Week 12: Marine Week

It's graduation week. Tomorrow my family will be on the road to San Diego! I am so excited to wrap my arms around my Marine son and hold him for a little bit.
This is decompression week for our sons and daughters. Final inspections, packing, stepping away from the intense and back into the real world.

Marine Week is a period of time where the new Marines learn to operate in a more decentralized environment. After eleven weeks of being told what to do almost every waking moment, this is a chance for them to show their drill instructors what they have learned about small unit leadership, ethics, and core values.
They are not recruits any more, they are allowed to wear a watch, they move about the Depot as small units, and are now addressed by their rank and last name, or simply as “Marine.”
Drill instructors make a transition as well, serving more as mentors, and the new Marines call them by their rank and last name.
There is also an important moment when Marines, past and present, come visit and “Share the Legacy,” passing along their experiences, and telling the new Marines how the Corps’ core values have shaped their lives. Marine parents

See you soon son!

We get Family day on Thursday beginning with a motivation run (Moto Run) in the morning where the new Marines run in formation for the parents to see. Then, later in the day, the new Marines get base liberty during which they can hang out with their families for several hours and show us around and maybe grab a meal.

On Friday is graduation in the morning and then release!