This html article is produced from an uncorrected text file through optical character recognition. Prior to 1940 articles all text has been corrected, but from 1940 to the present most still remain uncorrected. Artifacts of the scans are misspellings, out-of-context footnotes and sidebars, and other inconsistencies. Adjacent to each text file is a PDF of the article, which accurately and fully conveys the content as it appeared in the issue. The uncorrected text files have been included to enhance the searchability of our content, on our site and in search engines, for our membership, the research community and media organizations. We are working now to provide clean text files for the entire collection.
The ingredients are simple: pride, spirit, and discipline. The recipe is a proven set of procedures. But, it still takes a tough DI to train a recruit, and a determined recruit to make a Marine.
Sbe 6 Marine recruits have bricj1 kUssed over the Horse Island Vl’s §e ar>d causeway to Parris Is- fk hol]Qain gate- 11 is here, perhaps,
* d: no 7 Sense °f rootlessness takes Marine °nger civilian, not yet a
^ S. (!.*S!and has been home to the of w.lr'ne Corps since 1891. By the had tra- 0,hl War I, 41,000 recruits V „ned at the facility; 205,000 ‘^,000aTatcd during World War II,
> ,f)00 jUr*n§ the Korean War, and Tod during the Vietnam War. averS°me ^’000 recruits make up In peL®e Monthly population.
ruary 1949; a Woman Recruit
Training Battalion was established on the Island and remains the sole training location for enlisted women Marines. Male recruits are also trained at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, California.
Parris Island has its own Drill Instructors School, which both male and female non-commissioned officers (NCOs) must attend and successfully complete prior to their assignment as drill instructors (DIs). The Corps’s selection of drill instructors is a demanding process. The challenge lies not merely in getting the best available NCOs, but in attracting those special, outstanding Marines who are able to
cope with the physical and psychological demands routinely required of DIs.
At Headquarters, U. S. Marine Corps, personnel monitors continually review the service records.of NCOs, especially those eligible for reassignment, to find prospective DI candidates. Screening committees made up of former successful DIs visit major fleet and shore commands to interview eligible candidates. NCOs who are selected must then be recommended by their commanding officers and a team of medical officers.
This is, however, only the beginning. The Drill Instructors School program requires highly motivated NCOs
ord. The Parris Island range
scored 246 out of a possible ^
fication day. Those who fail j fro'11
dropPe0
and mainten^iO
time. At this point, with m°re ^ days of training behind them ^ ^
who are willing to give 100%. Only a full commitment to excellence can support a DI’s statement to his troops: “1 am the Marine Corps.”
For the newest recruits—likely as apprehensive about their new DIs as about their first “Marine” haircuts— the initial week of “processing and forming” provides a period for orderly administration procedures. These will include medical examinations, classification testing, initial clothing issue, and general orientation.
The normal training cycle, which begins with Phase I, is delayed for any recruit who cannot reach minimal physical screening requirements. Rather than entering Phase I, such recruits are assigned to a physical conditioning platoon to strengthen weak areas. Should any of these recruits fail to meet minimum physical standards within 45 days, they are dropped from the training program.
Phase I training is a two-and-a-half- week crash course in pride, spirit, and discipline: the elements of what it takes to be a Marine. The physical training aspect, including running, calisthenics, obstacle, circuit, and confidence course practice, is intensive. In the classrooms, DIs teach general military subjects, history, first aid, rifle maintenance, and much more. Inspections, drill evaluations, and testing round out the final days of Phase I.
a days
Phase II is a fast-paced i*
niuiivuiuiiom^f uaiiniigy ■ 'flp
nates in firing the M16A2 rlreCord's , uilO
held by Private Anita Lobo, j
____ a.... ____ ccihle .
November 1985 on her plal0<^ qualiwith the service rifle are u‘“r 'ction- the platoon for remedial *nstrU|) tlie'r Recruits are allowed a lull * givefl training cycle after Phase H> ce' seven days most 30 yet ahead, recruits are often unhappy to get away fr0 jjcfi partment cleaning and kitchen F
/ NoVC"1
Proceedings
After the bus comes a haircut, new uniforms and equipment, a new place to live, and a DI to teach recruits the ropes—literally. Whether making inspections, standing by at the obstacle course, or leading the way on early morning runs, DIs must demonstrate “they are the Marine Corps.” After day 56— graduation—recruits are made Marines.
|
|
|
|
| TyA |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
.
get on with Phase III.
Phase is the varsity course. ' novv expected to demon- etence in Phase I and Phase n and to apply it to combat training. They must show ln throwing hand grenades, "°ugh booby-trapped, simu- helds without triggering scaling steep slopes or ^arns and ravines with spe-
the equipment they rate, and clothing appointments are scheduled to see that uniforms are tailored. Fitting measurements usually change from the day the recruit first sets foot on the Island. During a recent graduation ceremony, one recruit’s mother was distraught over missing her son in the parade, despite the senior DI’s assurance that her son was indeed there. She discovered after the ceremony that she had failed to recognize him because he was 104 pounds lighter than when he had left home.
On training day 56, the transition from recruit to U. S. Marine is completed and marked by graduation ceremonies. The new Marines probably see another side of their DIs on this day. The same hardened DIs who expected the impossible from them and were not satisfied when they got it, now are offering congratulations, shaking hands, and looking proud.
Mr. Davidson is a freelance photographer in the Washington, D.C., area, whose work has been featured in National Geographic, Outside, Smithsonian, Success, and Omni magazines.
Chief Colvard joined the U. S. Navy in 1936 and served in one cruiser, two battleships, three destroyers, and three command ships. He retired in 1956 and because a teacher. He holds a master’s degree in education and counseling.
November