I went through IOC 30 years ago, and it was hard, but we also played hard. Our instructors for the most part were junior captains and single, so we had a lot of fun. For instance, immediately after our final field exercise the captains bought a keg of beer and we got pretty drunk while cleaning our gear. I really wish I had a picture of that scene (30 Lts- dirty, tired and still painted with cammie paint, cleaning the mud off of their gear while getting sloshed.) However, we were too smart to document that event with pictures.
My wife has a photo hanging on the wall of my TBS platoon sitting on the ground, leaning back on our packs and getting debriefed after 3 or 4 days in the mud. Dirty, camo grease painted faces, tired, aggravated (when will this idiot debriefing get over so I can get a hot shower & see my wife!) and generally MEAN looking. The photo was from a USMC Officer recruiting booklet. I ended up front & center in the photo. Mrs BN likes to say that shes married to a "Poster Marine", but she doesn't mention that by now I'm old, short, fat & grumpy.
Semper Fi. I appreciate WMs, but they DO NOT BELONG IN COMBAT! (Unless the situation deteriorates to a level requiring something akin to Haile Selassie's Mobilization Order upon the invasion by the Italian army)
"Mobilisation Order by Emperor Haile Selassie - Abyssinia 1936
' Everyone will now be mobilised and all boys old enough to carry a spear will be sent to Addis Ababa '
' Married men will take their wives to carry food and to cook. Those without wives will take a woman without a husband. Woman with small babies need not go '
' The blind, those who cannot walk, or for any reason cannot carry a spear, are exempted.'
' Any one found at home after receipt of this order will be hanged.'