MCT is nearly complete, graduation is on Tuesday.  We have heard from Warren as his phone has been returned to him.  We spoke with him last night (Sat) and again today.  Something we learned, he has gained 10.8 lbs.  I say it again, he gained nearly 11 lbs at MCT.  Just to give a quick review of Warren's body mass since leaving for boot camp.

Pre-boot camp:
148.4 lbs
11.4% body fat

After boot camp:
144.8 lbs
4.6% body fat

After MCT:
155.6 lbs
DNK % body fat

 

So if you want to lose some of those unwanted pounds over the holidays, I would not recommend a strict dietary menu consisting of MREs.  Perhaps you can't see it in the photo but the tag line for the MRE "Warefighter Recommended, Warfighter Tested, Warfighter Approved".  MREs have come a long way over the years and now they obviously contain a lot of nutrients and may even taste "good" (of course sometimes the level of hunger increases the flavor of the meal).

 

We are still waiting on final word on orders to see where he gets to go for MOS school.  He suspects he is going to Camp Johnson but we need to see that on paper before we know for sure.

 

A couple of other notes from Warren;

-  He enjoyed MCT, he got to do a lot of live firing of weapons but his favorite was the grenade launcher (M203?).  He knows he isn't a great shot with the rifle but he said he was really good with the grenade launcher.  He said he could be a sniper with that.

-  They trained with female Marines, which motivated him since he could not fall out in front of the "girls".  The young female Marines were given no quarter and were treated no differently than the males.  No special treatment, as it should be.

-  He got 11 hours of sleep Sat night (versus the 6 hours for the past 5 weeks)

-  He sounded really good and is ready to get to MOS school.

As you know, Warren has been at MCT for several weeks and has one week remaining, graduates next Tuesday.  Last night we got a quick phone call from Warren, Tammy was at BSWA when she got the call.  She quickly moved to a place where she could talk to our Marine.  After talking to his mom, he called me and we spoke for a few minutes and then he called Hannah to talk to her for a few minutes.  Here is what we learned;

• He is doing fine.  He sounded really good and was in good spirits, it sounded like he was having a really good time.
• He has more free time than we have been told they would have (but he using the time wisely).
• He got a lot of time to get more live firing but this time he was able to add in throwing live grenades and firing a grenade launcher.  He told me the name of the weapon but I don't remember what it was, I just remember him saying it was cool.
• He still doesn't know where he is going when this is over but he will know Thursday or Friday this week.
• This week is the BSRE test which is the "Crucible on Crack", see the previous posts for more information on what is involved.  He sounded ready for this test.
• Phone service sucks at Camp Devil Dog, there was a lot of breaking up and can you hear me now moments.

 

A special note to the "Mothers of America" (as termed by Warren).  We saw a post on Facebook this morning where a Marine's mother was concerned about her son only getting MREs to eat.  This message comes from our Marine...."Moms of America, you make life more difficult with your meddling."  He had examples from boot camp where MOAs stepped in and despite their best intentions to help, they made a mess of things (and the recruits paid the price for the meddling).  Remember, these young men and women chose to be Marines.  Therefore, we must accept that and let them be who they are (which may not be what you think it should be).  Step back MOAs (and FOAs), the Marines are not going to change for you and you should be grateful for that.  It's not easy to let go but it's time to do so.  The Marines understand how to develop Marines, let it happen and everyone benefits (especially your Marine).

Here is an article on what is done during BSRE at MCT.

BSRE pushes Marines to the limit

 JACKSONVILLE, N.C. - During MCT, Marines spend 29 training days learning valuable combat skills including the care, assembly and proper firing techniques of several weapons systems, constructing of fighting positions, and hikes with weighted packs to promote physical fitness.

Of the many pressures in life, there is one that Marines face on a daily basis. The pressure to perform, or to execute a plan exactly as specified is a prospect that most Marines use to drive them toward success.

Marine Combat Training is no exception when it comes to pushing Marines to their limits.

During MCT, Marines spend 29 training days learning valuable combat skills including the care, assembly and proper firing techniques of several weapons systems, constructing of fighting positions, and hikes with weighted packs to promote physical fitness.

The Battle Skills Readiness Exercise is a three-day training exercise that allows junior Marines going through MCT to apply the skills they learned during the training cycle.

“The BSRE has been physically challenging,” said Pvt. Dylan Donze during the BSRE for Company K, School of Infantry East. “We went out on a patrol and it was exciting to apply the skills we learned during training in a (simulated) combat environment.”

During the BSRE, the Marines are required to dig fighting positions, conduct patrols, engage simulated enemy targets, and provide security for the camp.

Although simulated, the Marines receive a small insight into the world they may soon be living in once they reach the operating forces.  One huge factor in the successful simulation of combat is the combat instructor. These Marines operate with a squad leader mentality, providing a warrior-leader role for the students to emulate.

“We get out there and do the exact same things they are,” said Staff Sgt. Joshua Newman, combat instructor for Co. K. “We get right down there with them so they know what they need to be working toward.”

The way the Marine Corps operates, a Marine may deploy anywhere in the world at any time. MCT Marines might deploy right out of their military occupational specialty schools. The BSRE allows for them to gain some experience so they have a basic understanding of combat operations.

“My role during the BSRE is pretty rewarding,” said Newman. “When the Marines perform to the best of their abilities and need little to no guidance, then I know the training they received during MCT was complementary to the higher standard that combat instructors hold themselves to.”

 

Warren is at MCT, so what exactly is done during Marine Combat Training?  Well, here is a brief explanation that I copied from the a post on the Marine Family Network.

 

A Platoon is basically a 4 to 1 ratio of men and women Marines. They are barracked seperately, but they will train together and are in the field together.

Week One: Classes and Practical Applications.  Learn in the morning, practice in the afternoon. Gear. From Radios to Assault Pack, ILBE, Poncho, Essentially everything you see them wear or carry in that great huge "BackPack" you see Marines wear in photos and film.

 

Week Two: Classes and Practical Applications: Maneuvers and Tactics, such as sweeps, IED recognition, securing perimeters, patrol and positioning, and of course the proper construction of your “fighting hole”etc.

 

Week Three: Range and BSRE (Basic Skills Retention Exercise). One full week in the field (Some call "Hell Week") where what you carry in is what you have available to use.  You will hike about 10 miles up to what was called “Camp Devil Dog” a set of metal “Huts” where there are no showers, AC or much of anything. Not supposed to be. Keeps the water off your head, just as tents used to.  Your hygeine is in your canteen, or rain and a clever tip up of your Kevlar (helmet) to capture it for later use. And your undergear is your undergear….

The First two days you will take the 3 or so mile hike from Camp to the Range with assault pack, and all that is required, including your rifle. You will learn and use several more advanced weapon systems then your rifle. You get to stand in line until you get your 20-30 seconds to live fire these weapons , then sit on your pack until time to roll. Early in line means less standing and more sitting. Then hike back and repeat the second day.

The second part of the week consists of BSRE, where, you will be split into squads with combat instructors and engage in the advanced tactics and maneuvers, such as squad sweeps, enemy encounters, ambush, night attack, map-reading, night navigation, etc. that you have learned and are being tested on. These last three days are likened by some to a “Crucible” on Steroids. It is virtually non-stop and a set of battle field scenarios and simulations that can and will come at you at ANY time, and from ANY where, just as it would “in-country”.   And be prepared to clean your rifles quickly, effectively, and repetitively because the blank rounds fired are many and the powder makes a mess of your weapon. And as we know, our rifle is our best friend and we will keep it clean at all times.  Also, during this time, Night Watch is still on-going, but now more like 4-6 hours when tagged. And of course, MRE's are the only meals available and often trades or bartering is done.

Upon completion of BSRE, you will gather and hike back the 10 or so miles to Barracks. This hike, however, is not filed with the “Jazz” of a graduation and an EGA. The reward for this one is because you have survived the exercise and there’s clean underwear and a shower at the end of the day. That is all.

So writing? They might have 5 hours all month to themselves and they Better have their "stuff" ready, at any time (and there's a lot more "stuff"). No doubt.

Phones? Depends on the SDI/DI's, but they are all chunked in a box at pick-up and they might see them again after Week Three if outstanding performance of the Platoon, or likely the weekend before graduation.

 

Final Week is the final written test or PRAT, and admin (gear return, orders, policing area, preparing for graduation).

 

So as you can tell from this, it is not boot camp but it is still a very large challenge to be overcome.  The stress of a DI yelling at you is replaced by the stress of being out in the field constantly and getting the feel of a battle scenario.  It will test these young men and women yet again.  Please continue to pray for their safety as they complete week two and roll into "Hell Week". 

 

For those that might be unaware, Warren left for MCT (Marine Combat Training) last evening (Monday).  He was scheduled to take the Greyhound bus to Jacksonville, NC and then grab a taxi to Camp Lejune to report by 1300 on Tuesday.  Sounds simple enough right!?!  Well, let us begin the adventure!

 

The Greyhound website indicates to arrive at the bus station 1 hour prior to your scheduled departure.  His bus was to leave at 2215 (10:15 to you civvies) and so we were there by 2100 just to be sure.  There were people outside on the sidewalk hanging out with their luggage at the bus station.  It was dark and it wasn't in a bad section of town but you still didn't get the warm, friendly feeling.  People in cars outside wating for something or someone to arrive.  We unloaded his garment bag, 2 seabags and diddy bag and headed inside to "check in".  I would guess that everyone is on the honor system for security since there was none (they had a security guard but I don't think she instilled a strong sense of safety by her presence) and they didn't weigh the bags or anything.  The old guy just looked at the ticket and worked rapidly (compared to a desert tortoise) to get him checked in.  The third member of the Greyhound welcome club was an even older man that looked like he would keel over at any moment and could barely assemble a luggage cart to assist with moving the bags.  Oh yeah, welcome to Hell!

 

So we go outside since the benches (aka wire metal torture racks that are only comfortable to Uncle Fester of the Addams Family) are full.  We stand outside and a bus pulls in to drop off and pick up at around 9:15.  This is when a beat up mini van in the parking lot has the doors open and begins to spill out people.  I counted 12 (yes, twelve!) men, women and children pile out of the minivan.  I count again just to be sure uno, dos, tres, quatro, cinco....yep, 12.  The kids go running around and head back to the bus.  When they come back, 4 more friends show up from the bus and then the sixteen all load in and off they go.  It was like a clown car or something.  All they were missing was "pop goes the weasel" blaring from speakers on the roof and a la cucaratcha horn.

 

Anyhow, the old guy comes and tells us to get on the bus.  What!?!?  It's 1 hour early, but we get in line and the bus driver checks his ticket and moves him on.  We go to the back (did I mention the security?) and see him on the bus.  Well, he starts to get on and take a seat when we realize this is NOT his bus, it goes to a different destination.  In the meantime, another Marine shows up for the same bus Warren is scheduled to get on and his family is just as confused as we are.  Tammy (Marine Mom) steps in and indicates to the bus driver that he took his ticket but it is for the wrong bus.  This is when he makes his mistake, he loudly exclaims "It doesn't matter.  He is going to Raleigh and this bus is headed to Raleigh, so it doesn't matter."  Oh-oh....he stepped in it.  He was just argumentative and didn't want to hear it was the wrong bus, he kept insisting it didn't matter.  Tammy says "Give me the ticket back!" and he keeps giving the attitude.  I am up front to deal with the old guy up front and hear the commotion and know that between Marine and Marine Mom, I am not getting in there.  The security guard steps in and Tammy tells her to handle this because we want the ticket back and he is going on the right bus.  After some more fussing, the bus driver relents but let's be honest, he was an ASS!!!  No reason to give attitude.  The bus was absolutely full and it was the wrong bus.  Obviously to Greyhound as long as you get on a bus, it's okay!  Did I mention Hell yet?  What kind of goofball operation is this.  Nothing to indicate what bus showed up, no one to indicate where the bus is going or anything.  Just get in line and shutup minions....you'll be fine.  So we get the ticket back, luggage back (did I mention the old guy had to load the bus with all of the people's luggage....the same guy that was having a hard time walking straight in a light breeze...oh yeah).

 

So we go back in and wait (and wait, and wait).  10:15 comes and goes, 10:30, 10:45, 11:00....okay, now we are getting concerned.  The other Marine's family is also milling about with us and we are all wondering when the bus will arrive.  We go up to the desk and ask about the bus, do they have a tracking GPS system on the bus to know where the bus is?  Well, this is when you ask yourself what century we are in.  Nope, nothing, nada.  They called Atlanta (the start point) and they don't know where the bus is.  Really, no bus, no tracking.  This is when it gets even more bizarre.  They ask if we know someone on the bus from Atlanta (another Marine) so we could call them and find out where they are.  REALLY!!!  We can call someone on the bus and ask them, what a system.  I guess it's better than the Greyhound system (look out the window and hope the bus comes down the street).  How ridiculous is that!?!?  They have nothing to track the buses, no security and you can get on any bus regardless of your ticket because eventually your bus goes there.....I can see that the retired Amish mafia takeover of Greyhound is complete.  Think about it, the US government can spend millions of dollars on non-citizens but for the military folks that are truly serving the country....screw 'em, put 'em on the bus!  How's that for thanks!

 

Luckily he has enough stops and layovers that he should be able to make up the time but it's all about the hassle of it all.  Finally at about 11:30 the bus comes down the street.  Then they hustle to get on the bus and we say good bye for the second time.  He gets on with his Marine "brother" and we watch the old guy heft his sea bags on to the bus (barely, you want to help the old guy but I am sure he didn't want the help, after all he just drank his juice and was doing his best Jack Lelane impression).  The bus was delayed by a wreck in Atlanta (big surpise).  The good news is that he had a Marine to travel with to watch each other's backs and the bus was more open than the previous bus (which was full of kids).

 

We got texts from him this morning and he had a rough trip.  Not much sleep and a lot of shady people at the bus stations.  After a while he said the bus was basically Marines so things were better from that point on.  He texted us that he had arrived and checked in.  We got the last text around 6:00 when he said the phones were going in the box.  So he is at MCT and arrived after a shaky start.  This will be 5 weeks and then it's MOS school.  Please keep him in your prayers as he continues his journey.

Last week was a very important week, one that we have been working towards for 13 weeks (with a little help from Warren).  Warren has graduated from boot camp.  We went to Parris Island last Tuesday on our long awaited vacation to see our new Marine. 

 

Wednesday 9/10 – This was a day for us to get on the island and get a feel for the surroundings.  We headed on to the island about mid-morning and after an initial “don’t take pictures of the main gate” moment, we headed out over the marsh (and there is a lot of it) on to Parris Island.  When they say there is only one way off the island, I think they are right.  I don’t know who would believe that they could make it through the marsh and wildlife but some obviously think it is possible.  [We did learn from Warren that as soon as they got to the main gate, they had to put their heads down so they would not see where they were going and get some idea of how to get out.  It’s another part of the dis-orientation that quickly introduces the recruits to how life is going to be for the coming weeks.]  We signed in at the Visitor’s Center and were able to see for the first time Warren’s picture wearing the dress blues (not to be confused with the Army dress blues).  It was just a small circle cutout no glasses, just the stare and look of a Marine (tired but determined).  His face seemed a little more chiseled but that was our son (at least I believe we would have been able to pick him out of a lineup).  Outside there were a line of cars in the parking lot adorned with window paint indicating they were going to get their Marine (just like we had on our windows).  We walked out to the parade deck to take pictures and watch some drill practice from a platoon of young female recruits that were on the parade deck.  The most interesting thing was that on our way out from the parade deck we were standing by the road discussing what we wanted to do next.  A DI walked past us and asked if we were there for graduation.  We told him yes, he asked the platoon.  We said 3064 and he asked the recruit’s name.  We told him and he said, Dudley is mine, he is a good kid.  We thanked him and he went about his business.  We laughed about Warren getting teased from his DI that he “met your momma” today.  It was very nice to hear something about Warren from his DI, although he may have just been being nice (but we choose to believe otherwise).  Then we headed down towards the Mike Company area just in case our Marine was around (but no dice).  We listened and watched other platoons waiting to see a “DI moment” like the movies but we didn't really witness much regarding that (darn it!).  Then it was on to the museum, which was interesting to read and see the history of the Corps and the Island.  We then took a quick trip to the MCX to get our graduation gear (or more stuff than we had).  Now that place had just about everything you could ever want that had the Marine logo attached.  We did get some shirts to add to the collection but unfortunately that was about all we could get since we would need a Marine to get much of the other items in the store.  Was it cheaper?  I don't know; it really didn't matter at that point since we weren’t looking at the prices but were trying to find stuff we wanted.  We then headed off to a 1 hour briefing about what happens with our new Marine after boot camp.  It was 2:30 when the briefing was over and we were pretty much done for the day but we decided to walk by the parade deck one more time just to see if our Marine was anywhere to be found.  There were a bunch of parents/families milling about but nothing was really happening so we decided to get a few more photos at the far end of the deck (DI statue, purple heart memorial) and head home.  We then noticed a group of young men marching up the street, we looked at the flag at the front, it was 3064!  It was odd because the “crowd” of parents/families that were milling were looking and saying which platoon and it was being passed on down the street of onlookers.  We looked and did see Warren and I headed to where they would be crossing the street so I could get my pictures of the young man we hadn’t seen in 13 weeks (did I say that before?).  I did get several photos as they ran across the street and headed up the sidewalk, I thought he had seen me but he told me later he had not.  The entire group of platoons with the 9/12 date were there for graduation practice (and practice).  We decided after the time we saw him and it was time to go, let graduation be a surprise rather than watch them practice.  We were also aided by the fact that we hadn’t eaten since breakfast and we were hungry and hot.  Sitting around under the sun watching them practice didn’t seem to be the best thing for us at that time so we headed back to the house to wait on others to arrive.

The crucible Day 3 is the last day to call them recruits and here is what it consists of;

 

Day 3

Reveille (3 am)

Nine-mile hike (4 am - 7 am)

Recruits conduct a nine-mile hike from the Crucible site back to the battalion.

Eagle Globe and Anchor Ceremony (7:30-8:00)

New Marines will receive an Eagle Globe and Anchor from their Drill Instructor marking their transition from a recruit to a Marine.

Warrior's Breakfast

The new Marines are treated to a breakfast fit for only true warriors. It consists of all-you-can-eat steak, eggs and potatoes

Word has come down, he is no longer a poolee, he is no longer a recruit....he IS a United States MARINE!!!!!

All the hard work, all of the whining, crying, pain, exhaustion, sweat (and that's just from me) has paid off.  All of the recruits have worked hard and followed in the footsteps of those Marines that have come before.  We've been waiting for some time to change the flag on the front of the house and now, we've made that change.

 



Thanks for the prayers, the letters and the thoughts.  It's been a tough transition from having him living under our roof to watching him leave....we're looking forward to seeing the young man that Warren has become.