Marine Corps News Room

http://www.newsnet5.com/station/14759635/detail.html

December, 2007
NewsChannel5
Cleveland · Akron
Sales Marketing manager and Marine mom Phyllis Sossi

My son went through Parris Island in 2004, and I remember being desperate for information -- what was he doing, how was he getting along, was he OK?

All week long, I will be posting updates from Parris Island as I look at Marine Corps Boot Camp through the eyes of a Marine Mom. In addition to information about the training, I will also post pictures of local recruits.

As parents, you don’t see your child for 12 weeks while they’re at Parris Island, on that road to becoming one of the few, the proud, a Marine. Here is your opportunity to get a glimpse into what they're experiencing.

Dec. 4

If you've been a Marine parent for any length of time (that is anything past Boot Camp) you're undoubtedly familiar with the motto: Hurry up and wait. That describes our experience today! We had a 3:45 a.m. wake-up call for a 7:15 a.m flight. Well, our plane had battery trouble and, to make a long story short, we finally took off around 1:00 p.m. Of course we also missed our connecting flight in Atlanta and had to literally run through the terminal to make a different flight for our final destination.

When we arrived in Savannah, there was a Marine DI (drill instructor) there to welcome us. We were ushered onto a bus and taken to Parris Island for dinner. There are about 80 people in our group; most of them are high school educators here to learn about what really goes on at Boot Camp so they can give informed guidance to students who are considering a career in the Marine Corps.

At dinner we were told that we have complete access to everything that goes on at Boot Camp...we will be witnessing everything from receiving (where recruits are "welcomed" into Boot Camp) to instruction on the M-16 rifle, to the MCMAP (Marine Corps Martial Arts Program), to actually trying the famed confidence course. We will be given access to recruits and DI's alike.

I was not happy when my son, Stephen, told me he wanted to enlist in the Marine Corps. I knew nothing about the Corps and couldn't understand why he wanted to leave college to do this. I tried to talk him out of it, but soon saw that this was a passion for him. I knew I had to get on board or be left behind. So, I became a Marine Mom in every sense of the word, and I am so proud of him for listening to that little voice inside that so many of us ignore.

As a Marine Mom, it's a little strange being back here after three years. It seems like only yesterday that I was here for Stephen's graduation and I had no idea what the coming years would bring. I was so anxious to see my son who I had sent to PI a few short months before and I was clueless about the Marine Corps way of life. It seems like a lifetime ago!

Having a son who has now done a tour in Iraq, I'm thankful for the intense training he received at Parris Island. Our sons and daughters receive the best training available and leave Parris Island prepared to deal with whatever comes their way anywhere in the world. I used to tell Stephen that if he could make it through Boot Camp, there wasn't anything in life he couldn't tackle.

We start tomorrow morning at 6:30 a.m.; from what I've been told, we're going to get the same treatment that new recruits get complete with a DI yelling at us to get off his bus and get on those yellow footprints.

Stay tuned...

Dec. 6

Today started bright and early. We arrived at Parris Island at 6:30am and were greeted by a Drill Instructor who ordered us off her bus and onto the yellow footprints. This is every recruit's first step at Parris Island, and the first step to becoming a Marine.

Usually our kids follow in our footsteps as they pass through life. Today I couldn't help but wonder if I was standing on the very footprints Stephen stood on three years ago. As I passed through the hatch (doors), I imagined Stephen taking those very same steps and I wondered what was going through his mind at the time.

I have to believe that every recruit wonders if they're doing the right thing as they start this journey. They arrive at Parris Island in the middle of the night and training starts as soon as the bus doors open. Within hours they have been stripped of all their belongings and issued everything they will need for the next 12 weeks.

They are permitted to make one phone call home and read from a script. The call is made at approximately 2am and the script goes something like this: "This is Recruit __________. I have arrived safely at Parris Island. Do not send any food. I will contact you in 7-10 days with my address. That is all. Goodbye for now." Parents are usually by shocked by this phone call and THEY wonder what their child has gotten themselves into. So it begins.

We next had a briefing by the commanding general at Parris Island, who shared all about the Marine Core Values of honor, courage and commitment. He also shared with us that the mission of Recruit training at Parris Island is transforming recruits mentally, physically and morally into US Marines. They take all three facets very seriously.

I had the honor of meeting two recruits from Lorain County this morning. Recruit Joe Liotta and Recruit Benjamin Jones. Joe is in his 10th week of Boot Camp and will be embarking on the Crucible next week. Benjamin is graduating this Friday. Both were enthusiastic about their experiences here at Parris Island. Benjamin said his drill instructors were incredible and he has thoroughly enjoyed his training. After meeting both of these recruits, I have no doubt that the future of the Marine Corps is in very good hands.

Lunch was in the form of a boxed lunch with recruits from Alpha company. These young men are in their 7th week of training and are scheduled to graduate January 18th. I met Recruit Jimmy Donnellan, who is also from the greater Cleveland area. He, too, said he was enjoying training and was glad that he had enlisted.

As a Marine Mom, you feel a kinship with every Marine you meet. Your son may be far away, yet just being around Marines makes you feel a little closer to him. It truly is one big family. Having lunch amid 70+ recruits was an awesome experience and I had to show some restraint and not give every one of them a Mom's hug.

This afternoon we were given the opportunity to fire an M-16 rifle...the very rifle that Marines are issued at Parris Island. Every Marine is a rifleman and they take great pride in their marksmanship. Again, the Marine Mom in me surfaced as I held the rifle and got the target in my sight. I imagined my son going through this very training, and rememberd the advice he had given me just last week about how to hold the rifle. Somehow I felt closer to Stephen as I fired off a few rounds...one of those shared mother/son experiences??

Tomorrow is another full day. I will have the opportunity to try the obstacle course and have a tour of a squad bay. We'll also see the Martial Arts training, the swimming pool and the Crucible. I have a feeling I'm going to leave here with an even higher level of respect for these young men and women.

Dec. 7

This morning I awoke extra early to go to the base for the Motovational (Moto) Run. This is my favorite part of the graduation events. The new Marines run around Parris Island, in formation to cadence, ringing bells all around the base. Parents and family members line the streets hoping for that first glance of their son/daughter. This is the first opportunity they've had to see them in 13 weeks.

I remember being here three years ago like it was yesterday. Stephen's platoon went running by and I felt like the worst mother in the world...I couldn't pick him out! Eighty men ran by, all in identical olive sweats, who had obviously been to the same barber shop. The next time they passed I saw him, right in the front row. The emotion was unlike anything I had ever felt before and the tears started.

The streets were lined with families who looked like they were there to cheer on a rock star or a pro athlete. They were holding signs and banners and wore shirts with their Marine's name on them. I didn't have a child in today's run, but I found myself choked up for these parents, knowing what they were about to experience.

I talked with parents who were so excited about finally seeing their child after such a long absence. I told them not to feel bad if they didn't recognize them...the change at Parris Island is awe-inspiring.

After the Motorun we went to tour a squadbay. The large room where the recruits live during their stay at Parris Island. They sleep in bunk beds or, as they call them, racks. The mothers would be amazed at how crisply made the racks were! It's amazing how the DIs are able to get our sons to make their beds!

Stephen shared with me that Marines don't actually sleep in their beds, they sleep on top of them. That way, they don't have to re-make them every morning. Those Marines are always thinking!

We next went to the indoor pool where recruits qualify in water survival. We had a demonstration of the instruction the recruits get, and what they must do in order to pass this part of recruit training. Many recruits come to Boot Camp unable to swim. In a very short amount of time, they must not only get comfortable in the water, they must be able to do swim the length of the pool fully clothed. According to the instructor, there were Marines who died in WWII not from combat injuries, but from drowning; that's why this was added to recruit training.

After the pool, we had time to tour the Parris Island Museum and the Post Exchange (PX). Every Marine Mom loves to go shopping where are all kinds of items with the Eagle, Globe and Anchor symbol! In the Museum gift shop, I met two former Marines from Cleveland! One of them is the DI that was on a famous recruiting poster from over 30 years ago (We Don't Promise you a Rose Garden.) It was a true honor to meet him, and I was humbled when he handed me a challenge coin to give to Stephen. (challenge coins are large coins that Marines collect to commemorate their experiences and affiliations.)

Our next stop was lunch with local recruits. The other Marine Mom on this trip, Gail, and I went around the chow hall talking to the recruits and asking for their mom's names and numbers. We also took pictures of them and told them we'd e-mail them to their families. When you're a Marine Mom, all Marines are like your sons, and I very happily gave a few encouraging hugs to remind them how proud their mothers are of them. I had the pleasure of meeting Recruit Lee Hamp of Stow, Recruit Jared Werner of Lorain County, Recruit Andrew Armstrong of Mansfield, Recruit Joshua Sanders of Chardon, Recruit Jason Schmitt of Avon Lake, and Recruit Adam Burgett of Lorain. What amazing young men! This evening I spent a couple of hours on the phone with mothers and brothers and sisters and girlfriends, assuring them that their recruits were doing well and send their love.

I was in their shoes three years ago. I know how they feel and how desperate you are to know how your child is doing. Marine Corps Boot Camp differs from that of the other services in that there is no communication except for hand-written letters...no phone calls, no e-mails. I felt like Santa...delivering a very special gift this holiday season.

After lunch we learned about the Crucible, and had the opportunity to experience some of the events the recruits go through. The Crucible is a 54-hour exercise that comes in the 11th week of Boot Camp; it's the culmination of everything they have learned up to this point. With very little sleep or food the recruits face a series of challenges and obstacles. Upon completing the Crucible, the recruits receive their Eagle, Globe and Anchor and go from being recruits to being Marines. It's a defining moment that every Marine remembers the rest of their life.

Our final stop for the day was a martial arts demonstation and the Confidence Course. The Confidence Course is like an obstacle course on steroids that every recruit must master before they can become a Marine. This is not the obstacle course on the playground or in your backyard...this is one that takes strength and courage and perseverance. It forces those with a fear of heights or a fear of failing to overcome them. The martial arts program teaches every Marine how to defend themselves using just their hands, or whatever they might have available. Every recruit must pass a minimum level of proficiency in order to become a Marine.

Wow! What a day! While going through the Crucible and the Confidence Course I was tempted to call Stephen and ask him how he did on this challenge or that one. I could picture him climbing up the cargo net or scaling the wall. I imagined his face covered with camouflage paint as he worked his way through the Crucible, tired and hungry; and how incredible he must have felt when it was over.

Tomorrow is graduation day; it's what families and the recruits have been waiting for. There will be lots of tears and laughter and I feel fortunate that I'll be able to share it with these families, who will now be my extended Marine family!

Dec. 8

Today was our last day here at Parris Island, but it was an incredible day. Today 575 Marines graduated Boot Camp and their 13-week journey was completed. Yet, this is really only the beginning. From here, following a 10-day leave at home, they go on to additional training and then to their PDS (permanent duty station.) The training varies depending on what their MOS (military occupational specialty) is. It can be from weeks to as long as 18 months.

Our day started with the raising of the colors. In civilian terms, that means the ceremony where the American flag is raised. On a military base, this is always a very special moment. At Parris Island, on graduation day, it is truly an event. The Parris Island band plays and the Commanding General makes remarks. The event concludes with the playing of the Marine Corps Hymn. Ever since Stephen graduated from Boot Camp, I feel myself stand a little taller when the Hymn is played.

From there we went to the Drill Instructor School. Located at Parris Island, this is where the DIs are trained. In reality, the DIs go through a school more intense than that which the recruits encounter...and they're usually 5-10 years older than the average recruit. Drill Instructor candidates volunteer for this duty. Knowing it will be physically and mentally challenging, and mean 100+ hour work weeks, there is no shortage of Marines who want this duty.

I have had the honor of knowing some former DIs, and without exception, every one of them says it was the most important duty they've had in the Corps. These DIs truly care about the recruits put in their care, and are proud of the Marines they help create.

From DI School, we finally headed over to the Parade Deck for graduation. The stands were filled with families, all waiting for that moment when their Marine will be dismissed and is free to leave Parris Island. Someone unaware of the occasion might have thought a rock star was about to make an appearance. It was a standing-room-only event, and signs and banners were abundant.

I can't begin to imagine the sense of accomplishment these Marines feel. I used to tell Stephen that Boot Camp would probably be the hardest thing he ever did in his life. If he made it through that, he could live the rest of his life knowing that he could do anything he put his mind to.

The graduation ceremony was executed with precision. As the platoons passed in review, they marched in perfect unison. Every movement was crisp and sharp. How far they'd come in 13 weeks!

Again, I did not have a child in the graduation, yet I felt a sense of pride as the DIs yelled their final "dismissed" and the Marines rushed to their mothers and fathers.

I remembered Stephen's graduation like it was yesterday. It's impossible to describe the feeling of watching your child emerge as a Marine; standing so straight and proud before you.

Many parents try to talk their children out of enlisting in the military. I tried everything I could to talk Stephen out of it. He was in college and there was no reason for him to enlist! No reason except this "calling" he had to serve his country. We are so fortunate that there are young men and women who have the strength to listen to that little voice inside them, and work tirelessly to defend our freedom.

Being a Marine Mom is not easy duty. Having a deployed child is a worry that cannot be described in words. They say your child enlists and you get drafted. That is so true because they do not take that journey alone. You are with them in spirit every step of the way. You know how it is when your teenager is out with friends at night and you can't quite go to sleep until you hear the car pull in the driveway? Well, multiply that by 1,000, and it's still not even close to what you feel having a child deployed in a war zone.

Being here at Parris Island this week has been an invaluable gift. In addition to the long days full of activity, Gail (the other Marine Mom) and I had an emotional journey...recalling our sons taking those same steps and going through the training we were now witnessing first-hand.

I am truly in awe for what Stephen accomplished. And although I didn't think it was possible, I am even more proud of him. He truly is my hero.