Victory Over Chaos - U.S. Marines Battle for Khafji

THREE
Parris Island Marine Corps Recruit Training Thirty-Five Years Later.

I had an incredible opportunity to embark on the trip with a close friend whom I consider to be my brother. Our friendship started when we began working together shortly after I left the Marine Corps. Ever since then, we have remained close. The purpose of our trip was dual, as we went to visit a mutual friend living in Hilton Head, South Carolina. The three of us spent some quality time together, catching up on old times and making new memories.

We drove from my home outside Philadelphia to Charleston, South Carolina. Charlestown is where the airport is. It’s the airport I flew into when I went to boot camp. For this visit, our hotel was just about a mile from the airport. On the first morning of the reunion, we boarded buses for Parris Island. It was the same bus trip I took many years ago, except the first time I wasn’t visiting.

Our first stop was to watch the latest platoon graduate. It involves a parade and ceremony on the parade deck. As we got through the front gate of Parris Island and started to arrive near the parade deck, it brought back a lot of memories. I had spent many hours marching on that parade deck while I was in boot camp. All the recruits, moments away from officially being United States Marines, stood in formation at attention for over an hour. If they thought this was the end of that kind of thing, it was just the beginning for them. Many of the parades in the fleet last much longer.

The graduation ceremony was an impressive sight. The Marines’ impeccable dress uniforms and marching skills were on full display, and the recruits, drill instructors, and all other personnel certainly delivered on this. The bleachers were completely full, and the crowd was enthusiastic in providing their applause. It was a proud moment for me to witness the new batch of Marines. After thirteen long weeks they earned the title and became part of the brotherhood. It was the same parade deck I graduated from. I remember well my older brother, in the stands that day, I remember every minute of it.

I had a bit of a flashback to those boot camp days. We spent hours on that parade deck, a massive paved marching deck. The drill instructors were required to fully train us for close-order drills before we could graduate, and we spent hours under the hot South Carolina sun marching back and forth on that parade deck. Every day, we worked on drills to prepare ourselves for the same graduation ceremony I was about to watch.

During the ceremony, I couldn’t help but take note of the band, particularly the tuba player as it reminded me of what my father used to do. It was really amazing to me to witness both of us graduating on that parade deck at one point in our lives, and then seeing him marching there in the band, the same way they are doing it now. It’s something I’m very proud of. Of course, there were a few good jokes about this, but let’s leave what happens at Parris Island at Parris Island. All in all, it was a memorable graduation, filled with laughter, nostalgia, and a sense of pride for our corps.

After graduation, we were heading for a “behind the scenes” tour of the barracks and “recruit training.” It was an amazing opportunity to see the recruits going through the process of becoming a Marine. Even for me, to see it from that perspective was interesting. Boot camp is a process of breaking the spirit of the recruit and re-building them into something different. Every step is a test.

When we arrived at the barracks, the recruit platoon was leaving the barracks to go to chow. The drill instructors would critique every little movement, making the recruits repeat it over and over and over. “Get downstairs now! Not fast enough, get back up the stairs.” This process would be repeated over and over. “Get in formation, stop, go, do it again.” All this mayhem serves an important purpose in creating discipline and anger. That anger is what fuels Marines in combat.

Being in the barracks was surreal. Never did I imagine I’d return there. We all immediately noticed that the old world war two beds we had thirty-five years ago were still there! While we were discussing the condition of the beds in the squad bay, my brother made an interesting comment, “You’d think they could get some money to buy new ones.” This got me thinking, and I posed a hypothetical question to him, “If you could magically snap your fingers right now and give the Marine Corps ten million dollars to buy new beds, what do you think they would do with the money?” He thought for a moment and replied, “Buy ammo?” More than likely. Beds don’t win wars. This made me realize that the priorities of the Marine Corps are different from those of civilians, and Marines are focused on achieving their mission goals with laser-like focus.

It was a real trip down memory lane—the runs, and the obstacle course. We also got to visit the gas chamber. Going through the gas chamber is pure hell. It feels like you’re going to die. Imagine getting the wind knocked out of you and you trying to puke at the same time. It’s not fun. Being back there and going inside that dark chamber was eerie to me.

CS gas training is nothing new and is used by military and law enforcement. It’s the Marine Corps that ensures recruits experience everything that the gas has to offer. By making recruits hold their breath at first and keeping them in the chamber, it is ensured that the recruits eventually empty their lungs. With no other option, everyone takes a big breath of concentrated gas. It’s like a punch in the chest.

During our visit to the base, we had the chance to explore various attractions, beyond the primary locations we were scheduled to visit. As we moved around the base, I noticed that some things felt familiar, but the layout of the buildings and the base, in general, felt entirely foreign. I couldn’t help but wonder if they had moved things around or if I was merely struggling to remember.

Despite my attempts to recall the layout, I found myself getting lost and disoriented. As we walked around, I realized that I needed more time to get my bearings and orient myself better. However, given our tight schedule, we were only able to visit specific locations such as the PT field for physical training, the parade deck, the chow hall, and the Marine Corps museum.

The Marine Corps museum was another special visit. Typically the Marine Corps, the smallest branch, is under-represented in museums and exhibits. The Parris Island museum is extremely well done and provides a rare opportunity to see the totality of Marine Corps history and the impact that Marines have made around the world.

The Parris Island museum represents the Marine Corps with the highest standards and does it with limited funding. It does a great job representing all the different eras of the Marine Corps. It’s important we honor those who came before us and laid the foundation for what we stand on today. It’s important we remember their stories and respect their sacrifices.

In retrospect, I realized that our visit was quite structured, and we didn’t have enough time to wander around and explore the base fully. Perhaps with more time, I could have gotten a better sense of the layout and the buildings’ arrangement. Nonetheless, the experience was still enjoyable, and I was grateful for the opportunity to visit the base and see the recruits and especially the barracks.

Looking back on the visit, I can say with confidence that my visit to Parris Island was truly unforgettable. It had been thirty-five years since I last made this journey. I joined when I was seventeen years old. I brought home the brochure to tell my father I was joining. I thought he would be pleased given he was also a Marine. He was not pleased at all and told me it was the stupidest thing he ever heard of. I joined the next day.

Here’s a funny little story about my father. I don’t know what I expected going to boot camp but from the minute I arrived on the yellow footprints, I got slapped in the face. Let’s just say it wasn’t the warm welcome I had expected. For many reasons, I wasn’t really excited about boot camp. Not that quitting was ever an option because it wasn’t, but I thought it sucked royally. About halfway through boot camp, we got to make a short phone call home. When I spoke to my father, I asked him if he remembered what he told me, and he said, “Yes.” And I said, “Well you were right.” He responded by saying, “Well! Now you have four years to think about it.” “Well! Thanks for the words of encouragement, Dad!”

My father was also an incredible marksman, and I was raised with a “one shot, one kill” mentality. I suppose it was for those reasons that it was so important to me that I shoot well. During boot camp, all Marines receive two weeks of marksmanship training which ends with qualification day. In order to graduate from boot camp, every Marine must achieve a minimum score. There are a total of three possible awards; Marksman, Sharpshooter, and Expert Rifle badges.

Rifle qualification is also central to Marine training and a qualification every Marine must pass every year. United States Marines are regarded as the finest riflemen in the world, a title we’re very proud of. The Marine Corps takes individuals from all walks of life and in a short time transforms them into...