Parris Island is on the coast of SC, which means that the weather can be an issue. Mostly the combination of heat and humidity will be the threat that the recruits will need to overcome. However, whenever you live on or near the coast, you also may encounter some weather that is problematic. Right now, there is a tropical depression heading up the coastline. It may be nothing or it may turn into something and generate a lot of rain for the recruits to endure when they travel from point-to-point at Parris Island.
In his letter Warren mentioned Red and Black flags during his training. I decided I would look into this further. I was made aware of this during my time at basic training in Oklahoma but never really knew what it meant (except that it limited some of what they could do to us).
The Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature Index (WBGTI) is a means of assessing the effect of heat stress on the human body. The WBGTI is a single number derived mathematically from three distinct temperature measurements: wet bulb temperatures, dry bulb temperatures, and globe temperatures. Color-coded flags are flown in strategic locations so that all personnel will be aware of the current heat stress index and make appropriate adjustments.
a. Green Flag (WBGTI of 80°F to 84.90F). Heavy exercises, for un-acclimatized personnel, will be conducted with caution and under constant supervision.
b. Yellow Flag (WBGTI of 85°F to 87.90F). Strenuous exercises or physical labor will be curtailed for unacclimatized, newly assigned Marines and Civilian Marines in their first 3 weeks. Avoid outdoor classes or work in the sun.
c. Red Flag (WBGTI of 88°F to 89°F). All PT or very strenuous work will be curtailed for those not thoroughly acclimatized by at least 3 weeks. Personnel not thoroughly acclimatized may carryon limited activity not to exceed 6 hours per day.
d. Black Flag (WBGTI of 90°F and above). All nonessential physical activity will be halted. Essential activities are activities associated with scheduled exercises, or critical production work and maintenance where the disruption would cause undue burden on personnel or resources, be excessively expensive or significantly reduce a unit's readiness. Essential outdoor work will be conducted at a level that is commensurate with personnel acclimatization as determined by the unit's senior leader. All efforts should be made to schedule major hot weather training activities or work production to occur during cooler periods of the day, such as very early hours in the morning or later in the evening.
Right now, the recruits would probably fall under the "unacclimatized" category but in another week or two, the flags that might have had some impact on them will no longer be as daunting. For those that are watching the World Cup (and why wouldn't you be watching), you should know that they are monitoring these same conditions. They had a "cool break" during the Mexico-Netherlands game, played early this afternoon, due to the WBGTI and the risk to the players.
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