Another week and another letter has arrived at the Dudley household. It is very surprising how much we anticipate the next letter. We are constantly checking his training schedule and seeing how busy he is and wondering how things are going. You go through many scenarios in your mind and hope for the best. When the letter finally arrives, it is a big lift to get the small snippets of information from him.
Today's letter contained an extra item, a small piece of his tan belt that he earned through his MCMAP training. Although Warren wasn't sure if he could send a piece, Tammy read where other families had also received a small piece of this belt. It may seem like a small token, but it is a priceless treasure from our recruit who owns basically nothing.
So, here are some highlights from the letter;
- The food is like schoolfood. Saturday afternoon chow we get burgers & fries.
- They are in air conditioned housing. [Not so old school]
- His platoon job is the crack dealer (as mentioned previously)
- He did really well on his swim qualification, he got up to Intermediate level.
Here is some information on the swim qualifications.
At the basic qualification level the Marines are required to shed their gear, while in the water, in less than 10 seconds. Next, the Marines abandon ship by jumping off of a raised platform called “the tower” into the water. After the abandon ship, the Marines must tread water for four minutes, where they stay afloat using only their gear and without using the edge of the pool. Lastly, the Marines must conduct a 25-meter pack swim, where they transport their packs from one side of the pool to the other. This qualification keeps Marines certified for two years.
Swim qualification two is now water survival intermediate. Like at bootcamp the Marines first conduct a gear shed but now in deeper water, in less than 20 seconds. Next, they do another abandon ship and swim 250 meters after hitting the water. Instead of four minutes, the Marines tread water for 10 minutes. Lastly, the Marines do another 25-meter pack swim with a flak-jacket and Kevlar. This qualification keeps Marines certified for three years.
Swim qualification two is now water survival intermediate. Like at bootcamp the Marines first conduct a gear shed but now in deeper water, in less than 20 seconds. Next, they do another abandon ship and swim 250 meters after hitting the water. Instead of four minutes, the Marines tread water for 10 minutes. Lastly, the Marines do another 25-meter pack swim with a flak-jacket and Kevlar. This qualification keeps Marines certified for three years.
- He passed Initial Drill
The Initial Drill Evaluation tests each platoon’s ability to listen to the
orders of its Drill Instructor at this point in training, and is a demonstration
of the unit’s degree of discipline and esprit de corps. Drill is used as one of
the first methods of transforming these recruits from civilians into Marines,
and plays a large part on their development of teamwork and unit cohesion.
- He passes the Initial Written Test
These tests assess the Marine's knowledge of the history, culture and values they have been learning for the first four weeks.
He got his RCO (or ACOG for us civies, as he says) today. RCO stands for Rifle Combat Optic, which makes perfect sense because he is headed to the range for the next couple of weeks to get more acquainted with his rifle. After all "every Marine is a rifleman".
His letter went out before the gas chamber and rappeling but he was looking forward to rappeling even though he has a fear of heights. Overall, this letter showed him to be in good spirits and ready to take on the upcoming challenges. He mentions how difficult it is to write but we suspected as much. Keep the letters heading to Parris Island.
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