 The contract to enter the service of the United States Marine Corps and to report to such posts or Stations of the Marine Corps as I may be ordered to join and To the utmost of my power and ability Discharge my services or duties and be in everything conformable and obedient to the several requirements and lawful commands of the officers who may be placed over me Many are ready for the roaster Raise your right hand and repeat up to me the oath of enlistment. I Do solemnly swear our farm Solomely swear That I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic That I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic But I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same That I will bear to faith and allegiance to this same And that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me and The orders of the officers appointed over me according to regulations on the uniform code of military justice to regulations? So if we got so how the guy This is Parris Island. It's a small island, three miles wide and six miles long, located at the head of Fort Royal Sound near the southern tip of South Carolina. Marines first landed on Parris Island in 1891 when a detachment was assigned to the Navy yard here. In 1915, the Navy turned over all its facilities to the Marine Corps. Since that time, over one million Marines who have served their corps and country in three major wars and numerous conflicts from Haiti to Vietnam have been trained on Parris Island. The recruit is a young apprentice in a tough profession. He comes from all parts of the eastern United States. He averages 19 years old, 5 feet 10 inches tall, and weighs 160 pounds. But there are no typical recruits. Each is an individual with a different background. Before they leave recruit training, however, they will be molded into United States Marines. Upon arrival, the recruits are taken directly to the recruit receiving barracks where they undergo their initial processing. They first complete various forms necessary for the opening of their official records as Marines. They receive their first Marine Corps haircut. Upon arrival, some have long hair while others have curly locks. When they get out of the chair, however, they will have very little hair left and they will have a uniform military appearance which will help establish equality in the platoon. They receive a basic issue of personal articles needed while in training. They also go through the hygienics unit where they get rid of their civilian clothes. Clothing that will not be needed for quite a while. They take a shower. The purpose of the shower is to clean it. But we like to think that it is washing away old habits and ideas. They receive utility uniforms and other clothing necessary for training. Recruits requiring glasses are examined and fitted by optometrists. A full staff of dentists is aboard the depot to administer the recruits dental needs. After a recruit platoon has been formed, they are turned over to their drill instructors who will train them for duty with the world's finest military organization, a team of three of the best non-commissioned officers in the Marine Corps is assigned to each platoon. They have the job of molding these raw recruits into United States Marines. At least one of these non-commissioned officers will be with the platoon 24 hours a day for nine consecutive weeks. To train them, they must control. A recruit platoon has been formed and a portion of their lives the recruits will never forget has begun. Reveille for the recruits goes at 4.55 a.m. They wash, shave, make up their bunks and clean up the area before going to morning meal. At the missile, the recruits eat an ample and well-balanced meal. During the training day, they will easily burn up their 5,000 calorie diet. Before each meal, the recruits remember their religious obligations by saying grace. The recruits spend considerable time in the classroom. There they receive instruction in basic military subjects. During the third week of training, they will be given a written test. Those who fail will be given additional instruction before returning to regular training. Near the completion of training, another test will be given so that the progress they have made during the entire period can be evaluated. Many hours will also be spent learning the basic movements of close-order drill. It is through this drill that the drill instructors will begin to build the discipline and teamwork that they want in the platoon. When the recruits first start drilling, they all seem to have two left feet, but before long, they will start shaping up. The instant and exact response to orders that's demanded of them is obvious to all. The private finds out that there is only one way of doing something, the right way. Physical training is also stressed here at Ferris Island. Many hours are devoted to reconstruction of 19 years of improperly toned muscles, which must be conditioned in nine short weeks. This program is conducted by both the physical training instructor and the drill instructor. The Marine Corps Obstacle Course provides an excellent physical conditioning device. The course consists of a series of unique obstacles which develop strength and coordination. The first time a recruit runs the course, he finds it as a challenging, near-impossible feat. However, after weeks of intensive conditioning, he is able to negotiate the obstacles with little difficulty. Marines guard the gates of embassies and posts all over the work and recruits learn and practice the fundamentals and responsibilities of interior guard duty and security. Here the recruit learns the importance of his duty and the trust that is given to him in protecting his country. In the evening, the recruits are given an hour free time. During this time, the recruits devote their time to personal activities such as writing letters. Free time is supervised by a drill instructor and the activities must be constructed. At nine o'clock each night, the recruits are ready for a full night of sleep. They have been given little time to think of anything but the Marine Corps. This is exactly what we want. We keep them so busy that they have little chance to become homesick. All recruits from the day of their arrival are encouraged to fulfill their moral obligations by attending the church of their choice. Those recruits who are not church members have the opportunity to attend religious instruction. Recruits also attend the chaplain's classroom lectures, which emphasize the importance of the old-fashioned moral virtues in building men worthy of our core. Now let us look at the special training branch, which was organized for the recruits who are unable to keep up in training. The physical conditioning platoon is divided into two sections. The overweight section is designed to reduce the obese recruit through a program of scheduled exercises and low calorie diet of about 2,200 calories. The efforts of the overweight section are twofold. First, a recruit must lose half of his required weight loss. Second, he must pass a strength test in order to return to regular training. The average loss of weight for each recruit in the section is one pound per day. The physically weak enter a program of high-protein diet and physical training designed to stimulate and build up muscles the recruit had not realized were there. The proficiency platoon provides concentrated instruction and review for recruits who have failed their written examinations. This training is accomplished on the weekend and those recruits who pass a retest return to their regular platoon. Those who fail are retained to receive instruction at a slower pace. Recruits who have an extremely difficult time adjusting to the military environment are assigned to the motivation platoon. Here they will receive instruction that will stimulate their desire to return to training and to become a successful member of a regular platoon. When the recruits have shown that they can meet the demands of recruit training they return to a regular platoon. At the end of the third training week the platoon goes to the rifle range for the all-important training in marksmanship. Here the recruits will spend the next three weeks learning the basic tool of his trade the rifle. The platoon is assigned a primary marksmanship instructor who teaches all marksmanship training. The drill instructors assist him in teaching the basics of rifle marksmanship. Through many hours of snapping in recruits develop the muscle coordination and confidence necessary to become a qualified marine rifleman. The range again emphasizes the part that the individual plays in the success of the team. Qualification Day is a big event in the life of the recruits and to his platoon. The standards of excellence are high but the results for individual and team efforts are well worth watching. The men who qualify earn the right to wear their badge of qualification as a symbol of their individual marksmanship ability. The commanding general's trophy is awarded to the platoon with the highest percentage on each qualification day. This is done to stress the importance of teamwork between the marksmanship instructor drill instructors and the recruits. To the recruits firing the highest score in his platoon Leatherneck magazine awards an individual shooting medal signifying exceptional performance with the service rifle. A week of mess duty is still another part in the recruits training. They learn the duties of messman and become familiar with the operation of a mess hall. During this week their work will be supervised by mess personnel. The drill instructor however is still in charge and will conduct rifle inspections and physical training whenever possible. The recruits also participate in battalion and regimental field meetings. Each battalion selects teams to compete in the monthly regimental field meet. This competition is used to build pride, teamwork and a screed accord within the unit. These events press home the point that if one man lags the team will suffer and the burden will fall on the remaining member. The recruits have now returned to their battalion area with only two more weeks to go and still a lot to do. Much of their time will be spent preparing for the battalion commander's drill competition but not all of it. The last two weeks are the busiest weeks of recruit training. They'll be on the go every minute trying to become the best recruits ever to leave Parasile. It is during this final phase of training that recruits learn and apply skills in close combat. They are taught footwork and basic bayonet attack movements by experts. The skills are mastered by many hours of practical application on reaction courses which realistically simulate combat conditions. Drill instructors are positioned at point throughout the course to ensure proper execution of attack movements. Usual sticks and protective equipment enable recruits to engage in bayonet fighting belts where they can experience bodily contact and develop aggressiveness which is a quality most necessary in a good bayonet fight. The amphibious mission of the Marine Corps requires Marines to be at home on the water whether it be the sea or a river. We trained every recruit in the technique of water survival that may someday save his life or the life of a fellow Marine. The Marine Corps has adopted a water survival technique which is without a doubt the finest ever developed. It is based on the natural buoyancy of the human body and employs a set of simple skills and attitudes that will keep a person alive in the water even if cramped or injured. Experts using this method can stay afloat indefinitely. We also teach a travel stroke which permits movements in the water with a minimum amount of physical exertion. The confidence course training is designed to develop coordination, confidence and determination within each recruit. The recruit must exercise his own initiative in maneuvering himself through thirteen different obstacles each providing a different challenge. This training helps the recruit overcome fear of height by demanding the execution of obstacles which are up to 40 feet high. When the recruits complete this course they even amaze themselves in what they have accomplished. In their eighth week of training the recruits go on an eight mile training hike to Elliott's Beats for an overnight bibwag. Prior to their departure the recruits are inspected by supervisory Marines. The recruits know that if they have not met the high standards of recruit training it will be noted. For most of these recruits this first eight mile hike is a preview of the many hikes of the future in every climb and place where the Marines can and will take a gun. Upon reaching Elliott's Beats the recruits pitch their shelter tents and receive instruction on subjects which show them how to live in the field. A practical examination is administered during the remainder of the day to determine how well the recruit has absorbed his instructions during the past seven weeks. The recruit is subject to testing on all the military subjects taught in recruit training. The test consists of six stages each with different problems to solve by actual application. A Marine must know his weapon. Recruits are tested while blindfolded on the assembly and disassembly of the M14 rifle. Knowledge of first aid may one day save the life of a brother Marine. In this test recruits must properly treat simulated wounds. In the bayonet test recruits must correctly apply the basic bayonet attack movements. In the final phase of training the tempo increases and there is no place where this is more evident than on the physical training field. Progressive running and calisthenics form the nucleus of a program designed to increase the strength and endurance of a recruit while molding him into a hard trim Marine. Each exercise strengthens and develops a certain set of long neglected muscles and also aids in any necessary gain or loss of weight. The focal point of the physical conditioning program is the building of endurance through a system of progressive distance running. Recruits run three fourths of a mile early in training and will run three miles by their eight week at Paris Island. During the eight week the recruits take the Marine Corps physical fitness test in which they are tested on their ability to climb the rope perform repetitions of strengthening exercises and run three miles with their platoon. The physical training is difficult and demanding as it is designed to be for when the training is completed the finished product is a strong well motivated physically conditioned Marine. You will remember seeing this platoon at the beginning they were raw recruits unaccustomed to their new military way of life unsure of themselves and undisciplined. This is that same platoon just nine weeks later some of the original recruits are missing they are the ones that could not measure up. The platoon is now ready to demonstrate at the battalion commander's drill competition their ability to execute individual and unit movements with snap and precision. A mistake now will be seen and will reflect in the platoon rating. The last hurdle of a recruit is the command inspection. This is his chance to prove that he has measured up to the high standards expected of him. Here the regimental commander and the battalion commander have the opportunity to personally inspect each recruit. They are assisted by a team of officers and drill instructors who closely and critically inspect each recruit for his personal and military appearance the condition of his rifle and his professional knowledge. The work of the recruit and their drill instructors is done and now comes the final review. Many proud parents traveled to Parris Island to see their sons graduate. However due to the wholesome diet and rigorous physical training program many have to look twice because of the changes in appearance which have taken place. Those recruits who have demonstrated special skills and outstanding performance of duty are honored for their efforts. The highest award a recruit can receive is the American Spirit Honor Medal which is given through the Department of Defense by the Citizens Committee for the Army, Navy and Air Force. The distinction is reserved for the truly superior recruit and it is given to only about one recruit in 5,000. There is the Outstanding Man Award for the best recruit in each platoon. The prize is a Dress Blue uniform awarded by Leatherneck Magazine. The high shooter in each platoon receives a certificate as a symbol of his marksmanship skill. In addition up to 10% of each platoon may receive meritorious promotion to private first class. As a final reward the honorees will take the final review with the reviewing officer. This is a memorable occasion in the lives of these recruits. Until this final review and graduation ceremonies they have always been called recruits or privates. From this day forth they will be called Marines and will be given the responsibility of Marines. Great demands have been placed upon them here at Parris Island and they have met the challenge. They are and in all respects have earned the title United States Marine. After dismissal the new Marines join their families and their families are served refreshments in their mess hall. Later they will tour the battalion and proudly show their parents the training at Parris Island. The next morning out post morning the drill instructors load the platoon on buses for the trip to the infantry training regiment at Camp Lejeune North Carolina. The drill instructors will tell you our job is done with this platoon soon we'll pick up another. Our rewards are personal satisfaction of a job well done and notes like a postcard received from a proud father which said I sent you a boy you sent me back a man. Yes we have trained them to the best of our ability. We have developed them into smartly disciplined physically fit basically trained Marines thoroughly indoctrinated in love of core and country. We have demanded of them the highest standards of personal conduct morality and professional skill. The building of a Marine and the making of an American citizen is a very similar process. At Parris Island we build men body mind and spirit. We make Marines nothing fancy about our training no tricks no frills no great technical machines just honest hard work by the recruits and their drill instructors. The drill instructors have taught and the recruits have learned the basic tools of their trade discipline dedication physical fitness proficiency love of core and country. We have started the training that will continue throughout the Marines career be it for two years or 30 years and these nine weeks have instilled memories and traditions for him to cherish and uphold for the rest of his life. They are Marines.