When we came back from Edson Range, our Drill Instructors picked up the tempo and the intensity of our training. Every activity became more intense. Our daily run was now 5 miles. We now did sit-ups all the time. We even did sit-ups at night in our classroom. We brought blankets for our lower backs on the concrete. We partnered up. I held his ankles for a set of 25 sit-ups then he held my ankles for a set of 25 sit-ups. We did so many sets of 25 sit-ups that even with the padding of a folded blanket, we all had sores on our tailbones. Our abs got rock-hard and defined.

We did one of the 3 obstacle courses every day. As we got into great shape, we ran the O-courses faster and faster. As we accelerated into the second half of boot camp, everyone began to look the same. By that I mean, the guys with extra body fat, leaned out. The skinny guys muscled up. We all began to look like poster Marines.

We had the routines down. Everyone was up and had their racks made before the Drill Instructors came in. Morning PT was sharp and in sync. Chow was precise and disciplined. Every recruit cleaned his tray. We functioned as a unit.

Gunnery Sergeant Barker’s corrections on our close order drill were very specific fine tuning. We marched with Marine posture and pride. Our steps had a clearly audible rhythm. We marched as a unit.

When we doubled-timed our 5-mile run, we ran in perfect sync. As we ran, we chanted. There is something about running and chanting together, you just don’t get tired. We felt like we could run all day. Our boots were thoroughly broken-in and our feet were tough. No more blisters. We carried ourselves with pride and confidence.

We became aware of a fundamental shift. In the beginning weeks of boot camp, we did things out of fear. We were terrified of our Drill Instructor’s wrath, their brutal punishments. We were afraid of them. Now, we respected them more than we feared them. We were now motivated by pride, pride to be the best.

We ran every day. We marched every day. We did push-ups, pull-ups, and sit-ups every getting ready for the final fitness test near the end of book camp. Now most of our PT was training, training to get into the best possible shape. We were becoming a real team training to be the best platoon in boot camp. The competition among the 4 platoons in our series got more and more intense.

Everything was scored. The first major score was the rifle range. We came in second of the 4 platoons. Up coming scored tests were the final PT test – which platoon was the most fit? Close Order Drill – which platoon marched the most precisely? Which performed the manual of arms as we marched the most perfectly? Which platoon marched as a single unit in perfect step and alignment? Which platoon was the most squared away at the Regimental inspection? Which platoon scored the highest on the Combat Readiness test?

These were things our Drill Instructors reminded us of every day as they were in competition with the other groups of Drill Instructors training the other 3 platoons. Needless to say, they were intense. These were men of immense pride and were fiercely competitive.

As we got down to the last couple of weeks of boot camp, we faced a series of highly competitive tests. The first was the Combat Readiness Test. We had to pass a series of demanding tests including the Fireman’s Carry for time. This consisted of lifting your partner onto your shoulder and running an exhausting distance. Then you switched, and he carried you back to the starting line. Then Step-ups. With all your combat gear on, you had to step up a 2 foot high step and then step back down. You had to do it non-stop for a number of exhausting minutes. You were breathing heavily by the end. Maybe the most demanding was the rope climb. You had to climb to the top of a 30-foot rope with all your combat gear on.

A couple of days later we had our final set of fitness tests to see which platoon was the most fit. The closer we got to the fitness standards, the more points you were rewarded. This included pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, burpees and a 300 yard run. For example, for a maximum sit-up score, you had to do 82 full sit-ups in less than 2 minutes. I maxed that one as did most of my platoon. To max the pull-up score you had to complete 18 full pull-ups. Mind you, every rep you did was judged and counted or denied by an impartial judge who was seriously strict. No gimmes. For example, I completed 12 pull-ups that counted. Partial pull-ups got a score of zero.

The final week included 2 big ones: Close Order Drill and Final Inspection by the Colonel. Our Senior Drill Instructor, Gunnery Sergeant Barker put us through our paces in front of a panel of judges. The test included all the platoon marching maneuvers plus the full manual of arms with your M-14 rifle both while marching and while standing at attention. The goal was to perform like a drill team - in perfect sync.

For the Final Inspection, we stood at full attention on the Parade Field. A Marine officer inspected every single member of our platoon including your rifle. He inspected your uniform with a fine-toothed comb. You presented your spotlessly clean rifle to the inspecting officer in a very specific way. While he inspected your rifle, he asked you questions such as what is your third general order or how many counts in a specific manual of arms movement.

At the graduation ceremony, we marched in our dress uniforms as a platoon of 65 Marines and as part of our series of 260 Marines. There were 4 series graduating that day or over a thousand Marines. That number would grow dramatically as the Vietnam War rapidly expanded.

We all wore our dress uniforms except for the Honor Man. As Honor Man, my best friend in boot camp, wore dress blues and carried the guidon at the front of our platoon. Each graduating platoon had an Honor Man. 10% of us had a PFC stripe on our shoulder. So, 6 out of 65 made Private First Class out of boot camp. I was proud to be wearing my PFC stripe and my Expert Rifleman badge.

Graduating from Marine Corps boot camp as an expert swimmer, an expert rifleman and with a PFC stripe is still one of the prouder moments in my life. Each man who earned honors had won these honors with 13 weeks of hard demanding work under the harshest scrutiny. The most outstanding Marine in my platoon of 65 recruits was Honor Man Jerry Anderson.

Following graduation, we were given base liberty for the afternoon. I hung out with Jerry, his family and “Big Nance,” Jerry’s girl friend who all flew down from Kelso, Washington to celebrate Jerry’s graduation. We mostly ate and drank foods that we had not had for 13 weeks like hamburgers, Cokes and candy bars. Being so clean, none of us ate nearly as much junk food as we thought we would. The massive sugar was just too much and the ice cream was way too cold.

That night in the classroom we were no longer recruits. We were Marines. We got to bullshit with the Drill Instructors and ask them any question we wanted. How did our platoon do in the competition? We were first or second in everything and ended up second overall. I.Q. scores? Out of 65 recruits, the highest score was a remarkable 154. The lowest score was 78. An interesting observation. The guy who came off as the dumbest had a total average IQ score of 95 – right on the National average.

Time to hit the rack. Following morning chow, we would board trucks for Camp Pendleton where we would begin 4 weeks of Advanced Infantry Training: night ambushes, throwing real live grenades and shooting M-60 machine guns in the rugged hills of Camp Pendleton.

Jack LaLanne, my first role model and example of a vigorously healthy life had a personal motto that he lived by: Pride and Discipline. Our body does not lie. Our body is an embodiment, a manifestation of our level of pride and the level of discipline to fulfill our self-image. A lean, healthy, attractive body is 85% diet. Do we have the pride and the discipline to eat clean, high-quality food every day. Do we treat our body like a garbage can or a temple? Do we dump garbage in our temple? Jack LaLanne ate clean, high-quality food every day and had a magnificent body that was amazingly fit. He could do things in his 70’s and 80’s that 90% of the American could not do in their 20’s. He lived to be 96. Who are you when no one is looking?  Our body tells the real story. A healthy ritual of 2 JDD shakes a day will pay enormous dividends. Protein is the workhorse of our body. Is your workhorse a big, powerful Clydesdale? It’s all about pride and discipline.

Joe

Start your day with a JDD protein shake — click for recipe!