 When they stepped on the yellow footprints for the first time, they were still thousands of others before them, not fully prepared for the challenges that would come. The ultimate purpose of the Confidence Chamber is it's an annual training requirement by the Fleet Marine Force to don and clear your gas mask in the event of some sea burn disaster. I know a lot of recruits fear that moment of going in the gas chamber, so they call it the Confidence Chamber for a reason. It's like that one last moment before they go to the crucible where they kind of have to step outside their comfort zone. The crucible is a 54-hour event where the recruits are going through and doing a bunch of different obstacles and challenges, and then at the end of those two days, we'll get up super early and hike the reaper. The crucible is designed to replicate the challenges of combat environments while simultaneously allowing drill instructors and officers of the company to evaluate whether or not a recruit has full possession of the attributes that will make him or her successful in the Marine Corps. Chesty pulled his reflection when he was asked about the new breed of marine in comparison to the old breed of marine, and it doesn't really matter. We all wonder whether or not we're going to be able to fulfill the legacy that has been laid before us at those moments when we're challenged most. The recruits essentially get missions. From one mission to the next, those missions are designed to replicate combat operations. Everything with the crucible was just on us as recruits. The drill instructors handed everything over to us. Every time we'd go to an obstacle, it was up to us to go amongst ourselves and pick a leader and accomplish the mission. Until you get there, I don't think you really understand the importance of teamwork. Unless you're executing with teamwork throughout the whole entire crucible, you are going to struggle as a recruit. A lot of the events are fire team base or your squad base. So things that you're doing, you're doing as a team ultimately, and when you don't have teamwork, it makes everything go that much slower. When the recruits aren't working as a team, you see the team fall apart, but when you see the recruits band together, that's when you see them successfully complete the obstacles. Honor, courage, and commitment are certainly things that are tested during crucible execution, but to focus in on honor, Marines gain their honor from the traditions of our past, the legacy of our past. And we fear more, letting our brothers and sisters down and all of those that have come before us down. And part of the Medal of Honor citation process is to not only cognitively transport them to the challenges that that individual had to experience, but provide them with a sense of honor that they will hopefully pull forward when faced with similar challenges in the future. Those high standards that the Marine Corps possesses and in fact cherishes give something for each Marine to aspire to. And that aspiration is often quite high, and it oftentimes exceeds a perceived physical and mental limitations, so therefore you have to dig a little bit deeper to earn that title. The last day of the crucible starts just like the others do, with the exception of now you're about 50 hours into the crucible, so you're both physically and mentally exhausted, but it starts early morning, waiting for the sun comes up, and you pack the veer, put it on your back and start walking. The Igor-Wilburn anchor ceremony itself occurs on top of the Reaper, which is designed to be a test of commitment, and to really show as a symbolic approach towards transforming from civilian to Marine. Being a Marine is the epitome of character. It is doing what others either can or won't do, it's stepping forward for what's right at all times, but above all things it's winning. Winning regardless of the obstacle, it's never quitting or giving up on anything that's thrown in your path, and it's about winning battles, both here and abroad, and a commitment to the character of what it means to be a Marine.