The term 'positive control' is used to describe the way DIs watch over each recruit. Designed to keep recruits safe and obedient, positive control is exercised through a combination of physical presence and what the Marines call the 'command voice.' The physical presence is a function of appearance, so DIs will wear an immaculate uniform topped by the famous Marine campaign cover (also known as a 'Smokey Bear'). But the command voice is what really does it. Like the famous 'rebel yell' of the Civil War, it is impossible to describe, but you know it when you hear it. Every DI and Series Commander has one; and some say it makes any order, comment, or statement presented to the new recruit sound like the voice of God himself. The DIs need the command voice, because the days of physical hazing and verbal abuse towards recruits is over. DIs use words the way a surgeon uses a scalpel to cut out a tumor. To an eighteen- or nineteen-year-old recruit, it is like being torn apart emotionally. One of my guides, public affairs officer Captain Whitney Mason, had just completed a tour as a series commander at Parris Island, and she confessed to having such a 'voice' for those occasions when she needed it. Now, looking at this slender and slight lady, you might find it hard to believe, but she indeed does. The lessons delivered through the 'command voice' last a lifetime. More than one Marine I've spoken with has told me that in the heat of combat, when he was so scared he was pissing in his pants, lessons delivered from a particular DI years before came through loud and clear through the terror, and saved his life.
Back to the new recruits. Much has been happening during their testing and transition period. During their early days at Parris Island, they rapidly lose the identity they knew in civilian life. Along with the mandatory 'buzz cut' haircut for male recruits (female recruits enjoy a little latitude in permitted hairstyles), uniforms and other gear are issued. And just before they are assigned to their training platoon, recruits acquire the most important tool of the Marine rifleman, an M 16A2 rifle. They will carry it throughout Recruit Training, and will learn to use it better than any other basically trained warrior in the world.
When the time comes to meet their Dis, this is done in a unique ceremony called a 'Pickup Briefing.' The new recruits march to their new platoon barracks (called a squad bay) and stow their gear. This done, the seventy or so recruits sit cross-legged on the floor and await the appearance of their DIs. Starting with the Company Commander, then the Senior DI with the distinctive black belt, the recruits are introduced to the Marines who will hold their lives in their hands for the next few months. The speeches are compelling, almost intimidating in their presentation. But if you look over the recruits then, you'll see that they are not just intimidated, they are actually frightened, as well they should be. The first time you experience a DI in full regalia and command voice is something you never forget. The DIs talk for a short time about what will be expected of the recruits and how things will run in the platoon, with special emphasis on safety and looking out for each other. Then things begin to happen. The recruits are lined up in front of high double bunks, and the DIs begin to drill them. At first they are ordered to dig into their duffel bags and footlockers and quickly find particular pieces of equipment or articles of clothing. Later, they begin to drill with their M 16s. The idea is to get them to rapidly respond to the orders of the DIs and build the trust that will be required to make Recruit Training effective. In this way, more difficult and dangerous training tasks, particularly those involving firearms, can be safely accomplished.
Marine Recruit Training is accomplished in phases, spanning about three months (for female recruits, a few days more). It starts with the Forming Phase that we have been looking at. Lasting three to four days, it is designed to teach the recruits the basics of squad bay life and 'getting green,' as some of the recruits call it. During this time, the DIs take the time to interview each recruit, to get to know them better, and to establish what will be needed to lead a particular recruit through Recruit Training. It also is a final check to see if any personal problems need to be referred to professional counselors or medical personnel. The four Dis then split up the job of watching over the platoon; and one DI remains on duty in the squad bay at night during what is called the 'fire watch.' Recruits are enlisted to help with the fire watch, which further serves to indoctrinate them into the twenty-four-hour-a-day nature of military life. Though this experience is vital, for combat often requires going without sleep for extended periods, efforts are nevertheless made to ensure that recruits get adequate rest. It's usually lights out by 9:00 P.M., and up at 5:00 A.M. every day.
Following the Forming Phase is Phase I, which lasts approximately three weeks. This is mainly an orientation phase, where the recruits are given a daily regime of intensive physical training (PT), close-order drill, introductory classes in general military academic subjects, and their first experience with the obstacle course, which is a confidence-builder composed of assorted barriers to climb over, jump across, or crawl under. Recruits run the course repeatedly during Recruit Training, and by the time that they are done, they will know how to run it literally with their eyes closed. The daily PT is also vital, because the Corps requires a certain minimum level of physical fitness just to perform basic tasks. While many of the recruits are in good shape, PT makes them better, and it helps instill a desire for a daily regime of such exercise later. It's always easier to get in the exercise groove early in life. Take it from one who has discovered this too late, and is paying the price.
Recruits also study various academic subjects. The public perception may be that the Corps is not a collection of intellectual heavyweights, but officers of other services who serve on joint staffs will tell you that some of the top military thinkers today are Marines. Subjects range from basic tactics to Marine Corps history. The Corps believes that smart recruits make good Marines. The stereotype of the ignorant 'jarhead' is simply no longer accurate. The vast array of tasks and equipment required of even a basically trained Marine would make your head spin. As a nation, we ask a lot of our Marines, and they have to be properly trained if they are to deliver.
The attitude of recruits is constantly monitored as they adapt to life in the squad bay. Despite the best efforts of recruiters like Gunny Hazzard to prepare them mentally and physically, most recruits who 'wash out' of Recruit Training are lost in the first three weeks of training. It is a tough thing to send a young person home from Parris Island, and the Corps does everything it can to minimize attrition. If recruits are injured in training, they are given time to heal and rehabilitate if possible. When recruits fall behind in academic or skills areas, they receive special help to make up so they can get back with the rest of the platoon. Through it all, the DIs watch over the recruits around the clock, making sure they stay safe.
Warfare training begins in Phase II, which lasts six weeks for male recruits, and seven weeks for female recruits. Here they practice marksmanship with the M 16A2, to include their first experiences on the rifle range. The Corps takes marksmanship very seriously. If you cannot consistently hit targets on the range with a M16, you will never be a Marine. In Phase II, the general military knowledge taught in Phase I is tested, and there is the recruits' first experience with the Physical Fitness Test (PFT). Like proficiency with the M16, the successful completion of the PFT is mandatory to be certified as a Marine. Also in Phase II is the recruits' first experience with the new water- training facility recently completed at Parris Island. A surprising number of recruits have never seen a swimming pool, lake, or ocean, and they must learn to swim if they are to serve in an amphibious service. In the swimming facility the recruits learn how to float and move through the water, even when fully loaded with a rifle, uniform, boots, and pack. This training includes a series of drops from platform boards, which can be terribly unnerving to young people whose only experience with water may have been an open fire hydrant in an inner-city neighborhood.
Finally, there is the tactical training that is so necessary to becoming a Marine warrior. This includes rudimentary small-unit and assault training, as well as traditional Marine training in 'hitting skills' (fundamental to hand-to-hand combat), and training in the use of pugil sticks (large padded clubs). This part of basic training introduces the recruit to the unpleasant fact that life as a Marine can involve the very personal act of assaulting other people, and perhaps even killing them. Tactical training not only does this, it also teaches the new Marines how to measure and use force in combat.
Earlier, I pointed out that female recruits spend a week longer in Phase II than their male counterparts. Now is a good time to talk about why. Since World War I, women have augmented the strength of the Corps, freeing men for combat jobs. And like other branches of the U.S. military, the USMC has gradually expanded its range of opportunities for women. Today, something like 93 % of all Marine MOSs (Military Occupational Specialty codes,
