A Pacifist Goes to Boot Camp - Day 2

Marine Corps Educators Workshop
March 2 – 5, 2010
Parris Island, SC
Day 2

Forenote: I’m purposefully not including too much personal interpretation. I would love further conversations if you have questions, but would like this reading to be more informational than what I personally thought. I will mention that this entire experience was emotionally wrenching for me. On one hand I felt I was on ‘enemy territory’ but on the other hand wanted to just take it all in. While I knew this was certainly a production of sorts for the Marine Corps, I felt there was a good degree of honesty in the conversations I had, which continues to be a conundrum for me – this war machine is comprised of good and honest people, compassionate people. How do I explain that?




Again, we were out the door at 6:00 am. Breakfast was at the hotel and nicely done, so at least we went off with ample food in our bellies and cups of coffee for those of us who so desired! It is a bit of a bus ride from Beaufort, where the hotel was, to Parris Island, so the coffee was nice on the ride. It was also on this ride when SSgt. Hamler asked if there were any anti-military people on the bus. She said she gets them every time, so not to be shy. Well, no one said anything, so I decided I better speak up. Fortunately she was standing right next to me in the middle of the bus so I didn’t have to shout. In some ways I felt very alone and realized I still had two days to spend with the group, so I didn’t want to be argumentative or negative in the way I posed my questions. I told her I was anti-war and non-violent, that I was disturbed that the military was a war training school, and that people were the targets of the training. I told her that I was concerned that other cultures were slighted in that recruits seem to be taught that the United States is the only legitimate power on Earth. I mentioned that I was on the trip to try to gain some insight so that I could speak with my students who enlist. I also mentioned that I was very disturbed when military people declare that anyone non-military is Anti-American; that I had been so labeled a number of times and that in my way of thinking, only about 1% of the American population becomes military personal, and without the rest of us working hard at our jobs, there would be nothing to ‘protect and defend,’ so that in some ways, the most patriotic Americans were the ones maintaining the ‘American’ way of life.

Her responses to all of that were heartfelt and even compassionate. She apologized for anyone who might have suggested that anyone is anti-American, saying that at no time during training does the Marine Corps teach such a concept, and she repeated to me the Corps core values of Honor, Courage and Commitment. She did suggest that there are real threats out there to the American way of life, and that for herself, she was here to help defend those who could not defend themselves. Well, such is the crux of it, in many ways, for those of us who choose non-violence. How do we deal with perceived threats? What does ‘defense’ look like? By this time we were close to our destination, so the conversation drew to a close, but it left me wanting more.

Our first stop of the day was observing PT (physical training.) A female unit of new recruits was our first stop. It was early, outside, cold and wet. Those ladies were out there on the ground – at least they had hats on, and some had gloves. This was pretty typical pt – sit ups, pushups, other exercises, some running. Several Drill Instructors were leading the unit.

A Bit About the Drill Instructors: The Drill Instructors are, for the recruits, everything. Recruits and DI’s are together 24/7 for the 70 day training, so it is a huge commitment on the DI’s part. They recognize, and take very seriously, that they are the sole leadership that will transform recruits into Marines. For many, this is a life-long bond. For many recruits this relationship is the most powerful they have yet experienced. DI’s know this, train for it, and cherish the roles they play in the recruits life. SSgt. Hamler, our guide, is trained as a DI and was able to give us detailed information about how recruits and DI’s interact. It is the DI’s responsibility to know her girls (male DI’s work with male recruits – duh) well enough to anticipate potential problems; to identify when a recruit is developing problems or issues and then be able to address those problems or issues. She must be able to maintain high morale among her unit of recruits; and lead the girls safely through some treacherous physical activity. I have to admit, I witnessed deep compassion and concern on the part of the DI’s towards their charges. Of course, each DI wants her recruits to successfully complete training, and I was heartened to realize that there is humanity and compassion in the training. While I personally can’t imagine doing this job, I think it must be tremendously rewarding for the DI’s. Plus, they stay in great physical shape!!

Following the PT observation we had an opportunity to visit the recruit squad bay, or the living quarters. We toured a female squad bay. Accommodations are spartan, as you might imagine. The bunks (racks) are crisp and neatly made (squared away), each recruit has a footlocker, flipflops (watershoes), toiletries bag and towel all lined up under the bed or hanging at the end. Toilet (head) stalls have no doors for security reasons. Some women (the men seem more used to this) in the group were disturbed by this, but I’ve seen this before in group homes for missionary kids in Congo and Malawi – in those homes there weren’t even any stalls – just a line of toilets – and in Greece in one public bathroom there were literally holes in the ground in a line – no stalls there, either, and unisex to boot, so I thought the Marines did pretty well with the stalls!! Of course the bathrooms are spic and span all the time. All personal items are kept in the toiletries bag, and everything is, of course, Marine Corps issue. This level of loss of personal identity is severe, but carefully designed to be part of the regime. The Marines are well aware that they are stripping away whoever has arrived as a recruit in order to build them back up as Marines. It gives me some pause. I’ve thought about it many times – and I think it is one of the issues we pacifists and non-military folk have about the military life-style. How far do we go to become a war machine? All the way, apparently, in the Marine Corps. Many, many people have deep respect for people who do this (enlist.) Where do you stand?

Recruits have one hour of free time per day, and four hours on Sunday. The uninterrupted free time is spent in the squad bay, with a DI present, and is used for reading mail, writing letters, preparing uniforms, conducting additional hygiene needs, studying, and preparing for the next days training. Recruits are encouraged to follow religious practices, hence the 4 hours on Sunday. According to the Commanding General, every effort is made to accommodate each recruits religious needs – from Wiccan to Islam to Jewish to Christian. More on this later.

Again, by this time it is still only 10:00 am, but we still had much to do before lunch! We had a tour of the Marine Corps museum, housed on Parris Island, which is just that – a history of the Marine Corps museum fashion. There was lots of interesting information about the Marine Corps logo, fashion, and historical moments displayed as only museums can do. I was curious to note that there was one room dedicated to the local history of Parris Island. Perhaps you already know that this area has a deep and rich history of Native Americans, early Spanish invasions, and plantation slave population. I spent more time in this room, I think, than the rest of the museum. The Marine Corps has occupied Parris Island as a Recruiting Base since 1915.

Following our museum visit we ate lunch with some Marines. There are some 3700 Marines stationed on Parris Island with a wide variety of jobs. Before we ate we were in an auditorium with 5 Marines in various jobs on base, ranging from administrative to Military Police to firefighting. They told us a bit about what they did and why they were in the Marines. What struck me was that not one of these Marines mentioned an undying patriotism for the United States as a reason for enlisting. They all were seeking secures jobs, benefits, and challenges. Neither did any of these young men and women talk about how the war training fit into their day to day lives. I couldn’t figure out how to talk about this, so I wandered to the back where my SSgt Hamler was seated, along with a Major and some other people of rank, I just asked them why there wasn’t any ‘warrior’ talk, and that I was a bit confused as to how that fit in. Actually, everyone was very patient and courteous with me. Responses were that although trained for combat, everyone on base has jobs to do unrelated to war. Everyone on base got up in the morning and went to work like I did, or anybody else. According to these Marines I spoke with, the warrior training doesn’t kick in unless there is ‘need’, or they are deployed. In my pacifist oriented and humble (?) brain, I couldn’t figure quite how one can separate the warrior out of the individual, but this is just one of the conundrums I experienced while at Parris Island. Everyone seemed so ‘normal.’ We didn’t even seem to be on military base (camouflage apparel aside.) No one carried weapons around, and, in fact, no weapons are loaded on base at all. Even on the firing range all weapons have blanks – for safety. Again, I left that conversation with more questions than I came with, not knowing how to express what I wanted to say, wanting more…. Everyone was just so normal, and nice.

At lunch I sat with a couple of guys who both had re-enlisted for second tours of duty. Both were extremely well spoken and committed to the Marine Corps. Not to be skeptical, but I would imagine these Marines volunteered or were picked according to their ability to share well with visitors. A highlight of this meal was an impromptu mini-concert and parade by the Marine Corps Jazz Band. You may know that these musicians are amongst the best in the world, and it was a real treat to listen to ‘When the Saints Go Marching In’ with a bit of singing and dancing!

After lunch we were in for a bit of Martial Arts demonstration. Several Marines were on hand to show us Black belt expertise. All recruits must be Tan belt proficient to graduate as Marines. Following this demonstration we moved onto the Confidence Course. If you have done a high ropes or challenge course you have a good idea of what the Confidence Course is like. There are a series of obstacles – high walls, sloped logs, ropes and rope grids, as example, which require physical as well as mental skill to complete. At one point we were put into groups of about 8 and given a challenge: there was a high wood frame over a sand pit. On the side was a 50 gallon drum and a coiled rope. We were told the sand pit was contaminated, the 50 gallon drum was full of decontaminate, and we had to get it to the other side of the wood frame over the sand pit. One group had the drum balanced on the rope which was looped over the frame, my group hadn’t figured it out yet, when the Marine had us stop and think a minute – duh - the drum was full of decontaminate – sprinkle a bit of it on the sand and then walk across!! This one was maybe the easiest!! And not too physically challenging! Some of the obstacles were suspended ropes at odd angles and distances over a pit of water. The task was to use the ropes to cross the pit, which required balance, but also figuring out how to use the odd-angled ropes to your advantage. Some of the obstacles involved scaling sheer walls, or transporting a ‘body’ from one platform to another directly above, and the platforms were high in the air.

Some of these obstacles were demonstrated for us, but some we could try. I chose to not challenge myself here, but many of the group did, mostly with great success! Of course we were all full of cheers and egging-on for those who struggled a bit. We could all understand why ‘Confidence’ was in the title for this course – if one could complete it, one was physically fit and strategically clever as well!

I’ve copied this section below from the Marine Corps website – it has some pictures and a quick description of the Confidence course.

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The O’Course, or obstacle course, is a corner stone of the Combat Conditioning program. All recruits run the obstacle course several times during recruit training. The course challenges the recruit’s upper body strength as well as their technique on the course. The obstacle course proves that brute strength alone is not enough to quickly negotiate and those recruits that work on technique find the course easier to run.
The Confidence Course, as its name implies, is designed to build the self-confidence of the recruit. The recruit develops physically and mentally by overcoming obstacles that require strength, balance, and determination.
The Confidence Course consists of eleven obstacles, designed so that each obstacle is more physically challenging then the last. The Confidence Course is a great morale builder, as most of the recruits find out that after a little practice, they can negotiate the obstacles with ease.


USMC Photo
Recruits receive additional instruction on the values of the Corps which are further elaborated and detailed.
• Discipline
• Bearing
• Loyalty
• Flexibility
• Esprit de Corps
• Teamwork
• Commitment
• Dependability
• Self Confidence
• Self Improvement
• Aggressiveness
• Pride
Above information found on the Parris Island web site, July, 2009.

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We continued with a Pugil Sticks demonstration and participation. Pugil sticks have big foam rubber pads at each end, and the contest is to hold the stick in the middle and each opponent tries to knock the other down with the big foam ends. It was great fun to watch smallish women tackle big Marines! Of course, all the educators were ‘allowed’ to win!! But we also became acutely aware of the agility and skill that is required to play this game. This is not my picture, but it is exactly what we looked like!

After this afternoon of outdoor activity we were allowed one half hour to clean up at our hotel before dinner at a fine restaurant in Beaufort. Because it was Thursday night before Friday morning Graduation, many parents and families were coming into town. We ate early to accommodate these families, which meant an earlier night to catch up on some sleep, Facebook, phoning home or whatever! The next morning was the Graduation ceremony for 360 graduating recruits, a Q&A with the Commanding General, and flights back home. I was ready for bed!

Afternote:
Somehow in the first writing I omitted our trip to the Air Station. Parris Island houses an air base with F16 fighters. We toured the air station, saw some F16s, and had a Q&A with a pilot and Captain (sorry I don’t remember his name.) I am a Battlestar Galactica fan (2000 series) and I am chagrinned to admit that my familiarity with that series was good prep – not only for the Air Station visit, but for my entire experience at Parris Island. I had a secret pleasure at sitting in the pilot briefing area. I felt like I knew where I was – all from watching BG!! I have to admit, the briefing room at Parris Island was a bit shabbier than the one in BG, and the flight suits weren’t quite as spiffy, but I did remind myself that we were still on earth, and in the year 2010, not in outer space where the ship was our only home and in the future by – how many years? Enough! We were ‘debriefed’ by a captain who explained training procedures (like flying over water) and how the flight hanger worked. Some of our group who had flown in the military were very curious about the planes and asked many questions – most of that was over my head.