Marine: A Guided Tour of a Marine Expeditionary Unit tcml-4

by Tom Clancy

  The attitude of recruits is constantly monitored as they adapt to life in the squad bay. Despite the best efforts of recruiters like Gunny Hazzard to prepare them mentally and physically, most recruits who "wash out" of Recruit Training are lost in the first three weeks of training. It is a tough thing to send a young person home from Parris Island, and the Corps does everything it can to minimize attrition. If recruits are injured in training, they are given time to heal and rehabilitate if possible. When recruits fall behind in academic or skills areas, they receive special help to make up so they can get back with the rest of the platoon. Through it all, the DIs watch over the recruits around the clock, making sure they stay safe.

  Warfare training begins in Phase II, which lasts six weeks for male recruits, and seven weeks for female recruits. Here they practice marksmanship with the M 16A2, to include their first experiences on the rifle range. The Corps takes marksmanship very seriously. If you cannot consistently hit targets on the range with a M16, you will never be a Marine. In Phase II, the general military knowledge taught in Phase I is tested, and there is the recruits' first experience with the Physical Fitness Test (PFT). Like proficiency with the M16, the successful completion of the PFT is mandatory to be certified as a Marine. Also in Phase II is the recruits' first experience with the new water-training facility recently completed at Parris Island. A surprising number of recruits have never seen a swimming pool, lake, or ocean, and they must learn to swim if they are to serve in an amphibious service. In the swimming facility the recruits learn how to float and move through the water, even when fully loaded with a rifle, uniform, boots, and pack. This training includes a series of drops from platform boards, which can be terribly unnerving to young people whose only experience with water may have been an open fire hydrant in an inner-city neighborhood.

  Female Marine recruits await their turns at the Parris Island Grenade course. Female Marines have to qualify on all the same weapons and courses as their male counterparts.

  JOHN D. GRESHAM

  Finally, there is the tactical training that is so necessary to becoming a Marine warrior. This includes rudimentary small-unit and assault training, as well as traditional Marine training in "hitting skills" (fundamental to hand-to-hand combat), and training in the use of pugil sticks (large padded clubs). This part of basic training introduces the recruit to the unpleasant fact that life as a Marine can involve the very personal act of assaulting other people, and perhaps even killing them. Tactical training not only does this, it also teaches the new Marines how to measure and use force in combat.

  Earlier, I pointed out that female recruits spend a week longer in Phase II than their male counterparts. Now is a good time to talk about why. Since World War I, women have augmented the strength of the Corps, freeing men for combat jobs. And like other branches of the U.S. military, the USMC has gradually expanded its range of opportunities for women. Today, something like 93 % of all Marine MOSs (Military Occupational Specialty codes, which determine the jobs personnel are trained and certified to perform) are open to women Marines This even includes aviation jobs, such as flying fighter jets and attack helicopters. But for women Marines the official Defense Department definition of "combat" still restricts them from combat-related MOSs, the specialties senior leaders consider most necessary for promotion. This includes infantry, armor, and other ground combat positions. The stated reasons for this restriction are the same as those of the U.S. Army: Women are said to lack the strength and endurance necessary for the rigors of ground combat. But this situation is changing, as General Krulak is currently considering lifting the restriction from artillery and some other combat MOSs.

  Now, despite the restrictions on women serving in front-line ground units, the Corps still has training and readiness standards for all Marines, and every Marine has to be prepared for combat, anywhere and at any time. This means that female recruits also train for combat. But the female recruits have a somewhat different training regime from their male counterparts. For starters, they are housed and trained in a separate training unit at Parris Island, the 4th Recruit Training Battalion. The 4th Battalion facilities make few concessions to alleged female requirements (personal privacy and such). Squad bays have roughly the same layout and equipment as the male ones. Some 4th Battalion executive officers and Sergeant Majors are male, but there are no male DIs or Series Commanders.

  One significant difference between male and female training, however, reflects an ugly reality of our society: A high percentage of the women who enter the Corps report they have been physically or sexually abused, molested, or raped prior to their entry into Recruit Training. While Marine leadership is quite discreet in discussing this subject, its action on behalf of female recruits is specific and effective. The 4th Battalion has a psychiatrist on call to help deal with emotional problems, as well as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at Beaufort Naval Hospital. Though the percentage of female recruits with previously confirmed histories of victimization is reported as 7 %, something approaching 50 % of these wind up telling of such experiences during initial Recruit Training interviews. You may think people scarred with such experiences should not be put in a position of responsibility (like becoming a Marine), but the Corps views this situation differently. Marine leadership sees any person who is mentally, morally, and physically qualified and who completes Recruit Training as someone worth having — a part of their family. Furthermore, it is the experience of the Marines that such women are survivors, exactly the kind of people who can succeed in the male-dominated culture of the Marine Corps. The payoff is that while the initial dropout rate among women has always been about 50 % higher than that of men, the rate has been dropping rapidly over the last few years. As a bonus, the retention rate of women Marines who re-enlist for additional tours of duty is actually higher than that of their male counterparts.

  Female recruits do everything at Parris Island that their male counterparts do. At the same time, the generally smaller build and lower body strength of women (compared to men) is taken into account. For example, on the obstacle course, a few (though not all) of the obstacles are scaled down slightly. It is just as difficult for women to get over them as it is for the men to get over the obstacles on their course. I should also say that the Corps is constantly reevaluating the curriculum of both the male and female recruits to see where improvements and/or additions should be made. For example, the Commandant recently merged the male and female requirements for distance running in the PFT, a change many leaders felt was long overdue.

  When male Marines finish Recruit Training, they go to the School of Infantry at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, where they learn ground infantry tactics and master heavy weapons. The Corps requires graduation from the School of Infantry before a Marine can join a ground combat unit. But because of the Congressionally-mandated DoD prohibition on women in ground combat units, female Marine recruits get an abbreviated course in heavy weapons and infantry tactics while they are still at Parris Island, adding one week to the training cycle. Thus, even before their male counterparts, the women recruits are firing machine guns and practicing rudimentary assault tactics!

  For everyone, Phase III arrives as the most cherished part of Recruit Training. Once a recruit is in Phase III, he or she is over "the hump," and the DIs are working hard to ensure that every last recruit completes the course. Lasting two weeks, Phase III consists of final examinations and makeups. Final marks for PFTs, marksmanship, and other drills are scored; and records are updated. Included in all this are final inspection, drills, and rehearsal of the graduation ceremonies. It is a heady time for the young recruits. Frequently, new training series/platoons will be allowed to march to see the Phase III units, so they will know that it really is possible to become a Marine!

  The official seal of the United States Marine Corps. The eagle, globe, and anchor in the center is the official emblem of the Corps.

  JACK RYAN ENTERPRISES LTD., BY LAURA ALPHER

  Graduation week
passes in a rush, with parents, friends, and loved ones coming down to visit, often for the first time since the recruits were taken in hand by their recruiters. Parents are usually amazed and proud to see what their son or daughter has accomplished. Their bodies will have become toned, their dress immaculate, and their manners impeccable. It is a wonderful thing when a parent sees a son or daughter leave as a child and reappear as a young man or woman. The day before graduation, there is a small ritual for each platoon-called an "emblem ceremony"-out on the parade ground. Standing in formation, the DIs award the recruits the eagle, globe, and anchor badge of the USMC for their dress hats. From that moment on, for the rest of their lives, no matter what they do or become, they will know the satisfaction that once in their lives, they were good enough to earn the title Marine.

  The following morning, there is a large parade and ceremony on the parade ground for the graduating company. Awards are given for the top recruit and marksman in each platoon. And as their loved ones look on, there is a final parade. Then it is over, and you just have to watch what happens after to know that you have seen something special in the lives of several hundred young people. Hugs and kisses. Firm hand shakes and looks. Perhaps most impressive of all, new Marines rushing to introduce their families and friends to their DIs. "Thanks for getting me through Boot Camp" are words you hear often from former recruits to their DIs. Frequently, the parents also thank the training staff-for turning their child into something better, or different, or both. I defy you to watch this moment and not shed a tear or two. I did.

  More School: Warrior Training and Beyond

  Following graduation, the new Marines get a short leave, and then report for their next duty assignments. For male recruits, it's the School of Infantry at Camp Lejeune. There they are taught the use of heavy weapons and demolition and breaching gear, small-unit tactics, and other skills of ground combat. Every single male Marine in the Corps completes this training, whether he is to become a crewman in a helicopter unit or a public relations specialist in the Pentagon. It is just as grueling as the Recruit Training course, and is a foundation of the combat ethos that makes every Marine a rifleman. From there they head out to their MOS schools, following their female counterparts, who received their warrior training during Basic School. Women recruits go directly to their MOS school, and from there on to their first unit assignment.

  Marine recruits graduate from basic training on the Parris Island parade ground. They are now basically trained Marines, ready to move onto their next school.

  JOHN D. GRESHAM

  School is a common experience in a Marine's career, with some officers and enlisted personnel going through several dozen training courses by the time that they finish a twenty-year-plus stint in the Corps. Each school can last anywhere from two weeks to a year. The Intelligence Training School down at Dam Neck, Virginia, for example, lasts a full year and is considered to be among the best intelligence schools in the military. By the time they complete their first MOS school, most enlisted Marines will have made the rank of Private First Class (E-2) or Lance Corporal (E-3). Normally, this is the point where a Marine would start moving into combat assignments, such as a rifle platoon. Thirty months to four years after making Lance Corporal, Marines generally make Corporal (E-4), continuing to function in their chosen MOS, but with growing responsibility and more training.

  There is also the option of transferring to other duties, which can give an enlisted Marine's career some balance and variety. While the concept of "career enhancing" or "joint" billets has yet to take hold in the enlisted ranks of the USMC, the Corps tries to provide Marines a chance to try different things and broaden their horizons. This might include serving as an embassy guard or on a General officer's staff. It may also mean going back to school, an activity that the Corps encourages all of its members to try. A surprising number of enlisted Marines even study for a college degree. The Marines have several ways to facilitate higher education for enlisted ranks: Some are paid to attend a university. And some few who choose to seek a commission as an officer are admitted to the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland. In fact, the USMC recruits a larger percentage of its officer corps from the enlisted ranks than any other U.S. military service. Promoting from within (the "Grow Our Own" program) is a key feature of the Corps, and such avenues for advancement contribute a lot to the morale of enlisted Marines.

  The Road to Gunny…and Beyond

  There comes a point in the life of a Marine where he or she begins to think of the Corps as more than just a job and a paycheck; it becomes a career. This is when a Marine begins the drive to the magic rank of Gunnery Sergeant (E-7), or just "Gunny." It takes a Corporal about four to six years in grade to make it to Sergeant (E-5). When you make it, the level of responsibility rises quickly, and so does the workload. But the move up to Staff Sergeant (E-6), about four to six years later, is an even bigger step in a Marine's life, for it means that you have committed yourself to becoming part of the institutional "glue" that holds the Corps together. It also means a lot of hard work and patience, and a certain level of tolerance for the actions and views of those less experienced than yourself. As a Staff Sergeant, you will probably be assigned that most dreaded of duties, a new 2nd Lieutenant to watch over and hopefully make into a useful officer. You also will become a kind of parental figure to younger Marines assigned to your care. A Staff NCO never commands (that is the responsibility of officers), but a good Staff NCO is priceless as an advisor and partner to the officers who make up the leadership of the Corps. Good officers seek this kind of help as a matter of instinct.

  At this point, a Marine is considered a middle manager and leader, with oversight over rifle squads, tanks and other vehicles, and aircraft. Finally, there is the drive to Gunny. Like making Staff Sergeant, it takes four to six years; and making it puts you in a different category within the Corps. Along with the almost mythic title that it carries, being a Gunny earns the respect of officers of any rank, and something like awe from younger Marines. You become one of the keepers of the "tribal knowledge" that keeps the Marine tradition alive from generation to generation. It also means more practically that you can look forward to a twenty-year-plus career, with retirement benefits and a pension. Trust me when I say that every Gunny I have known has earned the title. As an insight, consider that most of the Marine officers I have spoken with have told me more than once that Gunny is the best job in the Corps, with the widest ranges of responsibilities and duties.

  When Marines make it to E-7, if they wish to continue their career in the USMC, they get to make a choice. The next step is Master Sergeant (E-8). And from there they can choose to take the route to Master Gunnery Sergeant (E-9), a career track which leads to greater opportunity and responsibility within technical fields. The other option is the command side of the NCO ranks, which leads to 1st Sergeant (also E-8). A First Sergeant is typically the senior NCO of a Company or similar unit. Beyond First Sergeant is the exalted rank of Sergeant Major (E-9). These extremely rare birds are the right hands of officers commanding MEUs, regiments, divisions, and the Corps itself. At the very summit of the Staff NCO pyramid stands the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, a post currently held by Sergeant Major Lewis Lee, a veteran with over thirty years of service. Sergeant Major Lee sits in an office near to that of General Krulak; and the Commandant would tell you that he is the voice of the enlisted personnel in the Corps. Lastly, there is also the possibility of a direct commission to Warrant Officer (and the slang title of "Gunner") for enlisted personnel with specialized skills, though this is extremely rare in the USMC.

  The Mettle to Lead Marines: Officers

  Though there are some subtle differences, the career paths of the small cadre of commissioned officers who constitute the leadership of this more-than-220-year-old institution are generally similar to those of the Army ranks described in _Armored Cav and the Air Force ranks described in Fighter Wing. However, unlike the other services, the Marines don't get most of their of
ficers from the service academy of their parent service. The USMC receives only a few of its new 2nd Lieutenants (0-1s) from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland. (A much larger percentage of Army and Air Force 2nd Lieutenants come from West Point and the Air Force Academy.) Every year, a portion of the Annapolis graduating class chooses a career in the Marines and is directly commissioned into the Corps. But this small group (no more than 175) fills only a fraction of the Corps' demand — it needs over 1,500 new officers per year. Most of the other officers the Corps develops are recruited from colleges around the country.

  Whether they are Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) graduates or join directly out of college, they all go to the institutional home of Marine officers, the USMC Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Quantico, Virginia. A few dozen miles south of Washington, D.C. along the lower Potomac River, Quantico is where the Corps makes the majority of its officers. Interestingly, some leaders at Quantico wish the Corps would require Academy graduates to go through OCS as well, so that all Marine officers would share a common initial training experience. The ten-week OCS is similar to the Recruit Training course at Parris Island. Though there is a greater emphasis on leadership training and basic command and control skills like radio procedures, land navigation, and calling in artillery and air strikes, the training is just as physically demanding, the hours just as long, and the tests just as challenging as those enlisted Marines must meet. To prove it, just watch the officer candidates (the officer equivalent of a recruit) go through a particularly demented Combat Obstacle Course nicknamed the "Quigly." It starts with a slime- and ooze-filled ditch that flows into a small creek. The course continues through dense woods, followed by climbs and descents on a steep hill. Other obstacles follow, ending with a crawl over ground under fire from a light machine gun (don't worry, the staff uses blanks!). The sight of a slime-covered group of officer candidates moving down a bone-chilling creek is bad enough. But when you see the instructors moving a few yards/meters ahead of them, to clear out poisonous water snakes that linger in the area, you get some idea of how much these young officer candidates want to lead Marines. They quickly come to understand that they are being entrusted with the most valuable asset the USMC possesses, its young men and women. Supervising them throughout OCS are the ubiquitous Gunnies.