My oldest son has graduated from boot camp and has become a Marine. I never dreamed a child of mine would ever do this so it was quite the shock. But I always said I want for my children that which would make them happy and so ... I share my pride in him for doing what he wants and taking a leap into this new life adventure.
"Excellence doesn't just happen. It must be forged, tested and used. It must be passed down and woven into the very fabric of our soul until it becomes our nature"
- General Charles C. Krulak, 31st Commandant of the Marine Corps
During this week the recruits start putting all their training together during field training.
"Field Training" is "practice war." They operate and live in a simulated combat environment and learn the fundamentals of patrolling, firing, setting up camp, and more.
Basic Warrior Training introduces recruits to field living conditions. The majority of a Marine's field training is conducted after recruit training at the School of Infantry.
During the 3-day Basic Warrior Training recruits will learn basic field skills like setting up a tent, field sanitation and camouflage. It is also during this training that recruits go through the gas chamber.
Before starting, the recruits were given a brief demonstration of the course by the staff who work at Page Field. The recruits low-crawled across the first portion of the course, back-crawled under barbed wire, rushed over the “tall wall” while checking for traps and finally made their way to the end. They were not told that if they didn’t do it right the first time, they would have to repeat the course until they did it right. Basic warrior training
Preparing for the battlefield
Basic Warrior Training (BWT) teaches recruits how to operate in a combat environment. They will demonstrate these skills during Day and Night Movement exercises.
Field and infiltration skills are preparing personal equipment for battle; negotiating obstacles such as barbed wire; camouflage, cover and concealment; hand and arm signals; and mine and Improvised Explosive Device identification.
Land Navigation training includes positioning on a map using landmarks and using a lensatic compass and military topographic map.
"The United States Marine Corps, with its fiercly proud traditions of excellence in combat, its hallowed rituals, and its unbending code of honor, is part of the fabric of American myth."
- Thomas E Ricks
There are so many legends and mutterings, I can't really begin to share them here. But according to this one, if you don't quite believe something you can just go and "tell it to the Marines."
"Tell It to the Marines"
This legend goes back to the London of 1664, when Charles II was King of England. A ship's master, returned from a long cruise, told him a sea story he couldn't believe.
"Fish that fly like birds?" the Merry Monarch exclaimed. "I have my doubts!"
"Nay, sire, it is true," said Sir William Killigren, colonel of the new British Marine regiment raised that year. "I have myself seen flying fish many a time in southern waters. I vouch for the truth of this strange tale, your Majesty."
The King thought it over. At last he turned to Samuel Pepys, the Secretary of the Admiralty.
"Mr. Pepys," he said, "no class of our subjects hath such knowledge of odd things on land and sea as our Marines. Hereafter, when we hear a yarn that lacketh likelihood, we will tell it to the Marines. If they believe it, then we shall know it is true." Legends of the Marine Corps
Many, many of the legends of the USMC involve tales of bravery and fierceness. I think this is one of my favorites.
"Send us more Japs"
Many, many instances of the fighting spirit of Marines could be cited but one story in particular attracts the attention. When the Japanese initiated the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, they did not neglect the tiny island of Wake which served as an outpost for Hawaii. Their plans had been for a speedy seizure of this objective; however, the Marine garrison thwarted their initial attempts. Late in December, the enemy returned with an even more powerful armada. Attack after attack was mounted against the heroic defenders. All Marine planes were shot down, casualties mounted, the situation was becoming desperate. However, communications were still maintained with Pearl Harbor. A relief expedition was mounted but the remnants of the Navy were so pitifully weak that the mission was cancelled at the last minute. Finally, Pearl Harbor queried Wake "Is there anything that we can provide?" In one of the last messages from the doomed island came back "Send us more Japs!" Legends of the marine Corps
Definitions and Terms
Head—the bathroom facilities.
Squad bay—the barracks, houses one platoon.
Platoon—the training unit or fighting unit of 43 men and a second lieutenant. The smallest unit for all practical purposes.
Gunny—a gunnery sergeant in rank.
A recruit—a shit bird, a turd, a shit maggot, a clown
A woman—a broad, a cunt.
A joint—the penis.
S-2—Battalion level of anything.
G-2—intelligence code number.
Gear—the necessaries issued every Marine.
Deck—the floor or the ground.
Bulkhead—the wall.
Hatchway—the door.
Overhead—the ceiling.
Rifle—any weapon with a barrel over 18" in length, never to be called a gun.
Cover—any type of hat or cap.
Boondocks—woods or forest, (shortened to boonies)
Grab ass—any type of goofing off, horseplay.
Blues, Greens, Trops—three types of uniforms.
Utilities—the fighting uniform.
Field day—a clean-up session where everything is scrubbed.
Butt—a cigarette, or the butt of a rifle.
Brass—the brass belt buckle and any other accessories made from brass.
Stacking swivel—the attachment on a rifle which allows it to be-stacked.
Drill—that portion of training where discipline and working close
together are emphasized.
Gung-ho—A Chinese word meaning work together, usually used as an adjective
to describe a good Marine.
Squared away—neat and proper in appearance.
Field scarf—neck tie.
Crud—any type of dirt etc. found on anything.
Passageway—hallway.
Chow—meals.
S.O.S.—shit on a shingle, ground beef and gravy on toast served for
breakfast.
Regs—regulations or regular Marines as opposed to reservists.
7£2 gear—packs, tents, and other field gear.
Webb gear—any gear made of canvass webbing.
Grinder—the parade grounds.
To shit can—to do away with (shit can—a trash can)
Military crest—that portion of a hill just below the topographical
crest where full vision is possible.
CO.—company commander.
Old man—the unit commander of a company size or over.
Exec—the executive officer of the unit.
Corps—the Marine Corps as a whole.
Swab—a mop (a swabby, a sailor)
A doggy—an Army soldier.
A zoomy—a pilot in the service.
P.X.—post exchange store.
Mainside—the main section of the base or town or country.
Ladder—a stairway.
Scuttlebutt—rumors or a drinking fountain.
Pogybait—candy, cookies, cold drinks, etc.
The Marines in China before WW II were issued candy (Baby Ruths, Tootsie Rolls, etc.) as part of their their ration supplements. At the time, sugar and other assorted sweets were rare commodities in China and much in demand by the Chinese, so the troops found the candy useful for barter in town. The Chinese word for prostitute, roughly translated, is "pogey". Thus, candy became "Pogey Bait". Urban Dictionary
Railroad tracks—captains' bars.
Barman—man who carries a Browning Automatic Rifle.
S.T.P. or S.T.U.—special training unit or platoon.
Boot—bootcamp or a trainee.
Happy hour—the hour every Friday and Saturday nights at the clubs when
beer is 5 cents a glass.
0.course—obstacle course used in training and conditioning.
The G.I.s—upset stomach and diarrhea caused by eating out of unclean
mess gear.
D.I.--drill instructor, the hated sergeant in charge of training recruit
platoons.
P.I.—Paris Island, South Carolina Marine Corps base.
Diego—San Diego, California Base, Camp Pendleton.
Civies—civilian clothes.
Police the Area—pick up all papers etc., and clean it up,
Suck ass or Kiss butt—a Marine who seeks to win favors from those of
higher rank.
Rank—the width of a group of men in formation, or rating.
File—the depth of a group of men in formation.
Corpsman—medical man that cares for wounded.
B.A.M.—broad-assed Marine, a woman Marine.
ComCo—Commandant of the Marine Corps.
Rack—bed.
So in the fourth from last week, Recruit is back from Camp Pendleton and glad to be "home" at the recruit depot. He is back to some familiar settings and working around the recruit depot, although I can't imagine there would be much cleaning to do there. Their skills and knowledge are honed and tested in preparation for the final tests they will face in the few weeks left to come. Team week is the period of time after you have spent two weeks at the rifle range. Team week is considered a break from training.
The purpose of team week is just as it suggests, to build teamwork with the recruits Recruit has been training alongside of for the past several weeks. At this point the drill instructors are not with recruits all the time, although they may check in. Recruits are under the authority of those who work in the designated areas, as well as fire team leaders and guide.
After this week, recruits face the final drill competition, take the final Physical Fitness Test, and take the final written test (which culminates all of their academic and classroom topics); each event has a trophy for the highest-scoring platoon. At this point, recruits will take their Marine Corps Martial Arts Program test and earn their tan belt; those who fail are dropped.
Recruits also prepare for the Crucible.
Some websites say the recruits go back to the confidence course this week.
During the two rounds of the Confidence Course, recruits will face 11 unique challenges, each more demanding than the one before.
Recruits will first complete the course individually and then in 4-man fireteams, adding teamwork to the physical challenge. The course increases recruits’ physical strength and, as the name implies, confidence. Confidence Course I
A test of strength and balance, including low obstacles like:
• Arm Stretcher
• Parallel Bars
• Over and Under Confidence Course II
A greater test of determination, including high obstacles like:
• Skyscraper
• A-frame
• Slide for Life
Thanks Becka from Facebook for posting this. It makes sense.
From the book "Into the Crucible" by James Woulfe: The stressful circumstances in which Sims and his fellow recruits were placed forced them to deal with the panicky feeling that was a natural part of being human. The fight-or-flight feeling is instinctive in all of us when faced with fearful circumstances and situations. When the air is exploding with gunfire, it's natural to want to flee, but a Marine must resist all natural impulses and fight instead. To a lesser degree, trying to lace up your boot with someone yelling in your face makes it hard for a recruit to control his natural instincts. He must control the panic so that even the small task at hand can be accomplished. This ability has saved many lives through the years when Marines have found themselves in positions of needing to clear jammed rifles before an enemy got in position to kill them. while the recruits weren't aware of it, the stress was designed to increase as they became more Marine-like. Finally, it reached a point where they were completely comfortable, surviving and even thriving in a chaotic environment. Courage is not the absence of fear, it is the ability to overcome fear.
"Boot Camp is about doing what you are told without asking why and doing it quickly. Drill instructors yell at you and they want you to yell back, basically it is about bringing out the outspoken person in everyone. If you do not scream back to acknowledge orders you will be ignored or punished, simple as that."
Not so good, but at least he is not there now to torture our sons:
Drill instructor charged in abuse of Marine recruits (244 counts) | August 23, 2007 | Rick Rogers San Diego Union Tribune ^ He could receive 269 years in prison A San Diego drill instructor was arraigned yesterday on 244 counts of abusing recruits in what could be the worst case of such maltreatment in modern Marine Corps history. Sgt. Jerrod M. Glass postponed making a plea during the court session at San Diego Marine Corps Recruit Depot. He also delayed his request to have a trial by judge or jury. If convicted on all charges, he could be sentenced to 269 years in prison. Glass is accused of striking almost every member of his 60-man platoon – some repeatedly – during a month long rampage early this year. The charges include 91 specifications of assault, 89 of failure to obey orders and 47 of cruelty and maltreatment. Some of the alleged abuses resemble fraternity pranks, such as forcing a recruit to jump into a trash can, while others suggest stern physical punishment. Details of the charges were not given to the media. Glass had worked as a drill sergeant for less than a year when the alleged mistreatment took place. No member of his platoon was seriously injured, but at least four ran away from duty. Four officers who oversaw Glass at the time have been relieved of duty. In addition, at least two other drill instructors have been charged and are expected to be arraigned next month. If convicted, they could face a maximum sentence of one year in the brig.
Final thought ... the hat:
"The (drill instructor) students complete more than 600 hours of training in 11 grueling weeks before getting the 'hat,' the wide-brimmed felt cover worn by no other Marines in the Corps. It looks like a Smokey Bear hat, and the Corps traces its origin to 1855. "
"The deadliest weapon in the world is a MARINE and his rifle!"
-GEN. PERSHING, US.ARMY
Field week is when Recruit gets to stop so much dry firing of his weapon and fire it for real.
Marines from Field Training Company teach recruits the fundamentals of living in the field and surviving and winning on the modern battlefield, to include chemical, nuclear, radiological, and biological defense. These duty experts have honed their skills through a unique blend of classroom instruction and hands on experience leading Marines in the Operating Forces.
During the second week of marksmanship training, recruits actually fire a known-distance course with ranges of 200, 300 and 500 yards. Recruits prepare for rifle qualification on Friday of that week.
They learn everything there is to know about the Field Firing Range (FFR)
During marksmanship training, recruits learn how to fire at a single target while in a stationary position. During FFR recruits learn how to fire at moving and multiple targets, while under low-light conditions and wearing their field protective (gas) mask.
I almost think they made em younger back then.
Of course at the time it was easier to lie about your age.
Qualification Day (Qual Day) is the last day of Firing Week during recruit training.
During Firing Week, or the second week of marksmanship training, recruits start before sunrise preparing their rifle, the range and themselves to shoot the known-distance course of fire. Recruits prepare for rifle qualification day by firing rounds of both slow fire (one shot at a time) and rapid fire (10 shots in a row). As recruits practice shooting, they are assisted and evaluated by their Combat Marksmanship Instructor, their Coach, and their drill instructors. All are working to assist the recruit to ensure that the fundamentals have been learned, and that each recruit shoots the best that he or she can. On Qual Day all recruits are trying to shoot their best and are striving for the coveted “Crossed Rifles” of the Rife Expert badge. Recruits can also earn the Rifle Sharpshooter and Rifle Marksman badges.
I can totally see my Recruit teaching these guys. Maybe he'll take an interest in becoming a Combat Marksmanship Instructor.
“One of the first things we tell recruits or Marines to remember when shooting is to relax,” said Sgt. Matthew J. Maruster, primary marksmanship instructor. “Once you relax, you can apply what you learned a lot better than if you were stressed out.” “We give advice on our own experiences,” said Maruster. “Show them some tricks of the trade.” Maruster said kneeling is the best position to learn because it is used most frequently on the range and in combat. “Most of the time when you engage your enemy, you don’t have enough time to get down on the deck, so you just go to the kneeling or sitting position,” said Maruster. “Safety is important, obviously,” said Maruster. “You never want to lose or injure a recruit when it could have been prevented. Most of the time, it is easy enough. The safety is already in their head. It is engrained through boot camp.” “Marksmanship in general should be taken very seriously,” said Maruster. “Whether you are an (administrative Marine) or an (intelligence Marine), no matter what military occupational specialty, you should have the ability to put rounds down range in a particular direction and be able to hit a target. The past few years have shown that you don’t necessarily have to be an (infantryman) to be a rifle man.”
Taking an aside here, I went to a presentation of a Ufologist the other day who talked about the Roswell incident, Area 51 and other such things and decided to see if Recruit was in any danger of being abducted by someone otherworldly. I found that indeed, Camp Pendleton has had it's share of possibilities over the years....
1951 - On this morning a total of seven F-86 fighters were scrambled to chase a UFO that remained over southern California for nearly 90 minutes. Two F-86 jet interceptors were scrambled from George AFB near Victorville, California then vectored by air defense GCI radar to a target off the Pacific Coast 30 miles west of Long Beach Airport, where the jets circled and then headed east toward Long Beach when the object was seen at 7:55 a.m. PDT at the 12 o'clock high position. It was in a left orbit at about 50,000 feet, above the F-86's. It appeared to be a bright silvery aircraft with highly swept back 45° wings. The F-86's tried to climb to intercept the object but it climbed away in response. Another two F-86's were scrambled from George AFB at about 8:00 a.m. as the first two were running low on fuel and broke off pursuit. The second pair of F-86's was vectored by GCI radar to Camp Pendleton, arrived there at 8:10 a.m. at 43,000 feet, and spotted the object at the one o'clock high position back to the north toward Muroc/Edwards AFB, appearing to be at about 50,000-55,000 feet in a controlled orbit. It looked like a swept wing aircraft that sped up when the F-86's tried to close.
1970 - March 21, 8:00 p.m. - 15-20 minutes While using night vision scopes, Marines witnessed three saucer craft hovering near Camp Pendleton rifle range during night firing exercises. (NUFORC)
1995 - July 20 - Mother and son see 4 pairs of paired lights hovering motionless in formation. 5th craft streaks up, hovers. Near Camp Pendleton.
2002- June 11, Approx 3 minutes after sunset - Object emitting light at magnitude equivalent with that of venus, appeared WNW of MCAS. The object remained stationary for 30 seconds then nosedived for the deck. Traveling approx 20 deg. in 3 seconds. Object distance was 12-15 miles WNW from observer. Distance was determined by using cloud distances on radar. Object passed behind on layer, and in front of another layer. Object was invisible on radar. Object was not seen again after it dissapeared below horizon.
2007 - November - Coach Tony Paopao, along with his wife, was driving south on Interstate 5 at about 10:45 PM, when they saw a large, bright object which passed over their vehicle, and hovered momentarily. It then headed in the direction of Camp Pendleton. It was quickly out of sight.
Coach Paopao made this statement about his sighting: "It was about 100 yards up. It was too low to be a plane and it was too fast and too quiet to be a helicopter."
2009 - October 5, 8:15 p.m. - We were driving north on the San Diego Freeway (Interstate 5) through Camp Pendleton when all of a sudden a bright red light caught my attention to the left out over the ocean, maybe about a mile or so ahead of our car. It was so unusual I could not stop staring at it. I did not know what it was and it did not appear to be like any aircraft such as a helicopter or plane of any sort. It glowed very intensely and pulsated at a regular interval, maybe 1 or 2 seconds apart. The intensity of the light was strong and constant. The color was ruby-like or light reddish.
2010 - August 19, 8:30 p.m. - At first there were 3 lights forming a triangle. Then one of the lights (the one in the bottom right corner disappeared. I was able to snap this photo before it finally disappeared entirely. After the sighting I called PMO and the Sgt on duty said that they've received numerous phone calls about the strange lights and that it was the Game Warden using a spotlight. Included is the original photo and I went on my iMac and zoomed in and tried to change the exposure to see the object better. You can see an outline of a triangular craft.
2011 - January 12, 9 p.m. - Last night I came home with my daughter and I slept on the couch. I have a view of the valley I am on a hill in Vista. I saw 2 huge balls of fire, at least that’s what it looked like in the sky over the mountains of Camp Pendleton. They moved very slowly, then disappeared. They came back again a couple minutes later and disappeared. They reappeared a third time and one descended on the mountain. Then they were just gone. My daughter saw it as well and she told me that is not the first time she had seen it before.
2011 - March 6 - I was driving down the main road leading on and off the military base in the early afternoon when to my left in the sky I saw a bright white light, hovering in the sky about the Air station and runway area. It wasn't too high, but it was high enough not to be confused as one of the Tower lights or attached to any structure from the ground. It was very bright, as if metal was reflecting off the Sun's light casting a blinding glow. It appeared to be flat and circular, but long... almost like a "Cigar." Almost as soon as I noticed it, from down the street riding in my vehicle, it appeared to have been "spooked" or scared away. It ascended away from my direction so fast from its hovering point (Point A) to its secondary point (Point B) but left a trail of light stretching behind it that connected the two points, and then from "Point B" it "zipped" away at an unbelievable speed until it simply vanished completely once it reached the clouds as if it entered what I can only assume was some type of "Warp Speed."
Recruits are introduced to the four shooting positions during Grass Week.
A Combat Marksmanship Instructor, or CMI, teaches recruits the fundamentals of weapons safety and marksmanship with their M-16A2 service rifle.
During this week, recruits become familiar with the following shooting positions: Sitting, Prone, Kneeling, Standing. They learn how to fire, how to adjust their sights and how to take into account the effects of wind and weather. They spend hours in the four positions, preparing their bodies to remain steady while they shoot. Recruits will also “zero” their service rifle and fire a grouping exercise to verify how their individual rifle shoots. The results will tell the recruit the initial sight settings. By the time Recruit fires that first actual shot during Firing Week, he or she will have dry-fired his or her rifle from each of the four positions thousands of times.
This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life.
My rifle, without me, is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless. I must fire my rifle true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will...
My rifle and myself know that what counts in this war is not the rounds we fire, the noise of our burst, nor the smoke we make. We know that it is the hits that count. We will hit...
My rifle is human, even as I, because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weaknesses, its strength, its parts, its accessories, its sights and its barrel. I will ever guard it against the ravages of weather and damage as I will ever guard my legs, my arms, my eyes and my heart against damage. I will keep my rifle clean and ready. We will become part of each other. We will...
Before God, I swear this creed. My rifle and myself are the defenders of my country. We are the masters of our enemy. We are the saviors of my life.
So be it, until victory is America's and there is no enemy, but peace!
"The man fires a rifle for many years, and he goes to war, and afterward he turns his rifle in at the armory and believes he's finished with the rifle. But no matter what else he might do with his hands - love a woman, build a house, change his son's diaper - his hands remember the rifle and the power the rifle proffered. The cold weight, the buttstock in the shoulder, the sexy slope and fall of the trigger guard." Jarhead - A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles
So there seems to be some controversy about the term "Jarhead" referring to Marines. Some swear the term comes from the haircut "high and tight."
Another source says the slang term was used by sailors as early as World War II to refer to members of the Marine Corps, they drew the term from the resemblance of the Marine dress blues uniform, with its high collar, to a Mason jar which at the time was made from blue glass.
Our friend Bob found this on the net as he was looking around...
"A term used to describe a US Marine. Although some believe the term is of recent origin (Gulf War), it has been around for a long time (at least since World War II). It has nothing to do with haircuts, hats or headshape. It refers to the Marines propensity to follow orders, regardless of consequences or personal safety. Because of their single-minded willingness to put their duty before themselves, Marines are said to have jarheads...hard on the outside and empty on the inside. It is a good thing there are such men.
Running up a hill to take a machine gun nest is not something that most people would do, but a jarhead will do it every time he is ordered."
All the images under "Jarhead" were movie stills, I liked this one a lot.
"We are afraid, but that doesn't mean we don't want to fight.
It occurs to me that we will never be young again."
Leatherneck - This nickname goes back to the leather stock or neckpiece, which was part of the Marine Corps uniform from 1775 to 1875. The leather collar was designed to protect the jugular vein from saber slashes. It also insured that Marines kept their heads erect and maintained military bearing. Although no longer used, it is commemorated by the standing collar on the dress blue and dress white uniform.
Devil Dogs - In the Belleau Wood fighting in 1918, the Germans received a thorough indoctrination into the fighting ability of Marines. Fighting through supposedly impenetrable woods and capturing supposedly untakeable terrain, the men of the 4th Marine Brigade struck terror in the hearts of the Germans, who referred to Marines as the "Teufelhunden", meaning "fierce fighting dogs of legendary origin" or as popularly translated, "Devil Dogs."
So now Recruit could be at Camp Pendleton where they take the recruits from the recruit depot where they spend their first weeks. Here they spend a month to get more active, run more, navigate the twists and turns of new pathways.
It is here that the final "Crucible" of learning will take the recruits up a mountain called the "Reaper." In the meantime there is always log training....
So anyway Camp Pendleton is the major West coast base for the U.S. Marine Corps. Spread over 125 acres, the camp trains Marines and other branches of the armed services.
"Amphibious and sea-to-shore training takes place at several key points along the base's 17 miles (27 km) of coastline. The main base is in the Mainside Complex, at the southeastern end of the base, and the remote northern interior is an impact area. Daytime population is around 100,000."
So there will be two rappelling places in Recruit's boot camp. The first one, happening this week or next, will be from a tower, walking down the side. Those who are afraid of heights do not get a break. The recruits learn how to tie the ropes and move down the tower.
Theinstructors start on the ground showing the recruits how to put on their harness and weave the rope through. Then you will climb up a fire team at a time to the top of the tower where additional rappelling instructors are waiting. From below, your entire platoon can watch you, so keep this in mind should those of you who are afraid of heights feel the urge to freak out. By the way, there is no option of not completing the rappel tower successfully. The instructors do not care if you are afraid. The point is to overcome what fear you have and accomplish the mission. Those who can't cut it are cut.
“The rappel tower gives these recruits chance to let go of any lasting fears and build their confidence,” Staff Sgt. Nathan Stocking, Platoon 2146, Company G. “At first they seem nervous and shy, but if they just focus on the technique they are taught, they will be fine. Rappel is a simple concept.”
The harness is made using a six-foot rope wrapped around legs and hips and secured using a series of square knots.
After the wall, the recruits also learn "fast-roping," which gets them from the helicopter to the ground. The hole they drop out of the helicopter from is called a "hell-hole."
