Posted on 08/30/2002 8:53:55 AM PDT by Ooh-Ah
fter six weeks at the Marine Corps' Officer Candidates School, the members of my platoon were surprised at how much had changed. We found that our old friends were completely unable to understand us. To them it was as if we had returned different people, and it was difficult, if not impossible, for them to understand how this happened — making them suspicious of the training we received and the values we adopted. It is a shame, since many of modern-day problems stem from a lack of appreciation for the very values and principles taught in the Corps, fostering a general distrust of military "brainwashing" and a repugnance by some Marines for the lifestyle of many civilians. Perhaps if the rest of America could catch a glimpse of the moments of transformation during training, the mistrust would fade away and be replaced with an appreciation.
Candidate I was hurting. He had made it through four weeks of training at OCS with fairly good results, and had only two weeks remaining. Candidate I's problem was that the four weeks of training had wreaked havoc on his feet, leaving them blistered and bloody just before the final round of evaluations. Each day brought on new blisters, until they covered his toes, heels, and even formed a large fluid-filled patch on the bottoms of his feet. Candidate I had a choice: He could request to report to sick call to treat his feet and miss the four evaluations in the next three days (effectively eliminating his chances of passing the first phase of training), or he could keep quiet and push on for two more weeks.
He refused to compromise, choosing instead to suffer through four of the most grueling physical tests of the training, including marching a total of 20 miles in boots with a full pack and rifle. Candidate I completed the obstacle course, even though he had exceeded the time limit required for passing, chewing his lip throughout to keep himself from wincing. Candidate I finally reported to sick call after completing the necessary events, where he was asked by the corpsman why he hadn't asked to be seen earlier. His response: "This candidate couldn't let down the platoon, corpsman, they were pulling for him...this candidate has integrity, he couldn't quit."
Candidate C had been in the Corps for eight years, had already gone through jump school, had trained in Korea and Japan while on active duty, and was about to be promoted to staff sergeant. He had vastly more experience than the other members of fifth platoon, most of whom were experiencing the Marine Corps for the very first time. Candidate C did not find OCS to be as challenging as most, if not all, of his fellow candidates did. However, Candidate C, instead of choosing to coast, or to simply dominate the rest of fifth platoon as he might have, decided to offer his knowledge and experience to his fellow candidates at a significant cost to himself. The added attention his pedagogical efforts brought him resulted in assignment to the most difficult candidate-leadership positions, constant scrutiny from the instructors, and significantly more work and responsibility than the average candidate. He didn't hesitate, instead he embraced the challenges and willingly sacrificed for the rest of his platoon. While he certainly could have finished at the top of his platoon, Candidate C instead ranked closer to the middle because of his unusually difficult situation. He has no regrets, "I had the experience, I had to help the platoon. Lead by example, lead from the front, make sacrifices, look out for your Marines' welfare, that's what it's all about."
And finally there was Candidate R, who couldn't seem to do much right and was harassed, bullied, and belittled more than any other member of the platoon since training day one. Every instructor in the company knew him on sight, and they never passed up the opportunity to heckle him with jeers such as, "I can't believe you're still here candidate! You're not going to make it, there's no way, you're too freakin nasty!" He struggled on academic exams, fared poorly on many of the daily tasks evaluated by the instructors, and finished last on most of the physical-training evaluations. Candidate R certainly could have given up at any time, as four of his fellow candidates in fifth platoon had already done. He readily admitted that he thought about quitting quite often, and said that his morale was sometimes so low that he felt that he couldn't do anything correctly and was just dragging down the platoon. But Candidate R didn't quit, he refused to compromise and endured all the abuse heaped on him until the final day of training. On that day he was asked by our platoon commander how he made it through each day, to which he replied, "I pray a lot, every chance I get. The support of my fellow candidates in this platoon has helped me a lot, and I know that I couldn't have done it without them and the Lord behind me. Thank you candidates for never giving up on me, and for pushing me when I couldn't go any more."
The values promoted by these vignettes are obvious: selflessness, determination, courage, loyalty, dedication, and integrity. They also illustrate the potential value of suffering, the benefits of religion and prayer, and the esprit de corps that dominates the Marine culture. It is strange that so many people wonder about the "brainwashing" that their friends have undergone while at OCS or boot camp, since many believe that the values promoted there are all-American. The difference lies in the moments of transformation, which are far less regimented (and not guaranteed) in civilian life, where the individual must actively choose to embrace these values and adopt them as his own. The Corps makes use of the intensity of these experiences to forge the strong spirit of camaraderie, discipline, and pride that pervades every aspect of a Marine's life. Mottoes like "Compromise is failure" and "Any day in which you fail to test yourself is wasted" are accessible to all Americans. Unfortunately, the Marines seem to be in the minority who adopt them.
— Gabriel Ledeen is an undergraduate student at Rice University and an officer candidate with the U.S. Marine Corps.
;-)
Semper Fi!
Until the Sergeant tells them to quit goofing off and get the head field-dayed.
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