MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO — Those who enlist in the Marine Corps have many reasons for joining. These reasons can range from family tradition to a strong desire to serve one’s country, however very few have likely joined the Corps because a group of Marines saved their fathers’ lives.
Continue reading "Recruit returns favor to Corps for saving father's life" »
(SAN DIEGO, CA) The top 10% of Marines leave their assigned military occupational speciality and go through nearly 12 weeks of intense training to become a drill instructor for three years. Erika Thomas introduces us to the men making Marines in this KMEG 14 exclusive series.
Continue reading "Making Marines Part V: USMC Drill Instructors" »
(SAN DIEGO, CA) Every week, day, minute of training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego is spent perfecting recruits physically and mentally to handle the stresses of combat. In this KMEG 14 exclusive series Making Marines, Erika Thomas takes us inside the most exhausting and emotional week.
Continue reading "Making Marines Part IV: Becoming Marines" »
(SAN DIEGO, CA) It's something most recruits never get to do - talk about training during their time at MCRD San Diego. In this KMEG 14 exclusive series Making Marines, Erika Thomas shares the personal stories of two Iowa recruits a long way from home.
Continue reading "Making Marines Part III: Meet Iowa Recruits" »
(SAN DIEGO, CA) Imagine getting a crash course in Marine Corps recruit training - 13 weeks crammed into one. 35 educators from Iowa and Nebraska got to do just that at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego. Erika Thomas introduces us to them in this KMEG 14 exclusive series: Making Marines.
Continue reading "Making Marines Part II: Training Teachers" »
(SAN DIEGO, CA) It's something most people never get to experience - how young recruits become Marines. Erika Thomas takes us inside the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, California, for this KMEG 14 exclusive series: Making Marines.
I followed a group of Iowa and Nebraska educators to MCRD San Diego for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. All this week I'll show you what it takes to make it through 13 weeks of intensive recruit training. We begin with something rarely seen on camera - a recruit's first night on the yellow footprints.
Continue reading "Making Marines Part I: Yellow Footprints" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO — He is tired and feeling the slight pang of hunger set in, covered in camouflage face paint and sweat, yet, Rct. Terry Hathcock, Platoon 1074, Company D, sits extremely disciplined. His back straight as a board, his eyes straight ahead.
PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. - They will build you up, then break you down.
Continue reading "Boot camp recruits learn sweat saves blood" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. — More than 180 high school students from around the country competed for awards and scholarships during the 2010 Youth Physical Fitness Championship May 14 and 15 at the depot’s track and soccer field.
Continue reading "YPF competition tests high school students" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO - Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego consistently upgrades its facilities and after years of planning and more than six months of construction, the Visitors Reception Center is host to the new Boot Camp Gallery at the depot's James L. Day Command Museum. The facility's new addition was unveiled and had its first visitors during a reception, Feb 26.
Continue reading "Command Museum Opens Recruit Training Gallery, Teaches History of Depot" »
PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. -- "Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in the morning."
PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. -- For Todd Bowers, a teacher at Waynedale High School, the educators' trip to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in Parris Island was "a college visit."
Continue reading "Faces of the Marine Corps seen from many levels, stages of life" »
PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. -- She said she has never seen anything quite like it.
Continue reading "The Proud: Once a Marine, always a Marine" »
PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. -- Shooting an M-16 A2 service rifle was one of our first hands-on activities as a group of educators participating in a workshop at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in Parris Island.
Continue reading "Parris Island, S.C., where an M-16 is just part of the daily routine" »
PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. -- We crept onto Parris Island, silent and somewhat eerie, by bus early Wednesday morning, Jan. 13, our first full day as "recruits."
BRACEVILLE, Ohio - The Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating a car crash that killed three Ohio Marine Corps recruits headed to Cleveland for their entrance exam on Wednesday night.
Three Marine recruits were killed after an accident involving at least seven vehicles in Braceville Wednesday afternoon.
Continue reading "Three Marine Recruits Die in Braceville Accident" »
By land, sea, or air - wherever combat leads them, Marines are prepared.
Continue reading "Marines Prepared for Land, Sea, and Air" »
Marine boot camp lasts for 13 weeks, during that time, recruits go through three distinct phases of training.
United States Marines no doubt have a tough job.
Many may forget that our country is involved in two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Continue reading "Transforming into A United States Marine" »
PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. — Even today, Staff Sgt. Alex Ayala lives with the burden of Operation Phantom Fury.
Continue reading "Combat experience guides battle-hardened DIs" »
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. —
As if 10 weeks of 16 hour days in constant motion aren’t exhausting enough, Marine recruits from Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego have to endure a 54-hour training evolution at Camp Pendleton, Calif., appropriately named “The Crucible,” before they can graduate basic training. The Crucible is jam-packed with obstacles in a combat-like atmosphere where sleep is reduced to four hours a night at most and food for two days is provided by only two Meals Ready to Eat, each of which only carry around 1,200 calories verses the 4,000 calories service members may burn each day, according to the Institute of Medicine.
Rutherford teens eager for change
Two La Vergne High School students who have been best friends and neighbors for more than 14 years are beginning new chapters in their lives together as both prepared to enter boot camp at Parris Island, S.C., on Monday.
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — They endured countless hours of swimming and finning in the combat pool and then in the open, cold ocean.
Continue reading "Recon-improvement plan pays off for Corps" »
BEAUFORT, S.C. — There were smiles, a smattering of applause and more than a few laughs when Archibald Hummer was called before Col. Gregory Douquet to become the Marine Corps’ newest corporal during a recent ceremony at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island.
MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. — The Corps’ new running suit has been made available to 125 units, the latest step in the plan to get one free outfit to every Marine, officials said.
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. — During Event 2 of the Crucible, inside the arena dubbed “The Octagon” by drill instructors, recruits get one final chance to prove their mettle in hand-to- hand combat.
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. — During Event 2 of the Crucible, inside the arena dubbed “The Octagon” by drill instructors, recruits get one final chance to prove their mettle in hand-to- hand combat.
’Tis the season of giving, but after this Christmas, officials at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., are ending the decades-old tradition of allowing recruits to take a break from boot camp so they can buy gifts for family and friends back home.
Continue reading "Once again, Corps plans to ax Recruit Wrap" »
S.C. is ground zero for combat veterans to get recruits ready to fight
They join up in Detroit and Brooklyn, Phoenix and Seattle, and in hundreds of smaller communities across America.
Recruit sheds the pounds to become a Marine
Ulysses Milana wanted to serve in the military, as many of his family members have, but one recruiter after another told the 330-pound former culinary student that he needed to lose weight — and a lot of it.
Marine recruits take break from routine to eat holiday meal
SAN DIEGO – One by one, 3,000 future Marines stepped up to the glass door of the mess hall for yesterday's midday meal. Pivoting smartly, each recruit snapped off his brimmed camouflage cap and barked “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen!” as he entered.
LEWISTON, Maine (Nov. 17) - Army and Navy recruiters took one look at 330-pound Ulysses Milana and told him to forget about joining.
LEWISTON, Maine (Nov. 17) - Army and Navy recruiters took one look at 330-pound Ulysses Milana and told him to forget about joining.
No injuries or damaged structures reported
CAMP PENDLETON ---- A brush fire on Camp Pendleton had burned more than 1,000 acres as of Wednesday night and was still spreading, base officials said.
Continue reading "CAMP PENDLETON: Fire chars 1,000 acres; dry winds expected Sunday" »
Military installations across the Carolinas are making preparations for tropical weather approaching the Southeast.
They scramble off the buses wearing typical teenager haircuts, Nike T-shirts and looks of bewilderment, trepidation and uncertainty. Driven by sharp commands from a cadre of men in crisp uniforms and impatient countenances, they attempt to comply with orders to both “Hurry up!” and “Stop running!” and form up on precisely aligned yellow footprints stenciled on the sidewalk.
Sitting cross-legged on the red turf of Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island's Inchon Firing Range, a Marine rifle instructor by his side, 13-year-old Kyle Drott lowered his M-16 service rifle, wiped the sweat from his eyes and fired. His first shot -- right on target.
Continue reading "Marines make teen's wish come true by putting him through the paces" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO — Last year was a historically dry year throughout the western United States. Because San Diego imports more than 85 percent of its water it is very important to conserve every precious drop.
Continue reading "Depot takes action in water conservation" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO — As a child, Amed Kanan dreamed of serving in the Marine Corps. He wished to join the ranks of the uniformed men he saw doing good things in his community. When he told his friends about his dream of becoming a Marine, he was ridiculed, called a traitor, and told to do so would betray his country. How could serving in the Marines betray his country? The reason is because Amed Kanan grew up in Iraq.
Continue reading "Iraqi recruit joins fight against terrorism" »
WASHINGTON - Franklin Smith had a wife and an infant son when he convinced a recruiter in Biloxi, Miss., that he wanted to be a Marine.
Continue reading "Marine moms, dads, often drop out of boot camp" »
(05-25) 04:00 PDT Camp Pendleton, -- San Diego County - In a dusty field off a back road, a group of young Marine recruits gather around a sign to learn the story of Cpl. Jason Dunham.
Continue reading "A final test for recruits who would be Marines" »
A drill instructor hospitalized since March 14 after a motorcycle crash in South Carolina has been upgraded to fair condition and is conscious, a hospital spokesman said Thursday afternoon.
Continue reading "Condition of DI in motorcycle crash upgraded" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO — Marines are known as amphibious warriors based on their ability to assault fortified islands by sea.
Continue reading "Experience increases recruit confidence in basic water skills" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO — As the recruits of Company E scaled the mountainous terrain of Edson Range, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., they anxiously anticipated one hill that would grant them the title Marine, the Reaper.
JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — A drill instructor found in a wooded area hours after his motorcycle crashed Friday remains in critical condition in a Georgia hospital.
In their final days as civilians, longtime friends enlisting in Marine Corps prepare for change of a lifetime
It's late evening at Marine Corps boot camp in San Diego. A bus rumbles to the curb and the doors open with a loud "whoosh."
MCRD/ERR PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. (Feb. 26, 2008) -- The Parris Island Marine Band is well known aboard the Depot and in the Lowcountry, but there is more to this band than playing at recruit graduations and parades. Since the Corps is expanding, the band is traveling around the Eastern Recruiting Region to aid recruiters and showcase what the Corps has to offer.
Continue reading "Parris Island Marine Band keeps up recruiting efforts" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO —
Equipped with a load-bearing vest and two canteens, Company D recruits battled fatigue through rain, mud and sweat to conquer the Combat Conditioning Exercise course Dec. 19.
Continue reading "CCX Combat conditioning exercises prepare Company D for battle" »
5 men say use of stand-ins to take tests was an established tactic
Five former Marine recruiters punished for fraudulently enlisting recruits from the Houston area said they were part of a web operating with tacit approval of some superiors.
Continue reading "Marine ex-recruiters say higher-ups share blame" »
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. (Dec. 14, 2007) -- Since Opha Mae Johnson first enlisted into the Marine Corps in 1918, many women have earned the title of U.S. Marines and bound themselves to the Corps’ traditions and history.
Continue reading "Female Marines pass wisdom to the future of Corps" »
A Marine mom and NewsChannel5 employee attended boot camp to experience what her son went through and to find other local Marines from northeast Ohio. Follow her adventures here.
Dec. 3
Your child tells you they want to enlist in the Marine Corps. As a parent, you may feel helpless and clueless as they board the bus to head to Boot Camp.
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO (Nov. 30, 2007) -- Millions of young Americans have earned the title of United States Marine and have marched countless miles across Shepherd Memorial Drill Field here at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego.
Continue reading "Parade deck etiquette is a matter of tradition" »
MCRD/ERR PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. (Oct. 4, 2007) -- It's two miles, several obstacles and an hour plus of nerve-wracking silence, sweat and mind-numbing concentration. It's the Crucible's Endurance Course and it's an exercise that pits a recruit's entire three months of training into one event.
ARLINGTON, Va. — For the first time since the 1990s, all enlisted Marines will be required to have dress blue uniforms by Oct. 1, 2011.
Continue reading "Marines order dress blues for all in service" »
Three best friends headed off as Daniel, Daryl and Steven. Now they'll all answer to 'Recruit!'
It was nearly 3 a.m. on a Monday when three weary teenagers arrived at the Marine Corps recruiting station in the Santa Clarita Valley. There to meet them was the station's chief recruiter, Staff Sgt. Juan Diazdumeng, an energetic and enthusiastic presence, even in the middle of the night.
Continue reading "About to learn the drill at Marine boot camp" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO(July 20, 2007) -- After nine months on the depot, one Company A Marine proved nothing could hold him back as he graduates today as a lance corporal and the company honorman.
Continue reading "Company A recruit graduates as company honorman after nine-month tour on depot" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO (June 15, 2007) -- High school administrators, teachers and counselors from Recruiting Stations Dallas, Houston and Fort Worth, Texas, experienced a week-long synopsis of Marine Corps recruit training during a 2007 Educators Workshop June 11 to 15.
Continue reading "8th MCD educators visit depot for taste of Marine boot camp" »
"She wants to visit Camp Pendleton and thank the Marines because they are at the forefront of the global war on terror," said base spokesman 1st Lt. Lawton King.Australia's minister of foreign affairs, Alexander Downer, will join Rice for the afternoon event during which they also will greet Australian troops training at the base.
CLEVELAND A high school student who wanted to join the Marines hired a personal trainer, got rid of the junk food in his diet and dropped 106 pounds in 10 months.
Continue reading "Teen sheds 106 pounds to join Marine Corps" »
SPRINGFIELD - Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Paul E. Lefebvre's military career has placed him in a position to help those who need it most
GRISSOM ARB - They are few in number.
They are proud because of the discipline and fortitude that they possess in achieving what it takes to become a United States Marine.
Continue reading "Marine recruits get taste of boot camp at Grissom" »
OSWEGO, IL. ~ The eXtreme Allstarzz Cheerleading Academy of Oswego, IL. recently raised $1,870 in a Change War Competition. The money has been donated to MarineParents.com and their Care Package Project(TM). The $1,870 will sponsor 85 care packages. MarineParents.com mails approximately 1,100 care packages to deployed Marines every 10 weeks.
Continue reading "Cheerleading Academy raises money to sponsor care packages for deployed Marines" »
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - Only the crunching of dry grass and the snapping of rifles disturb the air over this Marine training field.
Marine Corps drill instructors answered questions in a normal speaking voice, instead of barking orders Tuesday night.
Two soldiers appear out of the dense pine-brush undergrowth, their faces covered in war paint, their uniforms caked with mud.
PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. — The bus stops at yellow foot prints painted on the asphalt.
PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. – A Marine Corps boot camp may be hell on Earth run by drill instructors who are "almost Satans in camies," or camouflage, as Gunnery Sgt. Arthur Foster put it.
Continue reading "Sessions teach Marine recruits about making ethical choices" »
AP) A 7-ton truck overturned during a training exercise at Miramar air base early Saturday, killing one Marine and injuring 19 others, authorities said.
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO (Dec. 1, 2006) -- Recruits from Company K completed the Combat Conditioning Exercise Course during their first phase of training here in September.
Continue reading "Close combat drills prepare recruits for close calls in battle" »
TIFFIN - To the altar of St. Mary's Catholic Church, family and friends of Lance Cpl. Jeremy S. Shock carried symbols of what was important to the young Marine killed 10 days ago in Iraq.
Continue reading "'HE GAVE HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS', 2 Ohio towns say farewell to fallen Marine" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO (Oct. 13, 2006) -- Thousands of motivated civilians and service members participated in Marine Corps recruit training for a day, at the depot’s fifth annual Boot Camp Challenge, Oct. 7.
Continue reading "*Civilians run as recruits at Boot Camp Challenge" »
Somebody's Trapped in There!
As a U.S. marine corps drill instructor, Jamie Nicholson had a tough-as-leather scowl and a cannon-like voice that could drain the color right out of the faces of his new recruits. Whether driving his platoon on a 12-mile hike with 45-pound packs or ordering them to plunge fully dressed from a tower into water ten feet below, he pushed the young soldiers ceaselessly. As Marines he taught them to act decisively and effectively, even in the midst of chaos.
Karen and David Marks once anguished for months not knowing whether their sons away at military boot camp were safe and well.
After graduating from boot camp, twin brothers Robert and Matt Shipp, from Hauser Lake, know they have what it takes to be Marines
A closed sign hung in the window of the little Coeur d'Alene barber shop when Matt and Robert Shipp arrived Tuesday afternoon, a day after returning home from boot camp.
Continue reading "*Brothers in Arms part IV: Two good men" »
After graduating from boot camp, twin brothers Robert and Matt Shipp, from Hauser Lake, know they have what it takes to be Marines
A closed sign hung in the window of the little Coeur d'Alene barber shop when Matt and Robert Shipp arrived Tuesday afternoon, a day after returning home from boot camp.
Continue reading "*Brothers in Arms part IV: Two good men" »
It was a muggy, rainy, buggy day on a rural island of South Carolina’s Lowcountry coast when WWE Superstar John Cena was put to the ultimate test by some of the United States’ greatest heroes – the Marines.
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO (Sept. 1, 2006) -- Throughout boot camp, recruits learn what it takes to become leaders.
Many hours are spent studying Marine Corps knowledge such as leadership traits and principles, but recruits also get the opportunity to act as leaders in the field.
Continue reading "Recruits learn to lead at 12-Stall Crucible course" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO (Sept. 1, 2006) -- Throughout boot camp, recruits learn what it takes to become leaders.
Many hours are spent studying Marine Corps knowledge such as leadership traits and principles, but recruits also get the opportunity to act as leaders in the field.
Continue reading "Recruits learn to lead at 12-Stall Crucible course" »
Devin Chambers (from left), Ben McCorkle and Pacheco Perez, new Marine recruits departing for basic training, pose for a photo.
SAN DIEGO - An opportunity to get an education, to see parts of the world they’d only heard about or serve their country attracted 16 passengers here last evening aboard American Airlines Flight 1961, and ultimately, to 13 weeks of boot camp at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego.
Continue reading "Marine recruits head to basic training, military life" »
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, N.C.(Aug. 22, 2006) -- Fingers wrap around the pistol grip of the M-16A2s carried by the night sentries. The nothingness of sand dunes has been replaced by the emptiness of darkness. Suddenly, something is moving – location, size, direction all unknown. Rockets disturb the peace of the night as the base camp takes enemy fire. Time moves slow, but still too fast to think. Marines fall back on reflexes, knowledge ingrained in their minds from their earliest days in the Corps.
Continue reading "Locked and Loaded: MCCIC gives Marines ammo for training warriors" »
Have you ever wondered what our young men and women go through to become a United States Marine?
Continue reading "U.S. Marine Corps: Educators' Workshop, Part II" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. (July 2006) - Combat Engineers with Company B, 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, work on the roof of a South East Asia hut used for recruit training at the depot. The Marines refurbished 14 South East Asia huts and built four new huts on training areas crucial to recruit training at the depot. Photo by: Courtesy of Co. B, 8th ESB, 2nd MLG
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (Aug. 22, 2006) -- Company B, 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, sent 105 Marines to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., July 24 through Aug. 5, to assist in renovating and rebuilding training area structures
Continue reading "2nd MLG Engineers aid recruit depot, build training structures" »
SAN JOSE, Calif. - On a warm spring Tuesday, a 19-year-old girl walks into the Marine Recruiting Office and flings herself into the fake leather chair, adjusting a spaghetti strap on her skimpy tank top.
Continue reading "Meeting cute girls, seeing future Marines" »
Company C drill instructors Staff Sgt. Jose M. Mariscal, left, and Sgt. Timothy Brown demonstrate counters and chokes. Both drill instructors have taken the Martial Arts Instructors Course. Photo by: Lance Cpl. James Green
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO (Aug. 18, 2006) -- Since August 2005, almost every drill instructor who has graduated from Drill Instructor School here has attended the Instructors’ Course at the depot’s Marine Corps Martial Arts Program facility.
Continue reading "Drill instructors teach advanced methods of self-defense, martial arts" »
Michael Saunders was 11 when he first showed up at St. Joseph's Villa for Children. Over the years, the rough-edged kid would throw chairs and punches at the people trying to help him.
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO (Aug. 18, 2006) -- Before the recruits of Company M were dismissed by their drill instructors from recruit training, they were challenged both in mind and body while making the three-month transformation into Marines.
Continue reading "Recruits test Corps knowledge, practical application skills" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO (Aug. 11, 2006) -- Throughout recruit training, recruits endure a tremendous amount of mental, moral and physical stress.
A drill instructor with Company H holds the rope for a recruit to ensure his safety as he slides down the depot’s rappel tower.
Continue reading "Rappel tower tests recruits’ will, guts" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO (Aug. 11, 2006) -- Despite an injury one-third of the way through boot camp the first time, a Company H recruit, who was set back in training, reunited with the same company after an entire cycle of recruits graduated.
Continue reading "Co. H Marine graduates after injury hinders training" »
Young men eagerly join the Marines
Casey Jones graduated from Dundalk High School in June in the top 5 percent of his class. He posted a 3.8 GPA on a transcript dotted with advanced placement classes and scored 1800 on the SAT exam.
The Marine Corps surpassed its shipping goal for both active-duty and Reserve recruits during July, sending a total of 358 more recruits to boot camp than it was aiming for, according to an Aug. 10 Defense Department release.
Continue reading "Corps exceeds recruit shipping goals in July" »
Fort Meade, Md. - A step through the doors of the Military Entrance Processing Station here blows away the myths that the military is struggling to get enough recruits, dropping its standards to get those it does, or glossing over the fact that it's recruiting into a wartime force.
Continue reading "Recruits processing into military defy misconceptions, myths" »
SAN DIEGO ---- With a ceremonial passing of the organizational colors, Brig. Gen. Angela Salinas, the highest-ranking Latino woman in the Marines, accepted command of the Marine Corps Recruiting Depot in San Diego on Friday.
Continue reading "Highest-ranking Latino woman assumes command of Marine Corp Recruiting Depot" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO(Aug. 4, 2006) -- While addressing a gathered crowd during a recent Morning Colors ceremony at Pendleton Hall, the commanding general of Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego and the Western Recruiting Region paused, which has become a routine over his three years at the depot, to allow the roaring noise of an outgoing airplane from nearby Lindbergh Field to fade away.
Pvt. Estrada O. Edeyaoch, 22, and his nephew Pvt. Adrian N. Edeyaoch, 18, grew up together, and today they graduate from the same platoon.
Continue reading "Uncle, nephew leave home island, graduate together" »
Late-night arrivals: Matt, left, and Robert Shipp place their feet on yellow footprints at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego. The Hauser Lake, Idaho, recruits were first off the bus at nearly midnight Monday for their processing into boot camp.
Closer to their dream but thousands of miles from home, twins Matt and Robert Shipp step into the world of Marine boot camp
With high school behind them, identical twins Matt and Robert Shipp plan to fulfill a dream: become Marines and go to war for their country
SAN DIEGO -- Partly, it was the recruits' pitiable buzzed heads, like those of Russian convicts, that set my wife crying.
Partly, it was the men's ferocity as they jogged to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot parking lot, faced their families for the first time after three months of boot camp and roared military chants, platoon by platoon.
Continue reading "Rite of passage for a recruit: graduation" »
PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. - Last month, 17-year-old Jonathan Stephenson took the oath of honor.
Thousands of recruits graduate from Parris Island each year, and Cpl. Rob Hill is helping shape those recruits into one of the few and the proud.
Pvt. Joshua Dover, Platoon 1099, Company B, prepares for an upcoming bout, in which recruits wear football helmets and other protection.
Continue reading "Recruits pummel away in pugil sticks training" »
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- At an obstacle course set amid sage and prickly pears, Marine recruits lined up to don gas masks and swing on a rope across a gravel patch representing a blown-out bridge.
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO (April 7, 2006) -- Sometimes he went to the recreation center nearby to take showers, but if he didn’t get off work in time, it was bath time in a local river.
Private Bryan A. Smith, Platoon 3075, knew the military would play a role in his life, but he never expected it would leave him in the back of a pick-up with his cousin. Arguments at home about his decision eventually led to his mother telling him to leave the nest.
Continue reading "New Marine gave up home, lived in truck for choosing to serve" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO (April 7, 2006) -- Female Marines have progressed extensively throughout their military history. For 63 years they have continually served their Corps and helped “free a man to fight” during both world wars.
Continue reading "The real McKoy: Recruiting’s leading lady wasn’t always so successful" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO (April 7, 2006) -- A Marine Corps Martial Art Instructor from the Mobile Training Team in Quantico, Va. visited the depot this week to teach depot martial art instructors advanced techniques and training.
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (April 6, 2006) -- The best of the West displayed their marksmanship skills during the Western Division Competition-in-Arms Program at Wilcox Range here March 13-31.
More than 100 of the best pistol shooters and riflemen west of the Mississippi River strived to outshoot each other in the competition. Most of the participants were Marines, but reservists, retirees and civilians also competed, said Staff Sgt. Scott K. Jones, utilities chief at Marine Wing Support Squadron 372 here.
Continue reading "Shooters display marksmanship aboard Camp Pendleton" »
This couldn't be our son Sergei.
Continue reading "BECOMING A MARINE Challenge, hardship and pride" »
MCRD/ERR PARRIS ISLAND, S.C.(March 16, 2006) -- While retired Master Sgt. Eulas "Jody" Talley Jr.'s name may not be immediately familiar, his face is more famous than many Marines aboard the Depot would guess.
A former college teammate of Pat Tillman is following his footsteps by leaving professional football to join the military.
Pfc. Jeremy Staat, a former NFL defensive lineman who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the St. Louis Rams, graduated from the San Diego Marine Corps Recruit Depot on Friday.
Continue reading "Ex-NFL player graduates from Marines boot camp in San Diego" »
A former college teammate of Pat Tillman is following his footsteps by leaving professional football to join the military.
Pfc. Jeremy Staat, a former NFL defensive lineman who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the St. Louis Rams, graduated from the San Diego Marine Corps Recruit Depot on Friday.
Continue reading "Ex-NFL player graduates from Marines boot camp in San Diego" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO(March 10, 2006) -- The Silent Drill Platoon, “The Commandant’s Own” Drum and Bugle Corps and the Color Guard of the Marine Corps visited the depot Saturday during this year’s Battle Color Ceremony.
Continue reading "Battle Color Detachment parades at depot ceremony" »
9TH MARINE CORPS DISTRICT (March 1, 2006) -- During processing, the deck of the receiving barracks at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego is littered with a variety of personal items recruits should not bring to recruit training.
My BlackBerry buzzed as I was sipping merlot at a reception in downtown Chicago. I had missed two calls from home. I found a quiet spot and called, and my 19-year-old stepson, Sergei, answered.
(Parris Island) Jan. 25, 2006 - Marine Staff Sergeant Nadya Lopez has been on trial for the drowning death of Jason Tharp. News 10 has learned she entered a not guilty plea Wednesday morning at Parris Island.
She also requested and received a judge only trial.
BEAUFORT, S.C. (AP) - Five Marines have been given immunity for their testimony for a swim instructor charged with negligent homicide in the drowning death of a recruit at Parris Island last year.
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO (Jan. 20, 2006) -- The physical fitness test is one of the many events demanded from each recruit on the depot.
25 Marine recruits spend a day in training
A day at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island proved more hazardous to NASCAR Busch Series driver Ashton Lewis Jr. than his high-speed day job.
Continue reading "NASCAR drivers see life on Parris Island" »
Famillies share stories of first child leaving home for new opportunity
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Dec. 2, 2005) -- Marine wives and loved ones of the depot's Recruit Training Regiment participated in Jane Wayne Day 2005, a day-long, toned-down run-through of recruit training Nov. 20.
Continue reading "D.I. Janes: Regiment takes wives through boot camp" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Dec. 2, 2005) -- These are America's newest Marines and their leaders at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego. Company I graduates 550 men today:
Continue reading "MCRD San Diego's newest Marines graduate Dec. 2" »
On Nov. 17, I wrote a letter to the editor about what I saw as the "worst generation." Perhaps I was wrong in blaming a whole generation that I thought knew no sacrifice.
RECRUITING STATION PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (Nov. 30, 2005) -- Being the smallest of the armed services, the Marine Corps has always considered itself a family, each Marine relying and depending on each other to accomplish the mission. But for two Marine Corps recruiters, that sense of family goes even a little deeper.
PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. -- In the face of a bloody war with no end in sight, the U.S. Marine Corps continues to find men and women willing, if not eager, to lay their lives on the line.
Continue reading "Recruits hear Marines' call to duty, honor" »
DETROIT -- Michigan's military recruits come disproportionately from its rural areas as compared to urban areas, according to Pentagon records.
PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. -- A bus carrying 22 new recruits pulls into Parris Island Recruit Depot, lit only by the dim neon glow of street lights. “Get off the bus,” Staff Sgt. Tony Kimmanee barks, his voice hoarse from daily screaming.
Continue reading "With war raging in Iraq, young local men and women still enlist" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif.(Nov. 18, 2005) -- Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, Sgt. Maj. John L. Estrada, presented the annual drill instructor of the year award to Gunnery Sgt. Antonio Ceritelli at Marine Corps Air Facility, Quantico, Va., Nov. 1.
Continue reading "Depot drill instructor takes top honors in Corpswide board" »
I normally cringe whenever combat war metaphors are used in reference to sports or business. Let me be more precise: Whenever I hear a coach, sportscaster or writer, or top-level business executive, equate sports or business or politics with war, I yearn to arrest them (metaphorically, of course) on a felony charge of context abuse.
Continue reading "Parris Island visit reveals the Corps fundamentals" »
Under clear blue fall skies, 545 Marine recruits from the First Training Battalion graduated from basic training and became Marines before approximately 2,500 family members who were seeing their sons, husbands, brothers and friends for the first time in three months.
Continue reading "Becoming warriors at Marine Corps' basic training" »
It's just after midnight as the charter bus crosses the causeway that separates the mainland from the Parris Island recruit training depot, where for 90 years the Marine Corps has molded young men, and more recently women, into disciplined soldiers.
Continue reading "Boot camp at Parris Island ain't no Club Med" »
RICHMOND — Within five minutes of being reunited with his family at the end of Marine Corps basic training, Mat Seigars told his mother, "You know, Mom, I'm going to Iraq."
Continue reading "Back from boot camp, Marine relishes comforts of home" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif.(Nov. 18, 2005) -- Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, Sgt. Maj. John L. Estrada, presented the annual drill instructor of the year award to Gunnery Sgt. Antonio Ceritelli at Marine Corps Air Facility, Quantico, Va., Nov. 1.
Continue reading "Depot drill instructor takes top honors in Corpswide board" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif.(Nov. 18, 2005) -- Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, Sgt. Maj. John L. Estrada, presented the annual drill instructor of the year award to Gunnery Sgt. Antonio Ceritelli at Marine Corps Air Facility, Quantico, Va., Nov. 1.
Continue reading "Depot drill instructor takes top honors in Corpswide board" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Nov. 18, 2005) -- After a worried college student found his mother was in harm's way during a roadside bombing in Baghdad, Iraq, he contemplates the situation he chose to ignore and focuses his thoughts on joining the Marine Corps.
PARRIS ISLAND, S.C.-The U.S. Marine boot camp tucked amid the swamps near Beaufort is renowned for its ability to transform civilians into fighting machines, but the process hasn't been without its ugly side despite assurances that today's Marine Corps offers a kinder, gentler training.
Continue reading "The good, bad and ugly of Parris Island's history" »
It's the journalist's job to observe and reflect. Here are some notes from an October visit to the Marine Corps boot camp at Parris Island, S.C.
Continue reading "Reporter's Notebook: Reflections on visit to Parris Island" »
WASHINGTON - Most military recruits in the United States come from areas in which household income is lower than the national median, a non-profit group says.
MCRD/ERR PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. (Oct. 28, 2005) -- A recent recruit training graduate received a special opportunity at the Peatross Parade Deck Oct. 21.
Continue reading "Video teleconference brings father, son together" »
Marine finds himself in middle of debate
Continue reading "Iraq war vet comes back home to recruit" »
PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. - There are more than 5,500 recruits at various stages of their basic training schedule at the Marine Corps Training Depot. They come in various sizes, with different aptitudes and attitudes and ethic backgrounds.
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Oct. 28, 2005) -- "Recruit Wombles times two!" yelled the drill instructor as two heads popped up simultaneously. Acknowledging the call, they both rose to their feet and ran to the front of the barracks.
Continue reading "Intuition propels twins through training" »
List of New Marines
Continue reading "MCRD San Diego's newest Marines graduate Oct. 28" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Oct. 28, 2005) -- The fifth Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps will review the depot's ceremonies celebrating the Corps' 230th birthday at Shepherd Memorial Drill Field Nov. 9.
Continue reading "Fifth SMMC to celebrate Corps birthday here" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Oct. 28, 2005) -- More than 200 former San Diego drill instructors and guests visited the depot Oct. 20-22 for the first West Coast drill instructor reunion.
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif.(Oct. 27, 2005) -- Fifty Marines from three Camp Pendleton units got a chance to send rounds down range during the two-day basic shooting skills portion of the re-vamped marksmanship training. The new course took effect Oct. 1. (SOI / pics at ext link)
Continue reading "Pendleton Marines maneuver Corps' new field fire training" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Oct. 21, 2005) -- These are America's newest Marines and their leaders at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego. Company C graduates 482 men today:
Continue reading "MCRD San Diego's newest Marines graduate Oct. 21" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Oct. 21, 2005) -- He stands in line behind other members of his platoon with a solid face of worry. This is his defining moment of boot camp, his final physical fitness test. He has to pass it in order to graduate, but the worry on his face is there for another reason.
12TH MARINE CORPS DISTRICT (Oct. 21, 2005) -- A group of would-be Marines - faces muddied and sweat beading - finished Volkslauf, the annual, obstacle-filled mud run dubbed the “Ultimate Challenge” in Bakersfield, Calif., Oct. 8.
Continue reading "Future devil dogs get down, dirty in Bakersfield mud run" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif.(Oct. 21, 2005) -- The winner of the Department of Defense 2004 Thomas Jefferson award for photojournalism was present at the command museum Oct. 14 and 15 for an exhibit of photographs he took in Fallujah, Iraq, last November. (1/8)
Marine in Iraq watches son graduate Marine Boot Camp Friday.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 17, 2005 – A case concerning colleges' right to receive federal funding but bar military recruiters from campuses because of disagreements over homosexual policy is scheduled to be argued before the Supreme Court this session.
Continue reading "Supreme Court to Hear Case on Military Recruiters' Access to Colleges" »
MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii (Oct. 14, 2005) -- Training brand new Marine scout snipers is a long, difficult process some instructors might find difficult. But Sgt. Andrew K. Jones does the job as if it were a hobby.
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Oct. 14, 2005) -- Three depot drill instructors auditioned Sunday at Qualcomm stadium for the chance to be the pre-game opener of the Monday Night Football Chargers vs. Steelers, game.
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Oct. 14, 2005) -- Throughout his whole life, he was always the slow, fat, out-of-shape kid in his class. Determined to be a Marine, and after a recruiter told the hefty applicant that only his chances were slim, Pfc. Braden Wiley would change.
MARINE CORPS RECRUITING COMMAND, QUANTICO, Va. (Oct. 7, 2005) -- The Commanding General of Marine Corps Recruiting Command, Maj. Gen. Walter E. Gaskin, was frocked to his current rank Oct. 7 during a ceremony held here at Geiger Hall.
Continue reading "Recruiting's top dog becomes senior ranking African American Marine" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Oct. 7, 2005) -- Disturbed by the loss of his sister, her boyfriend and his family at the age of 15, a Company G recruit lived through the traumatizing experience of a grieving loss at a young age, which ultimately compelled him to join the Marine Corps.
Continue reading "New Marine finds refuge in Corps after years of mourning lost sister" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Oct. 7, 2005) -- These are America's newest Marines and their leaders at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego. Company G graduates 571 men today:
Continue reading "MCRD San Diego's newest Marines graduate Oct. 7" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Oct. 7, 2005) -- The 25th depot commanding general passed away Monday evening at the Silverado Senior Living Rest Home in San Diego.
Continue reading "Former depot commander passes away at 90" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Oct. 7, 2005) -- Fleet Week, an annual recognition of military members by various businesses and organizations, and a way to learn more about the military, began Sept. 24.
Jennifer Dyer-Taft has wanted to be a Marine ever since she watched a Ricki Lake Show when she was six.
9TH MARINE CORPS DISTRICT, KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Oct. 1, 2005) -- Recruiters face challenges every day they are on recruiting duty. These challenges do not get any easier when holidays begin approaching. And when applicants are thinking about spending time with family and friends and not leaving them for months at a time for military training, strategies often change during the holiday season to help open the eyes of the young students who could be the next enlistees for the month.
Continue reading "Holiday recruiting problems provide no easy answers" »
9TH MARINE CORPS DISTRICT, KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Oct. 1, 2005) -- In the timeless battle of man versus waistline, Marines on recruiting duty find fast food, stress, and long workdays fighting against them as they strive to fit into their pre-recruiting trousers. But Marines never surrender. According to fitness and nutrition experts, staying in shape while on recruiting duty is not mission impossible and small changes can make big differences.
Continue reading "Dietitian gives recruiters nutrition advice" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Sept. 30, 2005) -- Before combat comes combat training. Aboard the depot, drill instructors give recruits a course integrated with the rest of recruit training that teaches recruits about close-hand combat.
Continue reading "MCMAP tests recruits' toughness, character" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUITING STATION PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (Sept. 25, 2005) -- Nearly 200 poolees and 70 Marines turned out for Marine Corps Recruiting Station Portsmouth’s Fourth Annual Mini Boot Camp Sept. 24-25. For the second year in a row the event was held at Blue Hills Reservation in Milton, Mass. The two-day event included classes on close order drill, an introduction to the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program, field hygiene and gear silencing.
Continue reading "RS Portsmouth Poolees get a taste of Boot Camp" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Sept. 23, 2005) -- Pfc. Gavin M. Treese was just an infant when his father retired from the Army. His mother had just gotten out of the Army after 11 years. It was the stories they told that sparked his interest in the military. The California-native decided to continue the family military tradition, but instead of joining the Army, he decided to become one of the few and the proud.
Continue reading "Born ready: New Marine came prepped by family, military schooling" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Sept. 23, 2005) -- These are America's newest Marines and their leaders at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego. Company M graduates 473 men today:
Continue reading "MCRD San Diego's newest Marines graduate Sept. 23" »
MARINES CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Sept. 23, 2005) -- This year's National Hispanic Heritage Month's theme is "Hispanic Americans: Strong and Colorful Threads in the American Fabric," and it pays tribute to the millions of United States residents from Hispanic dissent.
Continue reading "Depot recognizes Hispanic Marines and sailors" »
Shepherd Memorial Drill Field's 12 acres have been more crowded lately because every recruit-training company is active.
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif.(Sept. 12, 2005) -- Since missing their recruiting goals for four straight months from January to April 2005, the Marine Corps is back on track and expected to meet overall shipping goals for the fiscal year.
Defying the odds, two Recruiting Station Des Moines recruiters received rare honors here Aug. 11, for signing up 100 recruits each over the past four years.
Continue reading "RS Des Moines centurions share sucess secrets" »
MARINE CORPS RECRUITING SUBSTATION WORCESTER, MA — His expression was a perfect 50/50 split -- half shock and half excitement as his Parris Island drill instructor entered his home and presented him with a new set of Dress Blue's, February 3.
Continue reading "Marine fights for life after recruit training" »
PARRIS ISLAND, S.C., Jan. 12, 1999 – It's 3 a.m. and Marine drill instructors interrupt your beauty sleep by slamming the door to your hut and yelling for you and your teammates to get out of the rack, get your gear on and get outside -- NOW!