In 2010, I set up this blog as an efficient means of communicating with my friends and family while I was away at Marine Corps boot camp. My dad posted portions of my letters, as well as general information as to what I was doing on any given day. Now, feel free to bookmark this page and check for updates on what I'm up to. Thanks for reading!
On Tuesday, November 23rd, I finally completed Marine Combat Training, graduating with Fox Company, 3rd Platoon. It was 29 days spent learning numerous infantry-related skills, including patrolling, IED recognition, small unit leadership, convoy security, day and night land navigation with a lensatic compass and map, combat hunter tactics, camoflauge, and clearing houses. I had a great time! I shot plenty of cool weapons: the M249 SAW, M240B medium machine gun, AT-4, M203, and I got to throw a live grenade. Not only that, but we were also able to utilize some neat technology, including night vision goggles, ACOG scopes, and infrared lasers. We took plenty of classes, and did numerous night-fire exercises in close quarters.
Compared to boot camp, MCT was certainly a big upgrade. First, our racks more resembeled our beds at home, complete with a comforter. Second, we were upgraded to "wall lockers", which are perfect for hanging uniforms and had more space for personal items (unlike the small foot lockers in boot camp). Another good thing is that we were allowed to have our electronics. However, we were only granted limited use; they had to be turned in, and could only be used when we were given permission (normally just during liberty). Hands down the best thing about MCT was having liberty. This meant for a certain number of hours, we could do as we pleased: use our laptops, take a long shower, call our family, visit the PX (a mini grocery store), get haircuts, go to church, or eat at some nearby resturaunts. My family visited a couple times, and even went to church with me. (The church there was great...it was very different from what I was used to; with only about 13 people there in the service, it certainly made things feel more intimate, at least compared to the 500+ I'm used to at my normal church).
After MCT, I ended up spending a month in 52 Area Guard Duty.
Had a great time, learned a lot, and even had time to
pose for a picture!
Definitely the coolest week was range week. During this week, we slept in sleeping bags and hygiened with the single moist towelette that is found in each MRE (Meal-Ready-to-Eat), which we ate for every meal throughout the week. (On a side note, I LOVE MREs. Other people got sick of them, luckily I never did.) Anyway, we would wake up early every morning, and get ready for class to start. After class, we would spend a couple hours getting hands-on experience with the weapons we just learned about; we would practice clearing the weapon, disassembling and reassembling it, and performing a function check (making sure the weapon was put together properly without actually firing it). We would also spend time memorizing the nomenclature of the different parts of the weapon. I don't mean to brag, but we had a competition in our little group to see who could clear, disassemble, reassemble, and perform a function check on the M240B medium machine gun the quickest. I was the last man standing, with a final time of 41.9 seconds, which earned me some Red Bull for the next class.
After the first class of the day and "practical application", we would have another class purely on target engagement, which basically just covered the different rates of fire (sustained, rapid and cyclic), and how to engage targets at different distances. After class, we played large arcade-style video games that used electronic rifles to simulate the shooting. One thing I don't get is how they were able to make the weapons feel so realistic, but have the graphics on the game comparable to the Nintendo 64. Anyway, after that we would spend an entire afternoon on the range actually shooting the weapons with live ammunition. Being paid to shoot military-grade weapons civilians aren't allowed to use is certainly fun. Also it was just like Call of Duty, I kid you not.
The biggest things that reminded me of video games were the night vision goggles and infrared lasers. One night, we were out well into the night shooting targets at close range (less than 50 yards) with those cool toys. (A crazy thing was that because there were so many Marines shooting so close to each other, many people had hot brass burn their necks and cheeks. I was lucky and never had that happen, except the big 7.62mm rounds from the M240 I was shooting -- at least compared to the normal 5.56mm the M16A4 shoots -- roll down my arm. Even though I was wearing long-sleeved cammies, it still burned pretty bad, but not enough to burn through the material or my skin.) Range week was very fun and something I won't forget for awhile.
Finally, thank you all for reading! I'll do my best to keep you updated!
My brother trying on the gear we wore on our hikes.
Notice the M16A4 with M203 grenade attachment and ACOG scope.
The Marines of Platoon 2106 are nearing the end of their 10-day liberty, awaiting the start of Marine Combat Training at Camp Pendleton.
Their Oct. 15 graduation made room at MCRD for another platoon, and reporter Tony Perry and photographer Walt Skalij, both of the Los Angeles Times, were there when anxious recruits first stepped on the yellow footprints ready to join "something bigger than themselves."
Here's a link to the story: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-boot-camp-20101024,0,3415946,full.story
It has been at least 6 years since I first dreamed of becoming a Marine, almost one full year since enlisting in the Delayed Entry Program, and more than three long months since I've last posted on here. Today, I can finally call myself a United States Marine; a title that will stay with me for the rest of my life and can never be taken away.
First, I'd like to thank you all for reading my blog. I know my dad put a ton of work into it! It certainly means a lot to have others read and comment.
Before I talk about my experiences, I would just like to say how comfortable I am; it is pouring rain outside, and the peace and quiet of my empty home is occasionally broken by the sounds of distant thunder. I'm lying back in our recliner, typing away on my new laptop. I dreamed of doing all of this throughout training, and especially during the Crucible when I was outside in this kind of weather. I'm definitely more appreciative of having a roof over my head when we had to march around in the rain and sleep in sleeping bags on the dirt.
Of course, boot camp really did suck at times. For the first month, I really had a hard time buying-in to what I was doing. I knew before that I was going to learn how to kill. What was hard for me was that everything we did was geared towards combat. Everything we did was to train us for war. I've never been deployed, but the way I was trained certainly made me realize the harsh realities of war. Now after graduating, I'm glad that we were trained the way we were; I'm fully confident in my abilities to perform at a basic level in combat. I'm confident in my shooting abilities, and I know that if and when the time comes, I can rely on my training to help me in war.
Speaking of shooting, I did meet one of my pre-boot camp goals: qualifying as an expert rifleman. Even with a full day less of practicing than most recruits, I still managed to do well. (We were supposed to qualify on a Friday, but because of labor day, and thus our coaches being on liberty, we got one less day and had to qualify on Thursday.) A little over half of my platoon did qualify as expert; however, we did have two recruits fail, or UNQ (un-qualify). (They were able to have a second attempt; both qualified, but even though one would have qualified as a sharpshooter, they were only marked down as getting a 190 -- the bare minimum for passing. Shooting is important in the Marine Corps, as qualification levels and scores on the range count greatly towards one's next promotion.)
Another goal that I accomplished was qualifying pretty good on the combat swimming. There are four levels of qualification for swim:
Level IV: The basic level required for all Marines. The hardest part was staying afloat -- without our heads going beneath the water -- for four minutes in full cammies and combat boots. I honestly didn't think I was going to pass this, but luckily, I did. We also had to jump off a 12-foot diving board, which was scary at first, but just like some of those roller coaster rides, I wanted to jump off again as soon as I resurfaced. Every Marine with this level of qualification must re-qualify every year.
Level III: I forget the exact distances, but we basically had to swim from one side of the long pool to the other in full combat gear: boots, cammies, Kevlar, flak jacket, rifle, and backpack. We also had to jump off the diving board in all that gear and then swim to the side. The hardest part about this for me was getting the rifle's sling un-tangled from my backpack strap, arm, and neck. I wanted to fail at that point because with all that gear on and having my arms tangled, plus the fact that my heart was racing after resurfacing from the jump (I went down pretty far with all that gear!), I literally felt like I was going to drown. But, I survived. A Marine with this level of qualification must re-qualify every other year.
Level II: This was the highest level that was offered at MCRD. This one, despite one of my drill instructors scaring us before qualifying by saying how hard it was, wasn't all that bad. All we had to do was drag a buddy through the water halfway the distance of the pool, then switch and have the other guy drag us back. Both recruits are in full gear, just like level two. The good thing is that the backpack does naturally float; only problem is is that you move very, very slow. I qualified at this level, and only have to qualify one more time before my four-year contract is over.
Level I: I have no idea what one has to do to get this level of qualification, except that it requires a TON of distance swimming. It is only required for those with special jobs, like those in Force Recon (special forces).
Anyway, another thing that I had trouble with was the obstacle course. I messed up my fingers pretty bad during Phase I when doing the rope climb at the end. Basically, I got almost to the top, but my arms and grip got super-tired, and when I looked around and realized just how high I was, I freaked out and slid all the way down, burning my fingertips in the process. I had to go to medical, and it took about a month for my wounds to completely heal. After many nights of dreaming about the dreaded rope climb, I did get a chance to redeem myself in Phase III. However, this time we had to do the course with body armor (flak jackets) and helmets (Kevlar). Believe me, I was so pumped and motivated at the beginning of the course because I could finally face one of my boot camp fears. But of course, the drill instructors got bored, and kept sending me back to the beginning of the course, over and over, whenever I got close to the end. (This happened to a lot of others too.) What sucks is that the first few obstacles are the most tiring: having to throw your body around what is like a tall pull-up bar, as well as get over a bunch of logs. The trick is to jump as high as you can, push your hips up above the log, and throw your feet over. It is very hard, but with all the practice, it eventually became very easy. Anyway, I eventually got to the rope and made it up there. I got to the top and had to extend my arm pretty high up to slap the wood and yell, "Recruit Rice, Platoon 2106, Senior Drill Instructor Staff Sergeant Hernandez, Kill kill kill 'em all!" I quickly climbed back down, and even though I felt amazing, my hands and forearms were pretty worn out. This video has a clip of that rope climb:
Now, I can't go on without talking about the food. I have to admit, the food at recruit training is absolutely delicious. And it is very healthy too: I had a piece of watermelon, canned fruit/peaches and orange juice every morning for breakfast. I also had a salad and an apple for both lunch and dinner, complete with either milk or Powerade. Even the MREs, or Meals Ready-to-Eat in the field tasted great. The only problem: I often had to throw away some or most of my meal, because we were either too pressed for time, or because another recruit was caught with ice cream or extra dessert. Yes, they did have some desserts, like cookies, cake, or pudding. However, there would usually be one of our drill instructors standing right by where the deserts are at, or only those who dared to go against what we were taught about nutrition would attempt to get some. Yes, later on in training (Phase III) it was rare that a drill instructor would be standing by the cookies, I did get dessert a lot of times then. However, ice cream was always off limits. The ice cream was reserved for Marines only, which a lot of us got to enjoy during Marine week (the last week of training), and during the Warrior's Breakfast (the first meal after completing the Crucible and earning the title Marine). But even during Marine week, we were still discouraged from using the machines, and some new Marines still got yelled at for making poor food choices. However, at the end, no one got kicked out of the chow hall for getting ice cream, so the yelling didn't stop a lot of people. I never got ice cream, but I did get desert pretty much every meal after the Crucible. Heck, in our minds, we freaking made it, and we were going to celebrate by getting some cookies for dinner. =)
There was one thing that never really got easier throughout training: dealing with other recruits. I spent four years in marching band in high school, and I know that I learned a LOT about dealing with other people and working as a team. I am now so much more grateful for what I learned. There were plenty of recruits that tried to initiate fights with me; even though it was hard it first, it did eventually become natural to see how stupid they were being -- and how much more stupid the things were that caused them to become ill-tempered. My best response to somebody who shoved me out of their way? Simply ignore them. Some recruits even criticized me for everything I did (or didn't do)! It was easy to show them how hypocritical they were being, but that always resulted in a heated argument that eventually led to fighting. Especially after seeing how those recruits treated others the same, I just learned to let their comments go in one ear, and out the other. The way I see it, I learned a lot on how to deal with others. But of course, this is always room for improvement, especially in this area.
Now, about the Crucible. The first two full days are action-packed. From 0400 to midnight, you are constantly on the move. Throughout Edson Range, there are many different obstacles; each has a Medal of Honor citation, and the obstacle is based on what that Marine did. One of my favorite courses had us work as a team to transport ammo and supplies across a rope, which simulated a broken bridge. I forget the name, but back in Vietnam a Marine spent hours setting up explosives underneath a highly-traveled bridge, constantly going back and forward to get more supplies. It was very touching to read those citations. It definitely makes earning the title Marine that much bigger of a deal, because you remember all those who died before you. All of them were Marines who went to boot camp, then went to war, and did their job honorably. Just to be called a Marine -- and therefore bearing the same name as those who did things that seem to come straight out of Hollywood -- is very heavy on the soul. I took the most away from the two times we got to sit down and talk to our drill instructors. For the first time, we are allowed to use "I" and other first-person words on the Crucible. Also for the first time, we are able to sit down and talk to our drill instructors and ask them about their experiences in the Marines: we asked about what war was like, what the fleet is like, and so on. This only happened twice throughout the Crucible, and each session lasted under 45 minutes (I'm assuming). I loved hearing about my drill instructors, especially since hearing them talk about their lives made them seem actually human. I never saw my drill instructors eat, drink, or sleep throughout boot camp. They were up before we were, went to sleep after us, and were even out and about when I was on firewatch at 0200. I don't know how they do it. I know have the utmost respect for those who serve as drill instructors; and only a couple weeks after graduation, they go right back at it with a whole new cycle of recruits. This goes on and on for 3 years, the length of a tour.
On a side note, firewatch is a big thing in training. Each of us learned about the bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon on October 23rd, 1983. It is a date we committed to memory. Basically, 220 Marines were killed went a suicide bomber drove his vehicle -- full of explosives -- and detonated it near the barracks. This all happened because the Marine who was standing front post fell asleep. The purpose of firewatch is to preserve order, protect property, and enforce regulations (keyword P.O.P.P.E.R.). Even though there is no immediate threat on the Depot, we had to stand firewatch throughout the night to get us ready for living in a war-time environment. Marines are humans too. There has to be someone always standing guard to make sure the enemy doesn't kill them in their sleep. Every hour throughout the night, 4 recruits would stand firewatch, one of which would be "front post." The others would count bodies (so if a recruit goes missing, the drill instructors know immediately), patrol the squadbay and head (restroom), or any other tasks that were assigned. Sometimes, firewatch would be boring and uneventful. Other times, we would have so much to do, it was overwhelming. Some tasks would be marking 78 physical training shirts, marking score cards, and stapling them to all the shirts for the physical fitness test (I scored a first-class PFT, btw, another one of my goals). Or the night before an inspection, we would have to polish/re-darken our dress shoes, or fix our uniforms. Anyway, firewatch is very important, even at the cost of losing a couple hours of sleep each night.
Overall, I loved boot camp. The days truly flew by. With no calendars, watches, televisions, cell phones, newspapers, magazines, or computers, it is really easy to feel like MCRD San Diego is all that there is in the world -- nothing else exists, and all memories I had of home seemed like just a dream. Because there is no way to measure the time, except for night and day and each meal, it is easy to get lost in the recruit training world. This is good because it allows you to focus on training, and it does make each day go by fast. There were slow days, of course, but overall, it literally flew right by.
Now this entry would not be complete without some funny drill instructor quotes I wrote down throughout the cycle. Even in all the seriousness, drill instructors would still say some pretty funny things, even if it didn't always seem so at the time (some contain profanity...you have been warned):
"I'm a 4th award expert shot, a black belt instructor in MCMAP, I run a first-class PFT, and I piss excellence. I'm a sexy bitch!"
"I'm just like your football coach, but more badass."
"Yeah.....get on my quarterdeck." (Meaning you were going to be IT'd, or forced to do non-stop physical exercises until muscle failure.)
"...so just suck it the fuck up."
(When talking about camouflage) "You're gunna stick out like an adam's apple on a hooker."
"What girl?"
"Son, I'm gunna jack you up."
"Test me."
"Don't worry, I got you."
"Why wouldn't it be you."
Now, here are some videos for your viewing pleasure:
The new Marines of Platoon 2106 have been in boot camp since July 19, without the opportunity to read the morning newspaper or watch the nightly news. Away from MCRD and Camp Pendleton, a lot has been happening:
The day boot camp started, the oil gusher in the Gulf of Mexico was the lead story nationwide. BP’s blown-out well 40 miles off the Louisiana coast was sealed from the top on July 15, four days before the recruits shipped off. It took another two months for the well to be permanently plugged with cement in an operation known as the “bottom kill.”
Also on July 15, the Los Angeles Times first reported that Robert Rizzo, the city manager in Bell, one of Los Angeles County’s poorest cities, was making nearly $800,000 a year, and several City Council members were pulling in nearly $100,000 a year for part time work. The revelation sparked outrage from Bell residents, and a review of salaries in cities nationwide. On Sept. 21, eight Bell officials were arrested, along with Rizzo, who faces up to 58 years in prison if convicted.
It’s unlikely any of the recruits heard of Jackie Evancho or Christine O’Donnell, but both quickly became national sensations during the past 13 weeks. Evancho, a 10-year-old singer inspired by “The Phantom of the Opera,” on Aug. 10 first dazzled viewers of “America’s Got Talent” with her powerful, adult-sounding voice. She surprisingly lost in the season finale to a shy blues singer from Mississippi, Michael Grimm. For her part, O’Donnell pulled off an upset win in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate on Sept. 14, becoming a darling of the right and a lampoon target of the left for views she expressed on a variety of topics years earlier.
What’s bacon and hash browns without scrambled eggs? Americans found out in August after more than 1,500 became sick after eating eggs produced at farms in Iowa. The salmonella illnesses led to a recall of 550 million eggs.
U.S. combat troops finished pulling out of Iraq on Aug. 19, leaving about 50,000 servicemen in the country, working mainly as a training force.
“Mad Men” and “Modern Family” were named the top drama and comedy series, respectively, at the 62nd Emmy Awards on Aug. 22. “The Pacific” won for best miniseries.
The new fall TV season officially started Sept. 20. Eight days later, the critically acclaimed series about a Texas con man leading a double life, “Lone Star,” was pulled from Fox’s primetime schedule after just two airings, making it the first casualty of the young season.
After a cooler-than-normal summer, on Sept. 28 the temperature in Los Angeles reached 113 degrees – the highest ever in records that date back to 1877. Then the thermometer stopped working.
From the “What will Google do next?” department. The Internet giant announced that it has been testing unmanned vehicles on city streets and highways. Seven test cars have logged 1,000 miles without human intervention and more than 140,000 miles with only occasional human control. One even went down San Francisco’s Lombard Street, one of the steepest and curviest streets in the nation. The only accident was when one Google car was stopped at a traffic light, and it was rear-ended.
George Lucas announced that the six star wars movies will be converted into 3-D and released in theaters, starting with “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” in 2012.
Among the recruits, a fair number of them are likely baseball fans – although Josh is not among them. Those who are may be surprised to know they missed history in the first round of the Major League Baseball playoffs. Roy Halladay of the Philadelphia Phillies tossed a 4-0 no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds on Oct. 6. It was the second playoff no-hitter in history, and the first since Don Larsen threw a perfect game for the New York Yankees against Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1956 World Series.
An Aug. 6 cave-in trapped 33 miners a mile below ground in Chile. Following an international rescue effort compared to the one staged for the Apollo 13 crew, the miners were pulled from the depths – one by one – starting Oct. 12.
Since July 19, we’ve lost George Blanda (NFL Hall of Fame quarterback and kicker), writer and TV series creator Stephen J. Cannell (“The A-Team,” “The Rockford Files”), Oscar nominated actor Tony Curtis (“The Defiant Ones”), director Arthur Penn (“Bonnie and Clyde,” “Little Big Man”), Billie Richards (the voice of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in the 1964 TV special), Leonard Skinner (the tongue-in-cheek inspiration for the 1970s rock ’n’ roll band Lynyrd Skynyrd), and Oscar nominated actress Gloria Stewart (“Titanic”).
See, you really do miss a lot when you’re away for 13 weeks.
A big ooh-rah! to one of the newest Marines in the Corps: Joshua James Rice.
While it's not official that he successfully finished the Crucible, we're going on the assumption that no news is good news – and as of 10 a.m., his recruiting station had received no word about Josh, nor any of the other recruits in his platoon for that matter.
Following the Crucible is the emblem ceremony, when the recruits receive the Eagle, Globe and Anchor from their drill instructors. It was expected to take place sometime this hour.
Afterwards, the platoon will march back to their quarters at Camp Pendleton. It will be a lengthy march, but one filled with well-earned pride.
So a hearty “congratulations” to Josh and all of the new Marines in the Second Recruit Training Battalion, Echo Company, Platoon 2106.
Josh starts the 54-hour Crucible today; here’s a letter I sent to him last week:
Sept. 29, 2010 (T-56)
Hi Josh,
It was great to hear your voice yesterday. I am so glad you called, and I'm really looking forward to seeing you on Oct. 14 – but you already knew that.
There's only one major hurdle left between you and your dream: the Crucible. From the sound of your voice, I can tell you are ready to tackle it. Definitely keep that confidence going into it. I am 100 percent sure that you will succeed.
When you were born 18 years ago, I didn't know where your life would lead. None of us know God’s plan. I prayed that whatever path you chose, He would guide you in the right direction and watch over you. That prayer continues to be answered every day.
You have worked hard to achieve your dream – particularly over the last 11 weeks. On Oct. 7, after you complete the Crucible, take some time to reflect on all that you have accomplished. You will have earned that right. There will be other dreams to go after tomorrow.
On your last days as a civilian, there’s one last thing I want you to know: I am extremely proud of the man that you are and the Marine that you will become.
The weeks of training, physical and mental stress, discipline, yelling, camaraderie and sacrifice all come down to this: The Crucible. For Josh and his fellow recruits, now back at Camp Pendleton, it’s the only thing standing between them and the title of Marine.
Of course, the word “only” shouldn’t diminish what the 80 or so recruits in Josh’s platoon are about face. The Crucible will test each and every one of them physically, mentally and morally. They will be split into teams, and for 54 hours will be confronted with a barrage of challenges – day and night. Deprived of sleep and food, the recruits will need to work together to overcome obstacles, solve problems and help each other every step of the way.
And with 40 miles of marching, there will be a lot of steps. But that’s not all. The recruits will tackle combat assault courses, a problem-solving reaction course and team-building warrior stations. Each of those stations is named for a Marine hero.
One of the obstacles on the Confidence Course is the Sky Scraper, seen here in a photo from the Aug. 6 edition of the Chevron. Each recruit is required to climb the three-tiered tower while holding their rifles. They go down the other side carrying a 160-pound dummy, which simulates the evacuation of a casualty.
At the end of the Crucible, the recruits will march to a ceremony where drill instructors will present them with the Eagle, Globe and Anchor. Officially the emblem of the Marine Corps since 1955, the EGA as been a part of the uniform since 1868. The eagle represents a proud nation, the globe points to worldwide presence, and the anchor stands for the naval tradition of the Corps.
“Receiving the emblem signifies that the recruits have earned a place in the Marine Corps legacy,” says a Marine Corps website. “They will now stand side by side with their instructors as Marines.”
An update: In his last letter, which was written Sept. 26, Josh described his final days as a recruit. “We have final drill on Monday, final written exams/first-aid exams on Tuesday, a visit to the museum on Wednesday (plus final PFT), rappel tower on Thursday, pictures on Friday, Commanding Officer’s Inspection on Saturday and in one week (Oct. 3) we leave for Pendleton.”
At the conclusion of the letter, his excitement was obvious: “I’ll be a Marine in less than two weeks! Woooo!”
That “less than two weeks” is now down to a handful of days. On Tuesday, Training Day 61, the clock will start on the Crucible and will continue running for 54 hours.
– Josh’s platoon was among the first to use the Marine Corps’ new service rifle, the M-16A4 (shown above in a photo from the Chevron). Recruits started firing the weapons during training at Camp Pendleton’s Edison Range on July 19, the same day Josh arrived at MCRD San Diego.
– Besides recruit training, MCRD has been home to a lot of activity this summer. Two new “H-style” barracks, a recruit rehabilitation facility and several independent restrooms are under construction. Also, upgrades are being made to other buildings, some of which date to the early 1920s. The work is expected to be finished within the next 18 months.
– Civilians got a taste of what recruits endure by running an MCRD obstacle course during the Boot Camp Challenge on Sept. 26. The course’s first set of waist-high logs proved to be a true challenge for one woman, who went over them and promptly did a face-plant in a pit filled with rubber chips next to Union-Tribune reporter Jeanette Steele. “It scared me. I was already predisposed to crawling gingerly over the logs,” Steele observed in her story. “But the depot’s drill instructors didn’t seem to care about my height, my old knees or my concern for keeping my front teeth. About 60 guys with campaign hats and loud voices were stationed along the course, offering ‘encouragement.’”
– Boot camp graduations have something in common with Lakers games: attracting celebrities. Dyan Cannon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Andy Garcia, Penny Marshall, Denzel Washington and, of course, Jack Nicholson are regulars at Staples. But the Sept. 3 graduation at MCRD for Company K drew some star wattage as well. It was attended by Caressa Cameron, Miss America 2010 – minus her tiara.
– Dozens of survivors of the Chosin Reservoir battle during the Korean War were on hand Sept. 15 when a memorial for the “Chosin Few” was unveiled at Camp Pendleton. In the battle, Nov. 27 to Dec. 13, 1950, vastly outnumbered soldiers and Marines were up against 100,000 Chinese troops. More than 900 Americans were killed, and thousands more were wounded. The 6-by-8 foot, 3,000-pound granite monument is on an overcrop with a sweeping view of the Pacific Ocean near Pendleton’s main gate. After three weeks of Phase II training at the camp, Josh’s platoon was already back at MCRD the day it was unveiled. Josh’s grandfather, Jerome Jess Rice, an Army sergeant, served in Korea during the war.
Johnny Carson on “The Tonight Show” often would make the weather a punchline: “It was so hot …”
Yesterday in downtown Los Angeles, it was so hot – and this is no joke – that the National Weather Service’s thermometer broke after it reached an all-time high of 113 degrees. The record is based on temperature recordings that date back to 1877.
Camp Pendleton, where Josh was for Phase II of boot camp training and where he returns next week for the Crucible, hit 109 on Monday. In San Diego, at MCRD, it was a relatively balmy 95.
Of all the jobs that I've had over the years, working as a freelance copy editor and writer at Variety have been among my favorites.
I’ve always been impressed by the talent level of the entertainment trade publication’s staff, which has included one of the best writers of this past century: Art Buchwald, the Pulitzer-winning columnist and humorist. He started as Variety’s Paris correspondent.
One of the reasons Variety is an entertaining read is that it literally has a language all its own. “Ankle,” for example, means to leave or get dismissed from a job; a Western film is an “oater,” referring to what horses eat; and a “zitcom” is a TV comedy aimed at teenagers.
The wordsmiths at Variety have used the paper’s “slanguage” to create some “boffo” headlines. Perhaps the most famous was this gem from 1935: Sticks Nix Hick Pix. It meant that rural audiences were not watching movies about rural life.
On Variety’s website (www.variety.com), there’s a “Slanguage Dictionary,” so if a reader can’t determine the definition of a word they can go there to find out what it means.
The Marine Corps also has its own “slanguage.” Below are 12 common items, followed by the word Josh is now using to describe each one in boot camp:
Pants: Trousers Bed: Rack Floor: Deck Door: Hatch Window: Port Glasses: Portholes Pen: Ink stick Flashlight: Moonbeam Shoes: Go-fasters Duffel bag: Sea bag Restroom: Head Food: Chow
As Josh and the other recruits in his platoon prepare for the second week of Phase III, their graduation certainly must be coming into view – if it hasn’t already. They had a uniform fitting this past week, and will have another one in the days ahead.
But they won’t have a lot of time to dream about that big day because there still is plenty on tap to keep them focused on training. Scheduled this week is another physical fitness test, a combat fitness evaluation, one more round with pugil sticks, the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program test and a sustainment hike.
For the PFT, each recruit will have to perform crunches (two minutes to complete as many as possible), pull-ups (to measure upper-body strength and endurance) and run for three miles.
Josh did a number of PFTs while he was in the Delayed Entry Program. Each time the running part was his weakest link, but he still managed to perform well. When Josh and his fellow poolies at the Marine Corps Recruiting Station in Temecula went for their mile-and-a-half runs, Josh would finish in about 11 minutes – 30 seconds faster than the cut-off for that RS.
For the MCMAP (shown above), he will be tested on a range of techniques: punches, upper- and lower-body strikes, chokes and holds, unarmed restraints, knife and bayonet thrusts among them. To pass, students must score 70 percent, failing no more than 15 techniques.
When Josh and the other recruits hit their bunks tonight, only three training weeks will remain. The Crucible, arguably the biggest hurdle left between the platoon and graduation day, is scheduled to begin Oct. 5.
In the meantime, congratulations go out to the new Marines of Fox Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, at MCRD San Diego.
Gen. John Pershing, the US Army commander of American forces during World War I, was quoted as saying, "The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle."
I'm not ready to think of Josh in those terms, but at Camp Pendleton he has shown himself to be adept at shooting his service weapon – particularly for a novice. (Above is the score sheet from his first time shooting a gun.)
He qualified Sept. 2 as “expert” – achieving a pre-boot camp goal.
In a recent letter, he wrote about his training leading up to that qualification day: “This past week has been primarily spent in small groups (4-8 people), with coaches going over techniques, or on the range. We’ve been so busy we wake up at 0400, and I’m on the range ready to go before the sun comes up.”
Of course many times in civilian life he was going to bed when the sun came up after a night of playing video games online with his buddies, but I digress…
Anyway, on Thursday and Friday, it was time for Table II, which involved shooting moving targets at a closer range (less than 50 yards). For Josh to maintain his “expert” ranking, he needed to score 80 out of 100 points. At least 60 was required to qualify on this round, which would have made Josh a “sharpshooter” overall. As of this writing, I’m not sure how he scored.
Tonight, Josh is back in his rack at MCRD. Phase III – the home stretch toward graduation day – starts bright and early Monday morning.
Regardless of Josh’s ultimate Military Occupational Specialty – saxophonist with the 1st Marine Division Band at Camp Pendleton – the Corps expects him to be first and foremost a rifleman.
While Josh has shot thousands of rounds, perhaps even tens of thousands, before he went to boot camp, I don’t believe he has ever picked up a weapon that could do serious damage. Not counting his air gun, every shot he took before July 19 was with a video game controller.
So while “Call of Duty,” “Ghost Recon” and “Socom” may have given him a taste of battlefield strategy, the last several training days in the field at Pendleton have developed his skills with a real M16 service rifle. On Friday, Training Day 34, Josh and the other recruits in his platoon will put their skills to the test.
Up to this point, they’ve learned four shooting positions (standing, kneeling, sitting and prone), and have been taught how to take weather conditions and other variables into account when shooting. They have been aiming and firing targets that are 200, 300 and 500 yards away. Now they’ll be scored on how well they’ve developed as riflemen.
There are three levels: marksman, sharpshooter and expert. I’m not sure of the latest numbers on how each level is scored, but I do know that Josh’s pre-boot camp goal was to be considered “expert.”
Regardless of whether he achieves that or not, Josh will have the opportunity to re-qualify every year and can wear the corresponding rifle marksmanship badge. Of the three, the expert badge really is the coolest looking, so says Josh.
There’s no telling how far he wants to take this training, but I think it’s interesting to note that six soldiers with the US Army Marksmanship Unit were on the US Olympic Team two years ago in Beijing. One of them, Maj. Michael E. Anti, was competing in his fourth Olympics. He won a silver medal in the men’s three position rifle event at the Athens Games in 2004.
From this corner, an Olympic medal looks pretty cool, too.
With Josh and his platoon a few days into Phase II of Marine Corps boot camp, let’s take a look at what he and the other recruits in his platoon have experienced to this point and what they’ll face in the weeks ahead.
Follow the link below to the MCRD boot camp matrix, with Josh as the tour guide.
Today was moving day for Josh and the other recruits in his platoon. They have called MCRD home for a little more than a month, and now they’re at Camp Pendleton as Phase I of boot camp comes to an end.
As of Monday, the platoon was 80 recruits strong – down six from where it started in July. There could be any number of reasons for the decline. A severe enough injury, for example, may force a recruit to drop from one platoon, then after he has recovered he would be recycled into another one to pick up training where he left off and, of course, he would then have a later graduation date.
I don’t know the current attrition rate for Marine Corps boot camp. In “Making the Corps,” which was written in 1997, Thomas Ricks wrote that the dropout rate was 14 percent – double that of the Army at the time. The latest figures I could find from the Department of Defense puts it at 11.7 percent as of 2006. In any event, Josh’s platoon could expect to lose a couple more members and still be within those averages. Hopefully, he will not be one of them.
The first 23 training days have presented one challenge after another. Each and every recruit in the platoon has been tested both physically and mentally. And as a group, they have excelled. One week ago, on Training Day 17, eight platoons dressed in neat, clean cammies and performed drill movements with M16 rifles in front of judges. Josh’s platoon finished second.
There have been times, many of them, actually, when Josh wishes he was anywhere else – even Army boot camp! At MCRD, the days have been long, the training has been intense, and many recruits have been sick. Going in, Josh knew what he was in for, but with everything coming full force and all at once, perhaps it may have been a little more than he expected.
Still, at the end of the day, he’s right where he wants to be. More than once he has written, “I can’t believe I’m getting paid to do this!”
And sometimes, there have been unexpected bonuses. “One thing that I’ve been blessed with is the coolest view from my rack,” Josh wrote in his most recent letter. “At night, I can see the San Diego skyscrapers, fireworks at Sea World, and planes taking off from the airport!”
Tonight, there are different views at Camp Pendleton.
While this is the end of Swim Week, Josh didn’t spend all of it in the pool.
The recruits in his platoon were scheduled to spend Thursday, one month to the day after leaving for boot camp, fighting each other with pugil sticks (heavily padded poles used to simulate rifle and bayonet combat). Each recruit wears a football helmet for this training, which is described as the most intense physical combat they have ever experienced.
“They will have to learn to act despite fear. It is a crucial step in their transformation from civilian to warrior,” says a Marine Corps website.
There are three stages for this training. During the first, recruits learn safety precautions; for the second, which was scheduled to take place this week, recruits fight on wooden bridges 2½ feet above the ground; and during the third round (scheduled for these recruits in late September), bouts are conducted in simulated trenches and confined spaces.
To the Marines, pugil fighting is important because the video game generation is arriving at boot camp overflowing with passivity. Pugil events are seen as a test of the fighting spirit of each recruit, wrote Thomas E. Ricks in “Making the Corps,” a detailed look at one platoon’s journey through boot camp at Parris Island.
Josh has spent hundreds, if not thousands, of hours sitting in front of the television playing video games – probably just like nearly all of the other 79 recruits in his platoon. While each generation of games depicts aggression and violence more realistically than the previous one, it’s doubtful any of these guys has personally experienced the level of violence they have during some of the past 22 training days.
Besides fighting with pugil sticks, the recruits have gone through the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program, which combines unarmed fighting techniques from various martial arts with armed techniques designed for combat.
Josh, along with every recruit in his platoon, is required to develop skills in several areas: bayonet techniques, upper and lower body strikes, basic chokes and throws, defensive counters and responsible use of force. Demonstrating proficiency in all of those areas will earn him a tan belt, and going forward he will be able to advance through five colored belt levels as he strengthens those skills.
The training obviously made an impression on him. “We have learned a lot of MCMAP techniques that I pray to God I’ll never have to use,” he wrote in a recent letter.
I’m not sure how Josh did this week with the pugil sticks, but I do know that he aced this week’s challenge in the pool – which earned him a phone card for a five-minute call home.
Josh and the other 80-plus recruits in his platoon woke up this morning to start their fourth week of training. Up to this point, they’ve learned about first aid, Marine Corps history and ethics. They’ve battled each other with pugil sticks, gone through combat conditioning, run circuit and obstacle courses, and much more.
Today, the 18th day of training, or T18, brings a new set of challenges. Assuming the training matrix is being followed, this is the first day of Swim Week and combat water survival – essentially, learning how to stay afloat in full combat gear. It’s a necessary skill to have because Marines are transported by ship and aircraft, and there’s no telling when lessons such as these will come in handy, even on a battlefield in landlocked Afghanistan.
At a young age, Josh learned how to swim – an extremely important skill for everyone to master. When I was a wee lad – and I don’t recall how old, but likely before I entered kindergarten – I nearly drowned in the pool at the apartments here in Southern California where my family lived at the time.
I survived, of course, and learned how to swim. And much later, when I was a couple of years younger than Josh is now, I was on an AAU swim team with plans to be the next Mark Spitz. While that never worked out, too many boys and girls never have the opportunity to even think about pursuing their dreams. Nearly 300 kids in this country have drowned since Memorial Day, according to a report last night on ABC’s “World News Sunday.” Such a tragedy.
But I digress. I’m confident Josh will do well in the pool at MCRD. Before entering boot camp, he wanted to score a first class in the swim qualification. This week, possibly, is when he finds out if he achieves that goal.
Not sure if the recruits in Josh’s platoon were even aware of this, but Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego hosted a high-profile visitor Friday: Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
During a two-day visit to San Diego, Gates also toured the destroyer Higgins at San Diego Naval Base, visited the San Diego Naval Medical Center at Balboa Park and a class of Navy SEAL recruits in Coronado.
While at MCRD, Gates served as the parade reviewing officer for a company of 196 new Marines, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. (One of the newspaper’s photographers, David Brooks, shot the photo above.) Gates also watched recruits during their combat training (was Josh one of them?). Some were able to have their photos taken with the Defense secretary.
Gates has ordered a Force Structure Review for the Marines, which likely will result in a smaller Corps. There are 202,000 Marines, as a result of the ground combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, up from 175,000. The future size of the force has yet to be determined – and, by mid-October, if all goes well, Josh will be one of them.
“It takes uncommon patriotism to join the military in a time of war,” Gates said at MCRD. “For my part, I will do all I can to see that you have everything you need toaccomplish your mission and come home safely, because I feel a deep personal responsibility for every one of you, as if you were my own sons.”
One difference between boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina, and at MCRD in San Diego: the weather.
Looking at the 10-day forecast for both locations finds that the high at Parris Island will in the upper 80s or low 90s every day during that time. On Thursday, for example, the predicted high is 93 with 71 percent humidity — pushing the heat index over 100 — with a chance of thunderstorms.
The highest temperature in San Diego during that same period will come on Monday when it will be 72 degrees and mostly sunny.
I’ve heard many times that writing letters is becoming a lost art form thanks to e-mail and texting. Generally that observation has come from people born before the Carter administration, and, unfortunately for the U.S. Postal Service, I believe it’s true.
So it’s with that thought that we received two letters last week from Josh.
The first was a brief form letter that opened with this: “I have arrived at MCRD San Diego and have been placed in my training Platoon. I am fine and in good health.”
The second was a little more revealing in terms of what boot camp is like for Josh. “Life is crazy here,” he wrote. “Sometimes the yelling gets really annoying, because it goes on all day, but I think it builds our lungs so it is good. … Eating here is insane – it is very fast and it is kind of undescribable.”
From what I understand, the Marine Corps is the only branch of the U.S. military that limits the ways that recruits in boot camp can communicate with friends and family back home. No phone calls (except the first night and on rare occasions afterwards), no e-mail, no texting; just letters.
I can certainly see the value in that, because it’s another way of separating the recruits from their past lives so they can focus on their primary task during boot camp: accomplishing what they need to so they can become Marines.
Back in the day, Josh’s great-grandmother would regularly send multi-page letters – each line of the tablet-sized paper filled with information about family goings-on in Kansas. My mother would respond likewise with the latest from California.
And while I’ve made a large part of my living as a writer, I have not been one to write lengthy letters. Instead, I’ve preferred the instant response that’s possible through a phone call. Still do.
But that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy sending and receiving letters. I have truly appreciated each correspondence from Josh, and I’ve never been as excited about receiving a form letter as I was last week.
There’s a lot to be said for e-mail and texting, but they’ll never match a letter. You really do get a lot for that 44-cent stamp.
Josh has now completed his first week of boot camp.
While I don’t know exactly how he’s doing, I’m confident he’s doing well. The reason: We’ve been told more than once that no news is good news. And so far, there has been absolutely no news – no first night phone call, letter or word from his recruiter or anyone else with the Marine Corps. So, like I said, that’s great news when I wonder how Josh is doing.
By this point, Josh and the other members of his platoon likely have listened to lectures about the history of the Marine Corps – something Josh studied on his own well before he joined the Delayed Entry Program. He also has marched in formation and learned the basics of how to use weapons safely. On Friday, he met for the first time his drill instructors, the men charged with forming the recruits into Marines. On several occasions in the days leading up to his departure for boot camp, Josh said that he couldn’t wait for that first Friday – the day he would meet the DIs.
Hopefully, that was still the case when D-Day, make that DI-Day, arrived.
With the start of the second week now here, his training has likely shifted to “combat water survival” – basically how to stay afloat in full combat gear. Unlike his brother, Andy, Josh has never shown a desire to just go swimming. Sure, he’s gone many times into the pools at the homes of relatives, and has always had a great time. But often after a short while he ends up out of the pool and into the Jacuzzi. It will be interesting to find out how big of a challenge this week was for him.
Finally, a couple of notes: Bob, thank you for posting the link to the story about the School of Music. It was interesting reading for me, and I’m sure it will be for Josh, too. And, Kevin, thanks for including the link to your blog. It looks like you’ve put a lot of work into it; it’s very informative.
Today, Josh moved one step closer to his dream: becoming a Marine and, in less than a year from now, a musician with the 1st Marine Division Band at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
He reported to the Temecula recruiting station a little before 1 p.m., along with several other poolees who are headed to boot camp along with Josh. At this time, there’s no way of knowing whether they will belong to the same platoon, but this much is certain: they all will arrive at MCRD San Diego and become members of Echo Company.
Here’s a photo of Josh in front of the recruiting station. In three months, I plan to post another photo of him standing in the same spot. We’ll see how much he changes.
Staff Sgt. Lee, a recruiter, talked about some of the things that the poolees have in store. They will be staying tonight at a San Diego hotel. The wake-up call comes early, at 4 a.m. They will travel to the US Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS), where several hours later they will raise their right hands and take the oath: I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same and that I will obey the orders of the president of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to the regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice, so help me God.
Josh already has taken that oath once before, on Oct. 1, 2009, when he entered the Delayed Entry Program. He posted a video of that brief swearing-in elsewhere on this blog. His swearing-in on Monday, July 19, 2010, will appear much the same but it carries greater weight. After this one, he heads off for boot camp.
I talked with Josh today for what should be the last time until I see him again on the day before his graduation in October. I’m sad at the prospect of not being able to sit and chat with him about the day’s events and all that’s going on in his life. But I consider it a very small price to pay, because this is the start of a tremendous opportunity for him – and I want the absolute best for my son. What father wouldn’t?
When I talked with Josh, he shared some of his thoughts about going to boot camp: “I’ve talked to so many people about it, seen so many movies and documentaries and read so many books on it, I kind of know what to expect. Now it’s finally going to be happening to me. I’m really excited to do it.”
Wow. Today was my last full day as a civilian. This week has been great! Let me try to recap:
Earlier in the week, I met up with a couple aunts and cousins from my mom's side of the family for lunch. Later in the week, I went out to a fancy Italian restaurant with my Nana (they even had a piano player!). Today I met for dinner at In-N-Out with some members from my dad's side of the family. To be treated to 3 meals in a week was truly an honor. It means SO much to me to be invited out to eat to see my family one last time. I'm no psychic, but I know that aside from God, family will be the biggest motivator when I'm broken down at recruit training. Family, thank you for the support. There are so many people that have gone through training without encouragement from their family. To have all of you supporting me is quite humbling!
Thursday morning, my Dad and I left for Las Vegas, Nevada, to spend some last quality father-son time together for the next quarter-year. Before we left southern California, we stopped by at my Uncle's work to not only see what he does, but mainly, for him to introduce me to his co-worker -- a former Marine and Vietnam veteran. Speaking to him was such an honor! He spent 22 years in the Corps, and hearing what he had to say about his experiences was so motivating, it reminded me why I chose the Marines. The USMC is unlike any other branch...the bond Marines share are extremely unique to their service. What I thought was funny was he mentioned that when he was in, he remembers Marines saying, "Oh, the Corps is not what it was back in the day. It was better back then." He said that even though the drill instructors today don't beat recruits, they are still making quality U.S. Marines that honorably continue what was started on November 10, 1775. He thought that boot camp is physically harder now, and the Crucible, which was started in the '90s, is a great add. Another thing he added was that when he went to a recent boot camp graduation (for someone in his family), he STILL saw the same pride and commitment that he saw from Marines during the Vietnam era. He said that he wished he was going to boot camp on Sunday!
At Las Vegas, my dad and I saw Frank Caliendo at the Monte Carlo -- my first time seeing a comedian! He was great! Unfortunately, I already heard a lot of his jokes when I looked him up on YouTube. Nonetheless, the new jokes I heard were pretty funny!
Let me get this out there: I'm a huge fan of the show "Pawn Stars" on History Channel. If you don't know what it is, definitely check it out. We were able to visit their shop! The only bad part was the we couldn't meet the main people from the show...however, we did see some items that we saw on TV! It so SO COOL being at a store that we've seen on TV for so long!
Truth be told, the best part was just being able to talk to my Dad. I can't think of a better role model as a father. I hope I can be as good as a dad as he is!
Anyway, it is almost 10:30pm here, and I head to church tomorrow bright and early (it starts at 9:30am). I have to report at my recruiter's office by 1pm. After that, I'm headed to a hotel, where I will spend the night. On Monday, July 19th, I will be waking up at about 3:30 in the morning to start the day. I will be going to MEPS to finalize some paper work and medical things before I go to MCRD. I don't know if I will have time to do one last post before I go (as I should clean my room some). This could be my last post as a civilian. If not, then my last one will be tomorrow.
I've spent the past year physically and mentally preparing for recruit training. My final Initial Strength Test scores from the Delayed Entry Program are as follows:
10:31 mile and a half (11:30 is the minimum)
76 crunches (I think 45 is the minimum...I don't know because I aim for a perfect score)
10 pull-ups (3 is the minimum, 20 is perfect.)
I've also completely memorized the 11 General Orders, 14 Leadership Traits, and rank structure.
PLEASE pray for me. The power of prayer is, well, very powerful. Please pray that I'm able to safely graduate on time, and without problems. I know that what does happen, however, will be God's Will.
Well, I'm about to take my last shower at home, and sleep in my bed for the last time (until October). I need to get some sleep ASAP! Adios!
P.S.: I told my friend I would give her a shoutout on here, so I'm going to do it now. Hi Sam Millare!
For many months, I've known Josh would be going to Boot Camp...but lately that thought changes my perspective on everything...Like "I should bring him a bowl of fresh fruit salad, because he won't be having anyone waiting on him in boot camp" or "I'll fold his clothes (he must put them away) since he'll be having to take care of his own clothes in boot camp." Yes, I'm the mom and must learn to let him go. When I look at him and talk to him, I DO know he is ready.
Like his Dad, the practical jokes at the dinner table that have gotten him sent to the kitchen to eat by himself, will be missed. (I've not wanted his brothers to choke when laughing and now fully expect his brothers to come up with their own ways to crack everyone up). I absolutely loved our conversations back and forth from Vista when I'd take him to countless band practices, football games, and concerts. Those will be precious memories...but I KNOW new memories are coming. I can smile thinking of seeing him for the first time in his "dress blues" because I will know he's made his dream come true. What more could any mother want for their son!?!
Josh has entrusted me with the responsibility of updating his blog while he is in boot camp. I'm looking forward to it.
In the meantime, with just days to go before he is required to report, it appears it will be yet another week filled with "lasts." He already has been on his last vacation as a civilian with his parents and brothers. He spent his last couple nights without any outside thoughts of "serious" responsibilities with his friend, Eric. Today was the last full Sunday he will have at home to play video games before boot camp, tomorrow will be the last full Monday, etc.
He will be putting that part of his life on hold for a while. In a little more than three months, those "lasts" will become "firsts": his first night out with his friends as a newly minted Marine, his first opportunity to sleep in, etc. I imagine he will feel a range of emotions when he attends his first high school football game just hours after graduating from boot camp -- particularly when the Golden Alliance plays the national anthem before the kickoff.
As for me, I will miss having him around the house. I will miss the jokes around the dinner table and our late-night conversations. But much more of me is excited for him, as he takes his first step toward realizing a dream, and into this next chapter of his life.
Josh Rice and Shawn Marron, who sat next to each other as saxophone players in the Vista Murrieta High School jazz band, will not have to give up playing together now that they've graduated from high school.
The two musicians have been selected to become members of the 1st Marine Division Band at Camp Pendleton.
Rice said he was told they are the first Southwest County high school graduates to be selected for the ensemble.
The 18-year-olds will join the band in about 10 months after they complete Marine and music training.
Avid musicians and friends since meeting in eighth grade, it wasn't the band that drew them into the Marines. Both teens said they would have enlisted anyway.
"I was going to go straight infantry. I wanted to be a Marine," Marron said. "Music is just a plus."
They were each in middle school when they first considered the Marines as a career.
"(I wanted to join) because of the veterans and what they stood for and what they protect," Marron said.
"I was inspired by different people in my life, like my grandfather," Rice said. "I just wanted to be like them." Once he was accepted by the Marines, auditioning for the band seemed natural, Rice said. "Military is something I wanted to do and music is something I want to do, so why not do both?" he said.
Both joined the Marines last year through the Delayed Entry Program ---- which allowed them to enlist before their senior year in high school ---- and have been training weekly at the recruiting center in Temecula.
Rice leaves for boot camp at Camp Pendleton on July 19. Marron follows next month.
They will undergo 13 weeks of boot camp, 29 days of Marine Combat Training and six months at the school of music in Virginia before joining the band, one of 12 Marine Corps bands located around the United States and Japan.
The 50-member 1st Marine Division Band is booked for more than 400 concerts and performances each year, playing all styles of music including classical ---- which Rice favors ---- and Marron's favorite, jazz.
When Rice was accepted into the Marine band in 2009, he filled the only saxophonist opening. So, hoping to join his friend, Marron started playing the bassoon. But, another saxophonist spot opened up and Marron auditioned and was accepted in March.
Being musicians does not mean the men will not be sent into battle. The band is a deployable unit, with about a dozen troops currently serving in Afghanistan, Rice said.
Marron said he hopes being in the band does not prevent him from serving overseas. "That's why I joined the Marines, so I can go over there and make a difference," he said.
Woo! I just got back from spending a few nights at one of my best friend's (Eric) house. All we did was eat, sleep, talk, watch TV and play video games. (We literally watched the entire first season of Dexter in less than 24 hours. Crazy. It is horrific to watch at first, but it gets pretty good.) It's nice to be able to waste an entire day doing nothing but relaxing, but I'm really getting bored of it. All summer my life hasn't been exciting at all...and really, it doesn't need to be. I know as soon as I hit the yellow footprints, I'll be wishing I had time to relax again. But for now, I'm sick and tired of waiting -- I want to be a Marine already!
Being in the Delayed Entry Program, it is my job to go to the weekly physical training (PT) sessions at my recruiter's office. We work out a lot, that's for sure, but we also go over some good knowledge stuff. (Like what Honor, Courage, and Commitment, the Corps' core values, really mean. We also look at the heroic actions of certain Marines.) Anyway, this past Wednesday was my final PT session (I've been advised to relax the last week to be safe, and enjoy being a civilian. It would be a shame to hurt myself right before I go, which easily could have happened this past week). Boy, will I remember my final PT session as a Poolee for awhile...at least until the 19th.
It began with a representative from the University of Phoenix talking to us about his school. I'm definitely planning on going there. It is among the largest and most accredited online universities, with 1/2 a million graduates and just as many currently enrolled. Since I'll be in the service, I can go there for free! I'm definitely planning on getting my AA degree there.
After that presentation, the fun began. A drill instructor was there. We ran a lot, did 400 push-ups (I counted), and a ton of ab workouts. We also did a mock CFT (Combat Fitness Test), where we had to sprint carrying two 30 lb ammo cans, perform elongated low crawls, and two types of fireman carries. The day ended with wrestling and a run back to the office.
Even though my whole body hurt for a few days, I really had a lot of fun. If I'm this satisfied after a PT session, I can't imagine what it must be like to be a Marine. I can't wait.
A couple hours ago, my recruiter came over to talk to my family and I about the fine details of my enlistment -- what life will be like after boot camp, what my contract says about bonuses, and so on. We also talked quite a bit about what I will have to worry about financially once I graduate. Anyway, here's the schedule:
On Sunday, July 18th at 1 pm, or 1300, I will be meeting at my recruiter's office. He will go over a detailed training matrix of what I will be doing each day. After the briefing, he will drive me down to a hotel in San Diego. I might be able to have one final meal with my family before leaving; I have to check back into the hotel by 8 pm. So technically, my last full day as a civilian will be on Saturday the 17th.
On Monday, July 19th, the craziness begins. I will be waking up at about 3:30 in the morning to get ready for the day. After breakfast, we will leave the hotel at about 5 am to drive down to MEPS, or the Military Entrance Processing Station. I've been here twice before when I originally enlisted into the Delayed Entry Program...this time will just be a final medical check, and the Oath of Enlistment. I swore in once before into the DEP, but this time, I will actually be swearing-in to active duty service in the United States Marine Corps. Here is a video of my original swear-in on October 1st, 2009:
Every individual wanting to join any branch of the United States military must go through MEPS. It is where each applicant's SRB, or Service Report Book (I believe), is started. This will follow them throughout their career. Every applicant is thoroughly screened: there's an FBI background check (complete with a picture taken and all 10 fingerprints scanned), urinalysis/blood test (to test for drugs/HIV/pregnancy for females), hearing/vision test, and a full physical exam. It lasts all day. But for my final swear-in, since I'm already in the system, it shouldn't be long. I'll probably have the final swearing-in sometime around lunch. Once that is complete, I'm off!
My scheduled graduation date is Friday, October 15th. I will then have 10 days leave, during which I'm free to visit family and friends. I will then spend one month at Camp Pendleton for Marine Combat Training, where I will learn basic infantry skills, and learn to fire a multitude of weapons, and how to throw a grenade. Upon completion of that, I will spend 6 months at the Armed Forces School of Music. I will get Christmas off. Once I'm done with that, I will get my $10,000 bonus (for being a musician). I am definitely going to be saving it for a car once I get into the fleet. Anyway, after all my training, I should be stationed at Camp Pendleton sometime during the summer of 2011. I'm hoping to go to Afghanistan shortly after. We'll see.
As usual, thanks for reading! Feel free to leave some comments with your thoughts, questions or suggestions!
Sometimes, it is easy to focus only what lies directly ahead of us. Lately, I've found myself thinking about boot camp; in fact, every single day. I know for a fact these will be the most challenging weeks in my life thus far. I frequently ask myself if I even have what it takes to make it through recruit training. But when I watch some videos of different Marine Corps bands on YouTube -- and picture my future self in them -- there is no way in heck I'm going to accept failure. Failure wasn't an option with Apollo 13, and it certainly won't be an option here.
For Memorial Day, I attended an extremely moving service at Riverside National Cemetery -- where my grandpa is buried. Aside from 13 of their members being in Afghanistan, the 1st Marine Division Band was there in full force. Even though I had to sit in direct sunlight for two hours on a hot, California summer morning, it was totally worth being able to be only feet away from those outstanding Marine musicians. (I was extremely nervous that the high-definition camera I was using would over-heat; thankfully, it didn't.) After spending four years in a 200+ person, nationally-acclaimed marching band, I have to say we rarely came close to sounding as full or powerful as these 30 or so musicians. Almost as soon as the first downbeat was given, my jaw hit the deck. Absolutely stunning. What a flawless performance. Here's a couple videos I made (turn your speakers UP!!!):
How could the day have possibly gotten better? With the accompaniment of my dad (I can be shy), I went over to some of the Marines after their performance as they were getting on the bus. I started out by telling them how amazed I was by their performance. After telling them I was not far away from boot camp, I was inundated with friendly advice from their personal experiences. My family and I asked countless questions, and being the courteous gentlemen they were, they politely answered each one with sincerity -- what personable people! With every Marine I've talked to, I have always felt like they truly cared and actually appreciated talking to an inquisitive wanna-be Marine. Bar-none the nicest group of individuals I have ever met.
I can't wait to be a Marine, that's for sure. But when I see the Marine bands perform, and then get to talk to the members, I get much, much more anxious. Below is a picture is myself and a couple friends with the Enlisted Conductor for the 1st Mar Div Band. (He served in the Army, and went to Airborne school -- he is trained to jump out of planes! He also conducts and plays the bagpipes. Notice the plane in the background! EXTREMELY friendly Marine. Oh, and he's a 1st Degree Black Belt Instructor in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program, and holds TWO college degrees. Good heavens!) Again, truly honored to be in the presence of such an outstanding group of people.
First, anyone that wants to be in any of the 12 fleet Marine bands has to be a Marine first (the only exception is the President's Own Marine Band....they don't go through boot camp nor do they deploy). Every Marine, regardless of job or rank, is a Rifleman first. This is different from the other branches. No matter if you are a tank mechanic, underwater basket-weaver, or in my case, a musician, every Marine is a Rifleman first and foremost.
I've been playing the saxophone for eight years, ever since 5th grade at the age of 10. I was privately taught by a former Marine musician for half of my music career, and I know he had a profound impact on my musical ability. What is amazing is that I had a phenomenal middle school band director by the name of Mr. Newton who reinforced and expanded on what I learned privately, at school. Finally, I had two great high school band directors that undoubtedly gave me a great deal of musical experience -- both from the playing standpoint and from leadership positions in the band program such as section leader and drum major. There is no way I would have made it into the band without both of my high school band teachers' help; they challenged me in ways that ultimately opened a multitude of doors for me. Mr. Wade gave a multitude of leadership courses; I learned countless life values and skills that I am very grateful for have learning. Mr. Ewell, a saxophone player himself, challenged me daily by his AP music theory course and demanding concert band classes. He also gave me a few private lessons! Long story short, I learned so much from my time in high school that it would be impossible to give any more examples without boring you to death. Anyway, here is a video from one of my performances during my senior year:
The musical audition for the Marine Corps band isn't hard if you have been playing throughout your time in grade and high school. The requirements for a woodwind player are very straight-forward:
Know all 48 major, natural minor, harmonic minor, and melodic minor scales, along with the chromatic scale throughout the rang of your instrument. The MTA, or Musician Technical Assistant, will ask you to play these randomly...of course, he or she won't be able to ask you to play every scale, but being prepared and knowing each of these scales like the back of your hand will help immensely in increasing your general score.
Perform a solo piece. Pick a piece that shows off your talents: musicianship, finger dexterity, range and overall skill. Their website says it has to be a Grade IV, but if it has challenging rhythms you should be good to go.
Sight-reading. Easily the most important part of the audition as it is worth 50% of the overall score. You will sight-read a multitude of styles ranging from classical to jazz to Sousa marches to Latin and so on, as well as rhythmic meters such as common time, cut-time, 6/8, 12/8, 3/4, and much more. This will also take up the majority of the 30-minute audition. The best way to prepare for this is to just practice. You will be given a couple of minutes to look over each piece before you play it, so just remember to look at the road map, composer/style/title, key and time signature. Play smarter, not harder.
Out of a 4.0 grading scale, you must get a 2.7 to pass. A 3.0 is considered good college level, while a 4.0 is perfect. I got a 2.85 and my friend got a 2.91, both on our first tries. Remember that you can audition as much as you like...but keep in mind that it is extremely difficult to schedule an audition; there are only a handful of auditioners to screen all the aspiring Marine musicians around the country. Personally, it took a couple of months to get a date set to meet with the musician recruiter; this wasn't necessarily bad because it did give me that much extra time to practice.
Nothing can replace talking to your local musician recruiter. Get hold of a local recruiting station and ask them for a musician recruiter's number. Ask plenty of questions. It's your future. Enjoy this video that highlights the auditioning process:
.jpg)
While this is the end of Swim Week, Josh didn’t spend all of it in the pool.
the 18th day of training, or T18, brings a new set of challenges. Assuming the training matrix is being followed, this is the first day of Swim Week and combat water survival – essentially, learning how to stay afloat in full combat gear. It’s a necessary skill to have because Marines are transported by ship and aircraft, and there’s no telling when lessons such as these will come in handy, even on a battlefield in landlocked Afghanistan.
On Friday, he met for the first time his drill instructors, the men charged with forming the recruits into Marines. On several occasions in the days leading up to his departure for boot camp, Josh said that he couldn’t wait for that first Friday – the day he would meet the DIs.
ront of the recruiting station. In three months, I plan to post another photo of him standing in the same spot. We’ll see how much he changes.
