I AM JOINING THE MARINES: PART FOUR

The early days are starting to catch up to me, but every minute is worth it!
Today we were up in time to catch the recruits doing physical training (PT). We arrived before they did and could hear then marching in the dark to our location. That in itself was impressive as the darkness was broken by the uniform footsteps of about 200 or so recruits. As the sun came up, we could hear cheers and bells ringing in the background as tomorrow’s graduates ran their last before they became Marines. We quickly moved along the road to see them all run by. It was impressive to see these young men and women who had just endured 12 weeks of boot camp with the culminating event of “The Crucible” come by with all smiles as they knew that in just one day all the hard work would be rewarded with each of them being Marines!
Once we left the cadet run, we made our way to the recruit barracks where we were given a demonstration by the drill instructors (DIs) to what the recruits would see the first day assigned to their barracks. Again, out of respect and tradition, we were not allowed to take videos but I can tell you that I had chills all over me as they went through their routine. I am so impressed with the DIs dedication. They are up before the recruits (about 3 am) and up long after the recruits are in bed. To the drill instructors, their role is more than a job. They are preparing these young men and women and transforming them into what will become a warrior. Also, along the way, they transform them into great men and women. Evidence of their effectiveness is that, even after only two days, our DI has a group of teachers marching in formation and filling gaps and “covering” where there is an absence without being told! That is a great accomplishment…she should get a promotion!
After lunch we were able to see certain phases of “The Crucible”*, the last and I dare say the most intense of the entire recruit training. As these weary eyed recruits completed each task, you could see the weeks of training had paid off. No longer was the DI yelling at them, but they had become that “big brother” and “mentor” to the recruits. Teachers could do well to learn from these DIs. Even in “I gotcha” moments where the DI can blast a recruit, they also take the time to explain to them what was done wrong, why it was wrong and the correct way to do the task.
The day was completed with a little time on the range firing the M16A4. That was really fun; however, I could have shot about 100 rounds. It is a wonderful weapon with little to no recoil. Everyone had a great time with it and the instructors were very patient with all of us during our briefing and shooting.
Tomorrow we leave, but even though I am ready to get home, I will miss the atmosphere and camaraderie I have experienced down here. It is a whole different life in Parris Island!
*You can look up The Crucible for the Marines on youtube.com to get an idea of what they go through