Pictorial: Making Marines

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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 k^Ussed over the Horse Island Vl’_s §^{e ar}>d causeway to Parris Is- fk hol]_Q^{ain gate}- ^{11 is} here, perhaps,

* d: no 7 ^Sense °f rootlessness takes Marin_e °^nger civilian, not yet a

^ S. (!.*^S!^and has been home to the of w.^lr'^ne Corps since 1891. By the had t_ra- ^0,hl War I, 41,000 recruits V „^{ned at} the facility; 205,000 ‘^,000^aT^atcd during World War II,

> ,f)00 j^Ur*ⁿ§ the Korean War, and Tod during the Vietnam War. ave_r^S°^me ^’000 recruits make up In p_eL®^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

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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 day^s

Phase II is a fast-paced i*

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nates in firing the M16A2 ^rl _reCord'^s , uilO

held by Private Anita Lobo,       j

____ a....                             ____ ccihle             .

November 1985 on her plal^0<^ quali­with the service rifle are ^u‘“^r '_ction- the platoon for remedial *^nstrU|₎ tli^e'^r Recruits are allowed a lull * giv^efl training cycle after Phase H> _ce' seven days most 30 yet ahead, recruits are often unhappy to get away f^r0 jjcfi partment cleaning and kitchen F

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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.

.

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.