At one time I thought that some of my military training courses were “tough.”
That was before I read and heard about the “hell weeks” experienced by our Marine recruits at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina (“where sand fleas await in open swamps”) or at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego (“where aching muscles and burning lungs become as familiar as the landscape.”)
Let alone the “hell months” experienced by our men and women who undergo the much more specialized and grueling — “brutal” some say — training required to qualify for our Army Special Forces (Green Berets, Rangers, Delta Force) and Navy SEALs — Hooyah!
Of course, the rigors of military training are nothing new.
According to “A Short History of War,”
The first good description of military training in ancient armies was produced by the Greek historian Strabo, who noted that Cyrus introduced universal military training among the Persians. The conscript underwent 10 years of military training, probably as a reservist, before being enlisted in the regular army. Training was vigorous and included physical conditioning, instruction in the bow and javelin, and horsemanship. Recruits were also trained to forage for food, prepare meals in the field, and make and repair weapons. The recruit was indoctrinated in the military code of the Persian army and taught to “ride well, shoot straight, and tell the truth.”
While the modern military training regimen may not last for 10 “hell years,” the curricula and the objectives have not changed much in more than two millenniums.
Whether one “likes” the military or not, whether one believes that military training is too “soft” or too extreme; whether one believes that its purpose is to “reprogram children and civilians into warriors,” or even to turn a bunch of “youngsters into trained killers” one has to give a tip of the hat to those who endure it, make it and move on to serve our country honorably and bravely.
Here are some photos. Some are from a Business Review article depicting what the Pentagon described as its “Most Intense Military Training Photos” of 2013.
Other photos made the “best military photos of the year” in 2014 and 2015.
The lead photo, taken by U.S. Army Sgt. Michael J. MacLeod shows soldiers undergoing air assault training, a course that is considered to be “the most physically demanding 10 days in the army.”
An aerial gunner in Emerald Warrior, a special operations exercise that trains soldiers in urban and irregular warfare environments. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Matthew Bruch.
Marines in the last part of Jungle Warfare Training. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Chris Fahey
Students from Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/s) participate in night gear exchange during the Second Phase of training at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado. During this phase, two students will enter the water and exchange dive gear with masks that have been completely blackened. (Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kyle D. Gahlau)
Marine Expeditionary Units train for a variety of amphibious and parachute operations. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Christopher Q. Stone.
Army ROTC cadet Kerry Carter surfaces after plunging blindfolded and carrying an M-16 into a pool during a combat water survival test at Clemson University, S.C. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Ken Scar.
Army Sgt. Kyle Lebeau, foreground, supervises soldiers climbing an ice wall at Smugglers’ Notch in Jeffersonville, Vt. Vermont Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Nathan Rivard.
A Marine sucks the blood from the head of a python in a jungle-survival course. Photo, US Marine Corps
Arctic Survival School students search for tender wood to build a fire. Photo by USAF SSgt Vernon Young Jr.
Paratroopers climb an obstacle during physical fitness training at Fort Bragg, N.C. Army photo by Sgt. Anthony Hewitt.
Students from Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) Class 281 participate in Rock Portage training at Coronado Island, Calif. (DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kyle D. Gahlau, U.S. Navy)
A Marine Corps officer candidate breaks the surface of the Quigley, a murky water obstacle used for training, at the Officer Candidates School on Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Patrick H. Owens
Airmen participate in water survival training near Homestead Air Reserve Base, Fla. New York Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Christopher S. Muncy
Marines plot their next route during a patrol exercise as part of a scout sniper platoon screening exercise on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Paul S. Martinez
Have a great weekend!
