual Future Marine Challenge. The purpose of the event is to familiarize the future Marines with boot camp and to allow them to learn about teamwork and camaraderie.

Senior Drill Instructor Staff Sgt. Patricia A. Wilson, a Buffalo, N.Y. native, stands tall as she waits for the safety brief to conclude. Wilson was one of three Marine Corps drill instructors who were invited to participate in Recruiting Station Harrisburg?s Annual Pool Function May 7. The purpose is to familiarize the future Marines with boot camp and to allow them to learn about teamwork and camaraderie.

Sergeant Paul Nixon, drill instructor, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, S.C., gives a poolee some added incentive to do what he?s told. Approximately 400 future Marines gathered May 7, 2005 at Fort Indian Town Gap, Pa., for Recruiting Station Harrisburg?s Annual Future Marine Challenge.

Staff Sgt. Jason Spears receives recruits, fresh from the United Services Organization, off the bus in an orderly fashion.

One hundred recruits anxiously stood in four lines waiting for the arrival of 20 others before receiving passage to Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego to begin their training.

The new recruits began their journey at the San Diego International Airport at Lindberg Field in the United Services Organization, where they waited for a bus to boot camp.

Upon arrival at the yellow footprints, drill instructors rushed the recruits off the buses and lined them up for briefing on proper etiquette during recruit training and important articles of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

During the bus ride from San Diego International Airport, recruits are ordered to put their heads in their laps. Pvt. Louis A. Freitas had problems following the order.

?Most of the recruits are pretty locked on to what they need to do by their recruiters,? said Gunnery Sgt. Timothy G. Walker, chief drill instructor, night operations. ?But they always have stuff they?re not supposed to. That?s why they are searched.?

After a motivating introduction at the yellow footprints, the recruits rushed into Martini Hall, where drill instructors searched for contraband such as cell phones and non-religious jewelry or books.

The contraband search took about 45 minutes, and it ensured that all prohibited items were either discarded or put into envelopes with the recruits? name on them, according to Walker.

Drill instructor Gunnery Sgt. Timothy Walker walks the aisles after new recruits emptied out their pockets.

Many of the recruits? deepest fears and concerns became a reality by the actions of the surly drill instructors.

?The recruiter who put me in said it was going to be tough and to do exactly what is told,? said John M. Williams from Chicago as he stopped after sprinting down the hall.

?He also said running would be a really big part, especially for heavy-set people,? said Williams.

New recruits account for their newly-issued items at Martini Hall.

Recruits began to feel the mixed emotions of excitement, confusion and nervousness from the adrenaline-filled voices of the drill instructors.

?I?m really nervous,? said new recruit John R. Hicks as he stood directing recruits to their next stop. ?I can only think that it is going to get a little bit harder a little bit later, but I hope I?m ready.?

Pvt. Josiah Gulke anticipates a hair cut from barber Frank Sardina.

The recruits continued the evening by getting dressed into combat utility bottoms and military issued clothing. They stayed awake, fighting off fatigue, throughout the night as they checked in through the Recruit Administration Branch.

?The Marine Corps is the best, so the intense training is only making me realize my good choice,? said recruit Jacob L. Meyers.

While recruits wait for hair cuts, those who have already received one wait for their uniform issue.

The next few days of recruit training were reserved for medical, dental and administrative processing until the infamous first Friday ? when recruits meet their company drill instructors, and the real training begins.

After a fresh hair cut, Pvt. Josiah Gulke now looks like the other recruits who joined with him.

Pvt. Josiah Gulke from Marysville, Wash., was one of the first new recruits from Platoon 2070 to get his head shaved by barber Frank Sardina here. Recruits get their heads shaved in training to ensure cleanliness.

Determined to be the best, O’Neal proved his tenacity to himself and others at an early age. Since he was in fourth grade, coaches and friends said O’Neal was too small for football.

“I was always told I was to small,” said the Atascadero, Calif., native. His goal was to prove everyone wrong.

He proved his critics wrong by playing linebacker during his high school years and he earned a few Most Valuable Player awards along the way.

Continuing to show he was capable of anything, the 5-foot-10-inch slender O’Neal decided to test himself by joining the Marine Corps.

“The Marines looked the hardest and I wanted a challenge,” O’Neal said.

Determined and focused on his decision to join the Marine Corps, O’Neal prepared himself physically.

“I ran to school in the mornings, worked out after school and ran back home every day,” said O’Neal.

O’Neal established himself early in recruit training by showing he was capable of taking charge and was chosen as the guide

“He knew what he wanted, he proved himself and he’s been a strong leader,” said squad leader Pfc. Joseph C. Clemmons, Platoon 3019. “He’s showed me to focus on self discipline.”

O’Neal kept his position through the first phase of training until his competitive spirit got in the way of his drill instructors guidance on the obstacle course.

The setback that resulted in a demotion to squad leader didn’t drag O’Neal down, according to drill instructor Sgt. Hector M. Flores, Platoon 3019.

“From that point on he strived and kept pushing to regain his position as guide,” said Flores.

O’Neal admits he’s had a bit of a problem with authority, and said that was one of the reasons for joining.

Living in a dreary town pushing carts for a grocery store triggered feelings of going nowhere, according to O’Neal.

“If it weren’t for the Marine Corps, I would have ended up in jail,” said O’Neal. “I was disrespectful to authority figures. I didn’t see it that way then, but now I do.”

“He’s come a long way,” said senior drill instructor Staff Sgt. Maxwell J. Williams, Platoon 3019. “He’s locked on with a lot of discipline and bearing.”

Gaining the platoon’s respect was evident after the drill instructors decided to have the platoon help choose a guide.

“The majority of the recruits voted for O’Neal to stay as guide,” said Williams.

“I saw a kid that I felt had a similar background to myself. He came here to make a difference,” said Flores.

“I set the example for the rest,” said O’Neal. “I always wanted to prove everyone wrong. I can do anything.”

Since missing their recruiting goals for four straight months from January to April 2005, the Marine Corps is back on track and expected to meet overall shipping goals for the fiscal year.

The increase in numbers may be in part due to the summer months, which traditionally bring in more prospects than springtime due to the influx of new high school graduates, according to Staff Sgt. Marc R. Ayalin, spokesman for Marine Corps Recruiting Command.

In May, Marine recruiters assessed 2,673 enlistees, 121 more than the required monthly goal of 2,552.

June, July and August were all successful months for Marine Corps recruiting as well ? June saw 5,170 enlistees, eclipsing that month?s goal by 105.

July delivered similar results, with 4,319 enlistees, beating the monthly goal by 59.

These numbers reflect both active duty and reserve contracts, according to Ayalin.

August numbers were not available at press time.

Despite three rocky months earlier this year, the Marine Corps is well on track to met and exceed expected recruiting goals for Fiscal Year 2005 by 2-percent, said Ayalin.

?By the end of Fiscal Year 2005, the Marine Corps should have 39,150 recruits signed up and shipped to boot camp,? he said.

Even as other services dangle attractive incentives to prospective recruits, such as shorter contract obligations and tempting cash bonuses, the Corps continues to offer the intangibles of joining the armed forces.

?We try and find out what the person wants out of life, and we show them how the Marine Corps brings extra growth to the table,? said Gunnery Sgt. Gregory S. Gilliam, the noncommissioned officer in charge of Recruiting Substation Nashville, Tenn.

While Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have raised a few more eyebrows of some parents, schoolteachers, and other recruiting ?influencers? in Nashville, the Global War on Terrorism has not had any significant impact on recruiting in his area, said Gilliam.

Offering intangible benefits, such as the pride of becoming a Marine, is what allows the Marine Corps to continue to meet its recruiting goals, said Gilliam, who has been a recruiter for several years now.

Despite commitments to the Global War on Terrorism and Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, the Marine Corps is not in the business of lowering its enlistment standards simply to ensure recruiting goals are met, said Gilliam.

?The Marine Corps wouldn?t be the Marine Corps if we lowered our standards to try and pull in more contracts,? he said.

Pvt. James Flaurr and his fellow Company D recruits complete recruit training today.

After he spent his childhood bouncing from one foster home to the next, one Company D Marine found his permanent home in the Marine Corps.

Private James Flaurr, 19, a Terre Haute, Ind., native, lived a life of instability and neglect from the age of three. He and his siblings were taken away from their parents by his aunt, due to his parents� abusive nature.

Unfortunately, his new home wasn�t much better than the last. After living with his aunt and uncle for three years, a social worker witnessed his aunt strike Flaurr�s brother. They were quickly taken out of the household and put into foster care, where he spent the next seven years in and out of foster homes.

�Living as a foster child was a very lonely life,� said Flaurr. �It was very difficult having to constantly move (to different) homes. I would make friends and then have to leave them within months.�

When Flaurr was 13 years old, he and his sister were adopted into a loving family, but his brother remained in foster care.

�I wasn�t really upset that my brother was separated from us,� he said. �I knew that he was going to a good home and we could still stay in contact. I was just happy to finally have parents who genuinely cared about me.�

His sister married and moved away soon after they were adopted. Flaurr decided to move in with her and her husband after living with his adoptive parents for five years. He admired his brother-in-law who was an assaultman in the Marine Corps and a volunteer fire fighter.

�I wanted to be just like him,� said Flaurr. �He was confident and very physically fit�all of the things I wanted to be.�

Pvt. James Flaurr, a Terre Haute, Ind., native works on his pull-ups. �He has undergone an extreme transformation while in recruit training,� said Sgt. Alberto Moreno, drill instructor, Platoon 1073.

While attending the Terre Haute Air Show with his friends, he was approached by a Marine recruiter who spoke to him about serving his country.

�I knew that he looked up to me as a role model, so I always spoke to him about my love for country and the Marine Corps,� said Cpl. Bobby Phillips, Flaurr�s brother-in-law. �When he told me he wanted to enlist, I was very excited for him, and I knew he would succeed.�

Flaurr exercised with his brother-in-law and listened intently to his boot camp advice as he waited to leave for recruit training.

�Flaurr was initially very quiet and reserved when he arrived on the depot,� said Sgt. Alberto Moreno, drill instructor, Platoon 1073, Company D. �He was easily intimidated by the drill instructors and lacked confidence.�

Flaurr said the most difficult aspect of recruit training was the stress. He said that he has grown as a person and believes that boot camp has given him the confidence he was looking for.
He also said that the Crucible, the defining moment in boot camp when recruits transition into Marines, taught him the importance of teamwork. His platoon quickly found out that they could accomplish tasks efficiently if they worked together and not as individuals.

�He has undergone an extreme transformation while in recruit training,� said Moreno. �He has developed leadership skills, self confidence and doesn�t have any problems asking the drill instructors questions.�

Flaurr said that he has made lasting friendships here and feels like he has found family in the Marine Corps.

Following graduation, he will return home for 10 days of leave and then continue his training at the School of Infantry, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Flaurr enlisted in the motor vehicle operator occupation, but as he progresses in his career he hopes to move into the Marine Corps Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting occupation.

�I am a firefighter in our hometown, and got Flaurr interested in firefighting,� said Phillips. �With the Crash Fire Rescue occupation he can incorporate his two career aspirations, Marine Corps and firefighting,� said Phillips.

Private First-Class Daniel Lageman stands in formation during Battalion Commander’s Inspection Tuesday. Recruits spend hours cleaning their weapons, studying knowledge and perfecting their uniforms in preparation for this final inspection.

At 12-years-old, one Company I Marine faced a tragedy that forced him to become the man of the house.

When Pfc. Daniel Lageman�s, father died from injuries sustained in a work-related accident, he overcame his broken heart and eventually discovered his inner strength within the Marine Corps.

Lageman�s father, a cement truck operator, was driving on the highway when he was blinded by the sun and jerked the steering wheel, causing his truck to flip over. He was hospitalized after suffering from a fracture in his vertebrae and was released a couple of months later.
Not long after being released, a blood clot formed in his artery which traveled to his brain, killing him instantly.

�I was very close to my father and his death came as a shock to our family,� said Lageman, a Denton, Texas native. �I was distraught after the incident because not only did I lose my role model, but I also lost my best friend.�

Because his father�s death was work-related, the government granted Lageman a monthly allowance to pay for his education through four years of college. Lageman said he felt he was not disciplined enough to dedicate himself to college in order to succeed and he did not want to waste the money.

Lageman was in his junior year of high school when he was watching television and a Marine Corps recruiting commercial came on. He said that as he watched the commercial of the Marine rock climbing he thought to himself, �I would love to do that.�

The following day Lageman went to his local recruiting station to consult a recruiter about enlisting. It did not take much to convince Lageman he wanted to become a Marine, but naturally he sought out his mother�s approval.

Connie Webb, Lageman�s mother, said she wanted him to think his decision through and make sure it is what he wanted to commit his life to.

�He has always been interested in the military and was infatuated by the programs on the Military Channel,� said Webb. �His father was in the Air Force and he comes from a long line of service members, but he wanted the pride of being a Marine.�

Lageman said that his father�s dedication to the Air Force and his stepbrother, a currently deployed Marine Corps infantryman, influenced his decision in joining the military.

Lageman realized he would be giving up a lot of money in order to join the Marine Corps, but he wanted to serve his country instead of taking the easy route by accepting the money.

�After his father passed away, his mind wandered and he lacked direction in life,� said Webb. �His decision to join the Marine Corps kept him focused and out of trouble. I think he made the right choice by enlisting.�

After being in the Delayed Entry Program for more than a year, Lageman departed for recruit training where he picked up with Platoon 3201.

�Lageman arrived to recruit training exuding confidence and was very vocal,� said Gunnery Sgt. Jose Molina, the senior drill instructor for Platoon 3201. �His brother had already given him knowledge about the Marine Corps and weapons systems, so during class he would continuously finish my sentences.�

Lageman said that he watched his senior drill instructor and tried to emulate the way he walked, talked and acted. He said his drill instructors motivated him throughout training and although they were hard, they were always fair.

Lageman said the most difficult part of training was adapting to such a stressful environment, but he earned the title of platoon guide, senior recruit within his platoon, for initial drill.

Molina said that Lageman was a good leader as well as a good follower. When he was replaced as guide, he stayed motivated throughout the duration of training. He was eventually appointed a squad leader and the company guidon bearer.

Lageman also excelled when his platoon moved north to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., for field training, said Molina. He was fluent in the weapons systems and never fell back during the hikes.

�The most rewarding part of training was rushing to the top of the Reaper with the company guidon,� said Lageman. �I was the first recruit in my company to make it to the top and when I looked back down, I felt an extreme sense of accomplishment.�

Lageman earned a meritorious promotion to private first class during boot camp because he was an outstanding recruit and performed above average on the tasks he was given, said Molina.

�Throughout the hardships of training I felt my father�s presence,� said Lageman. �Growing up I always wanted my father to witness my achievements but I know that even though he won�t be at my graduation in body he will be there in spirit.�

After graduation, Lageman will return home for 10 days of leave. He will then report to Camp Pendleton�s School of Infantry to complete Marine Combat Training.

Lageman enlisted into the construction utilities military occupation specialty and plans to further his education and attend college while he is in the Fleet Marine Force.

Pfc. Tyler Peckham, Platoon 1039, Company D, walks past his squad as they wait for lunch. Peckham said serving his country is more important to him than football.

A Company D graduate turned down what some people might call an opportunity of a lifetime, to follow his heart instead of his pocketbook.

Private First Class Tyler Peckham, Platoon 1039, Co. D, was offered a full-ride scholarship to play football with the Oregon State University Beavers, but he declined it because he wanted to be part of something more.

�It takes a lot of character in a person to turn down a full ride only to join the Marine Corps,� said Sgt. Christopher Gomez, drill instructor, Platoon 1039. �He enlisted during the middle of a war. You have to respect that.�

Tyler started playing football when he was in the 7th grade. According to Tyler, his peers said he wouldn�t be successful in football because he was smaller and less intimidating than the other players, but they were wrong.

Standing at 5 feet 7 inches tall, and weighing in at 155 pounds, Tyler used his small size to his advantage during football. He said it was easier to slip through the defensive line and make the tackle.

�If anyone could get through the line and tackle the quarterback, it was Tyler,� said Jeff Peckham, Tyler�s father. �He was an excellent linebacker who always gave his all.�

Tyler played four years of varsity football as a linebacker for Burney High School, Calif., where he led his team with the most tackles for three consecutive years, and he got the second most sacks during his senior year.

He helped his small town high school football team take first place in their league two years in a row.

Tyler said he had wanted to join the military since he was young, but he didn�t know the difference between the branches. He went to the recruiters from each service, and the Marines stood out the most to him.

�The Army offered me an enlistment bonus,� said Peckham. �But money is not important to me. No amount of money is worth more than having the pride of saying that I am a Marine.�

Money couldn�t buy Tyler�s fulfillment in life. He said if he would have accepted the bonus it would have eventually run out and he would have been be stuck in something that he didn�t have the heart for.

�Every Marine is a rifleman,� said Tyler, �It�s what Marines do, and whatever I do, I�m going to go all the way.�

Jeff said his son always challenged himself. He said he never took the easy way out of things. He also said he is proud that his son made the decision to enlist.

Whether it�s a football jersey or Marine Corps woodland utilities, Jeff said if someone puts a uniform on Tyler, he will do his best.

He enlisted as an infantryman and will attend the School of Infantry at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Soon after he enlisted, he found himself at the depot taking on the nation�s most difficult basic training, Marine Corps boot camp. He excelled throughout training, just as he did in football.

�Like all recruits, Peckham made mistakes,� said Gomez. �But what made him stand out from the other recruits was the fact that he put his heart into everything he did.�

Recruits are often hired and fired for the squad leader positions throughout training. This wasn�t the case for Peckham.

He earned the squad leader position early in training and was the only recruit in his platoon to hold on to it during all three phases of boot camp, said Gomez, who is from San Angelo, Texas.

His drill instructor said he was a natural leader who helped set the standard. During down time in the recruit squad bay, he would often take charge of other recruits to practice the practical application knowledge they later tested for.

Just as he did his part to help his team succeed in high school, and his platoon in boot camp, Tyler said he is ready to do his patriotic duty serving his country as a U.S. Marine.

Franklin E. Martinez knew he wanted to be a Marine when he was in high school. He was in the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps and loved the tradition and the legacy of the Marine Corps.

After graduating from Deer Field Beach High School in 2002, the Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., native joined the Marine Corps and would eventually make his second deployment, which was in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The 21-year-old deployed to Husaybah, Iraq with Company I, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment. He was a squad leader in charge of Marines protecting the perimeter of Camp Gannon, a small base bordering the city.

Cpl. Martinez said the first day they relieved the unit before them, they knew they were in a combat zone.

?As soon as the unit we relieved left the base, we received mortar fire from insurgents in the city,? he said. ?They were testing us to see if we would fire back, and sure enough we did.?

During his deployment, the mortarman manned a machinegun on one of the base?s posts.

?It was a little unusual for me to man a machinegun as a mortarman, but it wasn?t that big of an adjustment,? he said.

He explained one story that sticks out in his mind from the deployment.

?We had been fighting some of the local Iraqi insurgents for the first part of the deployment, but our company commander and our other leaders talked with their leader to make peace and they came to an agreement,? he explained. ?Then one night, we were giving them food and health supplies, and I was in amazement that they were finally on our side and saw that we were there to help them.?

The peace was short lived though, Martinez said.

?The next day, the local Iraqis and foreign fighters were battling each other because the Iraqis were on our side,? he said. ?It just made me realize what the Iraqi people have to deal with when it comes to the foreign influence of the terrorists.?

The foreign fighters became more violent toward both the Iraqis and the Marines, constantly attacking Camp Gannon with small arms fire, Martinez said.

?It was an intense deployment, but I think we made a difference by the time we left,? he said. ?I think we showed the foreign fighters that we weren?t going to back down from them and neither were the Iraqi people.?

With his combat experience, the young Marine leader is preparing to return to Iraq this summer. He says he will have more experience to prepare his Marines for their deployment this time around.

?During this deployment, I?ll probably be a vehicle commander and conduct patrols and raids, something I didn?t do the first time,? he continued. ?But, I think because I?ve already been there, I?ll be more prepared myself and better train my Marines.?

Martinez said there are two main things that are needed in Iraq, the ability to observe and discipline.

?With our rules of engagement, you can?t just go around shooting everything, so observation is important,? he said. ?And you need to have discipline, because without it you became complacent and that?s dangerous.?

Although the end of his contract is in January 2007, Martinez said that he will extend it to deploy again to serve his country.

He also said when he gets out the Corps he will take one important quality with him everywhere he goes.

?The fact that I?ve been in combat makes any other situation I?ll face seem less difficult,? he said. ?I appreciate everything the Corps has taught me about life. I always wanted to do this job, and I?m glad I had the opportunity to do it.?