Graduation of Marine Corps Boot Camp

Over the next couple of weeks, we did more strength training, more knowledge building, but it never seemed to end. We could all taste the graduation day, being that we knew it was so close. We didn’t know what day of the month it was or when graduation was, but we knew it was near because we were back in MCRD San Diego, in phase three. From my knowledge, boot camp has changed slightly since I was there, and that the week of the Crucible about week 9 and not 11 like it is now. This is when we would start getting our ‘United States Marine Corps’ tags put on our digital uniform. This is also when we would start getting fit for our graduation uniforms, known as Service Alphas and Service Charlies. Mainly what was focused on during this time was the graduation ceremony and the many hours of marching that we would get to do in front of all our families.

To backtrack a little, there was a recruit appointed to be knowledge recruit and the writer for the platoon, whenever something needed to be done, and this position was titled the Lead Scribe. About the time that phase three started, the Lead Scribe got fired from his position for screwing something up. The entire platoon was put at a test to see who knew the general and medical knowledge the best, and this person would be the new Lead. Somehow I was the winner of this and to tell you the truth, I cannot remember what I was required to do in this position but to keep a clean and updated dry erase board for the platoon. I got to be in charge of the medical training events and general knowledge events. I was also instructed to be a pass/fail grader during the final testing event in the medical knowledge stage, which was for the entire company, not just my platoon. In the long run, I got no recognition for this; it was just something you got to do. There we many other titles throughout each platoon such as the guide, squad leaders, and a few others.

The last few weeks were long days and nights, as well as little sleep. This was to make sure that we were 110% ready for graduation so that all the families could witness what has been to their brothers, sons, fathers, and more.

One of the days of the final week, we were told what our official MOS (job) would be and where we would be going after basic training was completed. I was told I was going into the air wing defense program which training for that was located in 29 Palms, California. We also called this place 29 Stumps because there was not a single palm tree there, but that is for a different blog entry. Also for another blog entry, this time in 29 Palms did not go over very well and I would not end up doing this MOS

February 2nd, 2006 had finally arrived, the day before graduation but this was also family day. We did have a ceremony here in front of all our families, but it was nothing like what was to bed held the following day. The reason this was called family day was because after everything was done, we got to actually see and be with our families for a little while before we had to go back to our squad bays. I got to show them around the different parts of base for a little while, which almost gave me a complete different perception of the base. I cannot remember how long we got with our family but we rested that night knowing that we would be going home with them the next day.

The day was finally here and it was graduation day. We marched around the parade deck, which felt like a couple dozen times, listened to some recognition announcements of some outstanding recruits, and then conducted our graduation ceremony. This lasted hours and once it was done, we all got to go back to our squad bays, grab all of our gear, get our box from day one, and find our families again so we could leave. During this time I got to take my parents to meet my drill instructor. One of them, Sergeant Tyson, was actually relieved of duty from being a drill instructor for hurting a recruit, but he was still there and he was one of the first people I introduced to my parents. Most ask why I would introduce this person, the kill hat of our platoon to my family. The reason is because if he didn’t kill us day in and day out, we would not be who we were at graduation or as successful. I appreciated this drill instructor just as much as any other, if not more. After that I went on to introduce our senior drill instructor to my family, whom was a French African American. Nothing at all wrong with who he was but he really was proud of this because he spoke like twelve languages, not including English, was very physically fit and smarter than anyone could imagine. I mention this because this is what you imagine a Marine as. This was a stellar and outstanding Marine and others strive to be like him in the Corps.

I was not able to locate any other drill instructors to talk to but after we were done, we went back to their hotel, grabbed all their belongings and I booked it off base faster than I ever wanted to move in my life. I honestly just wanted off this base, not to get away but to really get far from the hectic three months that we just experienced as possible. When we finally got to the airport, and I was still in uniform, it was not long before I was asleep on the plane while headed back up to Portland. I would get to be home for about ten days before it was time to head back down to Camp Pendleton for more training before MOS school. This part of training was combat training. This would be the start of another experience of trying to escape, and this time, I mean actually trying to escape!

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The Stages of Marine Boot Camp

As the days kept moving on, they consisted much of physical training, marching, weapon cleaning, basic medical training, and the knowledge that we should know if we were graduate and become a Marine. Unlike other branches and their boot camps, there was no down time. There was no time that we could take a smoke break, it was not allowed. There was no use of phones to call home and talk to your family. The only thing we could do was write home on Sundays which was also the same time that we got to read our mail that we received in response. Every Sunday came and you could hope that you were not one of those sorry recruits that got a package from their family that contained food, or a piece of lady’s lingerie from a girlfriend or spouse because that would just cause you more trouble than what it was worth. The rules were very strict and there was no breaking them, or even bending them. Another thing we got to do on Sundays was go to church, if we so wanted to. If we decided not to, it was a time of hanging out with the drill instructors and the last thing you want is them bored. So, obviously most of us went to church during boot camp.

The hardest part of my experience of being in boot camp, besides the knee injury, was that my platoon was there through Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and even my birthday. Most of us are away from homes for the first time during the holidays and these days were treated like any other day of the week. Boot camp was split into three phases when you’re going through it. None of the phases had specific labels but phase one was held in San Diego, two was in Camp Pendleton, and three was back in San Diego. Phase one, from what I picked up, was about getting into the best physical shape you can get in a four week time period, before we went to train out in the field in Camp Pendleton. Phase one was about training you into the figure of what is known as a Marine. It was about getting you smart enough to be able to represent yourself as a Marine while you’re enlisted, and while you are done with your service. Phase two was about learning your rifle, how to clean it, how to shoot it, and how to handle it. We also did many hikes and other types of field training. The most memorable part of phase two was the event called the Crucible. I cannot even gather the words that describe this event but I found a quote that describes it very well.

“The Crucible is a test every recruit must go through to become a Marine. It tests every recruit physically, mentally and morally and is the defining experience of recruit training. The Crucible takes place over 54-hours and includes food and sleep deprivation and over 45 miles of marching. The Crucible event pits teams of recruits against a barrage of day and night events requiring every recruit to work together to solve problems, overcome obstacles, and help each other along the way. The obstacles they face include long marches, combat assault courses, the leadership reaction course, and the team-building warrior stations. Each Warrior Station is named for a Marine hero whose actions epitomize the values the USMC wants recruits to adopt. Bottom line -- The Crucible is a rite of passage that, through shared sacrifice, recruits will never forget. With that memory and their core values learned in recruit training, they can draw upon the experience to face any challenge in their path.”

I found this on http://www.recruitparents.com/bootcamp/crucible.asp, which has some very detailed and helpful information that recruits experienced during their training. Here is also a short video of what they to show the Crucible.http://www.marines.com/videos/-/video-library/detail/VIDEO_WEEK11_THE_CRUCIBLE.

The part that is the most unforgettable of the Crucible was a mountain that we had to hike up in the last few miles. I am not sure how tall this hill was but at the time it didn’t look like much, until the medical truck drove up it and when it reached the top, it was the size of an ant. This showed us that the hill was quite larger than it originally looked. A lot of us struggled getting up this mountain and I was one of them. At one point I was even ready to quit, or actually a few times, but with the moral support of my fellow recruits and the drill instructors, they would not let this happen to me or anyone else. Once we got to the top, and that is everyone from all platoons in the company, we took a few minutes to rest so that we could gather our breath and strength before we started hiking again. The Marines name this mountain that fit it very well, due to its difficulty, and maybe not appropriate, but it worked. We called it Mount Mother Fu**er. After our rest was over, we continued our hike across the mountain top and when we got to the point where we would walk down and to the end of the Crucible, we got a delightful rest and a speech from our company commander. The best part is he happened to be a pilot so he was able to schedule a flyover for us right before we began our home stretch down the mountain. This was still a tough hike since it was two more miles but it was the end and we all found the determination to finish as strong as our bodies could. Once we finally got to the end and were able to drop our backpacks, we were welcomed into the chow hall to what was called the warrior’s meal where it was the first time we got to experience an all you can eat buffet with whatever we wanted for dessert. During the 54 hours and 45 miles of hiking and training, we had a total of maybe five meals and they were all MRE’s, which obviously shows that we were quite hungry. Everyone ate so much food that after the meal was over, we all spent the next hour in a food coma either in our racks or in the bathroom because we ate too much.

Over the next couple of days, we would return our gear to the supply center and get ready for our transition back to MCRD San Diego. What we would do for the next couple of weeks would be plan and prepare for our graduation but to continue our physical training so that we stayed in tip top shape. Graduation was just around the corner and this would be the beginning of our new lives.

You can also find a series of short clips of each week of boot camp at http://www.marines.com/becoming-a-marine/recruit-training/-/twelve-weeks/slide/0

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