Marine Corps Training
Drill Instructors and Martial Arts
Since August 2005, almost every drill instructor who has graduated from Drill Instructor School here has attended the Instructors? Course at the depot?s Marine Corps Martial Arts Program facility.
The course is designed to give drill instructors more knowledge and experience with the materials taught in MCMAP before they teach it to the recruits.
?Instructors? courses are recommended for all drill instructors to make them more proficient in MCMAP to help the recruits out,? said Staff Sgt. Jeff J. Vandentop, course instructor on the depot.
A minimum of a gray belt, the second of five belts that can be earned in MCMAP, is required to attend the class. If a Marine does not yet have his gray belt prioir to the class, he will first go through a week-long gray belt course before starting the instructors? class, said Vandentop.
The course is comprised of numerous fast-paced, but thorough, lessons. Instructors must ensure each Marine who leaves the class is proficient in the material he learns. Marines are tested on their knowledge of MCMAP before receiving their instructors? tab, which allows them to teach other Marines martial arts so they can upgrade their belts as they excel through the belt system from tan through black.
However, an instructor is not able to advance a belt user past his own belt. For example, a green belt instructor cannot certify a belt user higher than a green belt.
Because of the amount of time spent with each Marine, the material is understood and enjoyed by the students who attend the course.
?It?s a good course,? said Staff Sgt. Jose M. Mariscal, Company C drill instructor, Platoon 1021. ?It took away the comfort zone by pushing us beyond the limits that we mentally set.?
Although MCMAP is a martial arts-based program, a lot more is put into the making of a warrior than just physical training.
Aside from the physical discipline necessary in the Instructors? Course, Marines who attend the class are taught two other MCMAP disciplines.
?We teach mental and character discipline as well,? said Vandentop. ?The synergy of the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program is based on these three disciplines. They are the backbone of the program.?
Developed over years, MCMAP spawns from a variety of different martial arts styles and disciplines and remains available to Marines in the fleet who desire to upgrade their belts and become more knowledgeable and proficient in the unique fighting style.
?It?s our history,? said Mariscal. ?MCMAP has helped Marines before me and will continue to serve them after me.?
The Instructors? Course is offered to all noncommissioned officers and above.
DI and Incentive Training
Up, down, up, down, faster, faster, push right now, mountain climbers right now.”
On the quarterdeck, the recruit hovers over a boot and a pool of sweat. His muscles burn from exertion, while his ears burn from the stern commands he is driven to follow. Incentive training is one of the tools drill instructors use to instill discipline and motivation.
Drill instructors and recruits go through this strength-and-discipline-instilling routine daily, starting during the forming phase and continuing to Training Day 68. There are, however, explicit regulations that govern the form, venue and duration of incentive training.
As soon as recruits receive a class on what IT is, they are fair game, said Staff Sgt. Brian M. Akers, Recruit Training Re-giment’s scheduling staff NCO. “Incentive training is kind of a tool for drill instructors. When you have 88 recruits in a squad bay and there are only three of you, that’s going to be your tool to train them.”
That tool remains a very effective one, utilized by all drill instructors to instill discipline and motivation, and correct minor disciplinary infractions.
“There is a lot more to incentive training than just push, run and flutter kicks,” said Akers. “You just don’t grab a recruit and say, ‘Get on the quarterdeck.’
You explain to the recruit why [they] are up here. Let the recruit know where he is deficient, and you are correcting the problem.”
There are many ways of letting recruits know what they have done wrong, but Akers prefers to use the same methods used in rifle qualification.
“You explain to the recruits as if you would in marksmanship training,” he said. “If a recruit is not shooting well then let him know what he is doing wrong. IT is no different. It is just used on the drill instructor level to ensure recruits don’t forget any attention-to-detail type of stuff. If your boot is laced up wrong, get on the quarterdeck. If you are not wearing your uniform right, get on the quarterdeck.”
Incentive training can be a workout for all participating, from the most seasoned to the brand new recruits. Under no circumstances is a recruit to be pushed beyond his or her physical limitations.
“Early in training, the recruits are not physically conditioned,” said Akers. “You have them [training] for 30 seconds and they look like it is the end of the world, but it can be a workout for the drill instructor just as much as a recruit, if you really get into the IT session. There have been times when I was administering IT and almost blacked out from the intense heat created by screaming and yelling to get the recruits motivated.”
Unregulated IT is prohibited and strict standard operating procedures govern its application.
“There are [regulations] as to how and when a recruit can be incentively trained,” said Akers. “[For example], an IT card has to be in the drill instructor’s hand, along with a working time piece.”
Recruit training IT must be closely supervised and consist of a combination of at least three of the specified exercises, all of which are governed by strict time limitations.
“The standards for IT are constant reminders on the face of the card, but it serves other purposes as well,” said Akers. “The card has a lot of useful information on it other than IT, such as flag conditions, running and what to look for with heat exhaustion. It is kind of like a ‘save you’ card.”
IT cannot be administered to an entire platoon by anyone other than that platoon’s senior drill instructor, according to the standard operating procedures.
“If the whole platoon is needing a little wake-up call or a little motivation, you can take them to the pit and take care of it,” said Akers. “There is more room, and with the sand, there won’t be any mud or rocks sticking up to hurt the recruits.”
That sand combined with sweat does not add any extra comfort, said Akers. That is why incentive training serves as a constant reminder and habit-forming tool for the recruits to police themselves, as well as remain aware of their surroundings.
“It instills that self-discipline to check yourself and make sure that everything around you is right so you are not on the quarterdeck,” he said.
Incentive training provides recruits with an instilled urge to do well and stay squared away Marines down the line. Most Marines have fond memories of IT, and it more than likely carries with it a sense of quickly checking oneself over to ensure that one is squared away in mind, body and soul.
Company conquers boot camp changes
Equipped with a load-bearing vest and two canteens, Company D recruits battled fatigue through rain, mud and sweat to conquer the Combat Conditioning Exercise course Dec. 19.
The CCX is designed to give recruits a combat mindset by incorporating Marine Corps martial arts techniques while they are exhausted, said Sgt. Mauricio Ramirez, drill instructor, Instructional Training Company.
The course is composed of 10 stations, with transitional exercises such as fireman carries and buddy drags in between each one.
Amid leg sweeps, break falls and counters to chokes and holds, recruits faced numerous standing and ground techniques that tested their proficiency in the movements.
The course targets several sets of muscle groups by featuring techniques from the tan belt syllabus of the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program.
Originally run in the first phase of training, the CCX was recently moved to the third phase because recruits are more proficient with MCMAP after their field training during second phase, said Ramirez.
�There�s an old saying, �There�s an eight-hour movement for a 30-second fight,�� said Ramirez. �This course definitely defines that statement when the recruits get tired from the transition exercises and have to move on to the next station without a break.�
The recruits began the course with a war cry � a yell of aggression and sign of the intensity they were exerting. They tackled the first few stations with ease before the challenging tasks began to wear them out.
�This was by far the most intense workout we have done in boot camp,� said Recruit Joseph A. Helmick, Platoon 1073, Company D. �I liked it because it was really team-oriented and I actually felt like I accomplished something when we were done.�
Helmick, a native of Hebron, Ill., said he was drained by the end of the course and that it started to show on the last obstacle when he had trouble high-crawling � a crawling movement used to keep a low-profile while moving.
�(If) the recruits put out during the course, they should feel exhausted by the end,� said Ramirez, a Soledad, Calif., native. �The course is designed to exhaust them.�
Although the recruits run the CCX only one time during training, its purpose is to challenge them. Helmick said that if the recruits will themselves to perform to their full potential, they will feel that this was the most strenuous physical training session thus far in boot camp.
While no training can truly simulate battle, the CCX is a good starting point to teach future Marines to put mind over matter, Ramirez said. By requiring them to keep pushing, even when their bodies tell them to stop, they learn a great lesson in perseverance that can help them in a combat situation.
Busy Season at MCRD San Diego
Shepherd Memorial Drill Field’s 12 acres have been more crowded lately because every recruit-training company is active and full of recently-graduated high schoolers.
Though drill instructors have little time to rest and prepare for new cycles, Recruit Training Regiment sees this influx every year, and the DI’s plan accordingly. It is infrequent, however, when every company simultaneously trains recruits.
“When we have back-to-back training cycles, (the DI’s) know they are here to work, but they know they get good time off after the 80-, 90-man summer herds,” said Gunnery Sgt. Fernando M. Moreno, chief drill instructor, B Company, which picked up 579 recruits last month. Moreno said a good break for DI’s could last as long as four weeks.
Building Confidence in Recruits
One week before recruits go north to Camp Pendleton and begin rifle and field training, they execute a motivational exercise called Confidence Course II.
The three high obstacles are the Confidence Climb, A-Frame and the Slide for Life, a trademark of recruit training. Along with these three obstacles, the recruits also take on four of the low obstacles for Confidence Course I, which they completed a week prior, according to Taylor.
The Confidence Climb is like a vertical railroad track into the sky. Logs spaced apart connect two poles, and ascend about 30 feet. The recruits must climb to the top, straddle over the top log, and descend the other side.
The A-Frame is the toughest obstacle for recruits to conquer, according to Taylor. Recruits must climb a rope and maneuver through three logs. Once through the logs, they walk about 20 feet over wooden beams to two A-shaped structures. Recruits must climb to the top, swing on to a rope and inch down to the ground.
The last obstacle the recruits overtake is the Slide for Life – three cables stretching off a tower, over a swimming pool and onto the ground. Recruits start by inching along a cable like a caterpillar. Once a recruit traverses a portion of the cable, a drill instructor orders him to hang by his hands and face the end of the pool. From there, the recruit kicks his legs up to catch the cable, and works his way to the end. Many recruits lose their grips and fall into the pool with a chilling splash.
“The pool is only about four feet deep,” said Taylor. “A lot of recruits can’t swim because we haven’t trained them yet, so when they fall in, we tell them to just put their feet down.”
Also for safety reasons, once a recruit falls in the water, he is done training.
“If a recruit falls in, we tell them to un-blouse their boots to let the water out, and then go back to the (barracks). This is to prevent the recruits from getting sick.”
Not all recruits fall in the water though. Under the higher portion of the cable is a safety net. The net is in place because the shallow water may not break a recruit’s fall from that high up, according to Taylor.
Safety is a priority in recruit training, and the confidence courses follow that idiom. ITC instructors give the drill instructors a safety brief before the course to point out emergency phones and give instructions on what to do in case of a recruit injury. The recruits also receive a safety brief and demonstration for each obstacle.
Drill instructors are equipped with whistles. A blast from the whistle stops all training and summons the company corpsman. The drill instructors also know and practice CPR.
Confidence Course II is a motivational tool, said Taylor. It also weans recruits’ acrophobia.
“Some recruits are terrified of heights,” said Taylor. “And sometimes, recruits don’t know they are scared of heights until they get up. But we encourage and motivate them to complete the obstacles, and once they do, it’s a great sense of accomplishment and they leave for Camp Pendleton ready to take on any challenge.”
And challenges do lie ahead up north. On the Crucible, recruits will face many of the same obstacles from Confidence Courses I and II, but on larger scales.
Becoming a Marine – Receiving 2
As the brakes on the bus squeak to a sudden halt, his heart begins to race with anxiety. The warm, hurried breaths of the skittish teenager sitting next to him seem to echo in his ear as they both wait, eyes shut tight and heads tucked down in a modified fetal position. The screeching sound of the door flying open pierces a brief moment of silence. Suddenly every second feels like an hour as he anticipates every sound and every action in the dark world around him. One, two, three footsteps … then the voice, “Look at me right now!”
Many people have heard the saying, “you never get a second chance to make a first impression.” Drill instructors at Receiving Barracks Company here don’t worry much about that. Every week, they introduce hundreds of young men to Marine Corps recruit training. For the drill instructors, it’s just another day at work. For the recruits, it’s a night they’ll never forget.
“We’re the first drill instructors they see,” said Staff Sgt. Amman E. Catalan, senior drill instructor, Receiving Barracks Company.
“We have to maintain the high intensity and professionalism Marine boot camp is known for. They’re all expecting what they’ve seen in ‘Full Metal Jacket,’” he said.
One thing Stanley Kubric left out of his classic Vietnam-era war film is any mention of the celebrated yellow footprints that are embedded in the memories of every Marine.
“My first night on the yellow footprints made a monumental life impact on me,” said 1st Sgt. Michael L. Kufchak, first sergeant, Company H. “How can any Marine not remember their first experience in recruit training? It ascertains the fact that you’ve been removed from all the creature comforts of civilian society and you’re now in a military environment and exposed to a very directive atmosphere.”
Four rows of 15 sets of yellow footprints painted with heels together at a 45-degree angle lie just outside the Receiving Barracks Company. These simple training tools are literally the first step in the 13-week indoctrination process that is Marine Corps recruit training. After the recruits step onto the yellow footprints the process of introducing them to the position of attention is expedited, and without even realizing it, they’ve participated in their first military formation.
Once the position of attention is learned, recruits are given a short block of instruction on the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
From there, they are rushed inside and put through a thorough screening for any unauthorized personal items, or contraband. It is during this time the recruits have their first one-on-one interaction with a drill instructor. This is usually where they discover how intense, demanding and intimidating Marine Corps drill instructors can be.
“The high stress level of recruit training is introduced here in order to prepare the recruits for what they will experience at their training company,” said Catalan.
While the recruits get understandably stressed out at this point, they have yet to undergo any significant individual change, but that changes quickly when civilian clothes are replaced with combat utility uniforms and haircuts are administered.
“The first night has to be the most important because we strip away that individual identity and get them all looking the same,” said Staff Sgt. Daniel Santiago, senior drill instructor, Receiving Barracks Company. “They begin to realize it doesn’t matter who came here wearing designer pants or ripped jeans. Once they’re here everyone is the same, and that helps them understand the importance of working as a team.”
In addition to haircuts and uniform issue, recruits are also issued a “smart card” which acts as a debit card and contains a microchip that stores personal information, such as immunization records.
The Marines responsible for issuing smart cards, clothing and equipment and processing the recruits’ records are not drill instructors, but they also play a vital role during a recruit’s first night of training.
“The recruits’ careers begin here,” said Staff Sgt. Juan C. Guzman, administration chief, Recruit Administration Branch. “We’re the ones responsible for making sure everything is in order administratively. It’s vital that information is correct.”
Without being properly processed the recruits cannot go to a training company.
“Our mission is to ensure recruits are properly processed before they go to a training company,” Catalan said. “But there’s more than just the yellow footprints and the drill instructors. We do our job, but we can’t function without the Marines behind the scenes. We do about 60 percent of the job, and they do the other 40 percent.”
Recruits are assigned to Receiving Barracks Company for an average of two to three days while they undergo the in-processing necessary to prepare them for what they will encounter at their actual training company. This includes dental and medical examinations, an initial strength test and administrative requirements.
Of all the nights recruits spend attached to receiving company, it is the first that is usually the most memorable.
“That first night was extremely memorable for me,” said Recruit Jason S. Stoltz, Platoon 3142, Co. K. “I realized very quickly I had left all the comforts of a pampered civilian lifestyle behind, and I would have to work hard from then on to become something greater.”
A Look Back at Pick-up Day
“Get on line!� This was the first command the recruits of Platoon 2121, Company F, received from their drill instructors on Oct. 20, the day known as �pickup.�
The command to get on line tells recruits to go to their respective bunk beds, more commonly known as racks, and stand at the position of attention, until further orders are given by their drill instructors.
Before the recruits got to the foot of their racks, however, their drill instructors began running throughout the squad bay barking out more orders for the recruits to follow. This was the recruits� introduction to rendering instant obedience to orders, something that has been drilled into them by their drill instructors over the past three months.
With every loud yell from the drill instructors, Pvt. Ezra Condon, from Cherry Creek, S.C., said he felt chilling sensations throughout his body and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. It was too soon for him to realize the purpose behind the drill.
�I had no idea what to expect when I saw my drill instructors for the first time,� said Condon, an aviation maintenance technician. �Then they came out of the duty hut and slammed the door. I was terrified when I saw them. I lost all sense of reality and I tried to move my fastest and stay out of the drill instructors� way.�
This type of a stressful environment is designed to help recruits think faster on their feet. They learn there are consequences for their actions and it makes them feel more responsible to make the right decisions in a timely manner, said Sgt. William Davis, Platoon 2121.
Pickup marks the first day of training. It is the drill instructor�s job to teach the recruits as much information as possible during that day.
�The faster they learn to be recruits the easier it is for them to make the transformation into Marines,� said Davis, a native of Pleasantview, Utah. �I expect them to constantly strive to do their best and set realistic goals they can accomplish.�
Condon, who was named the most improved recruit in his platoon, had a late start getting used to the recruit lifestyle. He said there were times in boot camp when he wanted to quit but his drill instructors motivated him to continue his training.
�I feel like I owe my drill instructors a lot,� said Condon, who has wanted to be a Marine since he was 7 years old. �If it wasn�t for them I couldn�t be living my dream as a Marine.�
Condon said he has come a long way since he first met his drill instructors and has learned a lot about working as a team.
�I feel like I can do anything now,� said Condon.
Senior drill instructor Staff Sgt. Eakathat Khanthasa, from Peoria, Ill., said Condon is a prime example of the change from civilian to Marine that takes place within each individual recruit during boot camp.
He said the stressful environment recruits experience from day one instills confidence in them and prepares them for future challenges in the Marine Corps far beyond their graduation today.
Earning the Eagle, Globe and Anchor
It is often asked, �what sets a Marine apart from the rest of society.� Though it is known they undertake the hardest recruit training in the United States, not many know what makes up that training criteria.
�In other branches of service, they receive the title when they sign up. In the Marines, it doesn�t come easily. We dangle the title in front of their face and make them chase it,� said 1st Sgt. Julia L. Vetos, the company first sergeant for Papa Company, 4th Recruit Training Battalion. �Marines do stand apart,�
To earn the title �Marine,� one must first become a recruit and face the rigors of the 13-week recruit training process.
While in training, recruits are cut off from everything they know. No phone calls, no laughing and no jokes. In their strenuous training, recruits are rapidly instructed on how to adapt to the Marine Corps lifestyle and are taught a new way to live.
Recruit training consists of more than physical training and learning to obey orders. They must also learn to live by the Core Values of honor, courage, and commitment. These Core Values are tested all throughout recruit training and throughout their Marine Corps career.
�We teach recruits to do everything without question. It�s called instant obedience to orders� said Vetos from Golden, Colo. �This is crucial in the success in bringing our Marines home alive. We can�t afford for one to hesitate and ask questions.�
Recruit training consists of three basic phases, each lasting around four weeks. In first phase, also known as the forming phase, recruits are instructed through academics, drill, martial arts and physical training. Martial arts and physical training stay constant throughout all three phases.
�The first few weeks of recruit training are very crucial,� said Staff Sgt. Peter Stephens, the senior drill instructor for Platoon 1060, Delta Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion.
�This phase increases their ability to follow basic orders. It is also a drastic change from what they have always done.�
During second phase, recruits experience the rifle range, team week, working parties and numerous inspections. Recruits then move on to third phase where they undergo basic warrior training, final drill, a final physical fitness test and get the opportunity to receive the title �Marine.�
Recruits are accompanied by drill instructors the entire time they are in training. The drill instructors constantly apply stress to teach recruits how to work under pressure and how to react in a hostile environment.
�Recruits have to be able to adapt to different situations,� said Stephens, from Lawrence, Kan. �Although we put them in this situation, we still think safety. Our goal is to make Marines, not to inflict pain on anyone.�
�Everything is done for a reason,� Vetos said. �For example: while at chow, recruits are taught to carry their tray with their elbows in and their backs straight. This is the same technique they are taught while carrying their rifle in port arms.�
�While earning the title �Marine� one should have an open mindset, ready to learn new ways of doing things,� Stephens said. �Expect consequences for your actions, and know that everything is done for a reason.�
Recruit training is a life-changing experience that brings out the good qualities in all people, he added.
US Marine Training
Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego and Parris Island are the birthplaces of basically trained Marines. It is here where America’s young men are transformed into Marines. It is believed that Marines are forged in a furnace of shared hardship and tough training. This shared, intense experience creates bonds of comradeship and standards of conduct so strong that Marines will let nothing stand in their way. This belief will continue to be the basis upon which we make Marines.
Holding on to the high character of the Marines of the past, we look for ways to inculcate the strong values that have become synonymous with the Marine Corps. Through the MCRD?s challenging recruit training the Marine Corps is preparing its Marines for the 21st century.
Marine Corps recruits are trained not only physically and mentally, but morally as well. Forming the bedrock of any Marine’s character are the Core Values — Honor, Courage and Commitment. By incorporating these values into recruit training, the Marine created is not just a basically trained, morally conscious Marine, but also a better American citizen who will return to society following his or her service to this country.
Water Survival Instructor Course
More than 20 Marines and sailors each swam 27 miles, escaped from the clutches of staff noncommissioned officers who wanted to drag them underwater, and passed written and practical application exams to earn their Marine Combat Instructor Water Survival qualification at the Aquatic Center July 12-28.
Upon completion of the MCIWS course, the service members were certified to administer swim qualification for their unit.
Not only is it practical to hold an MCIWS swim qualification, but prestigious as well according to Gunnery Sgt. Tim Sisson, the director of water survival for the Expeditionary Warfare Training Group, Pacific.
“It’s been told, and I fully believe, that (the MCIWS course) ranks in the top five of the most physically demanding courses in the Marine Corps,” Sisson said.
“The only easy day was ‘yesterday,’” agreed Lt. j.g. J.D. John, an MCWIS student and liaison officer for 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment. “Every day just gets harder and harder.”
The challenge begins before the course starts. Prospective students are required to be Water Survival Qualified and complete a pre-test demonstrating their level of fitness in the water.
The pre-test includes a 500-meter swim in less than 13 minutes, 25-meter underwater swim and a 50-meter brick tow. The brick tow requires a person to carry a ten-pound brick out of the water while swimming a designated distance.
Twenty-six students passed the pre-test and were admitted in the course, although not all of them completed the training.
The first week of the course is focused on conditioning, swimming fundamentals and rescue techniques, but the toughest part of the course was training day five according to Sisson. On this day the students are required to save a simulated frantic drowning victim who drags them underwater. The student must demonstrate pressure point applications to relieve themself of the drowning victim and then swim the victim to safety. If a student does not pass this practical application testing, they are refreshed on the techniques and allowed one more opportunity to show proficiency before being dropped from the course.
The second week of the MCIWS course was devoted to the teaching aspect of the course. Students learned cardio respiratory resuscitation and rescue breathing, additional types of rescues for drowning victims and furthered the skills they learned during the first week of class. This includes rescuing a drowning victim with the additional burden of all their combat gear.
The final week consisted of evaluations, including showing proficiency in the water with their hands or feet tied together. This technique is designed to instill confidence in the students and in the methods they learned during the course, Sisson said.
“It shows them that if they use the fundamentals we teach they can survive in the water even if they’re tied up.” Sisson said.
To graduate and earn the MCIWS swim qualification, students must also give a 20-minute lecture on a swimming topic of their choice, show proficiency of different strokes in the pool and perform other specific tasks to prove their competency in the water.
“My goal was to come out here so I could train Marines and sailors to be fighters,” John said. “So they could live to fight another day and then go back home to their families.”
Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) Training
In the northern jungles of Okinawa there’s a group of individuals stranded, without the aid of food, water, shelter, and the basic necessities required to survive. They are tired, hungry and looking forward to going home at the end of their ordeal.
This may sound like an episode of “Survivor,” and in a sense it is. But instead of contestants, the individuals participating are U.S. Marines and there isn’t a million dollar prize at the end.
Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape training (SERE) is held monthly at the Jungle Warfare Training Center at Camp Gonsalves.
According to Staff Sgt. Clinton J. Thomas, chief instructor at JWTC, the purpose of the course is to teach Marines the skills they need in case they are separated from their units in a combat zone and must survive off the land while evading the enemy.
“We focus more on the survival and evasion portions of the course more so than we do with resistance and escape,” the Grand Rapids, Mich. native said. “We teach them enough to survive on their own in the Okinawan jungle. If you can do that, you can survive just about anywhere.”
The 12-day course is broken down into three phases: classroom instruction, survival and evasion.
During the first three days, Marines are put in a classroom environment where the instructors teach them the basics of survival. They are taught how to identify and catch food, build tools, start fires and construct shelter.
The survival phase takes place on a beach where the Marines put the training they received to use by surviving on their own with nothing but a knife, a canteen and the camouflage utility uniforms on their backs for five days.
The last phase of the course is four days long and the Marines are broken into teams of four to five men. The teams must stay on the move through the muddy and tangled jungle to avoid being captured by students from the man-tracking course.
“We’ve built our own POW (prisoner of war) camp where we stick the students if they are captured,” Thomas said. “They’re forced to wear the POW uniforms we made and the instructors interrogate and attempt to pry information from them to test their resistance level. We set them loose after several hours so they don’t spend the entire evasion period in the POW camp.”
During their time in the POW camp, Marines are subjected to forced labor such as digging trenches, filling sandbags and cutting wood. They are also put in a small three-foot squared cube-like cell where they are tempted with food to give up information.
While evading capture, the Marines are given free range to move anywhere they like within JWTC’s 20,000-acre training grounds. When evening draws near, they are instructed to find a “safe zone” where the captors are not allowed to enter. If able to reach the safe zone, the students can get five to six hours of sleep per night. If they do not find the zone, they are still subject to capture and may only receive a few hours of sleep if any at all.
The average student losses between 12-15 pounds while going through the course. During their time in the field they must rely on the nutrition given to them through natural food sources in the jungle such as snakes, insects, fish and plant roots.
Students participating learn to get through the torment of starvation and weariness by staying motivated and appreciating what they are going through.
“I thought the survival portion was very interesting. I’m not used to catching my own food and finding or building my own shelter,” said Lance Cpl. Daniel L. Pendergast, rifleman with 1st battalion, 25th Marine Regiment now assigned to 4th Marine Regiment. “The course has shown me where my limits are as far as how long I can go without food. Learning how to deal with that is the only tough part.”
Sludge and swamps fail to stop Marines
A cold breeze whisked through the air as the Marines lined up in groups of four in front of the water-filled culverts. The temperature slowly dropped as the Marines of Headquarters and Service Company, Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group stood quietly, looking upon the muddy terrain.
Then they began, diving quickly into the large cylinders that marked the beginning of the Battle Skills Training School Endurance Course. Little did these Marines know that this 3.4-mile course would be one of the most physically and mentally challenging events they�d ever take on.
The BSTS E-Course has broken off thousands of Marines for more than 10 years. The course features a multitude of natural and artificial obstacles that vastly outweigh the difficulty most Marines are used to. Participants are required to conquer muddy walls twice to three times their size, crawl through trenches filled with thick sludge and water, swim through deep swamps and run along rocky streams, just to name a few.
Master Sgt. Joel Morgan, director of BSTS, said it can take Marines anywhere from 41 minutes to one hour and 43 minutes to complete the course.
�This is the type of training most Marines come into the Marine Corps to do,� Morgan said. �They want to train, get dirty and do challenging things like this to test themselves.�
Morgan, a native of Fairmont, W.Va., has served on the BSTS training staff for the past year and eight months. During that time, he has seen more than 100 groups of 12 to 150 Marines take on the intimidating course.
BSTS Instructor Sgt. Robert Millar said the purpose of the course is to physically test Marines, provide combat conditioning and foster unit cohesion.
�The course is huge on teamwork,� the Phoenix native said. �There are many obstacles that require the groups to work as a team. If they choose to not work together, it will be a very long 3.4 miles.�
Millar added that most of the course�s difficulty revolves around mental toughness. He said participants are constantly pushed to their limits in a variety of ways, which is something he sees affecting Marines throughout the course, especially now in the colder seasons of the year.
The beginning of the course misleads Marines, Millar said, referencing the first few obstacles offered along the course. Participants first must crawl through waist-high culverts, then run along a 1.5-mile trail, jump over a 6-foot wall, then run a little further until they reach their first mental challenge � an unexpected long, dark swamp.
�This is where the intimidation factor begins to kick in,� said Millar, who�s an infantry mortar man by trade. �They get trumped when they see something they�re not used to like the swamps. That real mental unknown then kicks in and remains in their minds.�
Capt. Catherine Deleal, commanding officer of H&S Company, agrees, stating that the course isn�t something Marines can train for or expect. The Staten Island, N.Y. native said everyone just has to ask themselves if they�re going to give in or make it through.
Millar explained that this is the point where teamwork really comes into play. Many Marines become afraid to cross the murky water and literally begin to freeze. Other smaller Marines, in Morgan�s words, �can�t touch the bottom and breathe at the same time.� Without help from fellow teammates, some Marines won�t last to the end.
�The most challenging part of the course was the swamps,� said Queens, N.Y. native Staff Sgt. Carlos Malagon, a Marine with 2nd MLG Communication Operations. �It just sucks you in. One person actually thought he was dehydrated while he was going through one of them. That just shows how mentally and physically difficult they are and how much of an effect they have.�
The remainder of the course features a 10-foot rope climb, eight 6-foot hurdles and a 1.5-mile creek run.
�The water level along the creek varies from knee-high to waist-high,� Millar explained. �The creek really exhausts the Marines. No matter how hard they push themselves, they will all be broke off by the time they pass the creek.�
As they make their way toward the finish, Marines confront more swamps, creeks and their newest challenges – sludge under low lying barbed-wire. Millar said everyone has to get extremely low to the ground to get through, so low that some people can�t fit.
Gunnery Sgt. Marlon Hayes, managerial accounting chief, 2nd MLG Comptroller, managed to keep his face clean the entire course up until the point when he was forced to literally submerge himself deep into the sludge to slide under the wires.
�I was having fun until then,� the New Orleans native said. �That horrible smell got into my nostrils and never left � it sucked.�
Marines barely have enough energy left to reach the finish after they complete this final portion of the course, but eventually, they all make it.
�We�re Marines, we have to adapt and overcome no matter what we face,� said Gunnery Sgt. Keith Priest, the H&S Company gunnery sergeant. �It takes that same confidence to get through each of these obstacles. In turn, every individual who completes this course can apply that same confidence to their everyday lives.�
The instructors at BSTS agree that the course brings out both the best and the worst in most individuals. It takes participants to their physical and mental limits causing many to break down along the way. The key is that they pick themselves up as a team and make it through to the end.
MCMAP making Fox faster, stronger
Two Marines stood facing each other. The first Marine reached in and grabbed the other�s wrist, putting his back into his opponent�s stomach and quickly throwing him over his hip and onto the ground. The downed Marine looked up at his adversary, who had already returned to his basic warrior stance, a protective stance that allows them to be ready for the next foe.
Marines with Weapons Platoon, Company F, 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines Regiment, 2nd Marine Division worked vigorously for 12 hours each day for seven days to complete their grey belt training in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program here March 6.
MCMAP is a program that teaches close-quarters combat techniques coupled with lessons on Marine Corps values. Marines are awarded different color belts as they reach new levels of proficiency.
�MCMAP teaches us what we can do,� said Lance Cpl. Stephen Cote, a machine gunner with the company. �Our staff sergeant pushes us so hard that, at the end of the day, we know how far we can push ourselves.�
The platoon worked through every move in the grey and tan belt syllabi. Every person took a turn performing the moves and practicing. They critiqued each other on every move to improve their skills. Some of the moves performed were the arm-bar takedown, the hip throw and handcuffing techniques.
�The program involves combat skills and soft skills,� said Staff Sgt. Vedel Poindexter, a black-belt instructor trainer teaching the course. �There are some very distinct soft skills that are incredibly important to Marines as people and war fighters.�
He taught the Marines techniques and soft skills, life lessons, which corresponded to each move. While teaching knife techniques he also taught them when it is appropriate to use a knife during real-life situation.
The Marines capacity to use their MCMAP skills is put to the test at the end of each training day. They are put through a landing-zone drill, an exercise comprised of several stations which the Marines cycle through. Every station has a different MCMAP technique.
�The drills force us to perform each move when we�re exhausted,� said Lance Cpl. Trevor Remington, a machine gunner with the company. �It lets me know that I can do the moves under any condition.�
MCMAP is not just tough training it teaches skills that Marines use in combat.
�When you have to detain someone, a lot of the time they don�t want to go easily,� said Lance Cpl. Jesus Sanchez, a machine gunner with the company.
Sanchez explained how he used some of the moves at an (entry control point). He said a man needed to be detained and he had to use an arm-bar takedown in order to get the man to comply.
Every instructor changes the course to fit their unit�s specific needs.
�I have Marines in my platoon who have never been in a fight,� said Poindexter.
Poindexter put these Marines into a situation where they would grapple each other. He said he expects his men to give him the same effort on the MCMAP field that they would give him on the battlefield.
The Marines in Weapons platoon, Fox Company finished the day�s events thirsty, tired and hungry for more training.
Live Fire a Requirement for Infantry Marines
Pinned down in a covered position with enemy gunfire impacting overhead and the explosions of enemy mortars moving even closer, Marines in combat have one thing to rely on – each other.
Team building and unit cohesion is an integral part of the pre-deployment, Mojave Viper training evolution aboard Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif., where infantry battalions focus their efforts on unit-driven operations and simulated combat environments to prepare their Marines for the trials ahead.
The specialized and in-depth training provided during this evolution is a step above the usual training provided.
?It is a big step but a natural one,? said 2nd Lt. John D. Branson, a platoon commander for B Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment. ?It is a built-in progression to the training.?
In an attempt to duplicate realistic combat experiences, the Marines focus on live-fire assaults, coordination of supporting fire and unit cohesion training.
Using the many ranges provided by the Tactical Training Exercise Control Group, known as the ?Coyotes,? the battalions have been able to provide realistic combat situations to their Marines.
Marines assault bunkers, hills and urban towns in mock battles with a simulated enemy. The Marines use live ammunition in coordinated assaults, while “Coyotes” use artillery simulators and radio communication to affect the battle’s progression.
?With all the noise and explosions, I think it really simulates that fog of war,? said Lance Cpl. Jorge L. Rivero, a team leader for A Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment.
Many of the Marines who participated believe that using live rounds in the simulations provides the necessary element of danger for infantry Marines. Some of the combat tactics employed by Marines can only be demonstrated by the use of live ammunition.
?For an infantry platoon, geometry of fire is everything,? said Branson, a 23-year-old native of Washington, D.C., ?You can practice with blanks all day long, but the Marines aren?t going to get it until you put live rounds down range and their buddies are running around them.?
The true combat environment also helps to build confidence on the battlefield, according to Lance Cpl. Michael J. Howard, a team leader for B Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment.
The live ammunition, pop-up targets and elaborate entrenchments also add excitement and accomplishment to the training cycle.
?Anytime you can put rounds down range, it?s a good day,? said Sgt. Gilbert J. Hernandez, a machine gun section leader for B Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment.
But the seriousness of the training is not lost on the Corps’ warriors. With deployments looming for all who participate, the Marines recognize the training as important, effective and necessary.
?The way we perform out here is the way we will perform in Ramadi, and the Marines know that,? Branson said.
Its a Small Corps
There are many relationships found within the Marine Corps. Some are established before joining the Corps, and some are established after.
Staff Sgt. Peter Gosnell, senior drill instructor, Platoon 1069, Charlie Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion and Sgt. Leslie Gosnell, combat marksmanship trainer, Weapons and Field Training Bn., are a couple who met after joining the Marine Corps and are currently working together training recruits.
This type of relationship can have positive effects on reruits training here.
This platoon seems more relaxed than other platoons have been, said Sgt. Gosnell, who is the CMT for her husband�s platoon.
�I think part of it is name association,� said Staff Sgt. Gosnell. �Since (the recruits) already trust me, it is easier for them to trust her.�
One key to training recruits in marksmanship is the senior drill instructor and CMT relationship, he added. Some drill instructors will try to teach the recruits techniques they feel work better than what the CMT is teaching. These techniques may work better for the drill instructor, but may not work for the recruits.
The CMTs teach recruits the basics of marksmanship, said Sgt. Gosnell. It is important for every recruit and Marine to have the basic understanding before they try more advanced techniques.
Trust is not only required between the recruits and the CMT, but also between the senior drill instructor and the CMT.
If the senior drill instructor does not trust the instructors and contradicts what they are teaching, then the recruits won�t listen to the CMT during the classes.
Staff Sgt. Gosnell believes it is his job as a senior drill instructor to build up the CMT to his recruits to reinforce that initial trust.
�I think one reason they trust her more is because they know I trust her,� he said.
These recruits are more willing to talk to her than past platoons, said Sgt. Gosnell. Most recruits are afraid of sounding unintelligent, so they won�t ask questions when they don�t understand what is being taught. Part of being a CMT is breaking through that barrier by showing the recruits she is an instructor and a Marine. Once they realize that, they will open up by telling stories and asking more questions.
Though it is rare, there is another form of relationship that is pre-established. A kind of relationship built over many years, like that of siblings who have grown up together.
Sgt. David Blea, CMT, WFTBn., is the CMT for his brother, Recruit Dustin Blea, Platoon 1065, Charlie Co., 1st RTBn.
One difference Sgt. Blea sees between his brother and the other recruits in the platoon is the trust his brother has in him. He seems to pay attention more and really takes what Sgt. Blea is teaching to heart and applies it, said the older Blea.
Recruit Blea understands what his brother is saying and what he expects of him since they grew up together, said Recruit Blea.
The younger Blea didn�t find out his brother was going to be one of his CMTs until his senior drill instructor introduced the platoon to Sgt. Joshua Washington, CMT, WFTBn., and Sgt. Blea.
Washington believes, if there is an opportunity to increase a recruit�s morale on the rifle range, then he will be more likely to qualify, and that is what is important.
Recruit Blea does not treat his brother like a brother, he respects him as a CMT just as the other recruits do, Washington added.
Sgt. Blea requested to be the CMT for Platoon 1065, because he knew his brother would listen to him and learn more.
Infantry Officer Students Experience Foreign Weapons
Fresh out of The Basic School�s Infantry Officer Course, a second lieutenant checks into his new battalion. He is assigned to his new company and is introduced to his new platoon of Marines.
With today�s high operational tempo, the lieutenant and his Marines are soon on their way to Iraq with a mission to accomplish.
There are many responsibilities and tasks a new platoon commander needs to prepare for when deploying to the front lines of the combat zone.
IOC is designed to prepare the officers to assume duties as commanders of reconnaissance platoons within a reconnaissance company.
The course challenges the officer-students physically and mentally during simulated combat situations, skill training and classes to develop their abilities as leaders and decision-makers to be successful in the battlefield.
“It’s good training,” said 2nd Lt. Nathan Bibler, student with Co. K at The Basic School’s Officer Infantry Course. “I know that we are going to encounter these weapons when we deploy and the more we know about the enemy gives us the advantage.”
In order to prepare himself and his platoon for combat, an infantry officer must have a working understanding of potential threats, capabilities and limitations enemy threats bring to the battlefield, according to the introduction to the IOC class on threat arms and equipment.
The class gives the officer-students a hands-on opportunity to familiarize themselves with some of the weapons they will face combat, and the opportunity to fire an AK-47 assault rifle, said Capt. Todd Widman, the class advisor for IOC 2-07.
The ability to recognize what weapons the enemy is using, how they operate and even what they sound like is extremely important for infantry officers to know, so they can teach the knowledge to their own Marines, said Widman.
Platoon commanders need to know what the weapon�s threat ring is � its destructive capability �when preparing and planning reconnaissance missions, Widman said.
The larger the weapon, the larger the threat ring � vital information when planning reconnaissance routes and making changes if needed.
�Knowing what you are talking about is another reason for this training. There have been times when have I come across different weapon systems and had to report them to my commanders,� Widman said. �And I would have sounded like a fool if I didn�t know what I was talking about.�
The officer-students practice assembling and disassembling the AK-47, how to put it on and off safe, and how to properly clear the weapon before firing, allowing their chance to familiarize with the weapon.
�We really don�t care about how accurate they are with the AK-47,� Widman said. �We just want to make sure they know how to use it.�
Marines are training Iraqis and Afghanis how to fight and shoot their weapons systems � primarily the AK-47, said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Robert M. Brooks, the Marine gunner and infantry weapons officer at IOC. It�s important the officer students at least know how to use the weapon themselves so they can properly teach it to the Iraqis and Afghanis as well as their own Marines.
Some of the other weapons the officer-students to see and handle include the Romanian FPK sniper rifle, Soviet AK-74 assault rifle, Soviet RPK-74 assault rifle and rocket-propelled-grenade launchers.
The AK-47 is the weapon system that is the primary threat in all third-world countries, and these officers are going to be facing this weapon wherever they go, said Brooks.
IOC includes more than 800 hours of training packed into 48 days. The officer-students spend one day learning about foreign weapons and capabilities and getting the opportunity to shoot the AK-47.
Hopefully, the Marine Corps will develop a threat weapons school so every Marine, at least the non-commissioned officers, can go through some type of formal training, said Brooks. But for now, it�s imperative they take this knowledge with them and teach it to their Marines.
�It would be nice if we could spend three or four days teaching students about these weapons, but we just don�t have the time or the manpower,� said Brooks. �What we do here is better than nothing, and we have received feedback from former officer-students that has been positive.�
Earning a Green Belt
Testing the limits of their physical and mental stamina, 13 Marines here are nearing completion of the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program green belt instructor course.
For nearly three weeks, Sgt. Reynaldo A. Deleon, MCMAP instructor trainer and Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 12 aviation supply specialist, has led the dedicated group through a rigorous series of combat conditioning drills, martial arts sustainment and classroom sessions.
Although injury and fatigue commonly account for a large number of drops during the training, Deleon is impressed that 13 of the original 14 students have remained strong.
�Usually the attrition rate is very high in this course,� said Deleon, a Defiance, Ohio, native. �It�s very physically demanding training, which makes it hard to keep their bodies healthy.
�This course we have a tough group of Marines,� he added. �They�re just not going to quit.�
A typical day begins at 6 a.m. when the class warms up and heads out for its first physical training session. Repeated runs through the obstacle course, forced marches with weighted packs and long periods of sparring or grappling are normal fare for morning PT.
�The physical part has been the most difficult for everyone,� said Sgt. Kyle R. Vangorder, Marine Wing Support Squadron 171 data network specialist and native of Phoenix. �You just have to keep moving, get in there and get it done, and get to that next break.�
Before going to lunch, students spend several hours sharpening their teaching skills by reviewing tan through green belt moves and applying the Explain, Demonstrate, Imitate, Practice (EDIP) process. EDIP is a fundamental element of MCMAP instruction used to train all Marines � from recruits to officers � the proper implementation and execution of techniques.
�What we focus on in training is more than the physical aspect,� said Deleon. �We need mental and professional discipline. In this class, the Marines have been extremely good at their EDIP techniques. They�ve done a great job as teachers.�
Not only does Vangorder feel the past three weeks have built up his body, his mind has grown equally strong.
�A lot of what we learned has been how to conduct a period of instruction and (how to) conduct yourself professionally, stuff like that,� Vangorder said. �The information applies to all-around military life as far as leading Marines and taking charge. It helps to hone those skills of leadership you already have and add a couple other tools in your toolbox.�
For the rest of the afternoon, the students receive evaluations on their martial arts or instruction skills while they continue grappling or sparring. With sweat-drenched cammies and aching muscles, these Marines finish the day as hard as they began – happy to soon be able to call themselves green belt instructor titles.
�It�s tough, but it�s worth it,� said Cpl. Harold S. Brice, Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron correctional specialist and native of Preston, Md. �Personally, it�s always been important for me to challenge myself, and this has been a great way to do it.�
Deleon feels by becoming a MCMAP instructor Marines will reap a host of benefits far exceeding a strenuous workout or another page in their Service Record Books.
�It�s giving back to the Marine Corps,� he said. �This is small unit leadership at its best when you have corporals and sergeants teaching everyone from a (private first class) to an officer.�
�Going through all this training with the students � you see them grow physically and mentally,� Deleon added. �It�s rewarding when you see their character grow as well.�
Depot Duties Through the Eyes of a DI
The sounds of their cadence roll through the halls and across the grounds of the depot.
Up to 65 Marines go to Drill Instructor School each cycle. During this training period, students learn methods of training recruits to become United States Marines.
The overall goal of this institution is to give these students as much knowledge from their instructors? own experiences, as best they can, said Gunnery Sgt. Christopher L. Hambaugh, Drill Instructor School instructor.
Every instructor served time in the trenches before he became an instructor at the school. Drill instructors refer to the recruit training battalions as the trenches.
Instructors do everything they can to ready these Marines for the drill field.
?When we graduate Marines, we make sure they are set up,? said Hambaugh. ?The decisions they make while training recruits will determine their success or failure, but every Marine leaves here with the tools.?
The average drill instructor has a shelf life of three years on the depot. He may spend two years with recruits and one at a battalion office or on quota, which is a period in a drill instructor?s term where he may step away from training recruits to specialize in one aspect of training ? usually swim qualifications or martial arts.
There are many different billets on the drill field to include a chief drill instructor, company first sergeant and battalion sergeant major. Drill instructors who excel on the drill field may extend their term here.
Some students are misled to believe that going to D.I. School is like going back to boot camp all over again, said Sgt. Nicholas C. Hibbs, E Company drill instructor.
This is not the case, said Hambaugh.
?I would say it?s intense,? said Hambaugh. ?It is stressful. The way it is set up causes a lot of self-induced stress. It gets the students stressed without us even getting involved, but Marines who truly want to be here will make it.?
For 11 weeks and two days, students are educated, tested, monitored and corrected by their instructors. On the third day of the twelfth week, they accept their diplomas and graduate into one of the Corps? most famous jobs.
A recruit squad bay is a different obstacle. Facing the recruits for the first time can prove to be as stressful as forgetting a drill movement during teach-back tests at D.I. School. Teach-backs are designed for students to learn on a deadline.
Certain parts of the curriculum, like drilling movements, require students to demonstrate their knowledge in order to move on in the course. This is also a way to ensure proper knowledge and execution of the movement.
?I was worried that I would stutter and stumble and get confused,? said Sgt. Randolph D. Hubert, E Company drill instructor. ?You just got to get into things until you no longer worry about what you can and can?t do, but what you need to do.?
After recruiters, drill instructors may make the biggest impression on recruits, said Hibbs.
?I do the same thing my drill instructors tried to do ? successfully produce a basically -trained United States Marine,? said Hibbs. ?We are the ones who teach them all the basic knowledge. All the things they learn here, they are going to take to the fleet.?
One of a drill instructor?s biggest concerns is sending a Marine to war without proper training.
?You ask any drill instructor about one of his recruits who died in Iraq, and you will see a grown man cry,? said Hubert. ?It is personal pride in yourself that makes you want these kids to be better.?
During the first few cycles, new drill instructors learn how to live in their new atmosphere. Life as a drill instructor can be extremely challenging due to the long hours at work and limited time for anything else. Three months at a time, drill instructors devote themselves to their recruits.
?I expected to work,? said Hubert. ?I expected to be hit with different problems. It?s not like the fleet where you deal with 30 Marines. We deal with 80 different recruits every three months ? 80 different personalities.?
Sacrificing time for recruits is more of a hardship for some.
?Long hours,? said Hibbs. ?Being away from my family was the most difficult part.?
According to Hibbs, some workdays lasted 20 hours or more.
While being a drill instructor may be one of the more tiresome jobs in the Marine Corps, Hubert thought of a few reasons to sign up for the next course.
?I?m making a difference,? said Hubert. ?All the Marines I looked up to, master sergeants, gunnery sergeants, they were all drill instructors. I loved their leadership styles ? how they lead Marines. In the beginning I did it to further my career. Now I enjoy it. Of course it?s work. Your head hurts, feet hurt and you miss your TV shows.?
While their mission stays the same, new drill instructors bring new flavor to Recruit Training Regiment four times a year. With sore feet and soar throats, drill instructors find a way to continue the production of the world?s most powerful fighting force.
Combatant Diver Course
The Marines makes one final gear check before leaning back and receiving the thumbs up from their partners to plunge into the warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Marines falling into the water are some of the Corps? most elite warriors ? reconnaissance Marines.
First Force Reconnaissance Company Marines and sailors from Camp Pendleton spent a month training with Marines throughout the Corps at the Marine Combatant Diver Course in Panama City, Fla., to learn how to use the self contained underwater breathing apparatus, scuba.
During the 35 training days, the students complete 15 surface swims and swim more than 60,000 meters of water to hone their skills.
The course begins with a 500-yard introductory swim or ?fin? to familiarize the students with open-circuit scuba gear.
While some of the students have some training on conventional scuba diving, most are newcomers to the world of underwater operations.
?This new scuba gear takes some getting used to but eventually you get the hang of it,? said Cpl. Elliot Hlabaty, 21, reconnaissance operator, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
But not every recon operator has a shot at attending the seven-week course. Individual Marine recon units hold a grueling two-week, pre-qualification course prior to attending the course in eastern Florida.
The goal of the pre-qualification is to introduce the students to what happens to their bodies while they are underwater.
But diving is no dip in the pool. There are a lot of concepts to learn, such as the effects of compression and the decrease of gasses in the human body, said Master Sgt. Gregory D. Miller, staff noncommissioned officer-in-charge, Marine Combatant Diver Course.
The students must learn how to use the scuba equipment in a swimming pool before applying their competence in the deep blue ocean.
During one particular morning in their fifth week of training, the Marines receive an early morning safety brief, pack on the scuba gear, load up into two 15 passenger boats and head out into the ocean.
The Marines are eager to plunge into the ocean following weeks of bookwork and drills inside the pool.
Their assignment is to demonstrate their diving capabilities in the ocean, since this is precisely the environment they will be working in during missions.
The equipment the students are using is a closed-circuit re-breather unit attached to their chest. This gear enhances their ability to approach an objective in a quiet manner. As Marines exhale, no bubble are created since the air is returned inside the unit, making them invisible to the enemy?s view topside.
A conventional open-circuit scuba unit, which is strapped on the back, emits a large amount of bubbles, rendering a stealthy approach ineffective.
The morning marked the first time the students demonstrated their mastery of the closed-circuit unit in a real environment. They already went through numerous hours of practical application with the instructors earlier.
?After completing the practical application, I definitely feel ready to whoop it on and take care of business,? said Cpl. William J. Johns, 21, from Granite Bay, reconnaissance operator, 1st Force Reconnaissance Co.
In between classroom work, safety briefs, practical application, and tests, the students are still required to maintain rigorous physical fitness standards. Any given day of the week the students run an average of five miles in between lesson plans.
The course culminates with an astounding 6.2 mile open-water swim in a team buddy line. The buddy line is a rope, which attaches two divers together within an arm?s reach of each other. The lead man, or ?driver,? steers the team under the close attention of an azimuth, which is a predetermined direction via the aid of a compass. Navigates using a tack-board, an underwater compass
The rear operator shares the responsibility of the two-person team because there is so much going on.
?I have to trust my partner because he?s the one driving,? said Cpl. Geore W. Ruble, reconnaissance operator, 2nd Recon Bn., Camp Lejeune, N.C.
?I also have to make sure he?s alright, buoyancy is good and he?s not going up and down in the water column,? said the 23-year-old Pensacola, Fla., native. ?The whole time he?s focusing on the azimuth,?
?There are so many hazards in diving that if you don?t look after each other?s health, you can have some serious issues down there,? Ruble added.
Even though students receive a full day of instruction during the course?s final week of diving, met grueling physical fitness requirements, and continuously demonstrate practical application, not one of them has even signaled the slightest aversion to the course
?It?s a new challenge. I get to work in areas I?ve never worked in before. Working in the water like this is the main challenge,? said
Lance Cpl. Isaac J. Moore, 20, reconnaissance operator, 2nd Force Reconnaissance Co., who transferred jobs from being a radio operator.
The school enrolls Marines in the reconnaissance community, but also support Air Force combat controllers and air rescue men together in the same class.
Combat conditioning
Company I is the first recruit training company here to complete the new training regimen, which includes a schedule change in which the Crucible becomes the culminating event of training.
The start of the new year brings with it a new aspect of recruit training, with enhanced core values and combat conditioning program.
In April, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James T. Conway announced plans to modify recruit training here and at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island for Marines to focus on rededicating themselves to their core values and warrior ethos.
The Crucible has been moved from week eight to week 11. Conducting the Crucible at week eleven allows recruits to complete the hardest thing they may have ever done, right before earning the title Marine.
The Emblem Ceremony, where recruits receive their eagle, globe and anchor insignia now follows the Crucible at Weapons Field Training Battalion, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
The Crucible is a 54-hour field training event near the end of recruit training that evaluates a recruit�s mental, moral, and physical development in order to validate the transformation into a Marine.
The new training schedule emphasizes core values through values-based training and guided discussions.
Starting the first training week, recruits participated in daily guided discussions with their drill instructors to foster personal, group and organizational values. In an open forum recruits are given ground rules and told what to expect from the discussions, said Gunnery Sgt. Jose H. Molina, Company I chief drill instructor.
A combat conditioning program has been designed to strengthen muscles used in combat and reduces the chance of injury.
Recruits wore flack jackets and helmets and carried weapons on the obstacle course in order to simulate a combat situation, said Molina.
According to Capt. David M. Dalby, assistant training officer, G-3, dynamic warm-ups, mobility and stretching exercises have been added to the program to reduce the chance of injury. Those same exercises have been increased in intensity and lowered in duration.
�Field Week and the Crucible used to be back-to-back,� said Dalby. �The new schedule has them three weeks apart, which is anticipated to mitigate injury.�
A transition week, �Marine Week,� has also been added at the end of recruit training so recruits can gain the ability to make a better transition from the rigidly structured environment of recruit training to a less restrictive one.
In the final eight and a half days of recruit training, drill instructors assume the role of platoon sergeant and continue to teach and mentor. New Marines will be addressed by rank or �Marine.�
Emphasis will be placed on the reinforcing of core values, exercising of small unit leadership, and increasing of individual responsibility.
